In-situ gas detection and monitoring of battery cells during formation and intended use

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12469893-B2
Application number	US-202117522553-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 9, 2021
Priority date	Nov 9, 2021
Publication date	Nov 11, 2025
Grant date	Nov 11, 2025

Abstract

A battery cell monitoring system includes: a battery cell including an electrode stack disposed within a case; a gas sensor disposed within, attached to or connected to the case and configured to detect levels of one or more gases within the case; and a gas monitoring circuit connected to the gas sensor. The gas monitoring circuit includes: a memory that stores data collected from the gas sensor; a transceiver configured to transfer the data to a network device separate from the battery cell; and a control module that monitors the levels of one or more gases and based on the levels of the one or more gases detects (i) an issue with the battery cell during operative use of the battery cell, (ii) an issue with the battery cell during formation of the battery cell, or (iii) completion of a formation operation of the battery cell.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A battery cell monitoring system comprising:
a battery cell comprising an electrode stack disposed within a case; a plurality of gas sensors disposed within the case and configured to detect levels of one or more gases within the case; a gas monitoring circuit connected to the plurality of gas sensors and comprising
a memory configured to store data collected from the plurality of gas sensors,
a transceiver configured to transfer the data to a network device separate from the battery cell, and
a control module configured to monitor the levels of one or more gases and based on the levels of the one or more gases detect (i) an issue with the battery cell during operative use of the battery cell, (ii) an issue with the battery cell during formation of the battery cell, or (iii) completion of a formation operation of the battery cell; and
a plurality of switches connected to the plurality of gas sensors, wherein
the plurality of gas sensors are disposed in the battery cell; and
the control module is configured to control operation of the plurality of switches to activate selected ones of the plurality of gas sensors to monitor the levels of the one or more gases in the case of the battery cell.

2 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the gas monitoring circuit is implemented within the case of the battery cell.

3 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the transceiver is configured to wirelessly communicate with the network device.

4 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 2 , wherein the transceiver is configured to communicate with the network device via a wired connection.

5 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the gas monitoring circuit is connected to the case via a capillary.

6 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the gas monitoring circuit receives power via a connector and cable and not from the electrode stack.

7 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the control module is configured to detect an issue with the battery cell based on the levels of the one or more gases and isolate the battery cell from other battery cells within a battery pack.

8 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas sensors are attached to the case of the battery cell.

9 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas sensors comprise parallel connected gas sensors.

10 . The battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of gas sensors comprise serially and parallel connected gas sensors.

11 . An active safety management system comprising:
the battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 ; and a plurality of gas monitoring circuits connected respectively to a plurality of cells including the battery cell, wherein the control module is configured to monitor the plurality of gas monitoring circuits and detect an outlier cell of the plurality of cells and isolate the outlier cell.

12 . A battery cell monitoring system comprising:
a battery cell comprising an electrode stack disposed within a case; one or more gas sensors disposed within, attached to or connected to the case and configured to detect levels of one or more gases within the case; and a gas monitoring circuit connected to the one or more gas sensors and comprising
a memory configured to store data collected from the one or more gas sensors,
a transceiver configured to transfer the data to a network device separate from the battery cell, and
a control module configured to monitor the levels of one or more gases and based on the levels of the one or more gases detect (i) an issue with the battery cell during operative use of the battery cell, (ii) an issue with the battery cell during formation of the battery cell, or (iii) completion of a formation operation of the battery cell,
wherein the control module is configured to
monitor a voltage of the battery cell,
ion current levels of a plurality of gases in the case of the battery cell, wherein the plurality of gases includes the one or more gases, and
detect whether the battery cell is fully charged or has an issue based on the voltage and the ion current levels of the plurality of gases.

13 . A formation system comprising:
a battery cell monitoring system comprising
a battery cell comprising an electrode stack disposed within a case,
one or more gas sensors disposed within, attached to or connected to the case and configured to detect levels of one or more gases within the case, and
a gas monitoring circuit connected to the one or more gas sensors and comprising
a memory configured to store data collected from the one or more gas sensors,
a transceiver configured to transfer the data to a network device separate from the battery cell, and
a control module configured to monitor the levels of the one or more gases and based on the levels of the one or more gases detect (i) an issue with the battery cell during operative use of the battery cell, (ii) an issue with the battery cell during formation of the battery cell, or (iii) completion of a formation operation of the battery cell;

a cycler configured to charge and discharge the battery cell; and a formation monitor configured to control the cycler during formation of the battery cell, communicate with the gas monitoring circuit, and based on the levels of one or more gases, detect an issue with the battery cell or completion of the formation operation of the battery cell.

Assignees

• Gm Global Tech Operations Llc

Inventors

• Wang Lei
• Bika Anil
• Qi Gongshin
• Wiebenga Michelle H
• Galant Andrew J
• Osad William

Classifications

• G01R31/392 Primary

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

• G01R31/367

  Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables · CPC title

• H01M10/446

  Initial charging measures · CPC title

• H01M10/52

  Removing gases inside the secondary cell, e.g. by absorption (vent plugs or other mechanical arrangements for facilitating escape of gases H01M50/30) · CPC title

• H01M10/441

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title