Battery test mold strip and battery test system thereof

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of battery testing, in particular to a battery testing die strip and a battery testing system thereof, and the battery testing die strip comprises a PCB substrate, and a main control unit, a channel unit and a testing interface unit which are integrated on the PCB substrate; the main control unit is used for realizing instruction interaction and data transmission with an upper computer and / or a measuring instrument; the channel unit comprises N independent test channels, each test channel is provided with a dual-mode change-over switch network and a signal conditioning circuit and is used for receiving the driving of the main control unit to realize the independent test of the N independent test channels, and N is an integer not less than 2; the test interface unit comprises N probe wiring terminals in one-to-one correspondence with the test channels and standardized external interfaces. According to the embodiment of the invention, the problems of many fault points and low maintenance efficiency caused by independent wiring of each channel in a high-channel-number test system can be solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of battery testing, and in particular to a battery testing module and a battery testing system thereof. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous improvement of energy density and standardization requirements for power batteries, large cylindrical batteries and pouch cells have become one of the mainstream technologies. However, their production and testing processes face severe challenges in terms of high throughput and high precision. To accommodate the dense layout of battery trays, existing technologies typically distribute test channels across multiple independent modules integrating test probes, and then aggregate these test channel probes into a scanning switching module integrating hundreds of test channels via wiring harnesses. In the manufacturing process of pouch lithium-ion batteries, formation and capacity testing are key processes determining battery performance consistency and quality levels. This process requires rapid and accurate measurement of the open-circuit voltage (OCV) and AC internal resistance (ACIR) of a large number of individual battery cells. Currently, the test switching system commonly used in the industry typically has a three-tier architecture: a centralized main controller board connected to multiple distributed relay boards via a backplane, and each relay board connected to external probe holders via a large number of independent wires.

[0003] This traditional architecture has two drawbacks: First, the number of cables inside the system increases exponentially with the number of test channels. A 128-channel system can have hundreds of control, signal, and power lines. This not only leads to high assembly costs and long production cycles, but more seriously, the dense cabling introduces significant distributed inductance and capacitance. Electromagnetic coupling between cables becomes a significant noise source, severely interfering with the measurement accuracy of microvolt-level OCV and microohm-level internal resistance signals. Simultaneously, the numerous connectors and solder joints also become potential sources of failure, reducing the overall reliability of the system. Second, it suffers from extremely poor maintainability and significant downtime losses. When a relay, fuse, or connection point in a channel fails, maintenance personnel face a "sea of ​​cables." Locating the fault is like finding a needle in a haystack, requiring meticulous troubleshooting, a time-consuming and labor-intensive process. The average repair time often lasts several hours or even longer. Furthermore, the complex wiring harnesses make disassembly and replacement operations extremely inconvenient during maintenance, easily leading to new connection problems due to misoperation, causing prolonged production line shutdowns and resulting in huge economic losses.

[0004] This distributed architecture has revealed serious problems in large-scale practical applications: firstly, the cabling disaster and signal integrity degradation under high density. A test system with hundreds of channels requires thousands of independent wires to be drawn from dozens of scattered modules. These wires intertwine and entangle with each other within the limited equipment space, forming a complex electromagnetic environment. The resulting parasitic inductance and capacitance, as well as crosstalk between wire bundles, make high-precision measurement difficult to achieve, and the consistency and accuracy of test results cannot be guaranteed.

[0005] Secondly, maintenance feasibility is extremely low, and operation and maintenance costs are exorbitant. When any single channel or connection fails in the system, locating the specific fault point among thousands of seemingly similar wires is unacceptably difficult and time-consuming. In practice, maintenance personnel are often forced to adopt a crude strategy of "regional replacement" or "complete replacement," that is, replacing the entire wiring harness or the entire board. This not only leads to extremely high spare parts costs and staggering downtime losses, but also highlights the poor maintainability of traditional architectures in high-density applications. Summary of the Invention

[0006] This disclosure provides a battery testing module and a battery testing system to solve the problems existing in related technologies. The technical solution is as follows:

[0007] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a battery test module, including a PCB substrate and a main control unit, a channel unit and a test interface unit integrated on the PCB substrate;

[0008] The main control unit is used to interact with the host computer and / or measuring instruments to exchange commands and transmit data.

