REVIEW 4 major objections 5 minor 30 references
Pseudo-random sequences for low-cost operando impedance measurements of Li-ion batteries
T0 review · 4 major / 5 minor · reviewed 2026-08-07 · deepseek-v4-flash
Pith's one-line read Ternary pseudo-random sequences that are eigenvectors of the discrete Fourier transform recover battery impedance from a single operando measurement during charging, cancelling drift and transient contamination with a simple averaging…
desk verdict The K+/K- pairing trick for drift/transient suppression is real and the algebra checks out, but the unquantified low-frequency interpolation error makes the experimental claim thinner than the paper suggests. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The DFT-eigenvector property of ternary sequences. For the QRT sequence (a Legendre-symbol ternary sequence of prime length) and the DST sequence (the product of a fixed six-sample special sequence with a repeated QRT basic sequence), the normalized DFT maps the sequence to a scalar multiple of itself at the excited harmonics, so the spectral values at the interleaved sets $K_+$ and $K_-$ are exact opposites, $U(k_+) = -U(k_-)$. Under zero-order-hold reconstruction this becomes the approximation $I(\omega_{k_+}) \approx -I(\omega_{k_-})$ for close harmonics, and that is what lets Eq. (40) reconstruct the true impedance from a single experiment: it reproduces the two-experiment cancellation of drift $V_0(k)$ and transient $L(\omega_k)$ using only a DFT, a division, and linear interpolation.
What would settle it
Add a narrow resonance to the true impedance of the paper's own simulation model, placed between two adjacent excited harmonics near 10 Hz: if Eq. (40) misses the feature while the two-experiment formula (37) captures it, the interpolation assumption is the failure point. Alternatively, on the hardware setup, apply both formulas during a deliberate charging-current step at fixed SOC and look for spectral differences near the step frequency, which would be a direct measurement of the interpolation error.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The paper's central claim is that QRT and DST sequences are eigenvectors of the DFT matrix at every harmonic they excite, giving the exact sign-complement property $U(k_+) = -U(k_-)$ on the interleaved index sets $K_+$ and $K_-$. Under zero-order-hold reconstruction the continuous excitation satisfies the approximation $I(\omega_{k_+}) \approx -I(\omega_{k_-})$ for close harmonics. Starting from the two-experiment identity (37), the paper treats the measured ratio $V(k)/I(k)$ at the $K_+$ indices as one component $Z_+(\omega_k)$ and at the $K_-$ indices as the other $Z_-(\omega_k)$, interpolates each component across the opposite index set, and forms the average in Eq. (40). Because both components carry the same drift and transient contamination $V_0(k) + L(\omega_k)$, that average cancels the contamination and leaves the period-average impedance $Z(\omega)$. The contribution is the full chain: sequence definitions, the DFT-eigenvector proof, the measurement setup, the estimator, simulation validation, and operando fast-charging experiments.
Load-bearing premise
The reconstruction assumes the impedance, drift, transient, and slow operating current are smooth across neighbouring excited harmonics, so linear interpolation of the $Z_+$ and $Z_-$ components in Eq. (41) is accurate; if the true spectrum changes sharply between two adjacent excited harmonics, Eq. (40) carries an interpolation error the paper does not quantify.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- Operando impedance becomes a one-shot measurement: a single 6.668 s DST burst superimposed on a 1C charging current yields the spectrum from about 1.05 Hz to 1 kHz, with no steady-state preconditioning or separate drift model.
- The processing load — a DFT, a division, and linear interpolation — plus the three-level current excitation fits the hardware and memory budget of typical BMS processors, which is the cost barrier the paper targets.
- Because DST suppresses second- and third-order harmonics, the same burst exposes nonlinear distortion levels at $V(2k)$ and $V(3k)$ while still giving the best linear approximation of the impedance.
- The estimator corrects for an arbitrary slow operating current $I_0(k)$ (Eq. (40)), so it applies to time-varying profiles such as EV driving, not only constant-current charging.
- Measured operando spectra differ systematically from steady-state spectra (the 80% SOC semicircle is smaller mid-charge), so the method opens the dynamic operating regime to state-of-health monitoring and fast-charging model parameterization.
Reading between the lines
- A self-check the paper does not include: run two sign-opposite bursts at one operating point and compare the two-experiment estimator (37) against the one-experiment estimator (40); the gap directly measures the interpolation error on that cell, which the paper leaves unbounded.
- The cancellation mechanism is not tied to the specific QRT/DST construction — any perturbation whose spectrum flips sign between two interleaved index sets could feed the same Eq. (40), so the estimator could transfer to the fuel-cell and power-converter diagnostic settings already cited in the paper.
- The interpolation bounds (43)-(44) are what cost the method its lowest frequencies; chaining bursts of different periods could push the floor below 0.15 Hz, but that would relax the single-period time-invariance assumption the whole derivation rests on.
- Because a burst lasts 6.7 s and rides on current the battery is already drawing, a BMS could schedule one at every charging step at near-zero cost and use the resulting impedance stream as a continuous internal-state trend — an operational payoff the authors only gesture at.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The paper presents a method for operando battery impedance measurements using quadratic-residue ternary (QRT) and direct-synthesis ternary (DST) sequences. The key idea is that these sequences are eigenvectors of the DFT matrix at the excited harmonics, so that the excitation spectrum satisfies U(k+) = -U(k-). The authors show that this property can be used to separate the measured voltage-to-current ratio into two components Z+ and Z-, taken from interleaved harmonic sets, and then to reconstruct the true impedance Z from a single excitation period through an interpolation-based formula, Eq. (40). The derivation of the algebraic reconstruction, Eq. (37), for two experiments with opposite excitations is correct. The method is validated in simulation on an equivalent-circuit battery model with a smooth charging ramp and demonstrated experimentally during 1C fast charging of a commercial NMC cell, yielding spectra at several SOC levels.
Significance. If the method works as claimed, it is practically attractive: it needs only one short ternary perturbation burst, low-cost hardware, and simple DFT-based processing, which is feasible for BMS embedded implementation. The paper contains a genuine theoretical contribution in the Appendix, proving the DFT-eigenvector property of the DST sequence, and the algebraic derivation of Eq. (37) is sound. However, the central claim of drift and transient suppression in a single experiment rests on an unquantified interpolation regularity assumption, and the experimental section provides no reference measurement or error analysis. These gaps currently limit the strength of the paper's conclusions, but they are addressable within the manuscript's scope.
major comments (4)
- [Section V.B, Eq. (42)] The interpolation step is the load-bearing element of the single-experiment reconstruction, but its error is never quantified. Equation (42) shows that each interpolated quantity Z±(ωk) equals Z(ωk) plus the contamination term [V0(k)+L(ωk)]/[I0(k)±Iexc(k)], so the interpolation must be accurate for the contamination term, not just for Z itself. The paper states that Z, V0, L, I0, and Iexc are smooth over the excited harmonics and concedes that 'the interpolation error will typically be worst at low frequencies,' but it provides no bound, no sensitivity analysis, and no numerical experiment that varies the regularity of the drift or transient. Without such an analysis, the claim that the method 'suppresses' drifts and transients is contingent on an unverified regularity condition.
- [Section VII] The experimental validation has no reference baseline. Figure 7 reports 20 operando impedance spectra during fast charging, but there is no comparison to a conventional steady-state EIS measurement at the same SOC and temperature, and no repeated measurements or error bars are shown. Because the simulation uses a linear ramp and a smooth OCV curve, the interpolation-induced bias that the authors themselves say is worst at low frequencies would not be detected. The paper should add a reference-based validation, for example by interleaving steady-state EIS at matching operating points or by comparing against a known load, and should report the repeatability of the operando spectra.
- [Section V.A, Eqs. (36)-(39) and Section III, Eq. (25)] The derivation of the two-experiment formula (37) assumes the transient term L(ωk) is identical for opposite excitations; the authors note that end conditions may differ but do not bound this difference. For the single-experiment method, the analogous assumption is that the excitation spectra satisfy Iexc(k+) ≈ -Iexc(k-), but Eq. (25) shows this is only approximate because of the zero-order-hold factor. The text says the ZOH effect can be 'taken into account for increased accuracy' but does not show how. The magnitude of the error introduced by these approximations is not assessed, and this is central to the claimed accuracy of the single-period reconstruction.
- [Section VI and V.B] No code or data are provided, and the reconstruction algorithm is not fully specified. The interpolation method is described only as 'e.g. linear interpolation' in Section V.B, and the simulation section does not state how many Monte-Carlo realizations were used for the noise or how the interpolation was configured. For a methods paper, the absence of an explicit algorithm or pseudo-code makes it difficult to reproduce the results, and the single simulation with one noise realization is insufficient to establish statistical behavior. Please provide the code or a detailed pseudocode for the reconstruction, and add a repeatability analysis of the simulation.
minor comments (5)
- [Abstract and Section I] The phrase 'It's low-cost hardware requirements' should be 'Its low-cost hardware requirements'.
