Battery Cell Fault Detection Using Real-Time Circuit Modeling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery monitoring systems lack real-time automated monitoring capabilities to effectively predict battery health and performance, leading to potential battery failures that can result in inconvenient to disastrous consequences.

Innovation Solution

A battery monitoring system that uses an equivalent cell circuit model to predict the expected behavior of a battery cell under various operating conditions, compares this prediction to actual cell behavior, and generates real-time notifications for potential faults such as model faults or suspicious parameter variations.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If real-time automated monitoring of battery health is implemented, then battery reliability is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery reliabilityVSAvoidmonitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The battery monitoring system performs self-diagnosis by automatically comparing its own operational parameters against expected ranges and generating fault notifications without external intervention. The system monitors its own health metrics (voltage, current, temperature) and autonomously identifies deviations indicating potential failures.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system continuously measures battery parameters, compares them against expected values, and generates feedback in the form of fault notifications when deviations are detected. This closed-loop feedback mechanism enables real-time detection and notification of battery health issues.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Measurement precision

If continuous real-time monitoring is performed, then fault detection capability is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefault detection capabilityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The monitoring system operates by periodically measuring battery parameters at scheduled intervals rather than continuously. This periodic sampling approach maintains adequate fault detection capability while significantly reducing energy consumption compared to continuous monitoring.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentEP4085506B1Real-time battery fault detection and state-of-health monitoring
Publication Date: 2025.04.23 WISK AERO LLC
  • EP4085506B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4085506B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4085506B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Battery management systems and methods can provide real-time automated monitoring of various aspects of battery health and operation. Some battery management systems can use an equivalent cell circuit model to predict a range for the expected behavior of a battery cell under actual operating conditions in real-time. The prediction can be compared to the actual behavior of the cell to determine whether an anomaly exists. Some battery management systems can maintain an estimate of battery state-of-health parameters such as charge capacity and internal resistance and can update these estimates in real time while the battery is being discharged and/or charged. Anomalous variations in a monitored parameter can trigger a real-time fault notification.