Battery and battery monitoring method

Abstract

To provide a battery capable of quickly sensing an abnormal phenomenon of the battery.SOLUTION: The battery 10 includes a case 110 made of a conductive material, a sensing member 120 attached to one surface of the case 110 and including a conductor 122 made of a conductive material and a dielectric 124 of which at least a portion is disposed between the case and the conductor, and a monitoring circuit 130 electrically connected to the conductor 120 and the case 110, and the monitoring circuit 130 may monitor whether the battery is deformed based on a change amount of capacitance formed between the conductor and one surface of the case 110.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to batteries and battery monitoring methods. [Background technology]

[0002] Unlike primary batteries, which cannot be recharged, secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged. Low-capacity secondary batteries are used in small portable electronic devices such as smartphones, feature phones, laptop computers, digital cameras, and camcorders, while high-capacity secondary batteries are widely used as motor drive power sources and power storage batteries in hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like. Such secondary batteries include an electrode assembly consisting of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, a case that houses the electrode assembly, and electrode terminals connected to the electrode assembly.

[0003] If gas is generated within a secondary battery during charging and discharging, the battery may heat up, and in severe cases, this may lead to a battery explosion. To monitor such abnormal battery phenomena, techniques have been applied to detect gas generated within the battery or to detect whether the battery case has expanded due to gas generation. Meanwhile, as batteries become smaller and / or thinner, more precise monitoring techniques that can quickly detect abnormal battery phenomena are required.

[0004] The foregoing information disclosed in this Background of the Invention section is intended solely to enhance understanding of the background of the present invention and may therefore include information that does not constitute prior art. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Registration No. 10-2125238 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The present disclosure provides a battery and a battery monitoring method to solve the above problems.

[0007] However, the technical problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the above-mentioned problems, and other problems not mentioned should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure for solving the technical problems, a battery includes a case made of a conductive material, a sensing member attached to one surface of the case and including a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric at least a portion of which is disposed between the case and the conductor, and a monitoring circuit electrically connected to the conductor and the case, and the monitoring circuit can monitor whether the battery is deformed based on a change in capacitance formed between the conductor and one surface of the case.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the conductor is made of an elastic material, and the area of ​​the conductor's surface facing the case can increase in response to expansion of the battery.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness of the dielectric may decrease in response to battery expansion.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the case may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the conductor may extend in one direction along a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, with one end of the conductor positioned adjacent to an edge of the side surface and the other end of the conductor positioned to face toward the center of the side surface.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the case may have a cylindrical shape, the conductor may extend in one direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape, one end of the conductor may be positioned adjacent to the edge of the outer circumferential surface, and the other end of the conductor may be positioned to face toward the center of the outer circumferential surface.

[0013] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the dielectric may be an insulating film or insulating tape, and the conductor may be formed in the form of a metal pattern on the dielectric.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring circuit may include an inductor, and the inductor and the sensing element may be coupled together to generate a resonant frequency corresponding to the capacitance.

[0015] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring circuit further includes a controller, and the controller can determine whether the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between a first frequency corresponding to a first capacitance formed at a first time point and a second frequency corresponding to a second capacitance formed at a second time point after the first time point.

[0016] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring circuit further includes an internal capacitor connected in series with the sensing member, the internal capacitor having a predetermined third capacitance, and the monitoring circuit can monitor whether the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between a third frequency corresponding to the first capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a first time point and a fourth frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a second time point.

[0017] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the internal capacitor is a variable capacitor, and the third capacitance can be adjusted in the same or larger range than the first capacitance.

[0018] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, at least a portion of the case may include a stainless steel material.

[0019] In a battery monitoring method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure for solving the technical problem, the battery includes a case made of a conductive material, a sensing member attached to one surface of the case and including a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric, at least a portion of which is disposed between the case and the conductor, and a monitoring circuit electrically connected to the conductor and the case, and the method includes the steps of: acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a first frequency corresponding to a first capacitance formed between the conductor and one surface of the case at a first time point; acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a second frequency corresponding to a second capacitance formed between the conductor and one surface of the case at a second time point after the first time point; and monitoring, by the monitoring circuit, whether or not the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency.

[0020] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the case may have a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and the conductor may extend in one direction along a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, with one end of the conductor positioned adjacent to an edge of the side surface and the other end of the conductor positioned to face toward the center of the side surface.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the case may have a cylindrical shape, the conductor may extend in one direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape, one end of the conductor may be positioned adjacent to the edge of the outer circumferential surface, and the other end of the conductor may be positioned to face toward the center of the outer circumferential surface.

[0022] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring step can include determining that the case has expanded if the second frequency is less than the first frequency and the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a predetermined first threshold.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring step can include determining that the battery is operating abnormally if the second frequency is greater than the first frequency and the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a predetermined second threshold.

