Intelligent discharging and co-processing system and method for battery thermal runaway prevention and control

Abstract

The invention provides an intelligent discharge and co-processing system and method for battery thermal runaway prevention and control. The system comprises a multi-modal sensing module which collects multi-dimensional physical and chemical parameters in a battery pack; the control and communication module is connected with the multi-modal sensing module and is used for receiving and processing the multi-dimensional physical and chemical parameters, carrying out thermal runaway risk research and judgment through a built-in multi-modal fusion judgment algorithm and generating a corresponding control instruction according to a research and judgment result; the execution and disposal module is connected with the control and communication module and is used for executing rapid discharging operation on the battery pack and triggering operation of an external fire-fighting module according to the control instruction; and the energy supply and health management module is used for providing a standby power supply for each module of the system and executing system self-inspection. According to the invention, extremely early warning is realized through a multi-modal fusion judgment algorithm, the high-voltage risk is eliminated by using rapid active discharge, and the safety and reliability are remarkably improved by combining a fire fighting system co-processing mechanism.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of battery technology, specifically relating to an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway. Background Technology

[0002] With the explosive growth of the new energy industry, high-energy-density electrochemical energy storage systems, represented by lithium-ion batteries, have been widely used in electric vehicles, electric ships, large-scale energy storage power stations, and communication base stations. However, batteries are highly susceptible to internal short circuits under conditions of thermal abuse, electrical abuse, or mechanical abuse, leading to thermal runaway. The thermal runaway process is accompanied by violent heat release, valve ejection, smoke, fire, and even explosion, posing a serious threat to life and property safety.

[0003] Currently, safety protection technologies for battery thermal runaway have the following limitations: The lag and ineffectiveness of passive fire suppression: Traditional fire suppression systems (such as perfluorohexanone and fine water mist) are typically triggered only after an open flame or high temperature is generated, representing a passive response. More importantly, if the high voltage of the battery pack is not removed, the released extinguishing agent will not only be insufficient to extinguish electrical fires caused by high-voltage arcs, but may also cause short circuits between live parts due to insufficient dielectric strength, leading to secondary accidents. Pressure relief measures are only a temporary solution: Pressure relief valves, as physical pressure relief devices, can prevent physical explosions of the battery pack when pressure rises suddenly, but they cannot stop the ongoing exothermic chemical reactions inside the battery, nor can they eliminate the enormous electrical energy stored within the pack. Their role is limited to relieving pressure and cannot fundamentally prevent the chain reaction of thermal runaway. Mismatch between existing discharge technologies and application scenarios: Discharge equipment used in maintenance and recycling scenarios is designed for "slow, complete energy release," focusing on energy recovery and process control. Its response speed (seconds to minutes) and power handling capacity are completely inadequate to meet the stringent requirements of "millisecond-level triggering and instantaneous high-power discharge" in emergency safety scenarios, resulting in a serious scenario mismatch. The early warning mechanism is simplistic and unreliable: most existing solutions rely on threshold values ​​for single parameters such as temperature or voltage for judgment, leading to high false alarm and false negative rates. False alarms cause unnecessary system intervention and user panic, while false negatives mean missing the optimal intervention opportunity, directly causing safety incidents.

[0004] In publicly available patent applications, such as Chinese Invention Patent Application Publication No. CN 116365108 A, a thermal runaway management system for new energy batteries is disclosed, relating to the field of new energy technology. This system includes a heat-conducting medium module, a measurement and control module, and a vacuum fuse module. The heat-conducting medium module, upon contact with the new energy battery pack, dissipates the heat generated by the battery pack to the outside environment through the flow of the medium. The measurement and control module includes a temperature measurement unit and a temperature control unit, with the temperature measurement unit acting directly on the battery pack. The technical requirements are: by adding a vacuum fuse module, the fuse unit can achieve instantaneous power-off processing of the new energy battery pack, solving the problem of traditional new energy battery packs failing due to leakage and becoming unusable. Combined with the use of a vacuum unit, even if the new energy battery pack experiences open flame or thermal melting, it can be quickly vacuumed, ensuring that the new energy battery pack can continue to be used after subsequent maintenance.