[0009] The channel unit includes N independent test channels. Each test channel is equipped with a dual-mode switching network and a signal conditioning circuit, which are used to receive the drive of the main control unit to realize the independent testing of the N independent test channels, where N is an integer not less than 2.

[0010] The test interface unit includes N probe terminals corresponding one-to-one with the test channels and standardized external interfaces.

[0011] Optionally, the N independent test channels adopt the same circuit layout, components and PCB routing process.

[0012] Optionally, the probe connection terminals are connected to each test channel via surface-mount electronic switches and impedance control traces inside the PCB substrate, and the current loop and voltage sampling loop are physically separated.

[0013] Optionally, the dual-mode switching network consists of a first opto-relay, a second opto-relay, and a driving MOSFET; the first opto-relay is used to control the voltage sampling path, and the second opto-relay and the driving MOSFET work together to control the current excitation path.

[0014] Optionally, the PCB substrate adopts a pluggable PCB board structure, which supports hot-swappable replacement.

[0015] Optionally, the main control unit includes a main control MCU and a communication interface module, wherein the communication interface module supports one or more of CAN bus, RS485 bus or UART serial communication, and the communication interface module achieves external connection through a standardized DB9 female connector.

[0016] Optionally, the signal conditioning and protection circuit includes an RC filter circuit for filtering out signal noise.

[0017] Optionally, the probe connection terminal is adapted to the testing requirements of large cylindrical batteries or pouch batteries; when adapted to large cylindrical batteries, the probe array corresponding to the probe connection terminal is symmetrically distributed vertically, with the upper part corresponding to the positive electrode of the battery and the lower part corresponding to the negative electrode of the battery; when adapted to pouch batteries, the probe connection terminal adopts a side-clamp structure design.

[0018] Optionally, the probe terminals are integrated into the edge of the PCB substrate and adopt a lateral contact structure design.

[0019] Secondly, this disclosure also provides a battery testing system, comprising:

[0020] Host computer;

[0021] The battery test module is connected to the host computer.

[0022] The advantages or beneficial effects of the above technical solutions include at least the following:

[0023] This disclosure adopts a modular architecture, combining highly integrated full-function modules and probes, which solves the problem of multiple fault points and low maintenance efficiency caused by independent wiring for each channel in high-channel-count test systems;

[0024] The first opto-relay in the dual-mode switching network controls the voltage sampling path. Its contactless, jitter-free, long lifespan, and excellent electrical isolation characteristics ensure the accuracy and stability of voltage signal acquisition. The second opto-relay and MOSFET form a current-excitation path switch. Its advantages of high speed, quiet operation, direct drive by onboard MCU, and strong anti-interference capability perfectly match the high-frequency testing rhythm of the production line and effectively eliminate the measurement error caused by contact resistance.

[0025] This disclosure significantly reduces wiring by replacing the traditional main control board, multiple relay boards, and complex wiring harnesses with a single "full-function module." Compared to traditional solutions, internal wiring is reduced by over 80%. A single 36-channel test unit connects externally to only one set of power lines, communication lines, test instrument extension cables, and a standardized multi-core cable to the probe holder. This simplifies assembly, reduces material and labor costs, physically reduces potential failure points, and improves system reliability. It offers excellent maintainability, enabling "module-level" maintenance. In the event of a channel failure or the need for periodic calibration and maintenance, field technicians do not require specialized electrical knowledge or complex tools.

