JP7491832B2 - Method for determining abnormality of electrical connection terminal of charge/discharge inspection device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for determining abnormalities in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device that can detect abnormalities such as deterioration and poor contact of the electrical connection terminals of the charge/discharge inspection device with high accuracy during charge/discharge inspection (test) of a secondary battery.

Conventionally, charge/discharge inspection of a secondary battery is performed by electrically connecting the electrical connection terminals (probe pins, clips, round terminals, etc.) of the charge/discharge power supply of the charge/discharge inspection device to the electrodes of the secondary battery. Therefore, in order to perform an accurate charge/discharge inspection, it is necessary to check for abnormalities such as wiring (path) abnormalities from the charge/discharge power supply to the secondary battery and poor connection (contact) between the electrical connection terminals and the electrodes of the secondary battery, and if an abnormality occurs, it is necessary to replace parts or perform other maintenance. For example, Patent Document 1 proposes a charge/discharge inspection system that calculates the resistance value of the charging path and compares the calculated resistance value with the design resistance value of the charging path to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the charging path. In addition, Patent Document 2 proposes a charge/discharge test device that calculates the contact resistance between a load line through which a charge/discharge current flows and the positive and negative terminals (electrodes) of the secondary battery, and detects poor contact between the load line (electrical connection terminals) and the positive and negative terminals based on the magnitude of the calculated resistance value.

Japanese Patent No. 6086768 JP 2015-117995 A

In this way, when the absolute value of resistance is calculated to judge an abnormality, a reference value for the judgment is required. That is, in each of Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, in addition to the (normal) resistance (path resistance, line resistance) in the design of the charging path (from the charging/discharging power source to the secondary battery) and the contact resistance when the load line (electrical connection terminal) and the positive and negative terminals of the secondary battery are in normal contact, a threshold value (allowable limit value of the amount of variation in resistance) is required to judge the presence or absence of an abnormality.
However, in order for the charge/discharge inspection device to perform charge/discharge inspections of a large number of secondary batteries simultaneously (in parallel), multiple secondary batteries are connected to each of one or more charge/discharge power sources, and the distance (length of the wiring (path)) from each output terminal of each charge/discharge power source to the electrode of each secondary battery varies depending on the channel, and the wiring resistance (line resistance) also varies from channel to channel.
Therefore, in order to perform strict abnormality judgment based on the absolute value of resistance, it is necessary to set an abnormality judgment value (threshold value) corresponding to the normal wiring resistance value (line resistance value) for each channel, which poses the problem of time-consuming setting.
In addition to comparing the calculated resistance value with the design resistance value to determine whether or not there is an abnormality in the charging path, Patent Document 1 also proposes a method of comparing a currently calculated resistance value with a previously calculated resistance value and determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the charging path if the difference between the currently calculated resistance value and the previously calculated resistance value is greater than a predetermined threshold, and a method of comparing a currently calculated resistance value with an average value of previously calculated resistance values within a predetermined period and determining whether or not there is an abnormality in the charging path if the difference between the currently calculated resistance value and the previously calculated resistance value within a predetermined period is greater than a predetermined threshold. These methods do not require the design resistance value to be calculated, but in order to determine whether or not there is an abnormality by comparing the currently calculated resistance value with a previously calculated resistance value or an average value of previously calculated resistance values within a predetermined period, it is necessary to set a threshold value as in the above-mentioned method.
Furthermore, Patent Document 1 is specialized in detecting abnormalities in the charging path, focusing on defects in elements such as reactors and fuses arranged in the charging path, and poor contact such as loose bolts that electrically connect these elements, but the probability of such wiring path defects (deterioration) occurring is extremely low. Meanwhile, in actual charge/discharge inspections, electrical connection terminals of a charging/discharging power source that are repeatedly electrically connected to electrodes of secondary batteries that are transported one after another by abutting (butting), fitting, clamping, or other methods are prone to deterioration over time such as wear and tear and the associated poor contact, and although electrical connection terminals are frequently replaced, detection of deterioration of electrical connection terminals has not been considered.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 is specialized in detecting poor contact between a load line (electrical connection terminal) and an electrode of a secondary battery, and detects poor contact between the load line and an electrode by directly calculating the contact resistance between the load line through which charging/discharging current flows and the electrode of the secondary battery. Therefore, it is not possible to detect deterioration over time due to abnormalities or wear and tear of the electrical connection terminal itself.
For the reasons described above, until now it has not been possible to individually detect the deterioration state of each electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge power source, and therefore all electrical connection terminals have been replaced periodically without checking whether or not there was actual deterioration. This has resulted in problems such as increased maintenance costs and labor, being uneconomical, and lacking in resource conservation.

The present invention has been made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide a method for determining abnormalities in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device that can detect abnormalities such as deterioration over time and poor contact in each electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge power source in a charge/discharge inspection device with high accuracy, and enables only the electrical connection terminals in which an abnormality has occurred to be replaced reliably and efficiently, thereby significantly reducing the costs and effort required for maintenance.

In accordance with the above-mentioned object, the method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention is a method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device, which individually detects abnormalities in each of a plurality of pairs of positive and negative electrical connection terminals in one or a plurality of charge/discharge power sources of a charge/discharge inspection device for simultaneously charging and discharging a plurality of secondary batteries, comprising:
Measurement data on the output voltage of each of the charging/discharging power sources and the battery voltage between the positive and negative electrodes of each of the secondary batteries obtained during charging/discharging inspection of the multiple secondary batteries is accumulated in chronological order, and based on the measurement data, a diagnosis is made as to the deterioration tendency of the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charging/discharging power sources and the presence or absence of poor contact between the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charging/discharging power sources and the positive and negative electrodes of each of the secondary batteries.

In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of the charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, the presence or absence of a tendency for the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources to deteriorate can be diagnosed from the change over time in the voltage difference between the output voltage of each of the charge/discharge power sources and the battery voltage of each of the secondary batteries electrically connected to the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources.

In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of the charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, it is preferable to diagnose, among the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources, the positive and negative electrical connection terminals in which the voltage difference shows an increasing tendency over time as being prone to deterioration.

In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of the charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, it is further preferable that the change in the voltage difference over time is determined using as an initial value the voltage difference between the output voltage of each of the charge/discharge power sources and the battery voltage of each of the secondary batteries electrically connected to the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each of the charge/discharge power sources, which is obtained immediately after the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each of the charge/discharge power sources are replaced with new ones.

In the method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the accumulation of each of the measurement data is performed while each of the charge/discharge power sources is outputting the same set current.

In the method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, measurement data on the output current of each of the charge/discharge power sources can be accumulated in chronological order during the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery.

In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of the charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention, measurement data on the battery temperature of each secondary battery may be accumulated during the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery, and the presence or absence of poor contact between the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each set of each charge/discharge power source and the positive and negative electrodes of each secondary battery may be diagnosed based on the battery temperatures.

The method for determining abnormalities in electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device according to the present invention accumulates measurement data on the output voltage of each charge/discharge power source and the battery voltage between the positive and negative electrodes of each secondary battery in a chronological order, which are obtained during charge/discharge inspection of multiple secondary batteries. Based on the accumulated measurement data, the deterioration tendency of the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of each charge/discharge power source and the presence or absence of poor contact between the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of each charge/discharge power source and the positive and negative electrodes of each secondary battery can be diagnosed. This means that no dedicated tools or other tools are required for diagnosis, and it is possible to efficiently replace or maintain only electrical connection terminals that are tending to deteriorate or have poor contact, without being affected by the wiring resistance of each channel.

5 is an explanatory diagram of a method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

Next, with reference to the attached drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described for better understanding of the present invention.
The method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in Fig. 1 detects with high accuracy the presence or absence of an abnormality, such as deterioration and poor contact, in multiple pairs of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b in a charge/discharge power source 12 of a charge/discharge inspection device 11 for simultaneously charging and discharging inspecting (testing) multiple secondary batteries 10. Here, the number of secondary batteries 10 that can be connected to one charge/discharge power source 12 can be selected as appropriate. Note that Fig. 1 shows a case in which the charge/discharge inspection device 11 has one charge/discharge power source 12, but the charge/discharge inspection device can have multiple charge/discharge power sources, and the number can be selected as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the charge/discharge inspection device 11 is connected to a management computer 15 via a controller (digital data collector) 14. The charge/discharge inspection device 11 also has an output voltage meter 17 for measuring the output voltage of the charge/discharge power source 12 for each secondary battery 10, a battery voltage meter 19 for measuring the battery voltage between the positive and negative electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10, an output current meter 20 for measuring the output current of each secondary battery 10 of the charge/discharge power source 12, and a temperature sensor 21 for measuring the battery temperature of each secondary battery 10. As a result, the management computer 15 can accumulate the measurement data of the output voltage of the charge/discharge power source 12, the battery voltage between the positive and negative electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10, the output current of the charge/discharge power source 12, and the battery temperature of each secondary battery 10, which are acquired during the charge/discharge inspection of multiple secondary batteries 10, in chronological order. Based on these measurement data, the management computer 15 can diagnose the deterioration tendency of each pair of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 and the presence or absence of poor contact between each pair of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 and the positive and negative electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10.

Specifically, for example, the presence or absence of abnormalities (deterioration tendency and poor contact) in each pair of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 can be diagnosed from the change over time (amount of increase) in the voltage difference between the output voltage of the charging/discharging power source 12 for each secondary battery 10 and the battery voltage of each secondary battery 10 electrically connected to each pair of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12. More specifically, among the positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of each pair of the charging/discharging power source 12, the positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b in which the above-mentioned voltage difference tends to increase over time can be diagnosed as being prone to deterioration, and the electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b in which the voltage difference has suddenly (suddenly) changed can be diagnosed as having poor contact with the electrodes 18a, 18b or other malfunctions (failures).
The measurement data is accumulated while the charge/discharge power source 12 is outputting a set current (the same (constant) current set in advance), so that the presence or absence of abnormalities (deterioration tendency and poor contact) in each of the electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b can be accurately diagnosed. In particular, when the charge/discharge inspection device is equipped with multiple charge/discharge power sources, the measurement data is accumulated while each charge/discharge power source is outputting the same set current, so that the presence or absence of abnormalities in all of the electrical connection terminals can be accurately diagnosed under the same conditions.

In addition, by accumulating measurement data of the output current of each secondary battery 10 of the charging/discharging power source 12 in a time series at the same time during the charging/discharging inspection of the multiple secondary batteries 10, it is possible to confirm the output current of each secondary battery 10 of the charging/discharging power source 12 at the time when each measurement data of the output voltage of the charging/discharging power source 12 for each secondary battery 10 and the battery voltage of each secondary battery 10 was measured, and it is possible to verify whether the measurement was performed under a set current output. In addition, even if each measurement data of the output voltage of the charging/discharging power source 12 for each secondary battery 10 and the battery voltage of each secondary battery 10 was not measured under a constant set current output, it is possible to accurately grasp the presence or absence of an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b by extracting the measurement data of the output voltage of the charging/discharging power source 12 for each secondary battery 10 and the battery voltage of each secondary battery 10 when the output current of each secondary battery 10 of the charging/discharging power source 12 is equal.

