BATTERY CELL ASSEMBLY

• US 20150094970A1
• Filed: 10/02/2013
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bober, Greg
• Granted Patent: US 9,389,279 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/389 Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• 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: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/655 Solid structures for heat exchange or heat conduction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery cell assembly having a battery cell and a thin profile sensor is provided. The battery cell has a housing and first and second electrical terminals. The thin profile sensor has a flexible plastic sheet, and a microprocessor, a sensing circuit, and a heat generating circuit coupled to the flexible plastic sheet. The flexible plastic sheet is coupled to the battery cell. The microprocessor determines a first voltage value representing an open circuit voltage, and a second voltage value of the battery cell when the battery cell is supplying electrical current through the heat generating circuit. The microprocessor determines a current value when the battery cell is supplying the electrical current through the heat generating circuit, and determines an internal resistance value based on the first voltage value, the second voltage value, and the current value.

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

a battery cell having a housing and first and second electrical terminals extending from the housing;

a thin profile sensor having a flexible plastic sheet, a microprocessor, a sensing circuit, and a heat generating circuit;

the microprocessor being operably coupled to the sensing circuit and the heat generating circuit;

the microprocessor, the sensing circuit, and the heat generating circuit being coupled to the flexible plastic sheet, the flexible plastic sheet being coupled to an exterior surface of the housing of the battery cell;

the microprocessor being programmed to determine a first voltage value corresponding to an open circuit voltage of the battery cell between the first and second electrical terminals;

the microprocessor being further programmed to determine a second voltage value corresponding to a first voltage of the battery cell between the first and second electrical terminals when the battery cell is supplying electrical current through the heat generating circuit;

the microprocessor being further programmed to determine a current value corresponding to an electrical current level flowing through the battery cell when the battery cell is supplying the electrical current through the heat generating circuit;

the microprocessor being further programmed to determine an internal resistance value corresponding to an internal resistance level of the battery cell based on the first voltage value, the second voltage value, and the current value; and

the microprocessor being further programmed to store the internal resistance value in a memory device.

2. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the thin profile sensor further includes a data transmitting circuit coupled to the flexible plastic sheet, the microprocessor further programmed to generate a control signal to induce the data transmitting circuit to transmit a first signal having a first binary message therein indicating the internal resistance value of the battery cell.

3. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein:

the sensing circuit having a resistive trace having a resistance level that varies based on a temperature level of the battery cell;

the sensing circuit configured to generate an output voltage that is indicative of a temperature value of the battery cell, the temperature value indicating a temperature level of the battery cell; and

the microprocessor being further programmed to determine the temperature value of the battery cell based on the output voltage.

4. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein the flexible plastic sheet has a first side and a second side, the microprocessor and the resistive trace being disposed on the first side, the flexible plastic sheet further having an adhesive portion disposed on the first side on a peripheral region of the flexible plastic sheet, the adhesive portion configured to adhere the first side of the flexible plastic sheet to the exterior surface of the housing of the battery cell.

5. The battery cell assembly of claim 3, wherein:

the microprocessor being further programmed to determine a state-of-charge value corresponding to a state-of-charge of the battery cell based on the internal resistance value and the temperature value; and

the microprocessor being further programmed to store the state-of-charge value in the memory device.

6. The battery cell assembly of claim 5, wherein the thin profile sensor further includes a data transmitting circuit coupled to the flexible plastic sheet, the microprocessor further programmed to generate a control signal to induce the data transmitting circuit to transmit a first signal having a first binary message therein indicating the state-of-charge value of the battery cell.

7. The battery cell assembly of claim 5, wherein the heat generating circuit further includes a heating element trace disposed on the flexible plastic sheet, the heating element trace being electrically coupled to the microprocessor.

8. The battery cell assembly of claim 7, wherein the microprocessor is further programmed to generate a control voltage to induce the heat generating circuit to supply electrical current to the heating element trace if the state-of-charge value of the battery cell is greater than a state-of-charge threshold value.

9. The battery cell assembly of claim 8, wherein the microprocessor is further programmed to stop generating the control voltage to induce the heat generating circuit to stop supplying the electrical current to the heating element trace if the state-of-charge value of the battery cell is less than or equal to the state-of-charge threshold value.

10. The battery cell assembly of claim 9, wherein the thin profile sensor further includes a data receiving circuit coupled to the flexible plastic sheet, the data receiving circuit configured to receive a first signal having a first binary message therein, and to output a voltage signal having the first binary message in response to the received first signal, the first binary message indicating the state-of-charge threshold value, and the first binary message being received by the microprocessor.

11. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is electrically coupled to the first and second electrical terminals of the battery cell, the first and second electrical terminals configured to supply an operational voltage to the microprocessor.

12. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is coupled directly to a first side of the flexible plastic sheet.

13. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is coupled directly to a circuit board, the circuit board being coupled directly to a first side of the flexible plastic sheet.