[0026] This disclosure also boasts excellent testing performance and consistency. N channels utilize the same circuit layout, components, and PCB routing technology on the same PCB board, resulting in highly consistent signal path impedance, parasitic parameters, and propagation delay. Under constant temperature conditions, when measuring the same standard voltage source and internal resistance source across N channels, the standard deviations of OCV and ACIR readings are both very small, providing reliable data for accurate battery sorting.

[0027] This disclosure also features ease of maintenance. When a channel malfunctions, the system's intelligent diagnostic function can locate the faulty module in a short time, supporting hot-swappable replacement with an operation time of less than 15 minutes. For example, in a 256-channel mega-system consisting of 16 modules, maintenance still maintains minute-level efficiency, eliminating the need to troubleshoot thousands of wire harnesses in traditional systems. Compared to the hours of maintenance required for traditional architectures, this disclosure is well-suited to the efficient operation and maintenance needs of large-scale production scenarios.

[0028] The above overview is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. Further aspects, embodiments, and features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description, in addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above. Attached Figure Description

[0029] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the various drawings denote the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings depict only some embodiments disclosed in this disclosure and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery test module in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0031] Figure 2 This is a perspective view of the battery test module in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0032] Figure 3 This is a side view of the battery test module in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0033] Figure 4 This is an exploded view of the battery test module in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0034] Figure 5 This is a circuit schematic diagram of the dual-mode switching network in an embodiment of this disclosure;

[0035] Figure 6 This is a schematic block diagram of the battery testing system in an embodiment of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0036] In the following description, only certain exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will recognize, the described embodiments can be modified in various ways without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Therefore, the drawings and description are to be considered exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0037] This disclosure provides a battery testing module, such as... Figure 1 The diagram shown is a schematic diagram of the battery testing module. Figure 2-4 The figures shown are a perspective view, a side view, and an exploded view of the battery test module. The battery test module includes a PCB substrate 1 and a main control unit 2, a channel unit 3, and a test interface unit 4 integrated on the PCB substrate 1.

[0038] like Figure 6 As shown, the main control unit 1 is used to interact with the host computer 100 and the OCV meter / internal resistance meter 200 to exchange instructions and transmit data.

[0039] like Figures 2-4 As shown, the channel unit 3 includes N independent test channels ( Figure 1 The test channels are 1-32. Each of the test channels is equipped with a switching and conditioning circuit, that is, a dual-mode switching network and a signal conditioning circuit, which are used to receive the drive of the main control unit to realize the independent testing of N independent test channels, where N is an integer not less than 2, preferably 32 or 36. Those skilled in the art can select the number of test channels according to actual test requirements.

[0040] The test interface unit 4 includes N probe terminals corresponding one-to-one with the test channels and a standardized external interface. The probe terminals are connected to each test channel via surface-mount electronic switches and impedance control traces inside the PCB substrate. A true four-wire design is adopted, meaning the current loop and voltage sampling loop are physically separated. The standardized external interface includes a power / communication composite interface and a probe cable interface for achieving a single cable connection.

[0041] In this embodiment, the N independent test channels employ the same circuit layout, components, and PCB routing technology. This setup ensures that the impedance, parasitic parameters, and transmission delay of the signal paths are highly consistent. Under constant temperature conditions, when the N test channels use the same standard voltage source and internal resistance source, the standard deviations of the OCV and ACIR readings both reach very small values, providing reliable data for accurate battery sorting.

[0042] In one embodiment, the probe connection terminals are connected to each test channel via surface-mount electronic switches and impedance control traces inside the PCB substrate 1, and the current loop and voltage sampling loop are physically separated. Connecting to the corresponding terminals and inserting the corresponding probes results in a probe board whose size perfectly matches the battery tray under test. The board integrates a "dual-head Kelvin probe board" that corresponds one-to-one with the tray's holes. Specifically, when adapting the probe connection terminals to large cylindrical batteries, the upper area is centrally arranged with positive electrode test probes, and the lower area is centrally arranged with negative electrode test probes. The positive and negative electrode arrays are symmetrically distributed vertically, precisely matching the vertical positive and negative electrode structure of the large cylindrical battery. This vertical partitioning design improves space utilization and effectively prevents signal crosstalk between different channels through physical isolation, further improving test accuracy. Simultaneously, the compact modular design allows the probe board to integrate more channels within a limited space, meeting the high channel count requirements for testing large cylindrical batteries. Furthermore, this setup also offers ease of maintenance; the modular design supports rapid location and hot-swappable replacement of faulty modules.

