Battery Pack Sensor Defect Detection and Compensation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery protection circuits deactivate when minor sensor defects occur, leading to unnecessary shutdown of electronic devices and potential safety risks due to incorrect temperature readings.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack with temperature sensors and a control unit that detects defective sensors, ignores faulty readings, and adjusts operations to prevent overcharge, over-discharge, and extreme temperature conditions, using thermistors to generate temperature data and substitute values for defective sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the protection circuit deactivates the battery when a sensor defect is detected, then safety is improved, but unnecessary shutdowns occur due to minor defects
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit performs preliminary analysis of sensor data to distinguish between minor defects (contact resistance issues) and major defects (sensor failures) before deactivating the protection circuit. This preliminary action prevents unnecessary shutdowns while maintaining safety for genuine threats.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection circuit's activation state is made dynamic rather than static. The control unit continuously monitors sensor data and adjusts the protection circuit state based on real-time analysis, allowing the system to transition between active and inactive states appropriately rather than remaining permanently deactivated due to minor defects.
2Productivity
If the protection circuit remains active despite sensor defects, then operation continuity is improved, but safety risks increase due to incorrect temperature readings
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit implements feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring sensor data and comparing it against expected patterns. When sensor readings deviate from normal ranges or show inconsistent patterns indicative of defects, the feedback loop triggers appropriate responses including protection circuit activation or sensor replacement alerts, ensuring safety while maintaining operation continuity for genuine conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs self-diagnosis of sensor conditions through the control unit analyzing sensor data patterns. The protection circuit serves itself by automatically activating or deactivating based on the control unit's assessment of sensor reliability, eliminating the need for external intervention while maintaining both safety and operation continuity.
3Measurement precision
If multiple temperature sensors are used to monitor battery cells, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The control unit merges the data from multiple temperature sensors through analysis and comparison. By combining sensor readings and identifying patterns, the system achieves comprehensive temperature monitoring coverage while managing complexity through integrated processing rather than separate independent systems for each sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The control unit serves multiple functions: it processes data from all temperature sensors, identifies sensor defects, determines protection circuit states, and monitors battery conditions. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated systems for each task, thereby managing device complexity while maintaining measurement precision through multiple sensors.
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
Prevents unnecessary shutdowns and safety risks by accurately identifying and compensating for sensor defects, ensuring reliable battery operation and extending battery life by avoiding extreme temperature exposure.
Implementation Method 1
Each of the temperature sensors may includes a thermistor having a negative temperature coefficient having a resistance value which decreases as ambient temperature increases
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack includes a battery module, a plurality of temperature sensors, a temperature data generating unit, and a control unit. The battery module has a plurality of battery cells. The temperature data generating unit detects battery temperatures from the temperature sensors and generates battery temperature data including temperature values corresponding to the battery temperatures. The control unit determines whether or not the temperature sensors are defective based on the battery temperature data, and controls the battery module based on temperature values corresponding to temperature sensors determined not to be defective.