Monitoring and detection of battery swelling

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12158380-B2
Application number	US-202117560774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 23, 2021
Priority date	Dec 23, 2021
Publication date	Dec 3, 2024
Grant date	Dec 3, 2024

Abstract

An apparatus includes a battery having a battery monitoring unit (BMU) and an outer casing, and a resistance measuring device coupled to the outer casing. The battery monitoring unit and the resistance measuring device monitoring a change in surface temperature on the casing of the battery during a charging or discharging of the battery, compare the change in surface temperature with an expected change in surface temperature during the charging or discharging of the battery, and determine that a swelling of the battery has occurred when the change in surface temperature is less than the expected change in the surface temperature.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A process comprising:
monitoring via a computer processor a change in surface temperature on a casing of a battery during a charging or discharging of the battery;
comparing via the computer processor the change in surface temperature with an expected change in surface temperature during the charging or discharging of the battery; and
determining via the computer processor that a swelling of the battery has occurred when the change in surface temperature is less than the expected change in surface temperature.

2. The process of claim 1 , wherein the change in surface temperature is measured by one or more of a resistance temperature device, a thermocouple, and a thermistor.

3. The process of claim 1 , wherein the swelling is determined by comparison to a baseline for a particular make, model, and type of battery; and wherein the baseline is a function of one or more of a charging rate, a discharging rate, a change in voltage during the charging or discharging, and the change in surface temperature.

4. The process of claim 1 , wherein the determining that a swelling has occurred comprises determining that the change in surface temperature traverses a threshold.

5. The process of claim 1 , comprising ceasing the charging or discharging of the battery as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

6. The process of claim 1 , comprising transmitting an alert as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

7. An apparatus comprising:
a battery comprising a battery monitoring unit (BMU) and an outer casing; and
a resistance measuring device coupled to the outer casing;
wherein the battery monitoring unit and the resistance measuring device are configured for:
monitoring a change in surface temperature on the casing of the battery during a charging or discharging of the battery;
comparing the change in surface temperature with an expected change in surface temperature during the charging or discharging of the battery; and
determining that a swelling of the battery has occurred when the change in surface temperature is less than the expected change in the surface temperature.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 , comprising wherein the resistance measuring device comprises one or more of a resistance temperature device, a thermocouple, and a thermistor.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the swelling is determined by comparison to a baseline for a particular make, model, and type of battery; and wherein the baseline is a function of one or more of a charging rate, a discharging rate, a change in voltage during the charging or discharging, and the change in surface temperature.

10. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the determining that a swelling has occurred comprises determining that the change in surface temperature traverses a threshold.

11. The apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the battery monitoring unit and the resistance measuring device are configured for ceasing the charging or discharging of the battery as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

12. The process of claim 1 , wherein the battery monitoring unit and the resistance measuring device are configured for transmitting an alert as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

13. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising instructions that when executed by a processor execute a process comprising:
monitoring a change in surface temperature on a casing of a battery during a charging or discharging of the battery;
comparing the change in surface temperature with an expected change in surface temperature during the charging or discharging of the battery; and
determining that a swelling of the battery has occurred when the change in surface temperature is less than the expected change in surface temperature.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the change in surface temperature is measured by one or more of a resistance temperature device, a thermocouple, and a thermistor.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the swelling is determined by comparison to a baseline for a particular make, model, and type of battery; and wherein the baseline is a function of one or more of a charging rate, a discharging rate, a change in voltage during the charging or discharging, and the change in surface temperature.

16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the determining that a swelling has occurred comprises determining that the change in surface temperature traverses a threshold.

17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions for ceasing the charging or discharging of the battery as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

18. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 13 , comprising instructions for transmitting an alert as a function of the determination that a swelling of the battery has occurred.

Assignees

• Lenovo United States Inc

Inventors

• Yebka Bouziane
• Wong Tin-Lup
• Jakes Philip John
• Carlson Jeremy Robert

Classifications

• H02J7/80 Primary

  including monitoring or indicating arrangements · CPC title

• G01K1/024

  for remote indication · CPC title

• H01M10/486

  for measuring temperature · CPC title

• H01M10/443

  in response to temperature · CPC title

• G01K3/005

  Circuits arrangements for indicating a predetermined temperature (fire detection G08B17/00) · CPC title