Patent Application
20250137900
The disclosure relates to the field of battery management systems, and more particularly relates to a gas sensing system and method for detecting a thermal runaway event in a battery pack of a vehicle.
In recent years, large battery packs such as Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) packs are becoming crucial to operations of Electric Vehicle(s) (EVs) (for example, truck trailers, tractor trailers, transport vehicles, and other commercial vehicles) because the large battery packs have high energy density, long life cycles, and low self-discharge rates. For example, the LIB packs provide a power source that drives an electric motor of the electric vehicle, ultimately propelling the electric vehicle.
In order to efficiently manage the large battery packs and ensure optimal performance and longevity, Battery Management System(s) (BMS) were developed. The BMSs safeguard LIBs against potential damage or hazards due to overcharge, undercharge, over-temperature, short circuit, thermal runaways and more. Thermal runaway may refer to when the battery enters an uncontrollable, self-heating state. This can result in high temperatures, violent cell venting, smoke, and/or fire. For example, the BMS shuts down the LIBs in case of a thermal runaway event.
However, prevalent issues related to the BMSs are thermal runaway of the large battery packs. The thermal runaway of the large battery packs, if unresolved, can potentially lead to fires or explosions. A major issue related to the BMSs is that the BMSs are not always turned on during the thermal runaway event and fail to shut down the LIBs in such a case. Thus, the BMSs may fail to detect a hazardous situation that can occur due to the thermal runaway event. In such hazardous situations, an early warning related to the LIB's fire is necessary to be provided to an operator or a driver of the EVs.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to provide a technical solution that can overcome the issues related to the BMSs and can provide the early warning related to the LIBs' fire to the operators or the drivers of the EVs.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified format that are further described in the detailed description of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or essential inventive concepts of the invention, nor is it intended for determining the scope of the invention.
Disclosed is a sensing system that comprises at least one sensor positioned inside an enclosure of a battery pack, a fan positioned in a vicinity of the at least one sensor, a plurality of tubes, and a control unit. Each tube of the plurality of tubes has a plurality of aspirating points and is connected between the fan and the battery pack. The control unit is connected to the fan and the at least one sensor. The control unit is configured to control the fan to pull, through the plurality of tubes, gases and/or particulates generated in the battery pack. Further, the control unit is configured to control the fan to throw the pulled gases and/or particulates onto the at least one sensor. The at least one gas sensor is configured to detect a change in one or more physical stimuli associated with the battery pack based on the pulled gases and/or particulates. Thereafter, the control unit is configured to detect an occurrence of a thermal runaway event in the battery pack based on the detected change in the one or more physical stimuli.
In one or more embodiments, to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack, the control unit is configured to determine whether the detected concentration of the gases exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Further, the control unit is configured to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event based on a determination that the detected concentration of the gases exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level.
In one or more embodiments, the one or more physical stimuli corresponds to one or more of a gas concentration, a particulate concentration, a temperature, a pressure, and a humidity of the pulled gases and/or the particulates. Further, to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack, the control unit is configured to determine whether the particulates generated in the battery pack exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Furthermore, the control unit is configured to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event based on a determination that the particulates generated in the battery pack exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level.
In one or more embodiments, each tube of the plurality of tubes is one of a flexible tube or a rigid tube.
In one or more embodiments, the battery pack includes a plurality of unit battery cells and a corresponding tube of the plurality of tubes is connected between the fan and a corresponding unit battery cell among the plurality of unit battery cells.
In one or more embodiments, the corresponding tube of the plurality of tubes has the plurality of aspirating points at each of a first end and a second end of the corresponding tube or along a length of the corresponding tube.
In one or more embodiments, the sensing system further comprises an annunciator. The control unit is further configured to control the annunciator to generate an alarm upon the detection of the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack.
Also, disclosed herein is a method for detecting a thermal runaway event in a battery pack. The method is performed by a sensing system that includes at least one sensor positioned inside an enclosure of the battery pack, a fan positioned in a vicinity of the at least one sensor, a plurality of tubes, and a control unit. Each tube of the plurality of tubes has a plurality of aspirating points and is connected between the fan and the battery pack. The control unit is connected to the fan and the at least one sensor. The method includes controlling, by the control unit, the fan to pull, through the plurality of tubes, gases and/or particulates generated in the battery pack. The method further includes controlling, by the control unit, the fan to throw the pulled gases and/or particulates onto the at least one sensor. Furthermore, the method includes detecting, by the at least one sensor, a change in one or more physical stimuli associated with the battery pack based on the pulled gases and/or particulates. Thereafter, the method includes detecting, by the control unit, an occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack based on the detected change in the one or more physical stimuli.
In one or more embodiments, for detecting the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack, the method includes determining, by the control unit, whether the detected concentration of the gases exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Further, the method includes detecting, by the control unit, the occurrence of the thermal runaway event based on a determination that the detected concentration of the gases exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level.
In one or more embodiments, the one or more physical stimuli corresponds to one or more of a gas concentration, a particulate concentration, a temperature, a pressure, and a humidity of the pulled gases and/or the particulates. Further, for detecting the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack, the method includes determining, by the control unit, whether the particulates generated in the battery pack exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Furthermore, the method includes detecting, by the control unit, the occurrence of the thermal runaway event based on a determination that the particulates generated in the battery pack exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level.
In one or more embodiments, the sensing system further includes an annunciator, and the method further includes controlling, by the control unit, the annunciator to generate an alarm upon the detection of the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack.
To further clarify the advantages and features of the method and apparatus, a more particular description of the method and apparatus will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof, which is illustrated in the appended drawing. It is appreciated that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting its scope. The invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail with the accompanying drawings.
These and other features, aspects, and advantages will become better understood when the following detailed description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings in which like characters represent like parts throughout the drawings, wherein:
Further, skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and may not have necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the flow charts illustrate the method in terms of the most prominent steps involved to help to improve understanding of aspects of the invention. Furthermore, in terms of the construction of the apparatus, one or more components of the apparatus may have been represented in the drawings by conventional symbols, and the drawings may show only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the invention so as not to obscure the drawings with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.
It should be understood at the outset that although illustrative implementations of embodiments are illustrated below, method and apparatus may be implemented using any number of techniques. The disclosure should in no way be limited to the illustrative implementations, drawings, and techniques illustrated below, including the exemplary design and implementation illustrated and described herein, but may be modified within the scope of the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents.
The terms “some” and “one or more” as used herein are defined as “one, or more than one, or all.” Accordingly, the terms “one,” “more than one,” but not all” or “all” would all fall under the definition of “some.” The term “some embodiments” may refer to no embodiments or one embodiment or several embodiments or all embodiments. Accordingly, the term “some embodiments” and “one or more embodiments” is defined as meaning “one embodiment, or more than one embodiment, or all embodiments”.
The terminology and structure employed herein are for describing, teaching, and illuminating some embodiments and their specific features and elements and do not limit, restrict, or reduce the spirit and scope of the claims or their equivalents.
More specifically, any terms used herein such as but not limited to “includes,” “comprises,” “has,” “have”, and grammatical variants thereof do not specify an exact limitation or restriction and certainly do not exclude the possible addition of one or more features or elements, unless otherwise stated, and must not be taken to exclude the possible removal of one or more of the listed features and elements, unless otherwise stated with the limiting language “must comprise” or “needs to include.”
The term “unit” used herein may imply a unit including, for example, one of hardware, software, and firmware or a combination of two or more of them. The “unit” may be interchangeably used with a term such as logic, a logical block, a component, a circuit, and the like. The “unit” may be a minimum system component for performing one or more functions or may be a part thereof.
Unless otherwise defined, all terms, and especially any technical and/or scientific terms, used herein may be taken to have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art.
Embodiments of the disclosure will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
The term “tractor trailer system” may be used interchangeably with “vehicle system”, the term “tractor” may be used interchangeably with “vehicle”, and the term “battery pack” may be used interchangeably with “Lithium-Ion Battery (LIB) packs” or “a power battery pack” in one or more embodiments of the disclosure without any deviation from the scope of the disclosure.
