Battery Cell Anomaly Detection via Voltage-to-Current Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charge storage monitoring systems, such as those for battery cells, fail to detect cell-open conditions and deep cell imbalances, as they rely on voltage measurements which do not change when a cell is open, limiting their ability to identify anomalies beyond over-voltage conditions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system with voltage-to-current converters and a cell detector circuit that converts cell voltages to currents for anomaly detection, allowing for the identification of cell-open conditions and deep imbalances by comparing current signals, which can be processed to determine anomalous cells using combinational logic circuits.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If voltage measurements are used for anomaly detection, then the system can detect over-voltage conditions, but it fails to detect cell-open conditions and deep cell imbalances
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the measurement parameter from voltage to current by using voltage-to-current converters. This parameter change enables the detection of cell-open conditions and deep imbalances that are invisible to voltage-based measurement systems, as current measurements reveal anomalies that voltage measurements miss.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the traditional voltage-based measurement system with a current-based measurement system using voltage-to-current converters and current comparators. This substitution fundamentally changes how anomalies are detected, enabling identification of cell-open conditions through current signal analysis rather than voltage signal analysis.
2Reliability
If current-based anomaly detection is implemented, then cell-open conditions and deep imbalances can be detected, but the system requires voltage-to-current converters and current comparison circuitry
Solution Approach 1:
The voltage-to-current converters serve multiple functions: they convert voltage signals to current signals for comparison, enable anomaly detection through current measurement, and provide a basis for identifying both cell-open conditions and deep imbalances. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated circuits for each detection purpose.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses current comparators that compare current signals from different cells to identify anomalies. By creating current copies through the voltage-to-current conversion process, the system can compare multiple cell states simultaneously without requiring direct physical access to each cell's internal state.
3Device complexity
If traditional voltage-based monitoring systems are used, then the system structure is simpler, but it cannot identify anomalies beyond over-voltage conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The fundamental parameter change from voltage measurement to current measurement expands the detection capabilities. Current-based measurement through voltage-to-current converters reveals anomalies such as cell-open conditions and deep imbalances that remain undetected in voltage-based systems, thereby improving detection coverage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension to anomaly detection by measuring current instead of voltage. This dimensional change in the measurement space allows the system to detect anomalies that exist in the current domain but are invisible in the voltage domain, expanding the overall detection coverage.
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 the detection of cell-open and deep imbalance conditions with low average current consumption, reducing the need for high-voltage components and allowing for scalable, programmable trip levels, thereby improving the accuracy of anomaly detection in multi-cell battery packs.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of voltage to current (V-to-I) converters; receiving voltages of a plurality of cells of a battery pack; converting the received voltages to currents
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for cell anomaly detection are provided. The disclosed systems and methods of cell anomaly detection may use a single circuit to detect both cell-open and imbalance conditions. Disclosed embodiments may incorporate a continuous or a sampled time system (i.e. cell anomaly detection is performed when an enable signal is active). An example embodiment includes receiving voltages of a plurality of cells of a battery pack; converting the received voltages to currents; determining a maximum current of the currents; determining whether at least one of the currents is anomalous; and reporting the at least one anomalous current as indicative of a bad cell.