- [Section V.B] The sentence beginning 'Interpolation is reasonable when...' lists the smoothness assumptions but does not define a quantitative measure of smoothness; consider adding a metric such as the maximum frequency gap or a Lipschitz constant on the contamination term.
- [Section VII] The sentence 'The current of 1C is twice the standard charging current of the cell which was considered appropriate...' is awkward and would be clearer as two sentences; also, the paper does not report cell temperature during the fast-charging experiment, which is a relevant variable for impedance interpretation.
- [References] Reference [19] is listed as 'Early Access March 2025' without volume or article number; please provide the final citation if available.
- [Table I] The entry 'N 1.0002e6' is hard to read; format it as '1.0002×10^6'.
Circularity Check
Core reconstruction is algebraically self-contained; only minor non-load-bearing self-citations appear in motivating and concluding text.
full rationale
No load-bearing circular step was found. Equation (37) is an exact algebraic inversion of Eq. (36): substituting Z± = Z + (V0+L)/(I0±Iexc) into (37) cancels the V0+L term identically. The single-experiment version, Eq. (40), uses the sign-alternating property (20) to supply the missing Z± components by interpolation, as stated in Eqs. (41)-(42). This relies on an explicit smoothness assumption, which the paper discloses in Section V.B ('Interpolation is reasonable when the impedance Z(ω), the drift signal V0(k), the transient L(ω), slow excitation I0(k), and Iexc(k) are smooth over the excited frequencies'), and it is a correctness risk rather than a hidden fit. The DST eigenvector property (16) is proved in the Appendix from the sequence construction (12)-(15), and the QRT property (11) follows directly from the eigenvalue equation (8); neither is imported solely by citation. The simulation uses an independently parametrized equivalent-circuit model, so the validation is not a re-statement of the method's inputs. The only self-citations, [18] and [19], are used for background motivation and for the non-central assertion of applicability to time-varying currents; they are not needed to establish Eq. (40). The acknowledged low-frequency interpolation error is an assumption limitation, not a circular step.
Assumptions & free parameters
free parameters (4)
- Equivalent circuit parameters R0, R1, C1, R2, C2 =
5 mΩ, 8 mΩ, 0.1 F, 20 mΩ, 1 F
- Voltage and current noise standard deviations =
σv = 0.5 mV, σi = 0.5 mA
- Slow charging current profile i0(t) =
2.5 - t/(2 Tp) A
- Measurement design parameters (Np, fzoh, fs, excitation amplitude) =
Np = 10002, fzoh = 1.5 kHz, fs = 150 kHz, C = 1 A (2 A for Fig. 4)
assumptions (6)
- standard math The QRT sequence is an eigenvector of the normalized DFT matrix (Eq. 4).
- standard math The DST sequence satisfies UDST(k) = λDST uDST(k) for k in K and zero elsewhere (Eq. 16).
- domain assumption The battery is approximately linear and time-invariant within one excitation period when the perturbation amplitude is small (Eqs. 31-32).
- domain assumption The transient term L(ωk) is the same for the plus and minus excitations, with initial-condition effects dominating end-condition effects (after Eq. 36).
- domain assumption The impedance, drift, transient, slow current, and excitation spectrum are smooth enough over the excited harmonics that linear interpolation of Z± and tilde-I is accurate.
- domain assumption Zero-order hold effects are negligible or correctable so that Iexc(k+) is approximately -Iexc(k-) for nearby harmonics (Eqs. 25 and 39).
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of Pseudo-random sequences for low-cost operando impedance measurements of Li-ion batteries." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/OLMMOQBJ
@misc{pith2026250607519,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: Pseudo-random sequences for low-cost operando impedance measurements of Li-ion batteries},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/OLMMOQBJ}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2506.07519}
}
read the original abstract
Operando impedance measurements are promising for monitoring batteries in the field. In this work, we present pseudo-random sequences for low-cost operando battery impedance measurements. The quadratic-residue ternary sequence and direct-synthesis ternary sequence exhibit specific properties related to eigenvectors of the discrete Fourier transform matrix that allow computationally efficient compensation for drifts and transients in operando impedance measurements. We describe the application of pseudo-random sequences and provide the data processing required to suppress drift and transients, validated on simulations. Finally, we perform experimental operando impedance measurements on a Li-ion battery cell during fast-charging, demonstrating the applicability of the proposed method. It's low-cost hardware requirements, fast measurements, and simple data-processing make the method practical for embedding in battery management systems.