[0005] The existing thermal runaway management system for new energy batteries relies primarily on temperature signals for thermal runaway assessment. This single monitoring dimension lacks awareness of chemical signals such as gases and fumes generated during critical early stages of thermal runaway, such as lithium plating and membrane melting. This results in delayed warnings and limited reliability, making it difficult to fundamentally solve the problems of false alarms and missed alarms. Furthermore, this solution uses power outage, vacuuming, and heat dissipation via thermal conductive media in parallel. If the high voltage in the battery pack is not completely eliminated before the extinguishing agent is released or the vacuum is evacuated, the extinguishing agent may fail due to insufficient dielectric strength under high pressure, potentially even triggering a secondary arc risk. Its vacuum fuse mechanism focuses on power outage after a fault and subsequent maintenance, but fails to address the root cause of thermal runaway—the rapid release of the enormous electrical energy stored inside the battery. This means that even after vacuuming, the continuous exothermic reaction inside the battery may continue slowly, eventually leading to reignition or complete destruction.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned technical problems in the existing technology, the present invention provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative treatment system and method for preventing and controlling battery thermal runaway. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This invention proposes an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway.

[0008] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0009] The intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing battery thermal runaway includes:

[0010] The multimodal sensing module is used to collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack;

[0011] The control and communication module is connected to the multimodal sensing module and is used to receive and process the multidimensional physicochemical parameters, perform thermal runaway risk assessment through the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm built into the control and communication module, and generate corresponding control commands based on the assessment results.

[0012] The execution and handling module, connected to the control and communication module, is used to perform a rapid discharge operation on the battery pack and trigger an external fire-fighting module operation according to the control command.

[0013] The power supply and health management module is used to provide backup power for the multimodal sensing module, the control and communication module, and the execution and disposal module, and to perform system self-testing.

[0014] Furthermore, the multimodal sensing module includes a sensor group for acquiring at least three of the following parameters: voltage, temperature, combustible gas concentration, smoke concentration, and pressure.

[0015] Furthermore, the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm is used to execute a three-level early warning mechanism, which includes:

[0016] Level 1 warning: When a single parameter exceeds the first preset threshold, a risk warning signal is generated.

[0017] A level-two warning is generated when at least two different parameters exceed the first preset threshold, thus triggering an intervention preparation signal.

[0018] The three-level early warning system generates an intervention signal when thermal runaway or fire is confirmed to have occurred based on a combination of logic judgments using multiple parameters.

[0019] The risk warning signal is used to trigger a reporting operation to the battery management system;

[0020] The intervention preparation signal is used to trigger the backup power supply preheating operation and to perform a rapid discharge preparation operation.

[0021] The execution intervention signal is used to trigger the rapid discharge operation of the execution and disposal module.

[0022] Furthermore, the combinational logic judgment condition includes at least one of the following conditions:

[0023] The temperature change rate is greater than the second preset threshold and the concentration of volatile organic compounds is greater than the second preset threshold;

[0024] The smoke concentration is greater than the second preset threshold and the pressure change value is greater than the second preset threshold.

[0025] Furthermore, the execution and processing module includes:

[0026] The intelligent fast discharge unit, wherein the discharge circuit of the intelligent fast discharge unit is controlled by at least two high-voltage DC contactors connected in series;

[0027] Fire alarm linkage interface, used to output signals to external fire alarm modules;

[0028] The execution and handling module follows the logic of "discharge first, then extinguish fire". That is, only after the intelligent fast discharge unit discharges the battery pack voltage to below the safe voltage, if the control and communication module determines that fire extinguishing is still necessary, will the external fire-fighting module be activated through the fire linkage interface.

[0029] Furthermore, the discharge circuit of the intelligent fast discharge unit includes a discharge resistor, which is thermally coupled to the liquid cooling system of the battery pack through a thermally conductive insulating layer.

[0030] Furthermore, the power supply and health management module includes a system self-test unit, which is used to perform switching operation tests on the high-voltage DC contactor, insulation performance tests on the discharge circuit, and report the self-test results.

[0031] Furthermore, the power supply and health management module includes an independent emergency power supply, which is a double-layer supercapacitor module, and the independent emergency power supply is equipped with a charging circuit that draws power from a low-voltage power supply via DC-DC converter.

