Anode Potential Monitoring for Fast Charging in Cold Battery Packs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery systems face challenges in efficiently maximizing charging power in low temperature environments due to lithium plating, which is difficult to predict and prevent without extensive testing, and temperature variations within the battery pack lead to inconsistent charging capabilities.
Innovation Solution
A battery system with reference battery cells equipped with a reference electrode to measure anode potential directly, allowing for real-time monitoring and control of charging voltage based on predefined threshold values, particularly at cold spots within the battery system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If charging power is increased in low temperature environments, then charging speed is improved, but lithium plating occurs reducing battery reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces indirect temperature-based charging control with direct anode potential measurement using a reference electrode. This substitution allows real-time detection of lithium plating conditions through electrochemical potential measurement, enabling precise control of charging power to prevent lithium plating while maximizing charging speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback control system where the anode potential measured by the reference electrode continuously monitors charging conditions. When the anode potential approaches the lithium plating threshold, the system automatically reduces charging power, creating a closed-loop control that prevents lithium plating while optimizing charging performance.
2Stability of the object's composition
If temperature variations within battery pack are addressed uniformly, then charging consistency is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by placing reference electrodes specifically at cold spot locations within the battery pack where anode potential is most critical. This localized approach focuses monitoring resources on the most vulnerable areas, ensuring charging consistency without requiring uniform monitoring of all battery cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a small number of reference battery cells with reference electrodes as representative samples of the entire battery pack. By monitoring these copied representative cells at critical locations, the system infers the charging state of the entire pack, reducing complexity while maintaining charging consistency.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables efficient use of charging capabilities by preventing lithium plating and ensuring safe operation by dynamically adjusting charging current based on anode potential measurements, thereby extending battery life and reducing safety risks.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the reference battery cells comprises a cathode, an anode and a reference electrode. Each of the reference battery cells comprises means for measuring a reference potential which is the potential of the anode of said battery cell relative to the reference electrode of said battery cell
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention refers to a battery system that allows for an optimized charging process, and in particular for a charging process, wherein the charging power is maximized when the battery system is in a low temperature environment. The battery system is equipped with a plurality of battery cells, wherein for a predefined subset of the cells, it is supervised, whether or not a lithium plating occurs. To that end, the potential of a reference electrode is exploited that is installed in the predefined subset of the cells. The invention is further related to a battery pack and a vehicle comprising one or more battery systems according to the invention and to a method for charging a battery system.