Battery management device, battery management method, and battery charging / discharging system

Abstract

The battery management device disclosed herein includes an interface configured to acquire voltage measurements generated by measuring the voltage from a battery according to a fixed time interval within a first time interval, and a controller configured to derive the average rate of change of the voltage measurements during the first time interval, compare the voltage measurements with a corresponding value based on the average rate of change to derive a voltage difference value during the first time interval, and determine whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurements during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0063112 filed on May 14, 2024 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0087340 filed on Jul. 5, 2023, and all the contents disclosed in the documents of the patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a battery management device, a battery management method, and a battery charge / discharge system.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, research and development on secondary batteries have been actively conducted. Here, a secondary battery is a battery capable of charging and discharging, and can be interpreted to include all conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, etc., and recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have a higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, etc., and can be manufactured in a small size and light weight, so they can have high usability for power sources of mobile devices. In recent years, its scope of use has been extended to power sources of electric vehicles, and it has attracted attention as a next-generation energy storage medium. On the other hand, various methods have been attempted to stably evaluate the performance and problems of these secondary batteries including lithium-ion batteries.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] The battery management device, battery management method, and battery charge / discharge system disclosed in this document are devised to be able to correct voltage measurement values in order to solve the problem that true defects and false defects, which is one of the problems in the charge / discharge test for a battery, are not distinguished.

[0004] Note that the technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] According to some embodiments disclosed in this document, the battery management device includes an interface configured to obtain voltage measurements generated by measuring a voltage from a battery, and a controller configured to derive an average rate of change of the voltage measurements during a first time interval, compare the voltage measurements with a corresponding value based on the average rate of change to derive a voltage difference value during the first time interval, and determine whether an error exists in the voltage measurements during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value.

[0006] According to some embodiments, the controller is further configured to derive a voltage correction value for the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement based on the voltage difference value if it is determined that an error exists in the voltage measurement.

[0007] According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine whether or not a first error occurs in the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value, and to correct the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of the first error.

[0008] According to some embodiments, the first error includes errors occurring in a charger / discharger that charges or discharges the battery for the charge / discharge test, and errors occurring in the process of measuring the voltage of the battery to generate the voltage measurement value.

[0009] According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine whether or not the first error exists based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether or not the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether or not the voltage difference value recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within the second time interval after exceeding the threshold difference value.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine that the first error exists if the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval.

[0011] According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine that if the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values, and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, then the first error does not exist, but a second error occurs due to a battery defect.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the controller is configured to determine that if the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference and the voltage difference does not recover within the second time interval, then the first error does not exist and the second error caused by a battery malfunction does not exist.

[0013] According to some embodiments disclosed herein, a battery management method includes the steps of: obtaining a voltage measurement value generated by measuring a voltage from a battery via an interface; deriving an average rate of change of the voltage measurement value during a first time interval via a controller; deriving a voltage difference value during the first time interval by comparing the voltage measurement value with a corresponding value based on the average rate of change via the controller; and determining, via the controller, whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement value during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the battery management method further includes the step of deriving a voltage correction value for the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value if it is determined via the controller that an error exists in the voltage measurement value.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the step of deriving the voltage correction value includes the step of determining whether or not a first error occurs in the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value, and the step of correcting the voltage measurement value based on whether or not the first error occurs.

[0016] According to some embodiments, the first error includes errors occurring in a charger / discharger that charges or discharges the battery for the charge / discharge test, and errors occurring in the process of measuring the voltage of the battery to generate the voltage measurement value.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the step of determining whether or not the first error exists includes determining whether or not the first error exists based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether or not the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether or not the voltage difference value recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within a second time interval after exceeding the threshold difference value.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the step of determining whether the first error exists includes determining that the first error exists if the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the step of determining whether the first error exists includes determining that if the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values, and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, then the first error does not exist, and a second error caused by a battery defect exists.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the step of determining whether the first error exists includes determining that if the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value and the voltage difference value does not recover within the second time interval, then the first error does not exist and the second error caused by a battery defect does not exist.