When an abnormality occurs in the electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b, the management computer 15 can notify an operator by using a monitor and/or a speaker (neither of which are shown), etc. For example, it can notify an operator of the abnormality by displaying warning characters or symbols on the monitor or playing a warning sound from the speaker, and prompt the operator to replace or perform maintenance on the electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b.
Then, by setting the voltage difference between the output voltage of the charging/discharging power source 12 for each secondary battery 10 obtained immediately after each set of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 is replaced with new ones, and the battery voltage of each secondary battery 10 electrically connected to each set of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 as an initial value (normal value or reference value), and determining the change over time of the above-mentioned voltage difference, it is possible to accurately detect the presence or absence of an abnormality in each set of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b without being affected by the wiring resistance value (line resistance value) from each output terminal of the charging/discharging power source 12 to the electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10, and in particular, the presence or absence of poor contact with the positive and negative electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10 can be detected with high accuracy.
In addition to the change over time in the voltage difference described above, by accumulating (monitoring) measurement data on the battery temperature of each secondary battery 10 measured by each temperature sensor 21, it is possible to detect abnormal heat generation due to poor contact between each set of positive and negative electrical connection terminals 13a, 13b of the charging/discharging power source 12 and the positive and negative electrodes 18a, 18b of each secondary battery 10, thereby further improving the accuracy of poor contact diagnosis.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above embodiments, and also includes other embodiments and variations that can be considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims.
For example, in the above embodiment, instead of diagnosing the presence or absence of an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals from the change over time (amount of increase) in the voltage difference between the output voltage of the charging/discharging power supply and the battery voltage of each secondary battery electrically connected to the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charging/discharging power supply, the presence or absence of an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals can be diagnosed by obtaining the differential value (rate of increase) of the change over time in the voltage difference. In addition, it is possible to combine multiple types of accumulated measurement data, or process the measurement data by various calculations (including differentiation, integration, etc. in addition to addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division) and use the data for abnormality diagnosis.
In addition, the shape of the electrical connection terminal of the charge/discharge power source is not particularly limited, and a shape that can be electrically connected to the electrode of the secondary battery can be selected as appropriate. Depending on the shape of the electrode of the secondary battery, various shapes such as a probe pin, a clip or a round terminal can be adopted.
In the above embodiment, the administration computer and the controller are independent from the charge/discharge inspection device, but the controller can also be incorporated in the administration computer or the charge/discharge inspection device.

10: Secondary battery, 11: Charge/discharge inspection device, 12: Charge/discharge power source, 13a, 13b: Electrical connection terminal, 14: Controller, 15: Management computer, 17: Output voltage meter, 18a, 18b: Electrodes, 19: Battery voltage meter, 20: Output current meter, 21: Temperature sensor

Claims (6)

1. A method for determining an abnormality in electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device, the method individually detecting abnormalities in each of a plurality of pairs of positive and negative electrical connection terminals in one or a plurality of charge/discharge power sources of a charge/discharge inspection device for simultaneously charging/discharging a plurality of secondary batteries, comprising:
accumulating measurement data of the output voltage of each of the charging/discharging power sources and the battery voltage between the positive and negative electrodes of each of the secondary batteries in a chronological order, which are obtained during a charging/discharging inspection of the multiple secondary batteries, and diagnosing, based on the measurement data, the deterioration tendency of the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each set of the charging/discharging power sources and the presence or absence of poor contact between the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each set of the charging/discharging power sources and the positive and negative electrodes of each of the secondary batteries ;
A method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device, characterized in that during charge/discharge inspection of the secondary batteries, measurement data of the battery temperature of each of the secondary batteries is accumulated, and based on the battery temperatures, the presence or absence of poor contact between the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each set of each of the charge/discharge power sources and the positive and negative electrodes of each of the secondary batteries is diagnosed . In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device according to claim 1, the presence or absence of a deterioration tendency of the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources is diagnosed from the change over time in the voltage difference between the output voltage of each of the charge/discharge power sources and the battery voltage of each of the secondary batteries electrically connected to the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources. The method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, of the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources, the positive and negative electrical connection terminals in which the voltage difference is increasing over time are diagnosed as being in a deterioration state. In the method for determining an abnormality in the electrical connection terminals of a charge/discharge inspection device according to claim 2 or 3, the change in the voltage difference over time is determined using as an initial value the voltage difference between the output voltage of each of the charge/discharge power sources, obtained immediately after the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources are replaced with new ones, and the battery voltage of each of the secondary batteries electrically connected to the positive and negative electrical connection terminals of each pair of the charge/discharge power sources. A method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the accumulation of each measurement data is performed while each of the charge/discharge power sources is outputting the same set current. 6. The method for determining an abnormality in an electrical connection terminal of a charge/discharge inspection device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising accumulating measurement data of the output current of each of the charge/discharge power sources in chronological order during the charge/discharge inspection of the secondary battery.

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