Amazon.com, Inc.
Infrared thermal run-away detection for battery packs

Abstract:

Systems and methods for identifying thermal run-away events in a battery pack can include using infrared sensors to measure infrared radiation emitted by and reflected by subsets of the battery cells arrayed in a battery pack. Each infrared sensor can generate temperature data based on the received infrared radiation, which includes reflected infrared radiation for several and potentially many individual battery cells aligned in rows or columns within the battery pack. Each infrared sensor can sense the beginning of a thermal run-away event by sensing when an individual battery cell in the array has a temperature exceeding a threshold, and can generate a signal indicative of a thermal run-away event based on the detected excessive temperature.