Battery swelling sensing system and method

Abstract

The present invention relates to a system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system including: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit.

Claims

1. A system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system comprising: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the control unit compares the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selects the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determines a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of a first level, a second level, and a third level according to the degree of swelling risk, and wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of the first level, the second level, and the third level, the control unit transmits a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, the control unit transmits an off operation signal to the switch unit after a predetermined time elapses.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, the control unit transmits a predetermined alarm signal to a display device pre-installed in a vehicle.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the second level, the control unit controls the quantity of charging current flowing into the battery pack from the external power source.

7. A method of detecting swelling of a battery, the method comprising: detecting, by a plurality of detecting units provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; selecting, by a control unit, the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determining a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controlling an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and being turned on and off, by a switch unit provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source, according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the controlling includes comparing, by the control unit, the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selecting the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determining a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of a first level, a second level, and a third level according to the degree of swelling risk, and wherein the controlling includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of the first level, the second level, and the third level, transmitting a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, transmitting an off operation signal to the switch unit after a predetermined time elapses.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, transmitting a predetermined alarm signal to a display device pre-installed in a vehicle.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the second level, controlling the quantity of charging current flowing into the battery pack from the external power source.

13. A system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system comprising: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the control unit compares the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selects the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determines a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, and wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined according to the degree of swelling risk, and the control unit transmits a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electric vehicle, to which a system and a method of detecting swelling of a battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are applicable.

(2) FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a circuit diagram of the system for detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(3) FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating the case where detecting units of the system for detecting swelling of the battery are provided inside a battery module according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(4) FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an algorithm performed in a control unit of the system for detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(5) FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the method of detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

(6) The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Herein, repeated descriptions and the detailed description of a publicly known function and configuration that may make the gist of the present invention unnecessarily ambiguous will be omitted. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are provided so as to more completely explain the present invention to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the shape, the size, etc., of elements in the figures may be exaggerated for a more clear explanation.

(7) Throughout the specification, unless explicitly described to the contrary, the word include/comprise and variations such as includes/comprises or including/comprising mean further including other constituent elements, not excluding the other constituent elements.

(8) In addition, the term . . . unit described in the specification means a unit for processing at least one function and operation and may be implemented by hardware components or software components and combinations thereof.

(9) FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electric vehicle 1, to which a system and a method of detecting swelling of a battery according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are applicable.

(10) However, the system and the method of detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are applicable to various technical fields, to which a battery is applied, in addition to the electric vehicle 1.

(11) Referring to FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 1 may include a battery 10, a battery management system (BMS) 20, an electronic control unit (ECU) 30, an inverter 40, and a motor 50.

(12) The battery 10 is an electric energy source providing driving force to the motor 50 and driving the electric vehicle 1, and may be charged or discharged by the inverter 40 according to the driving of the motor 50 and/or an internal combustion engine (not illustrated).

(13) The BMS 20 may estimate a state of the battery 10 and control a charging/discharging current of the battery 10 by using information about the state, and further control an opening/closing operation of a contactor.

(14) The ECU 30 is an electronic control apparatus controlling a state of the electric vehicle 1, and for example, may determine a degree of torque based on information about an accelerator, a break, a speed, and the like, and control an output of the motor to correspond to the torque information.

(15) The inverter 40 may charge or discharge the battery 10 based on a control signal of the ECU 30, and the motor 50 may drive the electric vehicle 1 based on electric energy of the battery 10 and the control information transmitted from the ECU 30.

(16) As described above, in the electric vehicle 1, the battery 10 is a core element providing driving force, and when the battery 10 is in an abnormal state, this may cause a failure of the electric vehicle 1 and various accidents.

(17) For example, when the battery 10 is present in an environment, such as overcharging and a short-circuit, or a lifetime of the battery 10 is completely exhausted, gas is generated inside the battery 10 due to an electrical and chemical reaction to increase internal pressure of the battery 10, and this may lead to a swelling phenomenon of the battery 10 which may cause an accident, such as an explosion and ignition.

(18) Accordingly, the monitoring of a state of the battery 10 and an appropriate protection of the battery 10 according to a situation are the important matters for stably operating the battery 10 and are preparations for preventing various accidents due to abnormal driving of the battery 10 and securing safety of a passenger, and hereinafter, the system and the method of detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 5.

(19) FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a circuit diagram of the system 100 for detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(20) Referring to FIG. 2, the system 100 for detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of detecting units 120, a control unit 130, and a switch unit 140.

(21) However, the system 100 for detecting the swelling of the battery illustrated in FIG. 2 is an exemplary embodiment, and constituent elements thereof are not limited to the exemplary embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2, and it is noted that some constituent elements may be added, changed, or removed as necessary.

(22) Further, the battery which is described below is a concept including one or more battery packs 110, and it is noted that each of the battery packs 110 also includes one or more battery modules 111, and similarly, each of the battery modules 111 includes one or more battery cells 112.

(23) First, when a swelling phenomenon is incurred in a predetermined battery cell 112 among the one or more battery cells 112, the detecting unit 120 may detect branched gas.

(24) In this case, the plurality of detecting units 120 may be dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module 111 as illustrated in FIG. 3, and the plurality of detecting units 120 is dispersed for the purpose of preventing a detection error generable when the single detecting unit 120 is provided, and simultaneously improving sensitivity of the detection of gas.

(25) Typically, when a swelling phenomenon is incurred in the battery cell, main ingredients of the branched gas are carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, methane, and the like, so that each of the detecting units 120 may include a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor based on the main ingredients of the branched gas.

(26) Accordingly, detection values measured by the detecting units 120, respectively, may be formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value, and each set of the detection values may be provided to the control unit 130 which is to be described below through an electrical or communicational route.