[0021] According to some embodiments disclosed in this document, a battery charge-discharge system includes a battery, a charger configured to charge or discharge the battery for a charge-discharge test, and a battery management device configured to measure a voltage from the battery to generate a voltage measurement value, derive an average change rate of the voltage measurement value during a first time interval, compare the voltage measurement value with a corresponding value based on the average change rate to derive a voltage difference value during the first time interval, and determine whether an error exists in the voltage measurement value during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value.

[0022] According to some embodiments, when it is determined that an error exists in the voltage measurement value, the battery management device is further configured to derive a voltage correction value during the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the battery management device determines the presence or absence of a first error that occurs during the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value, and is configured to correct the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of the first error.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the first error includes an error that occurs in a charger that charges or discharges the battery for the charge-discharge test, and an error that occurs during the process of the sensor measuring the voltage of the battery.

[0025] According to some embodiments, the battery management device is configured to determine the presence or absence of the first error based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether the voltage difference value recovers to a range not exceeding the threshold difference value within a second time interval after the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value.

[0026] According to some embodiments, when the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval, the battery management device is configured to determine that the first error exists.

[0027] According to some embodiments, when the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, it is determined that there is no first error and there is a second error caused by a battery defect.

[0028] According to some embodiments, when the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value and the voltage difference value does not recover within the second time period, it is determined that there is no first error and there is also no second error caused by a battery defect.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, a battery management device, a battery management method, and a battery charging and discharging system capable of correcting voltage measurement values to distinguish true defects from false defects can be provided.

[0030] The technical effects of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned are clearly understandable to those skilled in the art from the disclosure of this document.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0031] [Figure 1] Shows the components constituting a battery charging and discharging system according to some embodiments. [Figure 2] Shows the components constituting a battery management device according to some embodiments. [Figure 3] Shows a graph showing a situation where there is no first error occurring in the process of generating a voltage measurement value according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] Shows a graph showing a situation where there is a first error occurring in the process of generating a voltage measurement value according to some embodiments. [Figure 5] Shows the process of determining that no first error has occurred based on a voltage measurement value according to some embodiments. [Figure 6] The process for determining that a first error has not occurred based on voltage measurements according to certain embodiments is shown. [Figure 7] The process for determining that a first error has not occurred based on voltage measurements according to certain embodiments is shown. [Figure 8] The process for determining that a first error has occurred based on voltage measurements according to certain embodiments is shown. [Figure 9] The process for determining that a first error has occurred based on voltage measurements according to certain embodiments is shown. [Figure 10] The process for determining that a first error has occurred based on voltage measurements according to certain embodiments is shown. [Figure 11] The steps comprising a battery management method according to one embodiment are shown below. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0032] The embodiments described herein are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the disclosures herein to any particular embodiment, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments described herein.

[0033] The embodiments and terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described herein to any particular embodiment, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of such embodiments. In relation to the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more such items unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0034] In this document, each phrase such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together with the applicable phrase, or any possible combination thereof. Terms such as “first,” “second,” “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” or “(b)” may be used merely to distinguish one component from other components and, unless otherwise stated, do not limit the component in any other respect (e.g., importance or order).

[0035] Wherever a component (e.g., the first) is referred to as being "coupled," "joined," or "connected" to another component (e.g., the second), with or without such terms, it means that the first component may be directly (e.g., wired or wirelessly) or indirectly (e.g., via the third component) connected to the other component.

[0036] Methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of an instrument-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM) or online (e.g., download or upload) via an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated in an instrument-readable storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store server, or an intermediary server.

[0037] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, each of the aforementioned components (e.g., a module or a program) may include one or more individuals, and some of the individuals may be separated and arranged in other components. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, one or more of the aforementioned components or operations may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the components of the multiple components before the integration. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0038] Charge and discharge tests can be performed on various types of secondary batteries, including lithium-ion batteries, for various purposes such as performance diagnosis and condition analysis. For example, a test voltage can be applied to the battery, and the test result voltage can be measured from the battery in response to the test voltage. When analyzing the test result voltage, if the voltage behavior is unstable or outside the normal range, it can be determined that there is a problem with the battery. However, in addition to genuine defects caused by problems with the battery, there may be false defects where errors occur in the test result voltage due to errors in the charger / discharger or voltage sensor.

[0039] The present invention provides a battery management device, a battery management method, and a battery charge / discharge system that can distinguish between genuine defects and false defects in charge / discharge tests of batteries.

