Battery Cell ICA Profiling for Early Thermal Runaway Detection

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery management systems fail to effectively diagnose abnormalities in battery cells, leading to voltage imbalances, residual charge imbalances, and potential thermal runaway due to differences in electrical characteristics and thermal runaway risks.

Innovation Solution

An apparatus and method using incremental capacity analysis (ICA) profiles to diagnose battery cell abnormalities by setting voltage sections, determining relative comparison values, and diagnosing anomalies based on threshold values, cumulative scores, and relative changes in ICA values.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If battery cells are managed using conventional BMS methods, then basic charging/discharging control is achieved, but early detection of thermal runaway abnormalities is not possible

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvethermal runaway preventionVSAvoidabnormality detection capability

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary diagnosis by generating ICA profiles and setting voltage sections before thermal runaway occurs. The BMS continuously monitors battery cells during charging, generates ICA profiles in advance, and detects abnormalities at early stages by comparing ICA values across multiple voltage sections, enabling preventive action before thermal runaway develops

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The voltage range of the battery cell is divided into multiple voltage sections (first voltage section, second voltage section, third voltage section) within the ICA profile. The system compares ICA values across these segmented voltage sections to detect abnormalities, allowing detailed analysis of battery cell behavior at different charge levels and improving detection accuracy

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If battery cells are charged with high current to improve productivity, then charging speed increases, but voltage imbalance and thermal runaway risk increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecharging speedVSAvoidvoltage balance stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The BMS implements continuous feedback monitoring by generating ICA profiles during charging and comparing ICA values across multiple voltage sections. The system detects voltage imbalances and residual charge imbalances in real-time and provides feedback to adjust charging parameters, maintaining voltage balance stability even during high-current fast charging operations

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentUS12613287B2Apparatus for diagnosing abnormality of battery cell and method thereof

Publication Date: 2026.04.28 HYUNDAI MOTOR CO LTD

AI summary

An apparatus for diagnosing an abnormality of a battery cell and a method thereof may prevent thermal runaway of the battery cell in advance by generating an incremental capacity analysis (ICA) profile corresponding to each battery cell in a process of charging a plurality of battery cells, setting at least one voltage section within each ICA profile, determining a relative comparison value of an ICA value for each voltage section, and diagnosing an abnormality of each battery cell based on the relative comparison value of the ICA value.