[0032] The present invention also provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling method for preventing battery thermal runaway based on the above system, comprising the following steps:

[0033] Step 1: Continuously collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack through the multimodal sensing module;

[0034] Step 2: The collected parameters are analyzed in real time using the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm of the control and communication module. When the judgment result reaches the level three warning, an intervention signal is generated.

[0035] Step 3: The execution and handling module responds to the execution intervention signal, closes the discharge circuit, and rapidly discharges energy from the battery pack until its voltage drops below the preset safe voltage.

[0036] Step 4: After confirming that the battery pack voltage has dropped below the safe voltage, if the control and communication module determines that the risk of thermal runaway has not been eliminated, a fire extinguishing command is generated. The execution and disposal module executes the fire extinguishing command and activates the external fire-fighting module through the fire linkage interface to extinguish the fire and cool it.

[0037] Furthermore, in step 1, the multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters are filtered and denoised, and the rate of change is calculated.

[0038] Compared with the prior art, the superior effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0039] 1. The intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway, as described in this invention, rapidly reduces the battery pack voltage below a safe voltage before a fire occurs or spreads, based on the core logic of "discharge first, then extinguish." This fundamentally eliminates the risks of high-voltage arcs and electric shock, transforming the disaster from a "difficult-to-extinguish high-voltage electrical fire" into an "easily handled solid material fire," creating a safe working environment for fire rescue and fundamentally reducing the difficulty of fire fighting.

[0040] 2. The intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway as described in this invention, in terms of early warning, the multi-modal fusion judgment algorithm adopted by the system can comprehensively verify multi-dimensional information such as electrical, thermal, chemical, and physical data. Compared with traditional early warning methods that rely on a single parameter, it can identify the risk of thermal runaway earlier and more reliably, thus gaining a critical window period for system intervention. In terms of response, the system has a millisecond-level command response speed and can complete the entire discharge process in seconds. Its overall early warning and handling speed far exceeds that of traditional passive fire protection and maintenance discharge equipment, realizing rapid and proactive containment of the root cause of thermal runaway.

[0041] 3. The intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway as described in this invention, at the judgment level, effectively avoids the decision-making risks caused by false alarms or failures of a single sensor through a multi-signal fusion algorithm, and can achieve high-confidence thermal runaway judgment, thereby significantly reducing false alarms and missed alarms; at the execution level, through hardware redundancy design, independent emergency power supply and periodic full-system self-checking mechanism, the reliability of the safety device at critical moments throughout the battery's entire life cycle is ensured, constructing a solid and reliable last physical defense line;

[0042] 4. The intelligent discharge and synergistic treatment system and method for preventing battery thermal runaway described in this invention, with its "discharge completed before extinguishing" process, ensures that the extinguishing agent can be efficiently discharged under a safe voltage environment, avoiding resource waste caused by ineffective discharge under high voltage conditions and significantly saving the amount of extinguishing agent used. In terms of economy, through very early rapid energy release and subsequent synergistic cooling, thermal runaway can be suppressed in its nascent stage or strictly limited to a local area, effectively avoiding cascading damage to the entire system caused by thermal spread, thereby maximizing the control of economic losses caused by the accident. Attached Figure Description

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing battery thermal runaway according to the present invention;

[0044] Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the logic flow of the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm of the present invention;

[0045] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the process timing of the control and communication module of the present invention under the three-level early warning state;

[0046] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the hardware electrical schematic of the intelligent fast discharge unit of this invention;

[0047] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0048] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0049] To better understand the above-mentioned objectives, features and advantages of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments of the present invention and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0050] like Figures 1-6 As shown, the present invention provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing battery thermal runaway, comprising:

[0051] The multimodal sensing module is used to collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack;

[0052] The control and communication module, connected to the multimodal sensing module, is used to receive and process multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters, assess the risk of thermal runaway through the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm built into the control and communication module, and generate corresponding control commands based on the assessment results.

[0053] The execution and disposal module, connected to the control and communication module, is used to perform rapid discharge operations on the battery pack and trigger external fire suppression modules according to control commands.

[0054] The power supply and health management module is used to provide backup power for the multimodal sensing module, control and communication module, execution and disposal module, and to perform system self-testing.