Figures
Figures from the paper (3 more)
Reference graph
Works this paper leans on
-
[19]
J. Sihvo and D.-I. Stroe, “Real-time impedance monitoring of Li-ion batteries under dynamic operating conditions: The discrete fourier trans- form eigenvector approach,” cell Reports Physical Science, CellPress, Early Access March, 2025
work page 2025
-
[1]
Applica- tion of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to commercial Li-ion cells: A review,
N. Meddings, M. Heinrich, F. Overney, J.-S. Lee, V . Ruiz, E. Napolitano, S. Seitz, G. Hinds, R. Raccichini, M. Gaber ˇsˇcek, and J. Park, “Applica- tion of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to commercial Li-ion cells: A review,” Journal of Power Sources , vol. 480, p. 228742, 2020
work page 2020
-
[2]
Impedance-based forecasting of lithium-ion battery performance amid uneven usage,
P. K. Jones, U. Stimming, and A. A. Lee, “Impedance-based forecasting of lithium-ion battery performance amid uneven usage,” Nature commu- nications, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 4806, 2022
work page 2022
-
[3]
G. L. Plett and M. S. Trimboli, Battery management systems, Volume III: Physics-Based Methods . Artech House, 2023. 10
work page 2023
-
[4]
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
S. Wang, J. Zhang, O. Gharbi, V . Vivier, M. Gao, and M. E. Orazem, “Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,” Nature Reviews Methods Primers, vol. 1, no. 1, p. 41, 2021
work page 2021
-
[5]
Online measurement of battery impedance using motor controller excitation,
D. A. Howey et al. , “Online measurement of battery impedance using motor controller excitation,” IEEE Transaction on Vehicular Technology, vol. 63, no. 6, pp. 2557–2566, 2014
work page 2014
-
[6]
Ljung, System Identification: Theory for the User
L. Ljung, System Identification: Theory for the User . Prentice Hall, 1999
work page 1999
-
[7]
R. Pintelon and J. Schoukens, System Identification: A Frequency Domain Approach. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2012
work page 2012
Show all 30 references
-
[8]
Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy beyond linearity and station- arity—A critical review,
N. Hallemans, D. Howey, A. Battistel, N. F. Saniee, F. Scarpioni, B. Wouters, F. La Mantia, A. Hubin, W. D. Widanage, and J. Lataire, “Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy beyond linearity and station- arity—A critical review,” Electrochimica Acta, p. 142939, 2023
2023
-
[9]
Operando electrochemical impedance spec- troscopy and its application to commercial Li-ion batteries,
N. Hallemans, W. D. Widanage, X. Zhu, S. Moharana, M. Rashid, A. Hubin, and J. Lataire, “Operando electrochemical impedance spec- troscopy and its application to commercial Li-ion batteries,” Journal of Power Sources, vol. 547, p. 232005, 2022
2022
-
[10]
Dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reconstructed from continuous impedance measurement of single frequency during charging/discharging,
J. Huang, Z. Li, and J. Zhang, “Dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy reconstructed from continuous impedance measurement of single frequency during charging/discharging,” Journal of Power Sources, vol. 273, pp. 1098–1102, 2015
2015
-
[11]
Nonstationary impedance spectroscopy,
Z. Stoynov, “Nonstationary impedance spectroscopy,” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 38, no. 14, pp. 1919–1922, 1993
1919
-
[12]
Odd random phase multisine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to quantify a non-stationary behaviour: Theory and valida- tion by calculating an instantaneous impedance value,
T. Breugelmans, J. Lataire, T. Muselle, E. Tourw ´e, R. Pintelon, and A. Hubin, “Odd random phase multisine electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to quantify a non-stationary behaviour: Theory and valida- tion by calculating an instantaneous impedance value,” Electrochimica a...