[0024] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the monitoring circuit includes an internal capacitor connected in series with the sensing member, the internal capacitor having a predetermined third capacitance, and the method may further include the steps of: acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a third frequency corresponding to the first capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a first time point; acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a fourth frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a second time point; and monitoring, by the monitoring circuit, whether or not the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the internal capacitor is a variable capacitor, and the third capacitance can be adjusted in the same or larger range than the first capacitance.

[0026] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the conductor is made of an elastic material, and the area of ​​the conductor's surface facing the case can increase in response to expansion of the battery.

[0027] According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness of the dielectric may decrease in response to battery expansion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0028] According to some embodiments of the present invention, in the case of a battery including a case made of a conductive material, a battery monitoring device including a single sensing element can accurately monitor whether the battery is deformed based on the change in capacitance.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the battery monitoring device can adjust the monitoring sensitivity of the battery monitoring device by adjusting the capacitance of the internal capacitor. Furthermore, if the internal capacitor is a variable capacitor, the monitoring sensitivity of the battery monitoring device can be adjusted in real time.

[0030] According to some embodiments of the present invention, the conductor included in the sensing member is positioned in an area where the deformation rate due to battery expansion is large, thereby effectively detecting changes in capacitance as the conductor area increases.

[0031] However, the effects obtained by the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and other technical effects not mentioned herein should be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] The following drawings and the like attached to this specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and, together with the detailed description of the invention to be given later, serve to further understand the technical concept of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be analyzed by being limited to the matters depicted in such drawings. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a battery monitoring device, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a sensing element at a first point in time, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a sensing element at a second time point, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which a sensing member is attached, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 illustrates an example in which a sensing member is attached, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a monitoring circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 7]FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example in which a battery monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example in which a battery monitoring device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery monitoring device according to a comparative example. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a circuit diagram showing an example in which a battery monitoring device according to a comparative example is embodied. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a battery monitoring method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining whether a battery is deformed, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, the terms and phrases used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted in a limited manner based on their ordinary and dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a manner consistent with the technical concept of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concepts of terms in order to best describe his or her invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical concept of the present invention, and that various equivalents and modifications may exist as of the time of filing this application.

[0034] Furthermore, as used herein, "comprise," "comprising," "include," and "including" specify the presence of a stated shape, number, step, operation, member, element, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other shapes, numbers, operations, members, elements, and / or groups. Furthermore, when describing an embodiment of the present invention, "may" and "may be" can include "one or more embodiments of the present invention."

[0035] In order to facilitate understanding of the invention, the accompanying drawings may not be drawn to scale, and the dimensions of some components may be exaggerated. In addition, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components in different embodiments.

[0036] A statement that two comparison objects are "identical" means that they are "substantially identical." Therefore, being substantially identical can include cases where there is a deviation that is considered low in the art, for example, a deviation of 5% or less. Furthermore, a statement that a certain parameter is uniform in a given region can mean that the parameter is uniform on average.

[0037] Although terms such as "first" and "second" are used to describe various components, it is understood that these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one component from another, and unless otherwise specified, a first component can be a second component.

[0038] Throughout the specification, unless specifically stated to the contrary, each element may be singular or plural.

[0039] The phrase "above (or below)" a component or "above (or below)" a component means that the component is not only placed in contact with the upper surface (or lower surface) of the component, but also means that other components may be interposed between the component and the component placed above (or below) the component.

[0040] Furthermore, when a component is described as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the components may be directly coupled or connected to each other, but that other components may be "intervening" between the components, or that each component may be "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" via other components.

[0041] Furthermore, when a part is said to be electrically coupled to another part, this includes not only a direct connection but also a connection via another element therebetween.

[0042] Throughout the specification, "A and / or B" means A, B, or A and B, unless expressly stated to the contrary. That is, "and / or" includes all or any combination of the listed items. "C through D" means at least C and at most D, unless expressly stated to the contrary.

[0043] In this disclosure, the size and relative size of layers, regions, etc. shown in the figures may be exaggerated for clarity of description. That is, the size shown in the figures is for ease of understanding only and is not intended to be limiting. In addition, the same reference numerals denote the same components throughout the specification.

[0044] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery monitoring device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 1, a battery 10 may include the battery monitoring device 100 that monitors whether or not the battery 10 is deformed. The battery monitoring device 100 may include a sensing member 120 and a monitoring circuit 130 connected to the sensing member 120.

[0045] The sensing member 120 can be attached to one surface of the case 110 of the battery 10. In one embodiment, the case 110 can be made of a conductive material, such as, but not limited to, aluminum, stainless steel, nickel-plated steel, or copper.

[0046] The sensing member 120 may include a conductor 122 made of a conductive material and a dielectric 124 made of an insulating material. The conductor 122 may be made of a material with high electrical conductivity, such as copper, silver, aluminum, nickel, etc., but is not limited thereto. The dielectric 124 may be made of various materials, such as glass, rubber, acrylic, etc.