[0055] The intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing battery thermal runaway adopts a highly integrated modular design and is usually embedded inside the battery pack or high-voltage box, forming an independent safety module with the highest decision-making and execution priority under the battery management system framework.

[0056] The multimodal sensing module is responsible for acquiring multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters and performing front-end processing of parameter data, providing a data foundation for thermal runaway assessment. The multimodal sensing module integrates four types of sensing units: the electrical signal sensing unit uses a high-precision, high-sampling-rate isolated voltage sensor based on isolated operational amplifiers or magnetic coupling principles to monitor the total voltage of the battery pack and its rate of change in real time, supplemented by an open-loop Hall current sensor to monitor the total current, assisting in the judgment of abnormal operating conditions such as internal short circuits; the thermal signal sensing unit uses multiple NTC thermistors or digital temperature sensors distributed and attached to the surface of key cells or the module busbar to continuously acquire the absolute temperature of the battery and its rate of change, the latter being a core indicator for judging the thermal runaway process; the chemical signal sensing unit uses a MEMS gas sensor to monitor the concentration of specific gases released in the early stages of thermal runaway, such as volatile organic compounds, hydrogen, and carbon monoxide, and is paired with a laser scattering smoke sensor to monitor smoke particle concentration; the physical signal sensing unit uses a micro-differential pressure sensor to sensitively capture changes in internal and external gas pressure caused by early gas generation inside the battery pack.

[0057] The control and communication module receives multi-dimensional parameters (such as voltage, temperature, and gas concentration) from the multimodal sensing module and performs data processing, algorithm decision-making, and inter-module communication and command scheduling. The control and communication module includes signal conditioning circuitry to filter, amplify, and convert analog signals from various sensors to digital, ensuring signal accuracy and stability. The core hardware of the control and communication module uses a multi-core microcontroller compliant with automotive functional safety ASIL-D standards. One core is dedicated to running safety-related fusion judgment algorithms, while the other core handles system communication and management tasks, achieving functional safety isolation. For communication interfaces, a standard CAN FD interface enables high-speed data exchange with the battery management system's main controller. At least two hardwired digital input interfaces are also reserved for directly receiving the highest-priority alarm signals from the battery management system or independent gas detection modules, providing hardware-level safety redundancy.

[0058] The core of the algorithm in this invention lies in its multimodal fusion judgment algorithm. This algorithm is not a simple signal superposition, but adopts advanced data processing strategies such as "weighted voting method" or "rule-based expert system".

[0059] The execution and handling module translates control commands (such as discharge commands and fire alarm signals) output by the control and communication module into specific physical actions and feeds back the execution status to the control and communication module to determine whether the action is effective, thus forming a closed-loop control. The execution and handling module comprises two key sub-units: an intelligent rapid discharge unit and a fire alarm linkage interface. The intelligent rapid discharge unit, for example... Figure 4As shown, the system consists of a load element and a switching device. The load element is a non-inductive resistor made of stainless steel or nickel-chromium alloy strip, with an insulating and thermally conductive layer formed on its surface through an anodizing process. The non-inductive resistor is directly press-fitted onto the liquid cooling plate of the battery pack, achieving efficient thermal management and avoiding localized overheating during discharge. The switching device consists of at least two high-voltage DC contactors connected in series, with a rated voltage 1.5 times higher than the maximum voltage of the battery pack. Each contactor coil is equipped with an independent drive circuit and has status feedback contacts for diagnosing "normal closure" or "sticking" faults, forming strict hardware redundancy. The fire alarm linkage interface provides a set of normally open relay dry contact outputs controlled by a microcontroller. The triggering of this interface follows rigid logic, that is, the contacts can only close after the system confirms that "discharge is complete and the conditions for continuous fire extinguishing are met," thereby activating the external fire alarm module and ensuring the safe sequence of "discharge first, then fire extinguishing."

