Evaluation apparatus and evaluation method of sheet type cell

• US 10,036,780 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2011
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Nihon Micronics
• Inventors: Dewa, Harutada, Hiwada, Kiyoyasu
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trischler, John
• Application Number:
  US14/342,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20140327445A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,521 Days
• Field of Search: 324437
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 1/07314 the body of the probe being perpendicular to test object, e.g. bed of nails or probe with bump contacts on a rigid support on an elastic support, e.g. a film, G01R1/0735
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/364 Battery terminal connectors with integrated measuring arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/378 specially adapted for the type of battery or accumulator
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/385 Arrangements for measuring battery or accumulator variables for monitoring G01R31/382
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0436 Small-sized flat cells or batteries for portable equipment
• 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

An electrode probe is brought into contact with a measurement part on an outer surface of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode of a sheet type cell, and quantity of electricity is measured at the measurement part, so as to evaluate the sheet type cell. The electrode probe may be connected to a voltage meter and to a charge source or a discharge source, and the evaluation made by detecting a charge characteristic that changes the cell from a non-charged state to a fully charged state, a discharge characteristic that changes the cell from a fully charged state to the non-charged state, or a measurement voltage of the voltage meter when the cell is in the fully charged state.

Claims

1. An evaluation method of a sheet type secondary cell for evaluating a charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell capable of charging and/or discharging and in which a storage layer that stores electrons during charging operation and that releases the electrons during a discharging operation is sandwiched by layers of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the evaluation method comprising the step of

bringing an electrode probe into electrical contact with a first of a plurality of measurement parts on an outer surface of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and measuring an electric characteristic value at the first measurement part, so as to evaluate a charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell and to perform identification of an abnormal area in the sheet type secondary cell,

wherein the electrode probe is brought into contact with the outer surface of one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a fixed electric potential is applied to the entire electrode of the other of the positive electrode and the negative electrode,

wherein a charge source and a voltage meter are connected to the electrode probe, the charge source supplies charging power to the to the first measuring part via the electrode probe, and a charge characteristic is detected from a change in a measurement voltage of the voltage meter as the sheet type secondary cell is charged from a non-charged state to a fully charged state, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell,

wherein the sheet type secondary cell is divided into said plurality of measurement parts, each having a same size and configuration,

wherein the first measurement part is changed to another of the plurality of measurement parts by movement of at least one of the electrode probe and the sheet type secondary cell, and the electric characteristic value is measured at each of the plurality of measurement parts so as to make an evaluation,

wherein measurement results and evaluation results at each of the plurality of the measurement parts are output collectively and displayed or printed out as a greyscale image of the secondary cell whose greyscale values are indicative of normality or abnormality for each of the measurement parts.

2. The evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1,

wherein a discharge source and a voltage meter are connected to the electrode probe, the discharge source extracts an electric current via the electrode probe, and a discharge characteristic that changes the sheet type secondary cell from a fully charged state to a non-charged state is detected from a change in a measurement voltage of the voltage meter, so as to evaluate charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell.

3. The evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1,

wherein a charge source and a voltage meter are connected to the electrode probe, a discharge source extracts an electric current via the electrode probe, and a measurement voltage of the voltage meter is detected when the sheet type secondary cell is in a fully charged state, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell.

4. The evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1,

wherein two or more of the electrode probes for the different measurement parts are provided, a discharge source and a voltage meter that are provided for each of the electrode probes are used, or the discharge source and the voltage meter that are common to the respective electrode probes and are connected, by switching, to each of the electrode probes are used, and a voltage after the charging is measured at the respective measurement parts via the respective electrode probes, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell based on magnitude of two or more measurement voltages.

5. The evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1,

wherein the two electrode probes for the different measurement parts are provided, and a current flowing between the two electrode probes is measured by an ammeter, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell based on a measurement current.

6. An evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1,

wherein a plurality of the electrode probes that are brought into contact with the outer surface of the positive electrode or the negative electrode, and a probe selection circuit that selects any of the plurality of the electrode probes to form a circuit element of a measurement circuit are provided, and

wherein the electrode probes selected by the probe selection circuit measure the electric characteristic value at a plurality of the measurement parts, so as to make an evaluation.

