Battery Electrode Information Determination Without Reference Electrodes
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current battery degradation diagnosis systems require a reference electrode for each battery, making them time-consuming and inefficient in determining electrode performance, especially in manufacturing processes.
Innovation Solution
An apparatus and method that measures battery voltage and current to generate a V-dQ/dV curve, detects feature points, classifies them as first or second electrode feature points, and determines active material types without a reference electrode, using pre-stored capacity-potential curves to calculate electrode potentials.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a reference electrode is used for each battery to measure electrode potential, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the reference electrode from the measurement system and replaces it with computational methods. Instead of physically inserting a reference electrode into each battery, the system uses voltage-current measurements combined with pre-stored capacity-potential curves to calculate electrode potentials mathematically, eliminating the need for additional physical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses pre-stored capacity-potential curves from reference batteries to create a computational model that copies the electrochemical behavior. This model allows the system to determine electrode potentials for test batteries without requiring actual reference electrodes, using the stored curve data as a virtual reference.
2Loss of information
If a reference electrode is inserted into each battery, then electrode information can be determined, but manufacturing time and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-storing capacity-potential curves from reference batteries before actual measurement. These pre-acquired curves are stored in memory and used during testing, eliminating the need for time-consuming reference electrode insertion and calibration steps during the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the battery's own voltage-current characteristics to determine its electrode potentials. By measuring the battery's terminal voltage and current, and comparing against pre-stored capacity-potential curves, the system enables the battery to self-diagnose its electrode state without requiring external reference electrodes or additional manufacturing steps.
3Device complexity
If voltage and current measurements are used to generate V-dQ/dV curves, then device complexity is reduced, but measurement precision may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by using pre-stored capacity-potential curves to validate and refine the calculated electrode potentials. The system continuously compares measured voltage-current data against the stored reference curves, adjusting calculations to maintain accuracy while using the simpler two-electrode measurement configuration.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
Provided is an apparatus and method for determining electrode information of a battery including a positive electrode and a negative electrode, and a battery pack including the apparatus. The apparatus includes a sensing unit configured to measure a voltage and a current of the battery, and a processor. The processor generates a V-dQ/dV curve based on the voltage and the current of the battery. The V-dQ/dV curve indicates a relationship between V (the voltage of the battery) and dQ/dV (a ratio of an amount of change dQ of the remaining capacity to an amount of change dV of the voltage of the battery). The processor detects a plurality of feature points from the V-dQ/dV curve. The processor determines information associated with each of the first electrode and the second electrode as the electrode information based on the plurality of feature points.