SENSOR: Embedded fiber-optic sensing in battery packs

Under the ARPA-E Advanced Management and Protection of Energy-Storage Devices (AMPED) program for advanced battery management systems, PARC and LG Chem Power (LGCPI) are developing SENSOR (Smart Embedded Network of Sensors with an Optical Readout), an optically based smart monitoring system prototype for battery packs. The system will use fiber optic sensors embedded inside Lithium-ion battery cells to measure parameters indicative of cell state online, such as state-of-charge (SOC) and state-of-health (SOH). SENSOR will leverage PARC's low-cost, compact wavelength-shift detection technology and intelligent algorithms to enable effective real-time performance management, optimized battery design, and improved safety. While SENSOR is initially targeting batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs), it will be extendable to battery systems for other challenging domains such as aircrafts, satellites, grid storage, and military vehicles. This presentation covers some exciting results over the ARPA-E project focused on cell-level state features detectable, initial SOX algorithm development, low-cost optical readout development, and early validation test results. More recently, initial module-level tests using large-format test xEV cells with embedded fiber-optic (FO) sensors have been successful, thus offering early validation for the technology beyond the promising cell-level results accomplished earlier. At this stage, PARC is ready to take SENSOR to the next level of testing and development and is engaging with OEMs and battery industry stakeholders interested in evaluating SENSOR through validation/early qualification in cells, modules, and packs.