Vehicle battery pack health monitoring

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2023097762-A1
Application number	US-202218063271-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 8, 2022
Priority date	May 7, 2018
Publication date	Mar 30, 2023
Grant date	—

Abstract

Techniques are described for monitoring the degradation of electrochemical cells. A battery monitoring system monitors, for each of one or more cells of a plurality of cells in a battery, an amount of mechanical deformation using one or more measuring devices. The battery monitoring system determines a number of cells of the plurality of one or more monitored cells for which the monitored amount of mechanical deformation exceeds a deformation threshold. The battery monitoring system determines whether the determined number of cells exceeds a threshold number of cells with an amount of mechanical deformation exceeding the deformation threshold. Responsive to determining the determined number of cells exceeds the threshold number of cells, the battery monitoring system sends a notification that the battery is degraded beyond an acceptable limit.

First claim

1 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing computer program instructions executable by one or more processors, to implement a process for operating an aircraft including a battery, the process comprising:
monitoring an amount of mechanical deformation of each cell of a plurality of cells in the battery, the monitoring of each cell of the plurality of cells in the battery being performed using a measuring device; determining a number of cells of the plurality of cells for which the amount of mechanical deformation exceeds a deformation threshold; determining that the determined number of cells exceeds a threshold number of cells; and responsive to determining that the determined number of cells exceeds the threshold number of cells, automatically performing one or more safety actions related to aircraft.

2 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein each cell of the plurality of cells are monitored using at least one of laser crossbeam detection and an impinging beam.

3 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein each cell of the plurality of cells are monitored using at least one of a load cell and an interferometer.

4 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein each cell of the plurality of cells are monitored using at least one of a linear variable differential transformer and a camera.

5 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein each cell of the plurality of cells comprises a current interrupt device.

6 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more safety actions comprise sending a notification that the battery is degraded beyond an acceptable limit, the notification comprising sending a graphical indication to a user interface.

7 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the one or more safety actions comprise preventing the aircraft from performing one or more maneuvers.

8 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 7 , wherein the aircraft is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, and wherein the one or more maneuvers comprise preventing the electric VTOL aircraft from performing a takeoff maneuver.

9 . The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the aircraft is an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, and wherein the one or more safety actions comprise sending a graphical indication to perform an emergency landing, to a user interface of the electric VTOL aircraft.

10 . A system, comprising:
a battery including a plurality of cells; measuring devices corresponding to the plurality of cells and being configured to determine an amount of mechanical deformation of each cell of the plurality of cells in the battery; and a monitoring system configured to determine a number of cells of the plurality of cells for which the amount of mechanical deformation exceeds a deformation threshold, determine that the determined number of cells exceeds a threshold number of cells, and responsive to determining that the determined number of cells exceeds the threshold number of cells, automatically performing one or more safety actions related to an aircraft.

11 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the measuring devices comprise at least one of a laser crossbeam detector and an impinging beam.

12 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the measuring devices comprise at least one of a load cell and an interferometer.

13 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the measuring devices comprise at least one of a linear variable differential transformer and a camera.

14 . The system of claim 10 , wherein each cell of the plurality of cells comprises a current interrupt device.

15 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more safety actions comprise sending a notification that the plurality of cells are degraded beyond an acceptable limit.

16 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the one or more safety actions comprise preventing the aircraft from preventing the aircraft from performing one or more maneuvers.

17 . The system of claim 10 , wherein the system comprises an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, and the one or more safety actions comprise sending a graphical indication to perform an emergency landing to a user interface of the electric VTOL aircraft.

18 . The system of claim 15 , wherein system comprises an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft, and wherein sending the notification that the battery is degraded beyond an acceptable limit comprises preventing the electric VTOL aircraft from performing a takeoff maneuver.

Assignees

• Joby Aero Inc

Inventors

• Mikolajczak Celina

Classifications

• B64D31/16

  for electric power plants · CPC title

• G01R31/392 Primary

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

• G01B11/16 Primary

  for measuring the deformation in a solid, e.g. optical strain gauge · CPC title

• B64C27/26

  characterised by provision of fixed wings · CPC title

• B64C29/0033

  the propellers being tiltable relative to the fuselage · CPC title