Incoming Inspection of Lithium‐Ion Batteries Based on Multi‐cell Testing

Abstract

Incoming inspections of battery cells prior to module assembly help to ensure the quality of the battery system and prevent the installation of anomalous cells. Depending on the area of application, identifying deviations in the electrical behavior of the battery cells under test can be essential for downstream assembly processes like cell matching and algorithm adaptations of the battery management software. In this work, the use of a multi‐cell testing procedure involving differential voltage analysis, incremental capacity analysis, direct current internal resistance tests, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy is investigated to reveal differences in cell properties and identify anomalous cells while economizing on the required cell test channels. The results obtained from 20 model‐identical 21700 cylindrical cells from four different batches demonstrate that this methodology can detect material variations, such as differing silicon and graphite content, which are not disclosed by the supplier or indicated in the data sheet. A teardown with elemental analysis of two cells from different batches is carried out as verification. Finally, prospects for potential application scenarios and raw measurement data are provided.