# US 12,111,197 B2 · Quality control system for analyzing the quality of a battery cell through a volumetric measurement of gas formed during a cell formation process and a method of analyzing the same

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- Number: US 12,111,197 B2
- Document ID: US12111197B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/350,644
- Filed: 2021-06-17
- Published: 2022-12-22
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2021-06-17
- Assignees: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Applicants: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
- Inventors: Dmitriy Bruder; James R. Salvador; Raffaello Ardanese; Ryan C. Sekol; Thomas A. Yersak; Sean Robert Wagner; Ronald M Lesperance
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12111197B2

## CPC

- G01F 22/00: Methods or apparatus for measuring volume of fluids or fluent solid material, not otherwise provided for
- G01B 3/38: Gauges with an open yoke and opposed faces, i.e. calipers, in which the internal distance between the faces is fixed, although it may be preadjustable
- G01B 5/06: for measuring thickness
- G01B 7/18: {using change in resistance}
- G01B 11/02: for measuring length, width or thickness (G01B11/08 takes precedence)
- G01F 23/00: Indicating or measuring liquid level or level of fluent solid material, e.g. indicating in terms of volume or indicating by means of an alarm
- G01N 30/02: Column chromatography
- G01N 33/0027: {concerning the detector}
- G06K 7/10366: {the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications}
- G06K 19/0716: {at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising a sensor or an interface to a sensor}
- G06K 19/0723: {the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs}
- G06T 7/0004: {Industrial image inspection}
- G06T 7/62: of area, perimeter, diameter or volume
- H01M 4/045: {Electrochemical coating; Electrochemical impregnation}
- H01M 4/139: Processes of manufacture
- H01M 4/628: {Inhibitors, e.g. gassing inhibitors, corrosion inhibitors}
- H01M 10/058: Construction or manufacture
- H01M 10/425: {Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing (printed circuits H05K1/00)}
- H01M 10/4285: {Testing apparatus}
- H01M 10/446: {Initial charging measures}
- H01M 50/105: Pouches or flexible bags
- H01M 50/609: Arrangements or processes for filling with liquid, e.g. electrolytes
- G01B 3/56: Gauges for measuring angles or tapers, e.g. conical calipers
- G01N 2030/025: {Gas chromatography}
- G06T 2207/30108: Industrial image inspection
- H01M 10/0525: Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
- H01M 2004/027: {Negative electrodes}
- H01M 2010/4278: {Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller}
- H01M 2220/20: Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
- Y02E 60/10: Energy storage using batteries
- G01F: MEASURING VOLUME, VOLUME FLOW, MASS FLOW OR LIQUID LEVEL; METERING BY VOLUME
- G01B: MEASURING LENGTH, THICKNESS OR SIMILAR LINEAR DIMENSIONS; MEASURING ANGLES; MEASURING AREAS; MEASURING IRREGULARITIES OF SURFACES OR CONTOURS
- 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)
- G06K: GRAPHICAL DATA READING (image or video recognition or understanding G06V); PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
- G06T: IMAGE DATA PROCESSING OR GENERATION, IN GENERAL
- H01M: PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSION OF CHEMICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