[0043] In one embodiment, such as Figure 5 As shown, the dual-mode switching network consists of a first photorelay, a second photorelay, and a driving MOSFET. Dual-mode switching is achieved by changing the connection method, specifically as follows: The dual-mode switching network includes OCV mode (OCV stands for Open Circuit Voltage) and internal resistance mode. In OCV mode, the voltage line of one of the photorelays is connected to a voltmeter to perform OCV testing; in internal resistance mode, the first and second photorelays are connected to an internal resistance meter via voltage and current lines, respectively, to perform internal resistance testing.

[0044] The first photorelay controls the voltage sampling path, while the second photorelay, in conjunction with the driving MOSFET, controls the current excitation path. The first photorelay, controlling the voltage sampling path, is contactless, jitter-free, has a long lifespan, and excellent electrical isolation characteristics, ensuring accurate and stable voltage signal acquisition. The second photorelay, together with the MOSFET, forms the current excitation path switch. Its advantages—high speed, quiet operation, direct drive capability by the onboard MCU, and strong anti-interference ability—perfectly match the high-frequency testing rhythm of the production line and effectively eliminate measurement errors caused by contact resistance.

[0045] In one embodiment, the PCB substrate adopts a pluggable PCB board structure, supporting hot-swappable replacement. The battery test module uses a standard-sized pluggable PCB board, designed for pouch battery testing scenarios. Multiple battery test modules can be inserted in parallel into one switching box to expand the number of channels. Each battery test module can integrate, for example, 36 identical test channels, which is key to realizing dual-mode testing.

[0046] In one embodiment, such as Figure 6 As shown, the main control unit includes a main control MCU and a communication interface module. The communication interface module supports one or more of CAN bus, RS485 bus, or UART serial communication, and connects to the outside via a standardized DB9 female connector. For example, this embodiment can use a 72-channel soft-pack battery open-circuit voltage (OCV) / internal resistance test switching box for testing. The core adopts a highly integrated full-function modular architecture, with two 36-channel battery test modules working in parallel and installed in a standard chassis. A side-clamping probe system designed for the characteristics of soft-pack battery electrode tabs integrates a microcontroller as the control core in each module, undertaking test logic execution, data processing, and communication with the host computer 100. The communication interface is implemented via a DB9 female connector (CON1), explicitly specifying TXD and RXD pins for UART serial communication, leading out CAN0 H and CAN0 L pins, and equipping COMM A and COMM B pins for RS485 communication, providing multiple industrial bus options to adapt to different factory environments.

[0047] In this embodiment, the signal conditioning and protection circuit includes an RC filter circuit to filter out signal noise and ensure signal stability.

[0048] In one embodiment, the probe connection terminals are adapted to the testing requirements of large cylindrical batteries or pouch batteries. When adapted to large cylindrical batteries, the probe array corresponding to the probe connection terminals is symmetrically distributed vertically, with the upper part corresponding to the positive terminal of the battery and the lower part corresponding to the negative terminal. When adapted to pouch batteries, the probe connection terminals adopt a side-clamping structure design. Those skilled in the art can adjust the arrangement of the probe connection terminals according to the shape of the battery to form a shape that is conducive to testing.

[0049] In one embodiment, the probe terminals are integrated into the edge of the PCB substrate and adopt a lateral contact structure design, which can be connected to the front-end fixture via a standardized short cable.

