Electronic Detection of Signatures

• US 20110316545A1
• Filed: 06/29/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Teradyne Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Teradyne Incorporated
• Inventors: Grant, Rylan Ian, Bruno, Christopher James, Kahwati, Naim Mark, Malone, Michael K., Narasaki, John Kenji
• Application Number:
  US12/825,941
• Publication Number:
  US 20110316545A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/426
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method is described for retrieving, by a test system, a formation profile associated with the storage cell, the formation profile comprising one or more formation segments, with a formation segment comprising an action to be performed upon a detection of a signature value; measuring, by the test system, a value of a parameter of the formation segment; detecting, based on a comparison between the value of the parameter and one or more signatures associated with the formation segment, that the value of the parameter comprises the signature value; and performing the action specified in the formation segment.

Claims

1. A method for testing a storage cell, the method comprising:

retrieving, by a test system, a formation profile associated with the storage cell, the formation profile comprising one or more formation segments, with a formation segment comprising an action to be performed upon a detection of a signature value;

measuring, by the test system, a value of a parameter of the formation segment;

detecting, based on a comparison between the value of the parameter and one or more signatures associated with the formation segment, that the value of the parameter comprises the signature value; and

performing the action specified in the formation segment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the formation segment further comprises a window of values indicative of acceptable values for the parameter.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting that the value of parameter comprises the signature value comprises:

determining that the value of the parameter is outside of the window of values.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the action comprises one or more of an instruction to move to a subsequent formation segment in the formation profile, an instruction to generate a notification alert, an instruction to disconnect the storage cell from the storage cell test system, and an instruction to stop charging the storage cell.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises one or more of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, a power parameter, a capacity parameter, a temperature parameter, a parameter indicative of a rate of change of current, and a parameter indicative of a rate of change of voltage.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein the window of values comprises one or more of (i) a range of values indicative of a rate of change, (ii) a range of absolute values, and (iii) a range of values indicative of a rate of acceleration of the parameter.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the parameter comprises a first parameter, and the window of values comprises a first window of values, and wherein the method further comprises:

changing, based on the value of the first parameter, a second window of values for a second parameter in a subsequent formation segment.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the window of values comprises a range of values above or below a steady state value for the parameter.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the storage cell comprises a first storage cell, and wherein the method further comprises:

measuring, on a per cell basis, a temperature of the first storage cell in a tote and a temperature of a second storage cell in the tote, wherein the temperature of the first storage cell in the tote is measured independently of the second storage cell in the tote.

28. The method of claim 1, wherein the parameter comprises a first parameter, the value comprises a first value, the signature value comprises a first signature value, and the first signature value is at least partly based on a signature comprising one or more of (i) a mathematical operation performed on a second measured value of one or more second parameters, and (ii) a logical operation performed after converting one or more detected, second signature values to Boolean results.

10. One or more machine-readable media configured to store instructions that are executable by one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

retrieving a formation profile associated with the storage cell, the formation profile comprising one or more formation segments, with a formation segment comprising an action to be performed upon a detection of a signature value;

measuring a value of a parameter of the formation segment;

detecting, based on a comparison between the value of the parameter and one or more signatures associated with the formation segment, that the value of the parameter comprises the signature value; and

performing the action specified in the formation segment.

11. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 10, wherein the formation segment further comprises a window of values indicative of acceptable values for the parameter.

12. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 10 configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

determining that the value of the parameter is outside of the window of values.

13. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 10, wherein the action comprises one or more of an instruction to move to a subsequent formation segment in the formation profile, an instruction to generate a notification alert, an instruction to disconnect the storage cell from the storage cell test system, and an instruction to stop charging the storage cell.

14. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 10, wherein the parameter comprises one or more of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, a power parameter, a capacity parameter, a temperature parameter, a parameter indicative of a rate of change of current, and a parameter indicative of a rate of change of voltage.

15. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 11, wherein the window of values comprises one or more of (i) a range of values indicative of a rate of change, (ii) a range of absolute values, and (iii) a range of values indicative of a rate of acceleration of the parameter.

16. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 11, wherein the parameter comprises a first parameter, and the window of values comprises a first window of values, and wherein the one or more machine-readable media are further configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

changing, based on the value of the first parameter, a second window of values for a second parameter in a subsequent formation segment.

17. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 11, wherein the window of values comprises a range of values above or below a steady state value for the parameter.

18. The one or more machine-readable media of claim 10, wherein the storage cell comprises a first storage cell, and wherein the one or more machine-readable media are further configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

measuring, on a per cell basis, a temperature of the first storage cell in a tote and a temperature of a second storage cell in the tote, wherein the temperature of the first storage cell in the tote is measured independently of the second storage cell in the tote.

19. An apparatus for testing a storage cell, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processing devices; and

one or more machine-readable media configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising;

retrieving a formation profile associated with the storage cell, the formation profile comprising one or more formation segments, with a formation segment comprising an action to be performed upon a detection of a signature value;

measuring a value of a parameter of the formation segment;

detecting, based on a comparison between the value of the parameter and one or more signatures associated with the formation segment, that the value of the parameter comprises the signature value; and

performing the action specified in the formation segment.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the formation segment further comprises a window of values indicative of acceptable values for the parameter.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more machine-readable media are further configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

determining that the value of the parameter is outside of the window of values.

22. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the action comprises one or more of an instruction to move to a subsequent formation segment in the formation profile, an instruction to generate a notification alert, an instruction to disconnect the storage cell from the storage cell test system, and an instruction to stop charging the storage cell.

23. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the parameter comprises one or more of a current parameter, a voltage parameter, a power parameter, a capacity parameter, a temperature parameter, a parameter indicative of a rate of change of current, and a parameter indicative of a rate of change of voltage.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the window of values comprises one or more of (i) a range of values indicative of a rate of change, (ii) a range of absolute values, and (iii) a range of values indicative of a rate of acceleration of the parameter.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the parameter comprises a first parameter, and the window of values comprises a first window of values, and wherein the one or more machine-readable media are further configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

changing, based on the value of the first parameter, a second window of values for a second parameter in a subsequent formation segment.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the window of values comprises a range of values above or below a steady state value for the parameter.

27. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the storage cell comprises a first storage cell, and wherein the one or more machine-readable media are further configured to store instructions that are executable by the one or more processing devices to perform functions comprising:

measuring, on a per cell basis, a temperature of the first storage cell in a tote and a temperature of a second storage cell in the tote, wherein the temperature of the first storage cell in the tote is measured independently of the second storage cell in the tote.