(27) The control unit 130 may receive the detection values, particularly, the sets of detection values including the carbon monoxide detection value, the carbon dioxide detection value, and the methane detection value, from the detecting units 120, and select a specific detection value set and determine a level of the detection value. Further, the control unit 130 may also control an operation of the peripheral apparatus based on the level of the selected detection value.

(28) In this case, the level of the selected detection value may be determined with one of the plurality of level set with differential ranges based on a degree of swelling risk of the battery cell 112, and for example, the plurality of levels may include a first level, in which the degree of swelling is an alert level, a second level, in which the degree of swelling of the battery cell 112 is a danger level, and a third level, in which the degree of swelling is a serious level.

(29) The control unit 130 may be implemented with the BMS 20 (see FIG. 1) itself, or may be implemented while being included in the BMS, and an algorithm for performing an operation of the control unit 130 may be set in the control unit 130.

(30) The performance of the operation of the control unit 130 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4.

(31) FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating an algorithm performed in the control unit.

(32) Reviewing each operation of the algorithm, first, the control unit may receive a detection value from each detecting unit (S410), and compare the received detection value with a predetermined threshold value.

(33) Here, the threshold value is a threshold value for the quantity of gas branched when the swelling phenomenon is incurred in the battery cell, and may be formed of a set including a carbon monoxide threshold value, a carbon dioxide threshold value, and a methane threshold value, and may be set by a user.

(34) That is, in the comparison operation, a carbon monoxide detection value is compared with a carbon monoxide threshold value, a carbon dioxide detection value is compared with a carbon dioxide threshold value, and similarly, a methane detection value is compared with a methane threshold value, and only when all of the carbon monoxide detection value, the carbon dioxide detection value, and the methane threshold value exceed the corresponding threshold values, it may be determined that the detection value (set) exceeds the threshold value (set) (S420).

(35) When the number of detection values exceeding the threshold value is two or more, the largest detection value among the plurality of detection values is selected (S430), and herein, the size may refer to an average of the carbon monoxide detection value, the carbon dioxide detection value, and the methane detection value.

(36) Sequentially, a level of the selected detection value may be determined based on a first level, a second level, and a third level which are predetermined with differential ranges. That is, when the size of the selected detection value is included in an alert range, a level of the selected detection value may be determined as the first level, when the size of the selected detection value is included in a danger range, a level of the selected detection value may be determined as the second level, and when the size of the selected detection value is included in a serious range, a level of the selected detection value may be determined as the third level.

(37) When the level of the selected detection value is determined as the first level (S450), the control unit may transmit a vehicle speed (for example, 80 km or less) control signal corresponding to the first level to the ECU of the vehicle (S451).

(38) In this case, the signal may be transmitted by using controller area network (CAN) communication, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and various schemes of communication, such as ZigBee communication, WiFi, radio frequency (RF) communication, and Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication, may be applied.

(39) Even when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the second level (S460), the control unit may transmit a vehicle speed (for example, 50 km or less) control signal corresponding to the second level to the ECU of the vehicle (S461).

(40) Further, the quantity of charging current flowing into a battery pack from an external power source may also be controlled by controlling a variable resistor (not illustrated) provided in a connection path of the battery pack and the external power source. The configuration may aim to prevent overcharging of the battery pack and minimize the quantity of gas branched from the battery cell.

(41) Last, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level (S470), the control unit may similarly transmit a vehicle speed (for example, 10 km or less) control signal corresponding to the third level to the ECU of the vehicle (S471), and may transmit an alarm signal to a display device, such as a navigation device and a monitor for a vehicle (S473).

(42) In this case, the alarm may be audio-visually formed, such as a predetermined alarm sound and an alarm message, and may enable a passenger of the vehicle to recognize the incurrence of a swelling phenomenon of the battery cell.

(43) Particularly, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, after a predetermined time elapses, the control unit may transmit an off operation signal to a switch unit 140 (see FIG. 1) provided in the connection path of the battery pack and the external power source.

(44) Herein, the switch unit may be formed of one or more of a field effect transistor and a relay, and the kind of contactor forming the switch unit is not limited, but may be various.

(45) Further, the predetermined time is a concept securing a minimum vehicle operation, and may be, for example, a time consumed for travelling about 10 km, and sudden blocking of the connection between the battery pack and the external power source may cause an accident in the case of an electric vehicle, so that the configuration may consider such a situation.

(46) Further, the control unit may transmit the off operation signal to the switch unit and simultaneously control an operation of a peripheral apparatus, such as an air-cooling type fan and a water-cooling type cooling value, to be stopped, so that it is possible to prevent power consumption according to unnecessary driving of the peripheral apparatus.

(47) As described above, the control unit 130 may determine a level of the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold value through the predetermined algorithm, and control an operation of a battery circuit and an operation of the peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level.

(48) FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating the method of detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

(49) When the method of detecting swelling of the battery according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention starts, each of the plurality of detecting units dispersed inside the battery modules detects gas branched from the battery cell, and provides a result of the detection to the control unit (S510).

(50) The control unit compares each of the detection values with a threshold value, and determines whether there is the detection value exceeding the threshold value (S520). When the number of detection values exceeding the threshold value is two or more, the control unit selects the largest detection value, and determines a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value (S530).

(51) Then, the control unit controls an operation speed of the vehicle, controls the quantity of charging current flowing into the battery pack, controls an operation of the battery circuit, such as a control of an off operation of the switch unit, and controls an operation of the peripheral apparatus based on the level of the selected detection value (S540).

(52) In the forgoing, the specific exemplary embodiment of the present invention has been illustrated and described, but it is apparent to those skilled in the art that the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by the accompanying drawings and the described contents, and may be modified in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the modifications are considered to belong to the claims of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention.