# US 10,479,213 B2 · Battery swelling sensing system and method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,479,213 B2 - Document ID: US10479213B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/579,730 - Filed: 2016-08-18 - Published: 2018-07-26 - Granted: 2019-11-19 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-14 - Assignees: LG Chem, Ltd. - Applicants: LG Chem, Ltd. - Inventors: Jae-Chan Lee; Gyuyeol Lee; Sooryoung Kim - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10479213B2 ## CPC - B60L 3/0046: {relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors} - B60L 58/15: Preventing overcharging - B60L 58/21: having the same nominal voltage - H01M 10/482: {for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially} - H01M 50/20: Mountings; Secondary casings or frames; Racks, modules or packs; Suspension devices; Shock absorbers; Transport or carrying devices; Holders (structural combination of accumulators with charging apparatus H01M10/46) - H01M 50/574: Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current - H02J 7/973: {in response to degree of gas development in the battery} - G01N 33/0004: {Gaseous mixtures, e.g. polluted air} - H01M 2200/00: Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries - H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane - Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - G01N: INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES (measuring or testing apparatus or processes other than immunoassay, involving enzymes or microorganisms C12M, C12Q) - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract The present invention relates to a system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system including: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system comprising: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the control unit compares the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selects the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determines a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of a first level, a second level, and a third level according to the degree of swelling risk, and wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of the first level, the second level, and the third level, the control unit transmits a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, the control unit transmits an off operation signal to the switch unit after a predetermined time elapses. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, the control unit transmits a predetermined alarm signal to a display device pre-installed in a vehicle. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The system of claim 1, wherein when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the second level, the control unit controls the quantity of charging current flowing into the battery pack from the external power source. ### Claim 7 A method of detecting swelling of a battery, the method comprising: detecting, by a plurality of detecting units provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; selecting, by a control unit, the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determining a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controlling an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and being turned on and off, by a switch unit provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source, according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the controlling includes comparing, by the control unit, the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selecting the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determining a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of a first level, a second level, and a third level according to the degree of swelling risk, and wherein the controlling includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as one of the first level, the second level, and the third level, transmitting a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, transmitting an off operation signal to the switch unit after a predetermined time elapses. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the third level, transmitting a predetermined alarm signal to a display device pre-installed in a vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The method of claim 7, wherein the controlling further includes, when the level of the selected detection value is determined as the second level, controlling the quantity of charging current flowing into the battery pack from the external power source. ### Claim 13 A system for detecting swelling of a battery, the system comprising: a plurality of detecting units which is provided at one or more battery modules of a battery pack, respectively, and detects gas branched from a battery cell of the battery module; a control unit which selects the largest detection value among the detection values of the respective detecting units, determines a level of the selected detection value according to a size of the selected detection value, and controls an operation of a peripheral apparatus based on the corresponding level; and a switch unit which is provided in a connection path of the battery pack and an external power source and is turned on and off according to a signal of the control unit, wherein the control unit compares the detection value of each of the detecting units with a predetermined threshold value, selects the largest detection value among the detection values exceeding the threshold values, and determines a level of the selected detection value according to the size of the selected detection value, and wherein the level of the selected detection value is determined according to the degree of swelling risk, and the control unit transmits a vehicle speed control signal based on the corresponding level to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein the detecting units are dispersed at upper, lower, left, right, front, and rear sides inside the battery module. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The system of claim 13, wherein each of the detecting units includes a carbon monoxide detecting sensor, a carbon dioxide detecting sensor, and a methane detecting sensor, and the detecting value is formed as one set of values including a carbon monoxide detection value, a carbon dioxide detection value, and a methane detection value.