[0050] This disclosed embodiment can significantly reduce wiring, replacing the main control board, multiple relay boards, and complex wiring harnesses of traditional solutions with a single "full-function module." Compared to traditional solutions, the internal wiring is reduced by over 80%. For example, a 36-channel test unit only needs to connect to one set of power lines, communication lines, test instrument extension cables, and a standardized multi-core cable to the probe fixture. This simplifies the assembly process, reduces material and labor costs, reduces potential failure points at the physical level, and improves system reliability.

[0051] This disclosed embodiment also boasts excellent maintainability, enabling "module-level" maintenance. In the event of a system channel failure or the need for periodic calibration and maintenance, on-site technicians do not require specialized electrical knowledge or complex tools. The operating steps are as follows: a) Loosen 1-2 mounting screws on the battery test module; b) Disconnect the power / communication composite interface at the rear of the battery test module; c) Disconnect the probe cable interface on the side of the battery test module. The entire process is completed within minutes. Inserting a spare battery test module restores production, reducing the average repair time from several hours in traditional architectures to minutes, significantly decreasing troubleshooting time.

[0052] Secondly, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a battery testing system, such as... Figure 6 As shown, it includes:

[0053] Host computer 100;

[0054] The battery test module 300 is connected to the host computer 100.

[0055] The battery testing system also includes an OCV meter for testing the battery open-circuit voltage (OCV) and / or an internal resistance meter for testing the internal resistance. The OCV meter or internal resistance meter is connected to the main control MCU in the main control unit 2 through an instrument control interface (such as VTRG / RTRG / EOM). The host computer 100 is also connected to the main control MCU in the main control unit 2 through a communication interface such as CAN or RS485.

[0056] like Figure 2 , 6 As shown, the switching and conditioning circuit has 32 channels, and there are also 36 corresponding probe terminals.

[0057] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this disclosure. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of those different embodiments or examples.

[0058] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0059] The above are merely specific embodiments of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of various variations or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed in this disclosure, and these should all be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A battery testing module, characterized in that, It includes a PCB substrate and a main control unit, channel unit and test interface unit integrated on the PCB substrate; The main control unit is used to interact with the host computer and / or measuring instruments to exchange commands and transmit data. The channel unit includes N independent test channels. Each test channel is equipped with a dual-mode switching network and a signal conditioning circuit, which are used to receive the drive of the main control unit to realize the independent testing of the N independent test channels, where N is an integer not less than 2. The test interface unit includes N probe terminals corresponding one-to-one with the test channels and standardized external interfaces.

2. The battery test module as described in claim 1, characterized in that, N independent test channels use the same circuit layout, components, and PCB routing process.

3. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The probe connection terminals are connected to each test channel via surface-mount electronic switches and impedance control traces inside the PCB substrate, and the current loop and voltage sampling loop are physically separated.

4. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The dual-mode switching network consists of a first photorelay, a second photorelay, and a driving MOSFET; the first photorelay is used to control the voltage sampling path, and the second photorelay and the driving MOSFET work together to control the current excitation path.

5. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The PCB substrate adopts a pluggable PCB board structure, which supports hot-swappable replacement.

6. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The main control unit includes a main control MCU and a communication interface module. The communication interface module supports one or more of CAN bus, RS485 bus or UART serial communication. The communication interface module is connected to the outside through a standardized DB9 female connector.

7. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The signal conditioning and protection circuit includes an RC filter circuit for filtering out signal noise.

8. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The probe connection terminal is adapted to the testing requirements of large cylindrical batteries or pouch batteries. When adapted to large cylindrical batteries, the probe array corresponding to the probe connection terminal is symmetrically distributed vertically, with the upper part corresponding to the positive electrode of the battery and the lower part corresponding to the negative electrode of the battery. When adapted to pouch batteries, the probe connection terminal adopts a side-clamp structure design.

9. The battery test module as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The probe terminals are integrated into the edge of the PCB substrate and adopt a side-contact structure design.

10. A battery testing system, characterized in that, include: Host computer; The battery test module as described in any one of claims 1-9 is connected to the host computer.

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