Sensorless battery temperature measurements based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy

A new method is proposed to measure the internal temperature of (Li-ion) batteries. Based on electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements, an intercept frequency (f(0)) can be determined which is exclusively related to the internal battery temperature. The intercept frequency is defined as the frequency at which the imaginary part of the impedance is zero (Z(im) = 0), i.e. where the phase shift between the battery current and voltage is absent. The advantage of the proposed method is twofold: (i) no hardware temperature sensors are required anymore to monitor the battery temperature and (ii) the method does not suffer from heat transfer delays. Mathematical analysis of the equivalent electrical-circuit, representing the battery performance, confirms that the intercept frequency decreases with rising temperatures. Impedance measurements on rechargeable Li-ion cells of various chemistries were conducted to verify the proposed method. These experiments reveal that the intercept frequency is clearly dependent on the temperature and does not depend on State-of-Charge (SoC) and aging. These impedance-based sensorless temperature measurements are therefore simple and convenient for application in a wide range of stationary, mobile and high-power devices, such as hybrid- and full electric vehicles. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.