Battery Pack Failure Localization Using Voltage Ratio Diagnosis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Discerning between different failures in a rechargeable energy storage system (RESS) due to isolation loss and identifying cell locations of such failures is difficult, often requiring deconstruction for analysis.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that utilizes a voltage sensor and control module to determine the location of battery cell failures in a battery pack by analyzing voltage signals, generating alerts for specific cell locations, and distinguishing between failure modes based on static or dynamic failure locations.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If voltage sensing and ratio calculation methods are implemented to locate battery cell failures, then failure location identification accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional sensors and control module functions
Solution Approach 1:
The control module performs multiple functions: it manages battery pack operations, processes voltage signals from existing sensors, calculates voltage ratios, determines failure locations, and generates alerts. By making the control module multi-functional, the patent avoids adding dedicated hardware for each function, thus improving measurement precision while limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing voltage sensors and control module to diagnose battery cell failures, rather than requiring external diagnostic equipment. The control module analyzes voltage ratios from normal operating sensors to identify failures, allowing the system to self-diagnose without additional specialized hardware, thereby improving accuracy while controlling complexity.
2Measurement precision
If deconstruction of the battery pack is performed to analyze failures, then failure analysis accuracy is improved, but loss of time increases due to extensive disassembly and reassembly
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary diagnostic actions by continuously monitoring voltage ratios during normal operation to detect and locate failures before they require physical inspection. The control module identifies failure locations using electrical measurements alone, enabling diagnostics to be completed before any physical disassembly is needed, thus improving accuracy while eliminating time loss from deconstruction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces mechanical deconstruction methods with electrical measurement and analysis. Instead of physically disassembling the battery pack to inspect cells, the control module uses voltage sensing and ratio calculation to locate failures electronically. This substitution eliminates the need for mechanical disassembly while maintaining failure identification accuracy, directly addressing the time loss problem.
3Measurement precision
If individual battery cell monitoring is implemented to identify failure locations, then failure detection precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional monitoring components
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack is conceptually segmented into individual cell groups, and the control module calculates voltage ratios that correspond to specific cell locations. By mathematically dividing the battery pack into monitorable segments through ratio calculations, the system achieves cell-level detection precision without physically segmenting the monitoring hardware, thus improving precision while controlling complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of adding spatial dimensions of monitoring hardware for each cell, the patent uses a mathematical dimension (voltage ratio space) to locate failures. The control module maps voltage measurements into ratio calculations that reveal cell location information, transforming a spatial monitoring problem into a mathematical analysis problem, thereby improving detection precision without proportionally increasing hardware complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle system includes a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, a voltage sensor configured to sense an output voltage of the plurality of battery cells, and a control module in communication with the voltage sensor. The control module is configured to detect a failure associated with the battery pack, receive, from the voltage sensor, a first voltage signal representing a first voltage value and a second voltage signal representing a second voltage value, determine a defined ratio of the first voltage value and the second voltage value, determine a battery cell location of the detected failure in the battery pack based on the defined ratio and a total number of the plurality of battery cells in the battery pack, and generate an alert indicating the battery cell location of the detected failure. Other example vehicle systems and methods are also disclosed.