[0047] At least a portion of the dielectric 124 may be disposed between one surface of the case 110 and the conductor 122. The dielectric 124 may provide insulation between the case 110, which is made of a conductive material, and the conductor 122, and may also perform an adhesive function so that the sensing member 120 can be attached to one surface of the case 110.

[0048] In one embodiment, the dielectric 124 is in the form of an insulating film or insulating tape, and the conductor 122 may be formed in the form of a metal pattern on the dielectric 124. For example, the metal pattern may be formed by depositing or printing the conductor 122 on the dielectric 124 in the form of an insulating film made of a material such as polyimide (PI) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET) using a method such as photolithography, inkjet printing, or screen printing.

[0049] In one embodiment, the battery monitoring device 100 can monitor whether the battery 10 is deformed. Specifically, the battery monitoring device 100 can monitor whether the battery 10 is deformed based on a change in capacitance due to expansion of the case 110. To this end, the sensing member 120 can be attached to a position of the case 110 where the deformation rate is large, and thus the shape of the sensing member 120 can also be deformed in response to expansion of the case 110. An example of the shape of the sensing member 120 being deformed in response to expansion of the case 110 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. An example of the sensing member 120 being attached to the case 110 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5.

[0050] The monitoring circuit 130 may be electrically connected to the sensing member 120. In one embodiment, the monitoring circuit 130 may be connected to the sensing member 120 to form an LC resonant circuit. For example, the monitoring circuit 130 may generate a resonant frequency based on the capacitance formed between the case 110 and the sensing member 120 attached to one surface of the case 110. The monitoring circuit 130 may monitor whether or not the battery 10 is deformed based on the amount of change in the resonant frequency corresponding to the amount of change in the capacitance formed between the case 110 and the sensing member 120. A specific configuration of the monitoring circuit 130 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 6. Examples of how the monitoring circuit 130 is implemented will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0051] In one embodiment, the monitoring circuit 130 may be disposed outside the case 110. As a specific example, in the case of a small battery, the monitoring circuit 130 may be included in a PCM circuit formed outside the battery case 110, but is not limited to this. Also, in the case of a medium or large battery, the monitoring circuit 130 may be included in a battery management system (BMS), but is not limited to this.

[0052] 1 shows the battery 10 as a rectangular battery, but this is not limiting. For example, the battery 10 may be a pouch-type battery or a cylindrical battery, and the battery monitoring device 100 can be applied to batteries of various shapes.

[0053] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a sensing element 220_1 at a first point in time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a sensing element 220_2 at a second point in time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 2, the first side view 20a may be a side view showing an example of the sensing member 220_1 at a first point in time, and the first plan view 20b may be a plan view showing an example of the sensing member 220_1 at a first point in time.

[0055] The sensing member 220_1 may be attached to one surface of the battery case 210_1. The sensing member 220_1 may include a conductor 222_1 and a dielectric 224_1. The dielectric 224_1 may be disposed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1. The dielectric 224_1 may protrude beyond the conductor 222_1 so that the conductor 222_1 does not directly contact the surface of the case 210_1. This allows at least a portion of the dielectric 224_1 to be disposed between the one surface of the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1.

[0056] In one embodiment, the conductor 222_1 may be elongated in a first direction. For example, the width (X1) of the conductor 222_1 in the first direction may be greater than the width in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0057] In one embodiment, the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 may be made of a conductive material. Also, the dielectric 224_1 may be made of an insulating material. As a result, a capacitance may be formed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 due to a voltage applied to the conductor 222_1 using a monitoring circuit connected to the sensing member 220_1. The capacitance formed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 may be determined based on the following equation (1): where C represents capacitance, ε represents the relative permittivity of the dielectric 224_1, A represents the area of ​​the conductor 222_1, and d represents the vertical distance between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1.

[0058]

number

[0059] According to Equation 1, it can be seen that as the area (A) of the conductor 222_1 increases, the capacitance (C) increases. Therefore, if the conductor 222_1 expands, the capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 may increase. In addition, it can be seen that as the vertical distance between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 decreases, the capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 increases. In this case, the vertical distance between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 corresponds to the thickness (Y1) of the dielectric 224_1. In other words, as the thickness (Y1) of the dielectric 224_1 decreases, the capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_1 and the conductor 222_1 may increase.

[0060] 3, the second side view 20c may be a side view illustrating an example of the sensing member 220_2 at a second time point, and the second plan view 20d may be a plan view illustrating an example of the sensing member 220_2 at a second time point. Here, the second time point may refer to a time point after the first time point. The first time point may refer to any time point before the battery expands, and the second time point may refer to any time point after the battery expands. The second time point may refer to a time point a specific time interval after the first time point.

[0061] 3, if the case 210_2 expands due to deformation of the battery, the sensing member 220_2 attached to the case 210_2 may also be deformed. For example, the area of ​​the surface of the conductor 222_2 facing the case 210_2 may increase in response to the expansion of the battery. As a result, the width (X2) of the conductor 222_2 in the first direction may also increase. In this case, the capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_2 and the conductor 222_2 may increase.