[0060] In one specific embodiment, the electrical circuit path of the intelligent fast discharge unit is led out from the high-voltage positive terminal of the battery pack, flows sequentially through the first high-voltage DC contactor (K1), the load element (R), and the second high-voltage DC contactor (K2), and finally returns to the negative terminal of the battery pack, forming a complete series circuit. The core value of this "contactor-load-contactor" layout lies in achieving fault safety and redundancy: First, it provides single fault tolerance capability, that is, when any contactor experiences a sticking fault, the other normal contactor can still independently cut off the discharge circuit, preventing the battery pack from continuously discharging abnormally or failing to isolate; Second, it achieves double-break isolation. When both contactors are normally disconnected, not only is a circuit functional break formed, but also physical isolation breaks are created simultaneously for the load element and both sides of the battery pack, thereby providing a higher level of safety assurance for subsequent maintenance, repair, or fire fighting operations.

[0061] Example 1: An example of battery thermal runaway graded early warning and safety handling based on multi-core MCU and multi-modal fusion judgment algorithm, as detailed below. Figure 2 Figure 3 As shown.

[0062] S1: Signal Preprocessing

[0063] The control and communication module receives multi-dimensional parameters from the multimodal sensing module and performs digital filtering (such as Kalman filtering) on ​​the raw signals of the acquired multi-dimensional parameters (voltage U, temperature T, gas concentration, smoke concentration, pressure P, etc.) to eliminate high-frequency noise interference. Subsequently, the filtered signals are calculated to obtain their rate of change in real time, including characteristic parameters such as the rate of change of temperature dT / dt, the rate of change of voltage dU / dt, and the pressure change ΔP.

[0064] S2: Level 3 Early Warning Judgment

[0065] The specific judgment for a Level III early warning is as follows:

[0066] Level 1 Warning (Risk Alert):

[0067] The control and communication module compares the preprocessed signal feature values ​​with preset "attention thresholds". Each parameter has a corresponding first preset threshold and a second preset threshold. When one and only a single signal feature value exceeds its corresponding first preset threshold, a level one warning is triggered.

[0068] Example judgment condition: dT / dt>0.5℃ / s (rapid temperature change).

[0069] Response Action: The control and communication module only reports a Level 1 warning to the Battery Management System (BMS), indicating a potential risk to the system, but does not trigger any action from any actuators. This stage aims to provide risk warnings and record information.

[0070] Level 2 warning (preparing for intervention):

[0071] When the control and communication module detects that any two or more signal characteristic values ​​simultaneously exceed their respective "first preset threshold", it triggers a level two warning.

[0072] Example judgment conditions: dT / dt>0.5℃ / s and dU / dt exceeds the threshold, or VOC concentration>the threshold of concern and temperature T>the threshold of concern.

[0073] Response Action: While reporting a Level 2 warning to the BMS, the control and communication module initiates the preheating procedure of the independent emergency power supply, putting it into standby mode to fully prepare for possible emergency discharge. This stage elevates the system response level and shortens the delay of subsequent actions.

[0074] Level 3 Early Warning (Execution Intervention):

[0075] The control and communication module makes judgments based on combinational logic conditions to confirm whether thermal runaway or fire has occurred. When any set of preset "combinational logic conditions" is met, that is, when the characteristic values ​​of specific parameter combination signals are detected to simultaneously exceed their respective "second preset thresholds", a level three warning is immediately triggered.

[0076] Example combinational logic condition 1: (dT / dt>1.5℃ / s) and (VOC concentration>15ppm). This condition combines a drastic temperature rise with characteristic gases from electrolyte decomposition, resulting in a low false positive rate.

[0077] Example combined logic condition 2: (Smoke concentration exceeds the limit) and (Pressure change ΔP > 5 kPa). This condition combines the characteristics of fire smoke with the sudden increase in internal pressure in the battery compartment due to thermal runaway.

[0078] Response action: The control and communication module immediately generates and issues a discharge command, which is the highest priority command.

[0079] S3: Command Output and Feedback Control

[0080] S31: Command Execution and Monitoring: A discharge command is sent to the execution and handling module. The execution and handling module closes the corresponding switch, rapidly dissipating battery energy through the intelligent fast discharge unit. Simultaneously, the control and communication module monitors the voltage drop at the battery terminals in real time via a voltage sensor.

[0081] S32: Safety Confirmation and Fire Alignment: When the control and communication module detects that the battery voltage has dropped below a safe voltage value (e.g., <60V DC), it determines that the active discharge process has been completed and the battery pack is in an electrically safe state. Subsequently, the control and communication module, based on the real-time status of sensors such as smoke and temperature (e.g., whether the temperature is above 90℃), determines whether to trigger fire linkage (e.g., initiating fire extinguishing agent spraying).