The tractor trailer system 100 includes a tractor 101 and a trailer 103. The trailer 103 may be coupled to the tractor 101 and is thus pulled or propelled to desired destinations by the tractor 101. The trailer 103 is generally constructed to store cargo (not shown) in
The ECU 105 may comprise a transceiver and an antenna communicatively coupled with one or more components of the tractor trailer system 100. In particular, the one or more components of the tractor trailer system 100 may be connected with each other via an in-vehicle network, such as a controller area network (CAN) bus. The ECU 105 may be configured to communicate with a cloud server and/or one or more other vehicles via a wireless communication network. The ECU 105 may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, interfaces, and/or code that may be configured to process vehicle data for driver assistance. In accordance with an embodiment, the ECU 105 may be configured to receive vehicle data from one or more connected vehicles in a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, via a wireless communication system. The ECU 105 may also comprise one or more circuits such as a microprocessor or controller which may be configured to perform one or more operations associated with a Battery Management System (BMS).
The battery pack 107 is an energy source that is secured to the underside of a bottom wall of the trailer 103 (as shown in
The DC architecture 111 is configured to provide power supply from the battery pack 107 to one or more components of the tractor 101 where none of the components of the tractor 101 requires the AC or a mechanical form of power.
The annunciator 213 is connected to the control unit 203. The control unit 203 is connected to the fan 207 and the sensors 211. Each tube of the plurality of tubes (T-209a, T-209b, T-209c, T-209d, T-209e, . . . , and T-209n) is one of a small flexible tube or a small rigid tube. In an example embodiment, a corresponding tube among the plurality of tubes (T-209a, T-209b, T-209c, T-209d, T-209e, . . . , and T-209n) is connected between the fan 207 and a corresponding unit battery cell among the plurality of unit battery cells (217a, 217b, 217c, 217dc, 217e, . . . , and 217n). An arrangement and connection of the corresponding tubes between the fan 207 and the corresponding unit battery cell among the plurality of unit battery cells (217a, 217b, 217c, 217dc, 217e, . . . , and 217n) forms a miniaturized aspirating system that reaches each of the unit battery cells (217a, 217b, 217c, 217dc, 217e, . . . , and 217n) and connects back to the sensors 211 in the front of the battery pack 107.
The control unit 203 may perform one or more operations or method steps, as discussed throughout the disclosure. The control unit 203 may include any processing hardware, software, or combination of hardware and software and may perform control, logical, and/or input/output operations. Examples of the control unit 203 may include, but not limited to, an arithmetic logic unit or a processor which performs arithmetic and logical operations, control operations and executes input/output instructions. The control unit 203 is configured to control various components of the sensing system 200. Furthermore, the control unit 203 may essentially be a completely self-contained computing system, containing multiple cores or processors, a bus, a memory controller, a cache, etc. (such as a system-on-chip). The control unit 203 is configured to digitally communicate with the BMS 205, or other such supervisory control systems installed within the battery pack housing 201 or the tractor trailer system 100.
The BMS 205 calculates a charge in each of the unit battery cells (217a, 217b, 217c, 217dc, 217e, . . . , and 217n) of the battery pack 107 and keeps track of the individual cell voltages, such that the BMS 205 may signal to a controller of the ECU 105 whether charging or discharging of the battery pack 107 needs to temporarily stop in order to avoid an imbalance of charging states between the battery cells. The BMS 205 may also typically send data corresponding to a battery terminal voltage, an estimated charge, a remaining battery level, and/or possibly other battery data to the controller of the ECU 105. In particular, the BMS 205 safeguards the battery pack 107 against potential damage or hazards due to overcharge, undercharge, over-temperature, short circuit, and more by disconnecting all active connections of the battery pack 107 in case of a thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107.