[0062] Additionally, if the case 210_2 expands due to deformation of the battery, the area of ​​the surface of the dielectric 224_2 facing the case 210_2 increases, and the thickness (Y2) of the dielectric 224_2 may decrease, thereby increasing the capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_2 and the conductor 222_2.

[0063] This allows the battery monitoring device to monitor whether the battery is deformed or not based on the amount of change in capacitance (C) formed between the case 210_2 and the conductor 222_2.

[0064] 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an attachment of a sensing member 420 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the sensing member 420 can be attached to a prismatic battery. A first embodiment 40a and a second embodiment 40b are plan views illustrating an example of an attachment of the sensing member 420 to a prismatic battery.

[0065] Referring to the first embodiment 40a, the prismatic battery may include a substantially rectangular parallelepiped case 410. The sensing member 420 may be attached to a side surface of the case 410. The sensing member 420 may be attached to the widest surface of the side surfaces surrounding the case 410, but is not limited to this.

[0066] The sensing member 420 may include a conductor 422 and a dielectric 424 disposed between the case 410 and the conductor 422. In one embodiment, the conductor 422 may be in a form that extends in a first direction. For example, the width of the conductor 422 in the first direction may be greater than the width in a second direction that intersects the first direction.

[0067] Conductor 422 can be arranged to extend in a first direction on a side surface of case 410. In one embodiment, one end of conductor 422 along the first direction can be arranged to be adjacent to an edge of the side surface of case 410, and the other end of conductor 422 along the first direction can be arranged to face toward the center of the side surface of case 410.

[0068] Referring to the second embodiment 40b, one end of the conductor 422 along the first direction may be positioned adjacent to a corner portion of the side surface of the case 410, and the other end of the conductor 422 along the first direction may be positioned facing toward the center of the side surface of the case 410.

[0069] With this configuration, the conductor 422 can be disposed near the edge of the side surface of the case 410 where the deformation rate of the case 410 due to battery expansion is large. This allows the battery monitoring device to effectively detect changes in capacitance according to an increase in the area of ​​the conductor 422.

[0070] Although FIG. 4 shows only an example in which the sensing member 420 is attached to a prismatic battery, the attachment position of the sensing member 420 can be similarly applied to a pouch-type battery having a roughly rectangular parallelepiped shape.

[0071] 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of an attachment of a sensing member 520 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, the sensing member 520 can be attached to a cylindrical battery. A third embodiment 50a and a fourth embodiment 50b are plan views illustrating an example of an attachment of the sensing member 520 to a cylindrical battery.

[0072] Referring to the third embodiment 50a, the cylindrical battery may include a case 510 having a substantially cylindrical shape. A sensing member 520 may be attached to the outer periphery of the case 510. The sensing member 520 may include a conductor 522 and a dielectric 524 disposed between the case 510 and the conductor 522. In one embodiment, the conductor 522 may be elongated in a first direction. For example, the width of the conductor 522 in the first direction may be greater than the width in a second direction intersecting the first direction.

[0073] The conductor 522 can be arranged to extend in a first direction along the height direction of the case 510. In one embodiment, one end of the conductor 522 along the first direction can be arranged to be adjacent to an edge of the outer circumferential surface of the case 510. For example, one end of the conductor 522 along the first direction can be arranged to be adjacent to a region where the outer circumferential surface of the case 510 meets the upper or lower surface of the case 510. Furthermore, the other end of the conductor 522 along the first direction can be arranged to face toward the center of the outer circumferential surface of the case 510. For example, if one end of the conductor 522 along the first direction is arranged to be adjacent to a region where the outer circumferential surface of the case 510 meets the upper surface of the case 510, the other end of the conductor 522 along the first direction can be arranged to face toward the lower surface of the case 510. Similarly, when one end of conductor 522 along the first direction is positioned adjacent to the area where the outer surface of case 510 meets the bottom surface of case 510, the other end of conductor 522 along the first direction can be positioned to face toward the top surface of case 510.

[0074] Referring to the fourth embodiment 50b, the conductor 522 can be arranged to extend in a first direction along the circumferential direction of the case 510. In one embodiment, the conductor 522 can be arranged in a central region of the case 510 based on the height direction of the case 510, and can extend in the first direction along the circumferential direction of the case 510.

[0075] With this configuration, the conductor 522 can be placed in an area where the deformation rate due to battery expansion is large, allowing the battery monitoring device to effectively detect changes in capacitance as the area of ​​the conductor 522 increases.

[0076] Although FIG. 5 shows only an example in which the sensing member 520 is attached to a cylindrical battery, the attachment position of the sensing member 520 can be similarly applied to a coin battery or a large-diameter battery having a substantially cylindrical shape.

[0077] 6 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a monitoring circuit 630 according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. According to one embodiment, a battery monitoring device may include a sensing element attached to a battery case and a monitoring circuit 630 coupled to the sensing element. The monitoring circuit 630 may include an inductor 632, an amplifier 634, a controller 636, and an internal capacitor 638.