[0082] The power supply and health management module ensures the system operates effectively under any conditions and can be integrated into the BMS to assist in managing the main power supply. This module includes an independent emergency power supply and a system self-test unit. The independent emergency power supply uses a double-layer supercapacitor module (e.g., 16 3000F cells in series) as a backup energy storage unit. It draws power from a low-voltage power source through a small-power DC-DC converter, thus maintaining a fully charged state at all times. When the main power supply fails, this supercapacitor module can maintain the system at full power for at least 30 seconds, providing sufficient energy to complete the entire safety response process. The system self-test unit can perform various self-test tasks, including periodic self-tests and power-on self-tests. During periodic self-tests, the microcontroller automatically performs the following operations every 24 hours: instructs each high-voltage DC contactor to perform a brief engagement test (during which the other end of the load circuit is open to avoid actual discharge), verifying the normal switching function through its status feedback contacts; applies a low-voltage test voltage to the load circuit to check if the circuit's insulation resistance meets safety standards; and checks the capacitance and health status of the supercapacitors. The power-on self-test is triggered when the vehicle is powered on or the system restarts. All self-test results are reported in real time via the CAN bus, along with a clear "device health status" flag, enabling continuous monitoring and early warning of the system's own status.

[0083] Example 2: Intelligent Discharge and Collaborative Handling System for Thermal Runaway Prevention of Lithium Iron Phosphate Battery Packs in Pure Electric Passenger Vehicles

[0084] This embodiment provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing thermal runaway of power battery packs in pure electric passenger vehicles, specifically as follows: Figure 5 As shown.

[0085] 1. Application Scenarios and System Configuration: Intelligent Discharge and Collaborative Handling System for Battery Thermal Runaway Prevention

[0086] It is applied to a power battery pack using lithium iron phosphate cells, with a rated voltage of 384V DC, a capacity of 150Ah, and a total energy of approximately 57.6kWh. The system is integrated inside the battery pack and mainly consists of a multimodal sensing module, a control and communication module, and an execution and processing module.

[0087] 2. Specific configuration

[0088] The multimodal sensing module includes 16 NTC temperature sensors (evenly distributed in each battery module), one total voltage sensor, one VOC and H2 combined gas sensor (installed in the ventilation duct inside the battery pack), and one smoke sensor. These sensors are used to collect multi-dimensional status parameters of the battery pack in real time.

[0089] Control and communication module: Employs a multi-core microcontroller compliant with automotive functional safety ASIL-D level. One dedicated core runs the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm of this invention, calculating characteristic parameters such as temperature change rate in real time and comparing them with preset thresholds.

[0090] Execution and Disposal Module:

[0091] In the intelligent fast discharge unit, the load element uses alloy resistor strips, the resistance of which is calculated based on the target setting (i.e., reducing the battery pack voltage from 384V to below the safe voltage of 60V within 15 seconds). The required average power P≈45kW, and based on this, the load resistor R≈3.3Ω is selected. To ensure reliability, the peak power of the discharge load is selected based on 80kW, and it is directly mounted on the liquid cooling plate of the battery pack for efficient heat dissipation using the cooling system.

[0092] The switching device uses two DC contactors with a rated voltage of 800V DC and a rated current of 500A connected in series to form a redundant design, ensuring high reliability of high voltage circuit disconnection.

[0093] The specific conditions for determining the Level 3 warning are set as follows: when either of the following conditions is met, the control and communication module will immediately determine it as the highest level warning (Level 3 warning) and generate a discharge command. (This is because either the reading of any NTC temperature sensor is >80℃ and the temperature change rate dT / dt at that point is >1.5℃ / s) or the concentration of VOC gas is >15ppm and the concentration of H2 gas is >50ppm) is met.

[0094] 3. Installation and Integration

[0095] The control and communication module is installed next to the high-voltage box inside the battery pack to shorten the length of the high-voltage wiring harness, reduce energy loss and potential interference. The load components are tightly attached to the liquid cooling plate at the bottom of the battery pack using thermally conductive silicone grease, ensuring that the heat they generate can be effectively dissipated by the cooling system.