2012
-
[13]
Dynamic impedance spectroscopy using dynamic multi-frequency analysis: A theoretical and experimental investigation,
D. Koster, G. Du, A. Battistel, and F. La Mantia, “Dynamic impedance spectroscopy using dynamic multi-frequency analysis: A theoretical and experimental investigation,” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 246, pp. 553–563, 2017
2017
-
[14]
A fast measurement of Warburg-like impedance spectra with Morlet wavelet transform for electrochemical energy devices,
W. Li, Q.-A. Huang, C. Yang, J. Chen, Z. Tang, F. Zhang, A. Li, L. Zhang, and J. Zhang, “A fast measurement of Warburg-like impedance spectra with Morlet wavelet transform for electrochemical energy devices,” Electrochimica Acta, vol. 322, p. 134760, 2019
2019
-
[15]
Godfrey, Perturbation Signals for System Identification
K. Godfrey, Perturbation Signals for System Identification . Denver, CO: Prentice Hall, 1993
1993
-
[16]
Direct synthesis of pseudo-random ternary perturbation sig- nals with harmonic multiples of two and three suppressed,
A. H. Tan, “Direct synthesis of pseudo-random ternary perturbation sig- nals with harmonic multiples of two and three suppressed,” Automatica, vol. 49, no. 10, pp. 2975–2981, 2013
2013
-
[17]
Online estimation of synchronous generator parameters using PRBS perturbations,
H. Vermeulen, J. M. Strauss, and V . Shikoana, “Online estimation of synchronous generator parameters using PRBS perturbations,” IEEE Transactions on Power Systems , vol. 17, no. 3, pp. 694–699, 2002
2002
-
[18]
Novel fitting algorithm for parametrization of equivalent circuit model of Li-Ion battery from broadband impedance measurements,
J. Sihvo, T. Roinila, and D.-I. Stroe, “Novel fitting algorithm for parametrization of equivalent circuit model of Li-Ion battery from broadband impedance measurements,” IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics, vol. 68, no. 6, pp. 4916–4926, 2021
2021
-
[20]
Fuel cell stack broadband excitation for online condition monitoring using different switch-mode DC-DC topologies,
S. Mahlangu and P. Barendse, “Fuel cell stack broadband excitation for online condition monitoring using different switch-mode DC-DC topologies,” in 2022 IEEE Energy Conversion Congress and Exposition (ECCE), 2022, pp. 1–8
2022
-
[21]
Frequency-domain identification based on pseudorandom sequences in analysis and control of DC power distribution systems: A review,
T. Roinila, H. Abdollahi, and E. Santi, “Frequency-domain identification based on pseudorandom sequences in analysis and control of DC power distribution systems: A review,” IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 3744–3756, 2021
2021
-
[22]
Eigenvalue and eigenvector decomposition of the discrete Fourier transform,
J. McClellan and T. Parks, “Eigenvalue and eigenvector decomposition of the discrete Fourier transform,” IEEE Transactions on Audio and Electroacoustics, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 66–74, 1972
1972
-
[23]
Comparison of perturbation signals for linear system identification in the frequency domain,
K. Godfrey, H. Barker, and A. Tucker, “Comparison of perturbation signals for linear system identification in the frequency domain,” in IEE Proceedings-Control Theory and Applications , 1999, pp. 535–548
1999
-
[24]
Quadratic residues: Ap- plication to chirp filters and discrete fourier transforms,
M. Narasimha, K. Shenoi, and A. Peterson, “Quadratic residues: Ap- plication to chirp filters and discrete fourier transforms,” in ICASSP ’76. IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing, vol. 1, 1976, pp. 376–378
1976
-
[25]
The generation of binary and near- binary pseudorandom signals: An overview,
A. H. Tan and K. R. Godfrey, “The generation of binary and near- binary pseudorandom signals: An overview,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement , vol. 51, no. 4, pp. 583–588, 2002
2002
-
[26]
Identification of linear systems with nonlinear distortions,
J. Schoukens, R. Pintelon, T. Dobrowiecki, and Y . Rolain, “Identification of linear systems with nonlinear distortions,” Automatica, vol. 41, no. 3, pp. 491–504, 2005
2005
-
[27]
Linear system identification in a nonlinear setting: Nonparametric analysis of the nonlinear distortions and their impact on the best linear approximation,
J. Schoukens, M. Vaes, and R. Pintelon, “Linear system identification in a nonlinear setting: Nonparametric analysis of the nonlinear distortions and their impact on the best linear approximation,” IEEE Control Systems Magazine, vol. 36, no. 3, pp. 38–69, 2016
2016
-
[28]
Nonparametric data- driven modeling of linear systems: Estimating the frequency response and impulse response function,
J. Schoukens, K. Godfrey, and M. Schoukens, “Nonparametric data- driven modeling of linear systems: Estimating the frequency response and impulse response function,” IEEE Control Systems Magazine , vol. 38, no. 4, pp. 49–88, 2018
2018
-
[29]
Frequency response function measurements via local rational modeling, revisited,
R. Pintelon, D. Peumans, G. Vandersteen, and J. Lataire, “Frequency response function measurements via local rational modeling, revisited,” IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement , vol. 70, pp. 1–16, 2020
2020
-
[30]
Closed-form orthogonal DFT eigenvectors generated by complete generalized Legendre sequence,
S.-C. Pei, C.-C. Wen, and J.-J. Ding, “Closed-form orthogonal DFT eigenvectors generated by complete generalized Legendre sequence,” IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems I: Regular Papers , vol. 55, no. 11, pp. 3469–3479, 2008
2008
Reviewed August 7, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.
Discussion (0). Continue with ORCID to comment.