Battery Pack Immersion Sensing With External Flood Notification

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing storage battery control devices, such as those described in WO2017/029715, fail to provide external notification of water immersion information, which is crucial for preventing secondary disasters.

Innovation Solution

An electric storage device comprising a plurality of battery packs, a control device, submersion sensors, and a notification unit that communicates immersion information to the outside, allowing for the determination and external notification of immersion levels.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a submersion sensor is provided inside the battery pack to detect water immersion, then the ability to detect immersion anomaly is improved, but the ability to notify external systems of the immersion status deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveimmersion detection capabilityVSAvoidexternal notification of immersion information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The control device serves as an intermediary between the submersion sensor inside the battery pack and external systems. The sensor detects immersion status and transmits this information to the control device, which then notifies external systems of the immersion condition. This mediator approach allows internal detection to be communicated externally without requiring direct external sensor placement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Quantity of substance

If multiple battery packs are combined to increase capacity, then the battery capacity is improved, but the complexity of monitoring and controlling immersion status across all packs deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery capacityVSAvoidimmersion monitoring system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The control device performs multiple functions: it manages the battery packs for capacity optimization and simultaneously monitors immersion status across all packs through their respective submersion sensors. This multi-functional approach consolidates monitoring responsibilities into a single control device, managing complexity while supporting increased battery capacity through multiple packs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

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 external notification of immersion information, ensuring timely response to flooding conditions and preventing secondary disasters by maintaining operation of critical systems.

Implementation Method 1

a submersion sensor provided in each of the plurality of battery packs

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectSubmersion detection:

Data Source

PatentEP4220791B1Electric storage device
Publication Date: 2025.07.02 SUZUKI MOTOR CORP
  • EP4220791B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4220791B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4220791B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

[Problem to be Solved] To provide an electric storage device that can give notification of immersion information to the outside. [Solution] An electric storage device includes: a plurality of battery packs (5) installed to align in an up-down direction inside a columnar member (2); a control device (6) that is arranged above the battery packs (5) and controls the battery packs (5); a submersion sensor (56) provided in each of the plurality of battery packs (5); and a notification unit (80) that gives notification of information regarding immersion to the outside. The control device (6) includes a communication unit (71) that receives information indicating submersion from the submersion sensor (56) in each battery pack (5), a determination unit (72) that determines a degree of immersion on the basis of which of the submersion sensors (56) having transmitted the received information indicating submersion, and a control unit (73) that controls the notification unit (80) to give notification of immersion degree information indicating the degree of immersion determined by the determination unit (72) to the outside.