7. An evaluation method of the sheet type secondary cell according to claim 1, wherein the measurement results include a measurement value and a measurement process value for each measurement part, the measurement process value being a difference between a measurement value for a respective part and an average of the measurement values for the plurality of measurement parts, and the measurement process value being compared with a threshold to a respective said measurement part is normal or abnormal.

8. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell for evaluating a charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell capable of charging and/or discharging in which a storage layer that stores electrons during charging operation and that releases the electrons during a discharging operation is sandwiched by layers of a positive electrode and a negative electrode, the evaluation apparatus comprising:

an electrode probe that is configured to be brought into electrical contact with a first of a plurality of measurement parts on an outer surface of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode;

a measurement evaluation unit that configured to measure an electric characteristic value at the measurement part via the electrode probe, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell and to perform identification of an abnormal area in the sheet type secondary cell;

a charge source connected to the electrode probe;

a relative movement mechanism configured to move at least one of the electrode probe and the sheet type secondary cell so as to allow the first measurement part to change to another of the plurality of measurement parts;

a collective output unit that collectively outputs measurement results and evaluation results at the plurality of the measurement parts for display or print-out as a greyscale image of the secondary cell whose greyscale values are indicative of normality or abnormality for each of the plurality of measurement parts,

wherein the electrode probe is configured to be brought into contact with the outer surface of one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode, and a fixed electric potential is applied to the entire electrode of the other of the positive electrode and the negative electrode,

wherein the charge source supplies charging power to the to the first measuring part via the electrode probe, and the measurement evaluation unit is configured to detect a charge characteristic from a change in a measurement voltage of a voltage meter contained therein as the sheet type secondary cell is charged from a non-charged state to a fully charge state, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell,

wherein the sheet type secondary cell is divided into said plurality of measurement parts, each having a same size and configuration,

wherein the first measurement part is changed to another of the plurality of measurement parts by said relative movement mechanism, and the electric characteristic value is measured at each of the plurality of measurement parts so as to make an evaluation, and

wherein measurement results and evaluation results at each of the plurality of the measurement parts are output collectively by the collective output unit for display or print-out.

9. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, further comprising

a discharge source connected to the electrode probe,

wherein discharge source extracts an electric current via the electrode probe, and the measurement evaluation unit is configured to detect a discharge characteristic that changes the sheet type secondary cell from a fully charged state to a non-charged state from a change in a measurement voltage of a voltage meter contained therein, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell.

10. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, further comprising

a charge source connected to the electrode probe,

wherein the charge source supplies charging power to the to the sheet type secondary cell via the electrode probe, and the measurement evaluation unit is configured to detect a measurement voltage of a voltage meter contained therein when the sheet type secondary cell is in a fully charged state, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell.

11. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, further comprising

two or more of the electrode probes for the different measurement parts,

wherein the measurement evaluation unit is configured to use a discharge source that is provided for each of the electrode probes and a voltage meter contained therein, or to use the discharge source that is common to the respective electrode probes and is connected, by switching, to the electrode probes and the voltage meter contained therein, and measures a voltage after the charging at the respective measurement parts via the respective electrode probes, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell based on magnitude of two or more measurement voltages.

12. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, further comprising

the two electrode probes for the different measurement parts,

wherein the measurement evaluation unit is configured to measure a current flowing between the two electrode probes by an ammeter, so as to evaluate the charging and/or discharging characteristic of the sheet type secondary cell based on a measurement current.

13. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, further comprising:

a plurality of the electrode probes configured to be brought into contact with the outer surface of the positive electrode or the negative electrode; and

a probe selection circuit configured to select any of the plurality of the electrode probes to form a circuit element of a measurement circuit,

wherein the electrode probes selected by the probe selection circuit are configured to measure the electric characteristic value at a plurality of the measurement parts, so as to make an evaluation by the measurement evaluation unit.

14. An evaluation apparatus of a sheet type secondary cell according to claim 8, wherein the measurement results include a measurement value and a measurement process value for each measurement part, the measurement process value being a difference between a measurement value for a respective part and an average of the measurement values for the plurality of measurement parts, and the measurement process value being compared with a threshold to a respective said measurement part is normal or abnormal.