[0040] Figure 1 shows the elements that constitute a battery charging and discharging system according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 1, the battery charging / discharging system 100 may include a charger / discharger 110, a battery 120, and a battery management device 130. However, it is not limited to this, and some components may be omitted from the battery charging / discharging system 100, and other general-purpose components may be further included in the battery charging / discharging system 100.

[0041] In the battery charge / discharge system 100, while the charge / discharge test voltage is applied to the battery 120 by the charge / discharger 110, the battery management device 130 can measure the voltage from the battery 120 and correct for the effects of errors present in the voltage measurement. According to the embodiment, errors present in the voltage measurement may include errors present in the test voltage generated by the charge / discharger 110 and / or errors that occur when the sensor of the battery management device 130 measures the voltage of the battery 120.

[0042] The charger / discharger 110 may be configured to apply a charge / discharge test voltage and / or test current to the battery 120. For example, the charger / discharger 110 may include a power supply device capable of generating various forms of voltage and current. The battery 120 may include a rechargeable battery that undergoes repeated charging and discharging. For example, the battery 120 may include a battery cell, a battery module containing multiple battery cells, a battery pack containing multiple battery modules, a battery rack containing multiple battery packs, or a combination thereof.

[0043] The battery management device 130 can perform various management functions for the battery 120. For example, the management functions for the battery 120 may include functions for measuring the battery state, including voltage, current, and / or temperature; functions for estimating battery indicators such as SOC and SOH; functions for communicating with devices outside the battery 120; and functions for controlling the charging and discharging of the battery 120. According to the embodiment, the battery management device 130 can perform a correction function for voltage measurements taken during a charge-discharge test.

[0044] According to one embodiment, the functions performed by the battery management device 130 can be performed by an external energy management server (not shown). For example, the battery management device 130 can transmit data necessary for performing various management functions to the energy management server via wired / wireless data communication and receive data showing the results of the management functions from the energy management server. According to another embodiment, the battery management device 130 can install energy management software for performing management functions via the energy management server, and the energy management server can provide update information for the energy management software.

[0045] The voltage measurements of battery 120 taken during the charge-discharge test may include values ​​outside the normal range. Such abnormal values ​​may occur due to a defect in battery 120, or they may occur during the process of generating the voltage measurements of battery 120, unrelated to any defect in battery 120. To distinguish between these two cases, the battery charge-discharge system 100 can analyze the voltage measurements and correct errors unrelated to any defect in battery 120. Therefore, more accurate test data can be obtained through the battery charge-discharge system 100.

[0046] Figure 2 shows the elements that constitute the battery management device 130 in a battery charging and discharging system 100 according to one embodiment. Referring to Figure 2, the battery management device 130 includes an interface 131 and a controller 132. However, it is not limited to this, and some components may be omitted from the battery management device 130, and other general-purpose components may be further included in the battery management device 130.

[0047] Interface 131 can be configured to acquire battery data such as voltage measurements. Interface 131 may include sensor 131-1 and / or communication unit 131-2. If the battery management device 130 includes an onboard battery management system (BMS) configured with the battery 120, interface 131 can directly measure battery data from the battery 120 via sensor 131-1. If the battery management device 130 includes an offboard external device configured remotely from the battery 120, interface 131 can receive battery data via communication unit 131-2. For example, the external device may include a battery charger, battery management server, etc., which communicate with the communication unit 131-2 of interface 131 via wired and / or wireless means. The following describes the case where battery data is directly measured via sensor 131-1 in an onboard BMS, but equivalent technical ideas can also be applied to the case where battery data is indirectly received from an offboard external device via communication unit 131-2.

[0048] Voltage measurements can be generated and voltage correction values ​​can be derived using the sensor 131-1 and controller 132 included in the interface 131 of the battery management device 130. According to the embodiment, the sensor 131-1 and controller 132 in the battery management device 130 can be electrically connected to each other via a communication method between devices such as a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface).

[0049] The sensor 131-1 included in the interface 131 of the battery management device 130 may have a structure for measuring the voltage, current, temperature, or other battery variables of the battery 120. For example, the sensor 131-1 may include a voltmeter, an ammeter, and / or a thermometer, and may further include other types of sensor devices. According to the embodiment, the sensor 131-1 may be configured to monitor each battery cell of the battery 120, each battery module of the battery 120, or the entire battery pack of the battery 120.

