Battery Control Apparatus for Internal Short Circuit Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery control systems fail to effectively detect internal short circuits in rechargeable batteries, which can lead to thermal runaway and voltage imbalances between cells, especially during continuous charging and discharging operations.
Innovation Solution
A battery control apparatus and method that measures voltage, current, and temperature to detect charge and discharge capacity differences, using a sensing unit with an integrator and internal short circuit sensor to identify internal short circuits by comparing charge and discharge capacity heights and determining when these differences exceed a threshold value, while also performing cell balancing after a predetermined stabilization time.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional battery control systems are used, then the system is simple and easy to operate, but internal short circuits cannot be effectively detected leading to thermal runaway risks
Solution Approach 1:
The battery control system is segmented into multiple functional units: a charge state information detection unit for detecting charge/discharge currents and SOC, an integration unit for calculating charge/discharge capacities, and an internal short circuit detection unit for comparing capacity differences. This segmentation allows complex detection functions to be distributed across specialized modules, improving reliability while managing system complexity through functional decomposition.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary integration unit that calculates charge capacity and discharge capacity as intermediate values. This intermediary processing layer enables the system to detect internal short circuits by comparing the difference between charge and discharge capacities, providing a reliable detection mechanism without requiring direct complex measurement of internal battery conditions.
2Productivity
If continuous charging and discharging operations are performed, then productivity is improved, but voltage imbalances between cells occur leading to thermal runaway
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors charge state information including charge current, discharge current, and state of charge. By integrating these measurements over time and comparing charge capacity with discharge capacity, the system provides feedback on battery health status and voltage balance, enabling detection of internal short circuits that may cause thermal runaway during continuous operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary detection of internal short circuits by comparing charge and discharge capacities before thermal runaway can occur. The integration unit calculates accumulated charge and discharge capacities, and the detection unit compares these values to identify discrepancies indicating internal short circuits, allowing preventive action before voltage imbalances lead to thermal runaway.
3Measurement precision
If charge capacity and discharge capacity are continuously monitored, then internal short circuits can be detected, but measurement precision requirements increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The battery management system uses the battery's own charge and discharge current measurements to self-diagnose internal short circuits. The integration unit accumulates charge state information from the battery's normal operation, and the detection unit compares the accumulated charge capacity with discharge capacity, allowing the system to detect internal faults using the battery's own operational data without requiring external complex testing equipment.
Data Source
AI summary
A battery control method includes detecting charge state information including a charge current, a discharge current, and an SOC of the battery, detecting whether the SOC of the battery reaches a predetermined reference SOC using the charge state information, and determining when the SOC of the battery reaches the reference SOC as a first reference time point and when the SOC of the battery reaches the reference SOC after the first reference time point as a second reference time point, calculating a charge capacity of the battery using a charge current from the first time point to the second time point and a discharge capacity of the battery using the discharge current, comparing a difference between the charge capacity and the discharge capacity, and determining that an internal short circuit of the battery occurs when the difference between the charge capacity and the discharge capacity exceeds a threshold value.