[0078] The monitoring circuit 630 may be electrically connected to the sensing element. In one embodiment, the monitoring circuit 630 may be connected to the sensing element to form an LC resonant circuit. For example, the monitoring circuit 630 may apply a voltage to the sensing element. This may create capacitance between the case and the sensing element attached to the case.

[0079] The inductor 632 may be connected to the sensing member attached to the case, so that a resonant frequency corresponding to the capacitance formed between the case and the sensing member may be generated in the monitoring circuit 630. Therefore, if the capacitance formed between the case and the sensing member changes, the resonant frequency generated in the monitoring circuit 630 may also change in accordance with the changed capacitance.

[0080] The amplifier 634 is connected in parallel with the inductor 632 and can provide a feedback loop that stably maintains the resonant frequency generated in the monitoring circuit 630. An example of a circuit diagram in which the battery monitoring device is implemented will be described in detail below with reference to FIG.

[0081] The controller 636 can determine whether the battery is deformed based on the amount of change in the resonant frequency generated by the monitoring circuit 630. For example, the controller 636 can determine that the battery is deformed if the absolute amount of change in the resonant frequency generated by the monitoring circuit 630 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the controller 636 can determine that the battery is deformed if the amount of change per time in the resonant frequency generated by the monitoring circuit 630 is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold. An example of determining whether the battery is deformed by the controller 636 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 12 .

[0082] The monitoring circuit 630 may further include an internal capacitor 638. The internal capacitor 638 may have a predetermined capacitance value. Thus, the monitoring circuit 630 can monitor the presence or absence of deformation of the battery based on the capacitance formed between the case and the sensing member and the predetermined capacitance formed by the internal capacitor 638. An example of a circuit diagram realizing a battery monitoring device using the internal capacitor 638 will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 8.

[0083] 6 is merely an example, and in some embodiments, other components may be further included or some components may be omitted. When some of the above components are omitted, other components may be used to perform the functions of the omitted components.

[0084] 7 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example of a battery monitoring device 700 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery monitoring device 700 may include a sensing element 720 and a monitoring circuit 730. The monitoring circuit 730 may include an inductor 732 and an amplifier 734.

[0085] The sensing member 720 may be attached to one surface of the battery case 710. Here, the case 710 may be made of a conductive material. The sensing member 720 may include a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric made of an insulating material, and the dielectric may be disposed between the case 710 and the conductor. This causes a capacitance (C M ) can be formed.

[0086] An inductor 732 is coupled to the sensing element such that the monitoring circuit 730 detects a capacitance (C M ) may occur. The resonant frequency occurring in the monitoring circuit 730 can be determined based on the following equation (2): where f denotes the resonant frequency, L denotes the inductance of the inductor 732, and C M may refer to the capacitance formed between the case 710 and the sensing member 720.

[0087]

number

[0088] According to equation 2, the capacitance (C M It can be seen that as the capacitance (C) increases, the resonant frequency (f) decreases. M ) changes, the resonant frequency generated by the monitoring circuit 730 may also change.

[0089] For example, at a first time point before the battery expands, a first capacitance (C1) may be formed between the case 710 and the sensing member 720, and a first frequency (f1) corresponding to the first capacitance (C1) may be generated in the monitoring circuit 730. Subsequently, the resonant frequency generated in the monitoring circuit 730 may also change as the battery expands. Specifically, as the case 710 expands, the area of ​​the conductor in the sensing member 720 attached to the case 710 may increase and the thickness of the dielectric may decrease. Therefore, a second capacitance (C2) formed between the case 710 and the sensing member 720 at a second time point may be greater than the first capacitance (C1) formed between the case 710 and the sensing member 720 at the first time point. As a result, the second frequency (f2) generated in the monitoring circuit 730 at the second time point may be lower than the first frequency (f1) generated in the monitoring circuit 730 at the first time point.

[0090] In one embodiment, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery has swollen if the second frequency (f2) generated by the monitoring circuit 730 at the second time point is lower than the first frequency (f1) generated by the monitoring circuit 730 at the first time point, and the difference between the first frequency (f1) and the second frequency (f2) is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0091] As another example, if the second frequency (f2) generated by the monitoring circuit 730 at the second time point is greater than the first frequency (f1) generated by the monitoring circuit 630 at the first time point, and the difference between the first frequency (f1) and the second frequency (f2) is greater than a predetermined threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is operating abnormally due to factors other than swelling.

[0092] 8 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example in which a battery monitoring device 800 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is implemented. In FIG. 8, components that are described in FIG. 7 or that overlap with those described in FIG. 7 are omitted, and the description focuses on components that are different from those in FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 8, the battery monitoring device 800 may include a sensing member 820 and a monitoring circuit 830. The monitoring circuit 830 may include an inductor 832 and an amplifier 834.

[0093] The sensing member 820 may be attached to one surface of the battery case 810. The sensing member 820 may include a conductor and a dielectric, and the dielectric may be disposed between the case 810 and the conductor. This allows a capacitance (C M ) can be formed.