[0050] The controller 132 may have a structure for executing instructions that realize the operation of the battery management device 130. The controller 132 can be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates for processing various operations or as a general-purpose microprocessor, and can consist of a single processor or multiple processors. For example, the controller 132 can be implemented in at least one form from among a microprocessor, CPU, GPU, and AP.

[0051] The controller 132 can be configured separately from or integrated with memory and / or storage configured to temporarily store data or instruction words, and can execute instruction words stored in memory and / or storage to process various operations. Memory and / or storage can store various data, instruction words, mobile applications, computer programs, etc. For example, memory and / or storage can be implemented as non-volatile devices such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, PRAM, MRAM, RRAM®, FRAM®, or volatile devices such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, PRAM, RRAM, FeRAM, and can be implemented in the form of HDD, SSD, SD, Micro-SD, or a combination thereof.

[0052] The sensor 131-1 included in the interface 131 of the battery management device 130 can be configured, for example, to measure voltage from the battery 120 and generate a voltage measurement value. The charger / discharger 110 can apply a test voltage and / or test current to the battery 120 during the charge / discharge test and can measure a voltage measurement value from the battery 120 during the charge / discharge test. For example, voltage values ​​can be measured at intervals of 0.1 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 1 second, 2 seconds, 3 seconds, 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 12 seconds, 15 seconds, or other different values ​​during the charge / discharge test, and these values ​​can constitute a voltage measurement value. According to the embodiment, the sensor 131-1 included in the interface 131 of the battery management device 130 can measure voltage from the battery 120 while a charge / discharge test is being performed on the battery 120.

[0053] The controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to derive the average rate of change of voltage measurements during a first time interval. For example, the first time interval may be a 100-second interval, and the voltage measurements may be taken one per second, resulting in 100 values. In this case, the average rate of change of voltage measurements during the first time interval can be calculated by dividing the difference between the last 100th voltage value and the first voltage value by 100 seconds.

[0054] The controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to compare the voltage measurement value with a corresponding value (Slope) based on the average rate of change and derive the voltage difference value (△_V_Slope) during the first time interval. For example, in a graph showing voltage fluctuations due to time variation, the trajectory shown by the voltage measurement value can differ from the straight line shown by the average rate of change, and the difference value between the voltage measurement value and the value corresponding to the average rate of change can be calculated at each measurement point. For details regarding the voltage difference value, refer to Figures 5 to 10 described later.

[0055] The controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value (ΔV_Slope). According to the embodiment, the controller 132 can be further configured to correct the voltage measurement based on the voltage difference value (ΔV_Slope) and derive a voltage correction value for the first time interval.

[0056] According to the embodiment, the pattern of voltage difference values ​​generated due to an internal defect in the battery 120 may differ from the pattern of voltage difference values ​​generated for reasons unrelated to the defect in the battery 120. Taking this into consideration, errors occurring in the voltage measurement can be corrected by the charger / discharger 110 or sensor 131-1, etc., based on the pattern of the voltage difference values.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine the presence or absence of a first error that occurs in the process of generating a voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value, and to correct the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of a first error, such as a malfunction of a group of devices including the charger / discharger 110 or sensor 131-1. As will be described later, the first error that occurs in the process of generating a voltage measurement value may be different from a second error in the voltage measurement value that occurs due to an internal malfunction of the battery 120. According to one embodiment, the first error exhibits certain characteristics in terms of the magnitude of the measurement value and / or the duration of the error, so the detection and correction of the first error can be performed taking these into consideration.

[0058] According to the embodiment, the first error may include errors occurring in the charger / discharger 110 that charges or discharges the battery 120 for charge / discharge testing, and errors occurring in the process of the sensor 131-1 measuring the voltage of the battery 120. According to the embodiment, the first error is unrelated to defects in the battery 120 such as internal short circuits or open circuits, and may include, for example, errors occurring in the test voltage of the charger / discharger 110, or measurement errors of the sensor 131-1. According to the embodiment, the first error may further include errors occurring due to other components of the battery charge / discharge system 100, unrelated to defects in the battery 120 itself.