[0096] Beneficial Effects: This embodiment addresses the challenges of compact space and complex operating conditions in passenger vehicle battery packs by providing a solution that integrates early warning, accurate judgment, and rapid discharge. Through multi-sensor fusion algorithms and a high-power-density load design, the high-voltage battery is reduced to a safe voltage in an extremely short time, providing the highest level of thermal runaway safety protection for passenger vehicles.

[0097] Example 3: Intelligent Discharge and Collaborative Handling System for Thermal Runaway Prevention and Control of Liquid-Cooled Battery Clusters in Grid-Side Energy Storage Power Stations

[0098] This embodiment provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing thermal runaway of battery clusters in a large-capacity grid-side energy storage power station, specifically as follows: Figure 6 As shown.

[0099] 1. Application Scenarios and System Configuration

[0100] The system is applied to liquid-cooled battery clusters in grid-side energy storage power stations, with a rated voltage of 1500V DC, a capacity of 280Ah, and a total energy of up to 420kWh. The system design needs to cope with higher voltage and energy levels, and consider the linkage with power station-level monitoring and fire protection systems.

[0101] 2. Specific configuration of the device

[0102] Multimodal sensing module: The sensor network covers the entire battery cluster. Each battery module is equipped with a temperature sensor, and each battery cabinet is equipped with at least one gas sensor and one smoke sensor, enabling comprehensive condition monitoring.

[0103] Control and Communication Module: In addition to processing local sensor signals, it also has a communication interface that can receive early warning signals from cloud big data platforms (e.g., early internal short circuit predictions diagnosed by AI algorithms based on historical data), forming a dual judgment mechanism of "local diagnosis + cloud prediction", which greatly improves the foresight of early warning.

[0104] Execution and Disposal Module:

[0105] The load components employ a "tiered switching" strategy to accommodate a wide voltage range and prevent a single resistor from bearing excessive power at high voltages. Specifically, during the high-voltage phase (1500V to 800V), resistor R1 = 50Ω is used; when the voltage drops to 800V, resistor R2 = 15Ω is switched on in parallel with R1 to quickly lower the voltage to below 60V. The peak power throughout the entire discharge process is controlled below 120kW to prevent load overheating.

[0106] The switching switch uses four DC contactors with a rated voltage of 2000V DC, forming a double redundancy design (two contactors are connected in series as a group, and two groups are connected in parallel to ensure conduction reliability), which meets the strict requirements of high voltage level for electrical clearance and creepage distance.

[0107] 3. Linkage control

[0108] When the system triggers a Level 3 warning, the following linkage control sequence will be executed:

[0109] Activate the intelligent fast discharge unit of this device immediately.

[0110] Send trip commands to the energy storage converter and cluster circuit breaker to achieve electrical isolation.

[0111] Send a signal to the fire suppression system to activate the compartment-level heptafluoropropane or perfluorohexanone fire suppression system.

[0112] Beneficial Effects: This embodiment, tailored to the characteristics of large-capacity, high-voltage energy storage battery clusters, optimizes the energy dissipation process through a tiered switching discharge strategy. Furthermore, a dual early warning mechanism combining local and cloud-based systems enables ultra-early identification of thermal runaway risks. The robust system linkage control logic ensures the orderly and efficient execution of a series of safety actions, including isolation, discharge, and fire suppression, in emergency situations, thus safeguarding the entire energy storage power station.

[0113] The present invention also provides an intelligent discharge and collaborative handling method for preventing battery thermal runaway based on the above system, comprising the following steps:

[0114] Step 1: Continuously collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack through the multi-modal sensing module, filter and denoise the multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters and calculate the rate of change;

[0115] Step 2: The collected parameters are analyzed in real time using the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm of the control and communication module. When the judgment result reaches the level three warning, an intervention signal is generated.

[0116] Step 3: The execution and handling module responds to the execution intervention signal, and the intelligent fast discharge unit closes the discharge circuit to rapidly discharge energy from the battery pack until its voltage drops below the preset safe voltage.