[0094] In one embodiment, the monitoring circuit 830 may further include an internal capacitor 836. The internal capacitor 836 may be connected in series with the sensing element 820. The internal capacitor 836 may have a predetermined internal capacitance (C INT ) formed between the case 810 and the sensing member 820. M ) and the internal capacitance (C INT The total capacitance, which is the sum of the capacitances C and C, can be determined based on the following equation: TOT means the total capacitance, and C M denotes the capacitance formed between the case 810 and the sensing member 820, and C INT may refer to the internal capacitance formed by the internal capacitor 836.

[0095]

number

[0096] According to Equation 3, the capacitance (C M) and the internal capacitance (C INT ) and the total capacitance (C TOT ) is the capacitance (C M ) and internal capacitance (C INT ) are smaller than each other. This allows us to confirm that the internal capacitance (C INT ) can be adjusted to adjust the monitoring sensitivity of the battery monitoring device.

[0097] For example, the internal capacitance (C INT ) is larger, the capacitance (C M ) according to the change in the total capacitance (C TOT ) can be large. In contrast, the internal capacitance (C INT ) is smaller, the capacitance (C M ) according to the change in the total capacitance (C TOT ) may change slightly. INT ) is the capacitance (C M ), the total capacitance (C TOT ) is the internal capacitance (C INT ) may be used, which may be detrimental to battery monitoring. INT ) is the capacitance (C M ) can be determined to a range equal to or greater than that.

[0098] Additionally or alternatively, the internal capacitor 836 can be a variable capacitor, which allows the monitoring sensitivity of the battery monitoring device to be adjusted in real time.

[0099] In one embodiment, the deformation of the battery causes a capacitance (C M) changes, the resonant frequency generated by the monitoring circuit 830 may also change. This allows the battery monitoring device to monitor deformation of the battery.

[0100] For example, at a first time point before the battery expands, a first capacitance (C1) is formed between the case 810 and the sensing member 820, and an internal capacitance (C INT ) is formed. In the monitoring circuit 830, a first capacitance (C1) and an internal capacitance (C INT ) may be generated. Thereafter, a second capacitance (C2) formed between the case 810 and the sensing member 820 at a second time point when the battery is expanded may be greater than the first capacitance (C1) formed between the case 810 and the sensing member 820 at the first time point before the battery is deformed. As a result, the second capacitance (C2) and the internal capacitance (C INT ) occurs in the monitoring circuit 830 at a first time point. INT ) may be smaller than the first frequency (f1).

[0101] In one embodiment, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery has swollen if the second frequency (f2) generated by the monitoring circuit 830 at the second time point is lower than the first frequency (f1) generated by the monitoring circuit 830 at the first time point, and the difference between the first frequency (f1) and the second frequency (f2) is greater than a predetermined threshold.

[0102] As another example, if the second frequency (f2) generated by the monitoring circuit 830 at the second time point is greater than the first frequency (f1) generated by the monitoring circuit 830 at the first time point, and the difference between the first frequency (f1) and the second frequency (f2) is greater than a predetermined threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is operating abnormally due to factors other than swelling.

[0103] Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery monitoring device 900 according to a comparative example, and Fig. 10 is a circuit diagram illustrating an example in which the battery monitoring device 1000 according to the comparative example is realized. Referring to Fig. 9, a battery 90 may include the battery monitoring device 900 that monitors whether or not the battery 90 is deformed. The battery monitoring device 900 may include a first sensing member 920_1, a second sensing member 920_2, and a monitoring circuit 930 connected to each of the first sensing member 920_1 and the second sensing member 920_2.

[0104] In one embodiment, the first sensing member 920_1 and the second sensing member 920_2 may be attached adjacent to one surface of the case 910 of the battery 90. In one embodiment, the case 910 may be made of a conductive material.

[0105] The monitoring circuit 930 may be electrically connected to the first sensing member 920_1 and the second sensing member 920_2. The monitoring circuit 930 may generate a resonant frequency based on a capacitance formed between the case 910 and the first sensing member 920_1 and the second sensing member 920_2. Specifically, the monitoring circuit 930 may include a first capacitance (C G1 ), a second capacitance (C G2 ), and a third capacitance (C M ) can be formed.

[0106] 10, a circuit diagram for implementing the battery monitoring device 900 shown in FIG. 9 can be seen. The battery monitoring device 1000 may include a sensing element 1020 and a monitoring circuit 1030. The monitoring circuit 1030 may include an inductor 1032 and an amplifier 1034.

[0107] As shown in the figure, when two sensing members 1020_1 and 1020_2 are connected to the monitoring circuit 1030, a first capacitance (C G1 ) is formed between the case 1010 and the second sensing member 1020_2, and a second capacitance (C G2 ) may be formed between the first sensing member 1020_1 and the second sensing member 1020_2. M At this time, a first capacitance (C G1 ) and a second capacitance (C G2 ) forms a third capacitance (C M ) may decrease.