[0059] According to the embodiment, the controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine the presence or absence of a first error based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether the voltage difference value recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within the second time interval after exceeding the threshold difference value. For example, if the measured voltage value is greater than the corresponding value based on the average rate of change, the sign of the voltage difference value may be positive, and if the measured voltage value is less than the corresponding value based on the average rate of change, the sign of the voltage difference value may be negative. In addition, whether the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value and whether the voltage difference value that exceeds the threshold difference value recovers to near the average rate of change can be considered as patterns for determining the first error.

[0060] According to the embodiment, the controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine that a first error exists if the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval. A negative sign for the voltage difference value may mean that the measured voltage is larger than the corresponding value based on the average rate of change. In this case, if the voltage difference value exceeding the threshold difference value recovers to near the average rate of change within the second time interval, this pattern can be interpreted as indicating that a first error has occurred due to a factor other than the battery 120, such as an error in the charger / discharger 110 or a group of devices such as the sensor 131-1. According to the embodiment, a first error can be determined in a similar manner even when the sign of the voltage difference value is positive.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine that if the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values, and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, then there is no first error, but there is a second error caused by a defect in the battery 120. The fact that the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values ​​may mean that the voltage measurement values ​​exist both above and below the straight line on the graph showing the average rate of change, and therefore the range of variation of the voltage measurement values ​​is large. This can be interpreted as a pattern of the second error in which a defect such as a short circuit or open circuit occurs inside the battery 120.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the controller 132 of the battery management device 130 can be configured to determine that if the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference and the voltage difference does not recover within the second time interval, there is no first error and no second error caused by a defect in the battery 120, and the battery 120 is in a normal charging and discharging state. Conversely, if the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference but recovers within the second time interval, as described above, in the case of a first error, it can be classified as a defect in a group of devices such as the charger / discharger 110 or the sensor 131-1.

[0063] According to the embodiment, the first time interval may be 100 seconds, the second time interval may be 1 second, and the threshold difference value may be 1 mV (0.001 V). That is, the process of determining whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement and correcting it can be performed with a period of 100 seconds as one unit. On the other hand, in the process of determining the first error and / or the second error, the second time interval, which serves as the reference time for recovering from abnormal voltage, can be set to 1 second, and the threshold difference value, which serves as the criterion for determining whether or not it is an abnormal voltage, can be set to 1 mV (0.001 V).

[0064] According to the embodiment, the values ​​of the first time interval, the second time interval, and the threshold difference value can be set differently depending on various factors such as the type of charger / discharger 110, the type of charge / discharge test, the form of the test voltage, the voltage standard, capacity, structure, lifespan, characteristics of the battery 120, and the type of sensor 131-1. For example, the first time interval can be set to 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 15 seconds, 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 60 seconds, 90 seconds, 120 seconds, 150 seconds, 200 seconds, 300 seconds, etc., the second time interval can be set to 0.1 seconds, 0.2 seconds, 0.3 seconds, 0.5 seconds, 1.2 seconds, 1.5 seconds, 2.0 seconds, 2.5 seconds, 3.0 seconds, etc., and the threshold difference value can be set to 0.1mV, 0.2mV, 0.3mV, 0.5mV, 1.2mV, 1.5mV, 2.0mV, 2.5mV, 3.0mV, etc.

[0065] Figure 3 shows graphs 310, 320, and 330 illustrating situations where the first error that occurs in the process of generating voltage measurements according to some embodiments does not exist. In Figure 3, graphs 310, 320, and 330 show the changes in voltage (V), current (A), and temperature (°C) on the vertical axis as time (sec) on the horizontal axis.

[0066] In Graph 310, the current value is a positive number around 14.0A, and therefore, Graph 310 can be said to represent the situation in which battery 120 is being charged. In Graph 310, the voltage increases over time from approximately 4.1417V around 805580 seconds, decreases sharply around 805620 seconds, and then reaches a constant value of approximately 4.1250V. This distribution of voltage measurements indicates the situation of error 2, in which a defect occurred in battery 120 during charging.

