Battery Pack Cooling Fault Detection via Temperature Modeling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current cooling systems in vehicles cannot accurately determine how they are performing specifically with respect to the battery pack, leading to potential malfunctions and thermal issues.

Innovation Solution

A computer system that dynamically models the temperature of battery cells in a vehicle's battery pack and compares it to measured values, determining an error probability ratio to assess the functioning of the cooling system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If a cooling system is provided for the vehicle as a whole or subsection, then the cooling system can cool various components including the battery pack, but it is not possible to accurately determine how the cooling system is performing with respect to the battery pack specifically

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooling system performance measurementVSAvoidcooling system structure
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the cooling system monitoring into battery-specific monitoring by placing temperature sensors directly within the battery pack and calculating battery-specific thermal parameters, separating battery thermal management assessment from general vehicle cooling system monitoring

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a microcontroller unit as an intermediary that receives temperature sensor data from the battery pack, calculates thermal parameters, and generates alerts, serving as a mediator between the physical cooling system and the monitoring/control system

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Measurement precision

If temperature sensors are placed outside the battery pack, then the cooling system can be monitored generally, but accurate determination of battery pack cooling performance is not possible

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery temperature measurementVSAvoidbattery internal temperature detection
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-installing temperature sensors within the battery pack structure and pre-configuring the microcontroller unit to continuously monitor and calculate thermal parameters, enabling immediate detection of cooling performance issues before they escalate

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

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 early detection of cooling system malfunctions and thermal runaway in battery packs, allowing for timely corrective actions.

Implementation Method 1

the processing circuitry is configured to dynamically determine the modelled value, T calc , of the temperature by modelling convective heat transfer from the at least one battery cell

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectConvective heat transfer: Convection

Data Source

PatentEP4559716A1Cooling system monitoring
Publication Date: 2025.05.28 VOLVO TRUCK CORP
  • EP4559716A1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4559716A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4559716A1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

A computer system for monitoring a cooling system associated with a battery pack in a vehicle, the computer system comprising processing circuitry configured to dynamically determine a modelled value, Tcalc, of the temperature of at least one battery cell of the battery pack, determine a measured value, Tmeas, of the temperature of the at least one battery cell of the battery pack, determine an error probability ratio based on the modelled value, Tcalc, and the measured value, Tmeas, and if the ratio is above a threshold, determine that an error is present in the cooling system.