The fan 207 is positioned in vicinity of the sensors 211. In a non-limiting example, the sensors 211 may include at least one gas sensor, a particulate sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, a pressure sensor, etc. Also, as can be seen from
The sensors 211 may be configured to detect a change in one or more physical stimuli associated with the battery pack 107. In a non-limiting example, the one or more physical stimuli may correspond to one or more of a gas concentration, a particulate concentration, a temperature, a pressure, and a humidity level associated with gases and/or particulates that are generated in the battery pack 107. Further, the control unit 203 is configured to detect an occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107 based on the change in the one or more physical stimuli detected by the sensors 211.
In one or more embodiments, to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107, the control unit 203 is configured to determine whether the detected concentration of the gases exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Further, if it is determined that the detected concentration of the gases exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level, then the control unit 203 detects the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107.
In one or more embodiments, to detect the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107, the control unit 203 is configured to determine whether the particulates generated in the battery pack 107 exceeds a predefined threshold concentration level. Further, if it is determined that the particulates generated in the battery pack 107 exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level, then the control unit 203 detects the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107.
In an embodiment, upon the detection of the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107, the control unit can be further configured to control the annunciator 213 to generate an alarm to alert a driver of the tractor trailer system 100. In a non-limiting example embodiment, the annunciator 213 is configurable to be installed in one of the driver cabin 109 or outside the battery pack housing 201. In another non-limiting example embodiment, the annunciator 213 may also be placed or installed anywhere in or around the tractor 101 or the trailer 103.
At step 401 of the method 400, the control unit 203 controls the fan 207 to pull gases and/or particulates generated in the battery pack 107 through the plurality of tubes (T-209a, T-209b, T-209c, T-209d, T-209e, . . . , T-209n).
At step 403, the control unit 203 controls the fan 207 to throw the pulled gases and/or particulates onto the gas sensor among the sensors 211.
At step 405, the gas sensor among the sensors 211 detects the change in the one or more physical stimuli associated with the battery pack 107 based on the pulled gases and/or particulates thrown by the fan 207.
At step 407, the control unit 203 determines whether the detected change in the one or more physical stimuli exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level. If, at step 407, it is determined that the detected change in the one or more physical stimuli exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level, then at step 409, the control unit 203 detects the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107.
Further, if at step 407, it is determined that the detected change in the one or more physical stimuli does not exceed the predefined threshold concentration level, then the flow of the method 400 again returns to (step 401), and the method steps 401 through 407 are repeated until the control unit 203 determines that the detected concentration of the gases exceeds the predefined threshold concentration level.
Furthermore, once the occurrence of the thermal runaway event is detected in the battery pack 107, the flow of the method 400 proceeds to step 411. At step 411, the control unit 203 controls the annunciator 213 to generate the alarm to alert the driver of the tractor trailer system 100 regarding the occurrence of the thermal runaway event in the battery pack 107.
In view of the one or more embodiments as described above, the above-disclosed sensing system 200 provides various technical effects and benefits including helping in identifying and detecting fire/thermal runaway events in the battery pack 107. Also, the sensing system 200 is a single sensor system that can be placed inside the enclosure of the battery pack 107. Also, with the use of the fan 207, the miniaturized aspirating system with small tubes, and the control unit 203, the sensing system 200 can efficiently detect the thermal runaway/fire event located in any part of the battery pack 107. Also, using the annunciator 213, the sensing system 200 can protect the driver from the incidents that may be caused due to the thermal runaway/fire events in the battery pack 107.
As would be apparent to a person in the art, various working modifications may be made to the method in order to implement the inventive concept as taught herein.
Moreover, the actions of any flow diagram need not be implemented in the order shown; nor do all of the acts necessarily need to be performed. Also, those acts that are not dependent on other acts may be performed in parallel with the other acts.
The drawings and the forgoing description give examples of embodiments.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that one or more of the described elements may well be combined into a single functional element. Alternatively, certain elements may be split into multiple functional elements. Elements from one embodiment may be added to another embodiment. For example, orders of processes described herein may be changed and are not limited to the manner described herein.
Benefits, other advantages, and solutions to problems have been described above with regard to specific embodiments. However, the benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any component(s) that may cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become more pronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essential feature or component of any or all the claims.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/593,601 filed on Oct. 27, 2023, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63593601 | Oct 2023 | US |