[0067] In Graph 320, the current value is a negative number around -14.0A, and therefore Graph 320 can be said to represent a situation where battery 120 is being discharged. In Graph 320, the voltage decreases over time from approximately 3.3787V around 405860 seconds, and after repeatedly increasing and decreasing significantly around 405900 seconds, it decreases again at a constant rate. This distribution of voltage measurements indicates that this situation does not include the first error and represents the second error situation where a defect occurred in battery 120 during discharge.

[0068] In Graph 330, the current value is a positive number around 16.7V, and therefore, Graph 330 can be said to represent a situation where battery 120 is being charged. In Graph 330, the voltage steadily increases over time from approximately 3.56V around 38320 seconds. Based on this distribution of voltage measurements, it can be determined that neither the first nor the second error occurred.

[0069] In other words, in the graphs of Figure 3, the graphs indicated by reference numerals 310 and 320 show a situation where the first error, which is an error in the apparatus, does not occur, but the second error, which is an error in the battery 120, does occur. The graph indicated by reference numeral 330 shows a situation where neither the first error, which is an error in the apparatus, nor the second error, which is an error in the battery 120, occurs.

[0070] Figure 4 shows graphs 410, 420, and 430 illustrating situations where a first error occurs during the process of generating voltage measurements according to some embodiments. In Figure 4, graphs 410, 420, and 430 show the changes in voltage (V), current (A), and temperature (°C) on the vertical axis as time (sec) on the horizontal axis.

[0071] In Graph 410, the current value is a positive number around 13.55A, and therefore, Graph 410 can be said to represent a situation where battery 120 is being charged. In Graph 410, the voltage increases over time from approximately 3.6650V around 2423160 seconds, and after repeatedly increasing and decreasing significantly around 2423200 seconds, it recovers to a value according to the existing rate of increase. This distribution of voltage measurements can be judged as a pattern indicating a situation in which a first error occurs in the process of generating voltage measurements, regardless of a defect in battery 120.

[0072] In Graph 420, the current value is 0V, and therefore, Graph 420 indicates that battery 120 is in a rest state. In Graph 420, the voltage increases from approximately 2.7721V around 2,339,480 seconds, increases significantly after approximately 2,339,520 seconds, and then recovers again. This distribution of voltage measurements indicates a situation in which the first error occurs.

[0073] In Graph 430, the current value is negative, approximately -13.5A. Therefore, Graph 430 can be said to represent a situation where battery 120 is discharging. In Graph 430, the voltage decreases over time from approximately 3.7497V around 2411740 seconds, increases significantly around 2411760 seconds, and then recovers to a value according to the previous increase rate. This distribution of voltage measurements indicates a situation in which the first error occurs.

[0074] Figures 5 to 7 show the process of determining that the first error has not occurred based on voltage measurements according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 5, we see Table 510, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 310 in Figure 3, and Graph 520, which shows the average rate of change of the voltage measurements in Table 510. Referring to Figure 6, we see Table 610, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 320 in Figure 3, and Graph 620, which shows the average rate of change of the voltage measurements in Table 610. Referring to Figure 7, we see Table 710, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 330 in Figure 3, and Graph 820, which shows the average rate of change of the voltage measurements in Table 710.

[0075] Table 510 may include a first interval 511 in which the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value in the positive direction, and a second interval 512 in which the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value in the negative direction, where, according to one embodiment, the threshold difference value is 1 mV (0.001 V). Graph 520 shows that in the first interval 511 the voltage measurement is greater than the corresponding value due to the average rate of change, and in the second interval 512 the voltage measurement is smaller than the corresponding value due to the average rate of change. The voltage pattern in such a graph 520 can be interpreted as a situation where the first error does not occur, but the second error does occur, because the signs of the voltage difference values ​​include both positive and negative, and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value (e.g., 1 mV).

[0076] In a similar manner to Table 510, Table 610 includes a first interval 611 where the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference in the positive direction, and a second interval 612 where the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference in the negative direction, and Graph 620 can show a pattern in which the voltage measurement values ​​fluctuate significantly above and below the average rate of change. Since the voltage pattern of such Graph 620 includes both positive and negative signs of the voltage difference values, and the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference value (e.g., 1mV), it can be interpreted as a situation in which the first error does not occur, but the second error does occur.

