Electric energy supply system having at least one cell element and motor vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11525865-B2
Application number	US-202016913207-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 26, 2020
Priority date	Jun 28, 2019
Publication date	Dec 13, 2022
Grant date	Dec 13, 2022

Abstract

An electric energy supply system having at least one cell element, which contains at least one galvanic cell, and having a measuring circuit, which is configured to ascertain at least one parameter of the at least one cell element by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The disclosure provides that the energy supply system comprises an electrochemical gas sensor and the gas sensor is connected to the measuring circuit via a toggle switch, wherein the measuring circuit is configured to apply an electric variable as the excitation variable in the gas sensor and to detect another electric variable as the measured variable at the gas sensor and to ascertain a gas concentration in the surroundings of the gas sensor.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electric energy supply system comprising:
at least one cell element, which contains at least one galvanic cell,
a measuring circuit, which is configured to apply a first of two predetermined electric variables in the at least one cell element as an electric excitation variable and to detect a second of the two predetermined electric variables as an electric measured variable at the at least one cell element and, based on the applied excitation variable and the detected measured variable, to ascertain at least one parameter of the at least one cell element by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and
an electrochemical gas sensor, which is connected to the measuring circuit via a toggle switch,
wherein the toggle switch is configured to switch over based on a switching signal of a control circuit between a first switching state, in which the measuring circuit is electrically connected to the at least one cell element, and a second switching state, in which the measuring circuit is electrically connected to the gas sensor,
wherein the measuring circuit is configured, in the second switching state, to apply the excitation variable in the gas sensor, to detect as the measured variable at the gas sensor, and to ascertain a gas concentration in the surroundings of the gas sensor using a predetermined calculation rule, and
wherein the predetermined calculation rule associates the applied excitation variable and the detected measured variable with the gas concentration via at least one of: a conversion formula, a lookup table, and/or a characteristic curve.

2. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to set a time curve of the excitation variable in the measuring circuit based on the selected switching state of the toggle switch.

3. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the measuring circuit further comprises a frequency response analyzer.

4. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the calculation rule comprises an association of at least one measured impedance value, at least one measured current value, and/or at least one measured voltage value with a value of the gas concentration.

5. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit is configured to generate the switching signal according to a predetermined switchover strategy, the switchover strategy comprising:
a normal mode, in which the at least one cell element absorbs and/or emits electric energy for a connected system-external device, keeping the gas sensor connected to the measuring circuit, and
a diagnostic mode, in which the gas sensor is electrically disconnected from the measuring circuit, keeping the at least one cell element connected to the measuring circuit.

6. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one cell element is a battery cell or a fuel cell.

7. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gas sensor is designed to detect water vapor and/or a gas generated by a cell chemistry of the at least one cell element.

8. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the toggle switch comprises at least one semiconductor switch for each of multiple connecting lines of the measuring circuit for electrical switching.

9. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the gas sensor is arranged:
in or on a single cell element,
together with multiple cell elements in a module housing of one of multiple cell modules,
in an external housing of the energy supply system,
externally on the external housing of the energy supply system, or
outside the external housing of the energy supply system in another energy supply system.

10. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the measuring circuit further comprises a frequency response analyzer.

11. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the calculation rule comprises an association of at least one measured impedance value, at least one measured current value, and/or at least one measured voltage value with a value of the gas concentration.

12. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the calculation rule comprises an association of at least one measured impedance value, at least one measured current value, and/or at least one measured voltage value with a value of the gas concentration.

13. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the control circuit is configured to generate the switching signal according to a predetermined switchover strategy, the switchover strategy comprising:
a normal mode, in which the at least one cell element absorbs and/or emits electric energy for a connected system-external device, keeping the gas sensor connected to the measuring circuit, and
a diagnostic mode, in which the gas sensor is electrically disconnected from the measuring circuit, keeping the at least one cell element connected to the measuring circuit.

14. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the control circuit is configured to generate the switching signal according to a predetermined switchover strategy, the switchover strategy comprising:
a normal mode, in which the at least one cell element absorbs and/or emits electric energy for a connected system-external device, keeping the gas sensor connected to the measuring circuit, and
a diagnostic mode, in which the gas sensor is electrically disconnected from the measuring circuit, keeping the at least one cell element connected to the measuring circuit.

15. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the control circuit is configured to generate the switching signal according to a predetermined switchover strategy, the switchover strategy comprising:
a normal mode, in which the at least one cell element absorbs and/or emits electric energy for a connected system-external device, keeping the gas sensor connected to the measuring circuit, and
a diagnostic mode, in which the gas sensor is electrically disconnected from the measuring circuit, keeping the at least one cell element connected to the measuring circuit.

16. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one cell element is a battery cell or a fuel cell.

17. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one cell element is a battery cell or a fuel cell.

18. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one cell element is a battery cell or a fuel cell.

19. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the at least one cell element is a battery cell or a fuel cell.

20. The energy supply system as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the gas sensor is designed to detect water vapor and/or a gas generated by a cell chemistry of the at least one cell element.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Hinterberger Michael
• Liebhart Bernhard
• Endisch Christian

Classifications

• H01M8/04537 Primary

  Electric variables · CPC title

• G01R31/392

  Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health · CPC title

• H01M2250/20

  Fuel cells in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane · CPC title

• G01R31/389 Primary

  Measuring internal impedance, internal conductance or related variables · CPC title

• H01M10/4285

  Testing apparatus · CPC title