A quality control system analyzes the quality of a battery cell, with the battery cell defining a gas pouch configured to expand from a deflated configuration to an inflated configuration when filled with a gas formed during a cell formation process. The system comprises a computational system comprising a processor and a memory and a measurement instrument in electronic communication with the computational system. The measurement instrument is arranged to measure a distance defined by the gas pouch and transmit a signal to the computational system corresponding to the distance. The computational system is arranged to analyze the distance with the processor and determine a volumetric measurement of the gas within the gas pouch and compare the volumetric measurement to a threshold in the memory to assess a quality score for the battery cell. A corresponding method analyzes the quality of the battery cell with the quality control system.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A quality control system for analyzing the quality of a battery cell, with the battery cell defining a gas pouch configured to expand from a deflated configuration to an inflated configuration when filled with a gas formed during a cell formation process of the battery cell, the quality control system comprising:
a computational system comprising a processor and a memory; and
a measurement instrument in electronic communication with the computational system, wherein the measurement instrument is a vision system disposed apart from the battery cell and imaging a side profile of the gas pouch, wherein the vision system is configured to collect an image of the side profile of the gas pouch, wherein the image includes a distance D defined as a width of the side profile of the gas pouch, and wherein the measurement system is configured to transmit the image to the computational system;
wherein the computational system is arranged to analyze the image with the processor and determine a volumetric measurement of the gas within the gas pouch by first determining the distance D from the image using pixel information, and then using the distance D and a known cross-sectional area of the gas pouch to determine the volumetric measurement, and wherein the computational system is arranged to compare the volumetric measurement to a first threshold and to a second threshold each stored in the memory to assess a quality score for the battery cell, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold, and wherein the quality score is a low-quality score when the volumetric measurement is below the first threshold and the quality score is a low-quality score when the volumetric measurement is above the second threshold.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The quality control system of claim 1, wherein the battery cell comprises multiple battery cells, with the vision system arranged to collect the at least one image of the plurality of battery cells.

### Claim 3

A method of analyzing the quality of a battery cell with a quality control system comprising a computational system comprising a processor and a memory and a measurement instrument in electronic communication with the computational system, the method comprising:
performing a cell formation process of the battery cell;
collecting a gas formed during the cell formation process in a gas pouch of the battery cell;
expanding the gas pouch with the gas from a deflated configuration to an inflated configuration;
measuring a distance D defined by the gas pouch with the measurement instrument, wherein the measurement instrument is a vision system disposed apart from the battery cell and imaging a side profile of the gas pouch, wherein the vision system is configured to collect an image of the side profile of the gas pouch, wherein the image includes the distance D defined as a width of the side profile of the gas pouch;
transmitting the image from the measurement instrument to the computational system corresponding to the distance;
analyzing the image with the processor of the computational system by first determining the distance D from the image using pixel information;
determining a volumetric measurement of the gas within the gas pouch with the computational system from the distance D and a known cross-sectional area of the gas pouch to determine the volumetric measurement;
comparing the volumetric measurement with the processor to a first threshold and a second threshold stored in the memory, wherein the first threshold is less than the second threshold; and
assessing a quality score for the battery cell with the computational system based upon the comparison of the volumetric measurement to the threshold, wherein the quality score is a low-quality score when the volumetric measurement is below the first threshold and the quality score is a low-quality score when the volumetric measurement is above the second threshold.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, further including measuring the gas pouch in the deflated configuration with the measurement instrument to establish a baseline and further defining measuring the distance defined on the gas pouch with the measurement instrument as measuring the distance defined by the gas pouch from the baseline with the measurement instrument.

### Claim 5 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein performing the cell formation process of the battery cell is further defined as introducing an electrolyte to an anode within the battery cell and depositing of a solid electrolyte interphase on the anode through an oxidation-reduction reaction with the electrolyte.

### Claim 6 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, wherein the first threshold is about 0.5 mL/Ah and the second threshold is about 3 mL/Ah.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The method as set forth in claim 6, the quality score is a low-quality score for volumetric measurement below 0.5 mL or above 3 mL/Ah.

### Claim 8 (depends on 3)

The method as set forth in claim 3, further comprising removing the battery cell from production based upon the quality score and performing additional quality review of the battery cell.

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method as set forth in claim 8, wherein performing additional quality review of the battery cell is further defined as performing gas chromatography on the gas within the gas pouch.

### Claim 10 (depends on 3)

The method of claim 3, further comprising monitoring in real time voltage, current, pressure and temperature versus time of the battery cell and, when the battery cell is assessed a low-quality score, instructing, by the processor, a power supply to apply a corrected constant current or hold a corrected first and/or second voltage limit for a subsequent battery cell during a cell formation process or instructing, by the processor, a temperature control module to correct an ambient temperature of a subsequent battery cell during the cell formation process.