US 12,474,408 B2
Battery modules for determining temperature and voltage characteristics of electrochemical cells, and associated methods
Seth Marshall Kahn, San Francisco, CA (US); Arnaud Devie, Menlo Park, CA (US); Corrado Cammi, Mountain View, CA (US); and Nathan Thomas Brinkerhoff, Santa Clara, CA (US)
Assigned to Element Energy, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed by Element Energy, Inc., Menlo Park, CA (US)
Filed on Jan. 21, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/648,625.
Application 17/648,625 is a continuation of application No. 17/379,856, filed on Jul. 19, 2021, granted, now 11,269,012.
Prior Publication US 2023/0025900 A1, Jan. 26, 2023
Int. Cl. G01R 31/374 (2019.01); G01R 31/3835 (2019.01); H01M 10/48 (2006.01); H02J 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 31/374 (2019.01) [G01R 31/3835 (2019.01); H01M 10/486 (2013.01); H02J 7/0014 (2013.01); H02J 7/0016 (2013.01); H02J 7/0031 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for determining a temperature characteristic of an electrochemical cell assembly, the method comprising:
sensing a plurality of voltages at different respective sensing times using a voltage sensing device, each voltage of the plurality of voltages representing a respective voltage between a first sensing terminal of the voltage sensing device and a second sensing terminal of the voltage sensing device, the electrochemical cell assembly including one or more electrochemical cells and one or more thermistors, each thermistor of the one or more thermistors being electrically coupled in series with the one or more electrochemical cells between the first sensing terminal of the voltage sensing device and the second sensing terminal of the voltage sensing device;
repeatedly switching a magnitude of current flowing through the one or more thermistors between a first value and a second value, thereby causing magnitude of current flowing through the one or more thermistors to differ between at least two successive sensing times; and
determining, from the plurality of voltages, each of (a) the temperature characteristic of the electrochemical cell assembly and (b) magnitude of a voltage across the one or more electrochemical cells, the voltage across the one or more electrochemical cells being different from respective voltages across the one or more thermistors.