[0108] That is, in the case of a battery including a case 1010 made of a conductive material, using a battery monitoring device including two sensing members 1020_1 and 1020_2 may reduce the sensitivity of detecting battery swelling. Therefore, in the case of a battery including a case 1010 made of a conductive material, it may be effective to use a battery monitoring device including one sensing member.

[0109] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a battery monitoring method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery monitoring method begins by acquiring, by a monitoring circuit, a first frequency corresponding to a first capacitance formed between a conductor and one surface of a case at a first time point (S1110). In one embodiment, the battery may include a case made of a conductive material, a sensing member attached to one surface of the case and including a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric at least partially disposed between the case and the conductor, and a monitoring circuit electrically connected to the conductor and the case. Here, the conductor may be made of an elastic material.

[0110] In one embodiment, when the case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the conductors can extend in one direction along a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, for example, one end of the conductor can be positioned adjacent to an edge of the side surface, and the other end of the conductor can be positioned toward the center of the side surface.

[0111] In another embodiment, when the case has a cylindrical shape, the conductor can extend in one direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape. For example, one end of the conductor can be disposed adjacent to the edge of the outer circumferential surface, and the other end of the conductor can be disposed facing toward the center of the outer circumferential surface.

[0112] The monitoring circuit then acquires a second frequency corresponding to a second capacitance formed between the conductor and one surface of the case at a second time point after the first time point (S1120). Here, the first time point can refer to any time point before the battery expands, and the second time point can refer to any time point after the battery expands. In this case, the area of ​​the conductor's surface facing the case may increase as the battery expands. Furthermore, the thickness of the dielectric may decrease as the battery expands.

[0113] Next, the monitoring circuit can monitor the presence or absence of battery deformation based on the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency (S1130). In one embodiment, if the second frequency is lower than the first frequency and the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold, the monitoring circuit can determine that the case has expanded. Also, if the second frequency is higher than the first frequency and the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency is equal to or greater than a predetermined second threshold, the monitoring circuit can determine that the battery is operating abnormally.

[0114] In one embodiment, the monitoring circuit may include an internal capacitor connected in series with the sensing member. Here, the internal capacitor may have a predetermined third capacitance. Additionally or alternatively, the internal capacitor may be a variable capacitor, and the third capacitance may be adjustable within a range equal to or greater than the first capacitance. In this case, the monitoring circuit may monitor the presence or absence of deformation of the battery based on the amount of change between the third frequency and the fourth frequency. Specifically, the monitoring circuit may obtain a third frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a first point in time. The monitoring circuit may also obtain a fourth frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at a second point in time. Additionally, the monitoring circuit may monitor the presence or absence of deformation of the case based on the amount of change between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

[0115] 11 and the above description are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the flowchart shown in Fig. 11 and the above description. For example, one or more steps in the flowchart and the above description may be added / modified / deleted, the order of one or more steps may be changed, or one or more steps may be performed simultaneously.

[0116] 12 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for determining whether a battery is deformed according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery monitoring device can determine whether a battery is deformed based on the amount of change in the resonant frequency generated in the monitoring circuit.

[0117] The method for determining whether a battery has been deformed begins by the battery monitoring device comparing a first frequency acquired by the monitoring circuit at a first time point with a second frequency acquired by the monitoring circuit at a second time point after the first time point.

[0118] In one embodiment, if the first frequency acquired at the first time point is the same as the second frequency acquired at the second time point, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is normal (S1210, S1270).

[0119] On the other hand, if the first frequency acquired at the first time point and the second frequency acquired at the second time point are different from each other, the battery monitoring device can determine whether the first frequency acquired at the first time point is greater than the second frequency acquired at the second time point (S1220). If the first frequency is greater than the second frequency, the battery monitoring device can determine whether the difference between the first and second frequencies is greater than a predetermined first threshold (S1230). If the difference between the first and second frequencies is greater than the predetermined first threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is swollen (S1240). On the other hand, if the difference between the first and second frequencies is equal to or less than the predetermined first threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is normal (S1270).

[0120] Furthermore, in the step of determining whether the first frequency acquired at a first time point is greater than the second frequency acquired at a second time point (S1220), if it is determined that the first frequency is less than the second frequency, the battery monitoring device can determine whether the difference between the first and second frequencies is greater than a predetermined second threshold (S1250). If the difference between the first and second frequencies is greater than the predetermined second threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is operating abnormally due to factors other than swelling (S1260). On the other hand, if the difference between the first and second frequencies is equal to or less than the predetermined second threshold, the battery monitoring device can determine that the battery is normal (S1270).

[0121] 12 and the above description are merely examples, and the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the flowchart shown in Fig. 12 and the above description. For example, one or more steps in the flowchart and the above description may be added / modified / deleted, the order of one or more steps may be changed, or one or more steps may be performed simultaneously.