[0117] Step 4: After confirming that the battery pack voltage has dropped below the safe voltage, if the control and communication module determines that the risk of thermal runaway has not been eliminated, a fire extinguishing command is generated. The execution and disposal module executes the fire extinguishing command and activates the external fire-fighting module through the fire linkage interface to extinguish the fire and cool it.

[0118] This invention is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various changes and modifications can be made to the invention without departing from its spirit and scope, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of the invention as claimed. The scope of protection of this invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. An intelligent discharge and collaborative handling system for preventing battery thermal runaway, characterized in that, include: The multimodal sensing module is used to collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack; The control and communication module is connected to the multimodal sensing module and is used to receive and process the multidimensional physicochemical parameters, perform thermal runaway risk assessment through the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm built into the control and communication module, and generate corresponding control commands based on the assessment results. The execution and handling module, connected to the control and communication module, is used to perform a rapid discharge operation on the battery pack and trigger an external fire-fighting module operation according to the control command. The power supply and health management module is used to provide backup power for the multimodal sensing module, the control and communication module, and the execution and disposal module, and to perform system self-testing.

2. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multimodal sensing module includes a sensor group for collecting at least three of the following parameters: voltage, temperature, combustible gas concentration, smoke concentration, and pressure.

3. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The multimodal fusion judgment algorithm is used to execute a three-level early warning mechanism, which includes: Level 1 warning: When a single parameter exceeds the first preset threshold, a risk warning signal is generated. A level-two warning is generated when at least two different parameters exceed the first preset threshold, thus triggering an intervention preparation signal. The three-level early warning system generates an intervention signal when thermal runaway or fire is confirmed to have occurred based on a combination of logic judgments using multiple parameters. The risk warning signal is used to trigger a reporting operation to the battery management system; The intervention preparation signal is used to trigger the backup power supply preheating operation and to perform a rapid discharge preparation operation. The execution intervention signal is used to trigger the rapid discharge operation of the execution and disposal module.

4. The system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The combinational logic judgment condition includes at least one of the following conditions: The temperature change rate is greater than the second preset threshold and the concentration of volatile organic compounds is greater than the second preset threshold; The smoke concentration is greater than the second preset threshold and the pressure change value is greater than the second preset threshold.

5. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The execution and processing module includes: The intelligent fast discharge unit, wherein the discharge circuit of the intelligent fast discharge unit is controlled by at least two high-voltage DC contactors connected in series; Fire alarm linkage interface, used to output signals to external fire alarm modules; The execution and handling module follows the logic of "discharge first, then extinguish fire". That is, only after the intelligent fast discharge unit discharges the battery pack voltage to below the safe voltage, if the control and communication module determines that fire extinguishing is still necessary, will the external fire-fighting module be activated through the fire linkage interface.

6. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The discharge circuit of the intelligent fast discharge unit includes a load element for consuming electrical energy, which is thermally coupled to the liquid cooling system of the battery pack through a thermally conductive insulating layer.

7. The system according to claim 5, characterized in that, The power supply and health management module includes a system self-test unit, which is used to perform switching operation tests on the high-voltage DC contactor, insulation performance tests on the discharge circuit, and report the self-test results.

8. The system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power supply and health management module also includes an independent emergency power supply, which is a double-layer supercapacitor module. The independent emergency power supply is equipped with a charging circuit that draws power from a low-voltage power source via a DC-DC converter.

9. A smart discharge and collaborative handling method for battery thermal runaway prevention based on the system described in any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: Continuously collect multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters inside the battery pack through the multimodal sensing module; Step 2: The collected parameters are analyzed in real time using the multimodal fusion judgment algorithm of the control and communication module. When the judgment result reaches the level three warning, an intervention signal is generated. Step 3: The execution and handling module responds to the execution intervention signal, closes the discharge circuit, and rapidly discharges energy from the battery pack until its voltage drops below the preset safe voltage. Step 4: After confirming that the battery pack voltage has dropped below the safe voltage, if the control and communication module determines that the risk of thermal runaway has not been eliminated, a fire extinguishing command is generated. The execution and disposal module executes the fire extinguishing command and activates the external fire-fighting module through the fire linkage interface to extinguish the fire and cool it.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that, In step 1, the multi-dimensional physicochemical parameters are filtered and denoised, and the rate of change is calculated.

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