Patent — available for licensing
A Generalized Ultrasonic Inspection Method for Batteries
A NASA invention available to explore as a licensing opportunity.
About this technology
Overview
Ultrasonic battery inspection is an innovative nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique that leverages high-frequency sound waves to reveal subtle battery characteristics—ranging from internal defects and quality variations to estimations of State of Health (SoH) and State of Charge (SoC). Localized disruption or change in structure of internal components, such as electrodes, are a common and known mechanism for battery degradation. Conventional testing methods often struggle to detect minute degradation or delicate flaws without resorting to destructive approaches, such as high-power lasers. For both NASA and private sector organizations, the ability to noninvasively evaluate battery failure modes is essential for advancing battery design and ensuring safe, reliable operation. In response to this challenge, innovators at NASA’s Langley Research Center have developed a generalizable NDE ultrasonic inspection method to determine structural and material properties of a battery.