[0122] Although the present invention has been described above using limited examples and drawings, it is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that various modifications and variations can be made by a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains within the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0123] 10 batteries 100 Battery monitoring device 110 cases 120 Sensing member 122 Conductor 124 Dielectric 130 Monitoring Circuit

Claims

1. A case made of a conductive material; a sensing member attached to one surface of the case and including a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric, at least a portion of which is disposed between the case and the conductor; a monitoring circuit electrically coupled to the conductor and the case; The monitoring circuit monitors the presence or absence of deformation of the battery based on the amount of change in capacitance formed between the conductor and the one surface of the case.

2. The conductor is made of an elastic material, 2. The battery according to claim 1, wherein the area of ​​the surface of the conductor facing the case increases in response to expansion of the battery.

3. 10. The battery of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the dielectric decreases in response to swelling of the battery.

4. The case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the conductor extends in one direction on a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, one end of the conductor is disposed adjacent to an edge of the side surface; The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the other end of the conductor is arranged to face toward the center of the side surface.

5. the case has a cylindrical shape, the conductor extends in one direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape, one end of the conductor is disposed adjacent to the edge of the outer circumferential surface; The battery according to claim 1 , wherein the other end of the conductor is arranged to face toward the center of the outer circumferential surface.

6. the dielectric is an insulating film or an insulating tape; The battery of claim 1 , wherein the conductor is formed in the form of a metal pattern on the dielectric.

7. the monitoring circuit includes an inductor; The battery of claim 1 , wherein the inductor and the sensing member are coupled to generate a resonant frequency corresponding to the capacitance.

8. the monitoring circuit further includes a controller; 8. The battery of claim 7, wherein the controller determines whether the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between a first frequency corresponding to a first capacitance formed at a first point in time and a second frequency corresponding to a second capacitance formed at a second point in time after the first point in time.

9. the monitoring circuit further includes an internal capacitor connected in series with the sensing element; the internal capacitor has a predetermined third capacitance; 9. The battery of claim 8, wherein the monitoring circuit monitors whether the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between a third frequency corresponding to the first capacitance and the third capacitance formed at the first time point and a fourth frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at the second time point.

10. the internal capacitor is a variable capacitor; 10. The battery of claim 9, wherein the third capacitance is adjusted to be the same as or greater than the first capacitance.

11. The battery of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the case comprises a stainless steel material.

12. 1. A method for monitoring a battery, comprising: The battery comprises: A case made of a conductive material; a sensing member attached to one surface of the case, the sensing member including a conductor made of a conductive material and a dielectric member at least a portion of which is disposed between the case and the conductor; a monitoring circuit electrically coupled to the conductor and the case; The method comprises: obtaining, by the monitoring circuit, a first frequency corresponding to a first capacitance formed between the conductor and the one surface of the case at a first time; obtaining, by the monitoring circuitry, a second frequency corresponding to a second capacitance formed between the conductor and the one surface of the case at a second time point after the first time point; and monitoring, by the monitoring circuit, whether or not the battery is deformed based on the amount of change between the first frequency and the second frequency.

13. The case has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the conductor extends in one direction on a side surface of the rectangular parallelepiped shape, one end of the conductor is disposed adjacent to an edge of the side surface; The battery monitoring method according to claim 12 , wherein the other end of the conductor is arranged to face toward the center of the side surface.

14. the case has a cylindrical shape, the conductor extends in one direction on the outer circumferential surface of the cylindrical shape, one end of the conductor is disposed adjacent to the edge of the outer circumferential surface; The battery monitoring method according to claim 12 , wherein the other end of the conductor is arranged to face toward the center of the outer circumferential surface.

15. 13. The battery monitoring method of claim 12, wherein the monitoring step includes determining that the case has expanded when the second frequency is lower than the first frequency and a change between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a predetermined first threshold.

16. 13. The battery monitoring method of claim 12, wherein the monitoring step includes determining that the battery is operating abnormally if the second frequency is greater than the first frequency and a change between the first frequency and the second frequency is greater than a predetermined second threshold.

17. The monitoring circuit an internal capacitor connected in series with the sensing member; the internal capacitor has a predetermined third capacitance; acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a third frequency corresponding to the first capacitance and the third capacitance formed at the first time point; acquiring, by the monitoring circuit, a fourth frequency corresponding to the second capacitance and the third capacitance formed at the second time point; The battery monitoring method according to claim 12 , further comprising the step of monitoring, by the monitoring circuit, whether or not the battery is deformed based on an amount of change between the third frequency and the fourth frequency.

18. the internal capacitor is a variable capacitor; 18. The battery monitoring method of claim 17, wherein the third capacitance is adjusted to a range equal to or greater than the first capacitance.

19. The conductor is made of an elastic material, The battery monitoring method according to claim 12 , wherein an area of ​​a surface of the conductor facing the case increases in response to expansion of the battery.

20. 13. The battery monitoring method of claim 12, wherein the thickness of the dielectric decreases in response to swelling of the battery.

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