Battery cell assembly having improved thermal sensing capability

• US 9,972,869 B2
• Filed: 01/31/2014
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bober, Greg
• Primary Examiner(s): Haske, Wojciech
• Application Number:
  US14/169,525
• Publication Number:
  US 20150221992A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,565 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G01K 7/16 using resistive elements resistive elements per se H01C, H01L
• 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 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/615 Heating or keeping warm
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/647 Prismatic or flat cells, e.g. pouch cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6571 Resistive heaters arrangements for heating the battery by its resistance to the internal current H01M10/637
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

A battery cell assembly having a battery cell and a thin profile sensor is provided. The assembly includes a battery cell having a housing and first and second electrical terminals extending from the housing. The assembly further includes a thin profile sensor having a microprocessor and a sensing circuit. The sensing circuit is coupled directly to the housing. The sensing circuit generates a signal that is indicative of an operational parameter value of the battery cell. The microprocessor is programmed to determine the operational parameter value based on the signal from the sensing circuit. The assembly further includes a protective layer coupled to the thin profile sensor such that the sensor is disposed between the protective layer and the housing.

Claims

1. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

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

a temperature sensor being disposed directly on an outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell, the temperature sensor having a microprocessor, a circuit board, a sensing circuit, a heat generating circuit, and a data transmitting circuit;

the microprocessor being coupled directly to the circuit board, and the microprocessor further directly contacting an outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell, the circuit board directly contacting a protective layer such that the circuit board is disposed between the protective layer and the microprocessor, the protective layer having a periphery that is greater than a periphery of the circuit board, the sensing circuit having a resistive trace being coupled directly to and contacting the outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell;

the resistive trace having a resistance level that varies based on a temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell, the microprocessor and the sensing circuit being operably coupled together;

the microprocessor being programmed to determine a temperature value corresponding to the temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell based on a signal from the sensing circuit;

the microprocessor being further programmed to store the temperature value in a memory device;

the heat generating circuit having a heating element trace being disposed and printed directly on the outer surface of the pouch-type housing, the heating element trace being electrically coupled to the microprocessor;

the protective layer being further coupled to and disposed over the temperature sensor such that the resistive trace is disposed between the protective layer and the outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell; and

the data transmitting circuit being coupled at least in part to the circuit board, the microprocessor being further programmed to generate a control signal to induce the data transmitting circuit to transmit a first signal having a first binary message therein externally through air, the first binary message representing the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell.

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

the signal comprises a first voltage on the sensing circuit.

3. The battery cell assembly of claim 2, wherein the sensing circuit further includes first and second resistors, the first resistor being coupled in series with the resistive trace with an electrical node therebetween, the first resistor being further electrically coupled to an operational voltage, the second resistor being coupled between the electrical node and the microprocessor, the microprocessor being further programmed to measure the first voltage on the second resistor, the microprocessor being further programmed to determine the temperature value representing the temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell based on the first voltage.

4. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the resistive trace has a thickness in a range of 0.33-1.0 millimeters.

5. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the resistive trace has at least first, second and third resistive trace portions spaced apart from one another and extending substantially parallel to one another, the first, second, and third resistive portions electrically coupled in series to one another and extending longitudinally along the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell.

6. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the resistive trace is constructed of at least one of graphite, nickel, tin, silver, copper, or an alloy of at least two of the foregoing materials.

7. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the heating element trace is a substantially serpentine-shaped heating element trace.

8. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the heating element trace is constructed of at least one of graphite, nickel, tin, silver, copper, or an alloy of at least two of the foregoing materials.

9. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, 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 to generate heat if the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell is less than a first threshold temperature level.

10. The battery cell assembly of claim 9, 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 to induce the heating element trace to stop generating heat if the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell is greater than or equal to a second threshold temperature value.

11. The battery cell assembly of claim 1, wherein the microprocessor is electrically coupled to the first and second electrical terminals of the pouch-type 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 first signal is a first infrared signal having the first binary message therein representing the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell.

13. The battery cell assembly of claim 12, wherein the temperature sensor further includes a data receiving circuit being coupled at least in part to the circuit board, the data receiving circuit configured to receive a second infrared signal having a second binary message therein, and to output a voltage signal having the second binary message in response to the received second signal, the second binary message having an operational parameter threshold value and is received by the microprocessor.

14. The battery cell assembly of claim 13, wherein the operational parameter threshold value comprises a temperature threshold value of the pouch-type battery cell.

15. A battery cell assembly, comprising:

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

a temperature sensor being coupled to an outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell, the temperature sensor having a microprocessor, a sensing circuit, and a heat generating circuit;

the sensing circuit having a resistive trace being coupled directly to and contacting the outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell;

the resistive trace having a resistance level that varies based on a temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell, the microprocessor and the sensing circuit being operably coupled together, the sensing circuit generating a signal that is indicative of the temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell;

the heat generating circuit having a heating element trace being disposed and printed directly on the outer surface of the pouch-type housing, the heating element trace being electrically coupled to the microprocessor;

a protective layer being coupled to and disposed over the temperature sensor such that the resistive trace and the heating element trace are disposed between the protective layer and the outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell;

the microprocessor being programmed to determine a temperature value corresponding to the temperature level of the pouch-type battery cell based on the signal from the sensing circuit;

the microprocessor being further programmed to store the temperature value in a memory device; and

the microprocessor being further programmed to generate a control signal to induce the data transmitting circuit to transmit a first infrared signal having a first binary message therein, the first binary message representing the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell.

16. The battery cell assembly of claim 15, 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 to generate heat if the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell is less than a first threshold temperature level;

and

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 to induce the heating element trace to stop generating heat if the temperature value of the pouch-type battery cell is greater than or equal to a second threshold temperature value.

17. The battery cell assembly of claim 15, wherein the microprocessor being coupled directly on the outer surface of the pouch-type housing of the pouch-type battery cell utilizing an adhesive.

18. The battery cell assembly of claim 15, wherein the data transmitting circuit being coupled to and disposed directly on the outer surface of the pouch-type housing.