Battery Pack Leak Inspection Using Trace Gas and Infrared Scanning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for assessing the structural integrity of battery packs, particularly battery trays and covers, are inadequate in detecting leaks and irregularities that can compromise the integrity and safety of battery packs in vehicles and non-vehicular applications.
Innovation Solution
A system and method utilizing a tub, cover, pump, sensor, and robotic arms to create a sealed reservoir, pump in a trace gas, and use an infrared camera to detect leaks through structural irregularities by moving and stationary scans, with a heated backplate for improved detection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional inspection methods are used for battery pack structural integrity, then the inspection process is simple, but the detection accuracy of leaks and structural irregularities is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system divides the battery pack into separate components (battery tray and cover) that can be inspected independently. The tub and cover form separate sealable chambers, allowing individual component inspection while maintaining overall system functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
A trace gas is introduced as an intermediary substance to detect structural irregularities. The gas permeates through leaks and irregularities in the battery pack components, allowing indirect detection of defects that are otherwise invisible or undetectable by direct inspection methods.
Solution Approach 3:
The system replaces traditional mechanical inspection methods with an optical detection system using an infrared camera. The infrared camera detects thermal signatures of the trace gas, substituting mechanical probing or visual inspection with optical field-based detection for higher precision.
2Measurement precision
If a sealed reservoir with trace gas is used to detect leaks, then leak detection accuracy improves, but the time required for inspection increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery pack components are pre-assembled and sealed in the inspection fixture before the trace gas is introduced. This preliminary preparation ensures that the components are properly positioned and sealed, allowing the gas permeation process to begin immediately without delays during the inspection phase.
Solution Approach 2:
The inspection process uses periodic scanning with the infrared camera rather than continuous monitoring. The camera periodically scans the battery pack components to detect trace gas, reducing the total inspection time while maintaining detection accuracy through strategic timing of the scans.
3Reliability
If multiple scan types (moving and stationary) are performed, then leak detection reliability improves, but the complexity of the inspection process increases
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection system employs both dynamic (moving scan) and static (stationary scan) detection modes. The moving scan dynamically sweeps across the battery pack surface to identify potential leak areas, while the stationary scan pauses at suspected locations for detailed confirmation, combining the advantages of both approaches.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from the moving scan to guide the stationary scan. When the moving scan identifies a potential leak area, the system automatically triggers a stationary scan at that specific location, using the information from the first scan to optimize the second scan's positioning and duration.
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
Enhances the inspection and quality control of battery packs by accurately identifying and quantifying leaks and structural irregularities, ensuring the structural integrity and safety of battery trays and covers.
Implementation Method 1
a sensor configured to detect a leak of the gas through the battery pack component from the reservoir, the leak corresponding to an area of the battery pack component having structural irregularities
Implementation Method 2
a heating element is configured to heat an inner surface of a cover flange of the cover, the inner surface painted a dark color, to configure the inner surface as a radiation backplate for the infrared camera
Implementation Method 3
a pump configured to pump a gas into the reservoir through an inlet at the tub
Implementation Method 4
a vacuum pump is configured to draw air out from within the reservoir prior to pumping the gas into the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
A system configured to assess structural integrity of a battery pack component. The system includes: a tub configured to receive the battery pack component therein; a cover configured to sit on the tub and the battery pack component within the tub, and form a seal against both the tub and the battery pack component, thereby defining a reservoir between the tub, the cover, and the battery pack component; a pump configured to pump a gas into the reservoir through an inlet at the tub; and a sensor configured to detect a leak of the gas through the battery pack component from the reservoir, the leak corresponding to an area of the battery pack component having structural irregularities.