[0077] Unlike tables 510 and 610, table 710 includes a first interval 711 in the positive direction where the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference (e.g., 1 mV), but does not include an excess interval in the opposite direction. In particular, the voltage measurements in table 710 show that after the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference, it does not recover to a range where it does not exceed the threshold difference within a second interval (e.g., 1 second), which can also be confirmed from graph 720. Such a voltage pattern in graph 720 can be interpreted as a situation in which neither the first nor the second error occurs.

[0078] Figures 8 to 10 show the process of determining that a first error, which is an error in the apparatus, has occurred based on voltage measurements according to some embodiments. Referring to Figure 8, we see Table 810, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 410 in Figure 4, and Graph 820, which shows the voltage measurements in Table 810 and the average rate of change of the voltage measurements. Referring to Figure 9, we see Table 910, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 420 in Figure 4, and Graph 920, which shows the average rate of change of the voltage measurements in Table 910. Referring to Figure 10, we see Table 1010, which shows the voltage measurements that make up Graph 430 in Figure 4, and Graph 1020, which shows the average rate of change of the voltage measurements in Table 1010.

[0079] Table 810 includes intervals 811, 812, 813, and 814 where the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference, and similarly, Tables 910 and 1010 also include intervals where the magnitude exceeds the threshold difference. Intervals 811, 812, 813, and 814 in Table 810 can be said to correspond to the upward spikes in Graph 820, and the threshold-exceeding intervals (911, ..., 918) in Table 910 and the threshold-exceeding intervals (1011, ..., 1017) in Table 1010 can be said to correspond to the spikes in Graphs 920 and Graph 1020.

[0080] However, the voltage distributions in Graphs 820, 920, and 1020 all show a situation where the magnitude of the voltage difference exceeds the threshold difference, and then recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference within the second time interval (e.g., 1 second). Such a pattern means that the voltage spike disappears within a short time, that there is no second error related to an internal defect in the battery 120, and that the first error occurred due to the charger / discharger 110 or sensor 131-1.

[0081] On the other hand, if, after the process described above, it is determined that there is no second error related to an internal defect in the battery 120, and that a first error has occurred due to the charger / discharger 110 or sensor 131-1, the battery management device 130 corrects the voltage measurement value. According to one embodiment, if it is determined that a first error exists, a correction value can be derived by replacing the measurement value at each measurement point with the value shown on the rate of change graph at that point in time. In the case of Figure 10, it is determined that a first error exists, and the measurement value is corrected by replacing the measurement value of 3.7483V at 65.6 seconds with the value of 3.7428V on the rate of change graph.

[0082] Referring to Figure 11, a battery management method 1100 according to one embodiment may include steps 1110 to 1150. However, the battery management method 1100 is not limited thereto, and some steps may be omitted or other general steps may be added. The steps of the battery management method 1100 can be performed in an order different from that shown.

[0083] The battery management method 1100 can consist of steps processed chronologically in the battery management device 130. Therefore, even if some details are omitted below, the information described above regarding the battery management device 130 can be similarly applied to the battery management method 1100.

[0084] Steps 1110 to 1160 of the battery management method 1100 can be performed by the sensor 131-1 and controller 132 included in the interface 131 of the battery management device 130.

[0085] In step 1110, the battery management device 130 can measure the voltage from the battery 120 via the sensor 131-1 at a predetermined time, for example, in the first time interval, and generate a voltage measurement value.

[0086] In step 1120, the battery management device 130 can derive the average rate of change of voltage measurements during the first time interval via the controller. The average rate of change can be calculated, for example, by dividing the difference between the last voltage value and the first voltage value measured within the time interval (e.g., 100 seconds) by the time interval (e.g., 100 seconds), as described above.

[0087] In step 1130, the battery management device 130 can, via the controller, compare the measured voltage with a corresponding value based on the average rate of change to derive the voltage difference value during the first time interval.

[0088] In step 1140, the battery management device 130, via the controller, determines abnormal behavior of the voltage measurement values ​​during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value, thereby determining whether or not an error exists in the measurement values.

[0089] In step 1150, the battery management device 130 can analyze the type of error and determine whether or not a first error, which is an error in the device group, exists.

[0090] In step 1160, if the battery management device 130 determines that a first error exists, it corrects the voltage measurement and terminates the process. In step 1140, if it is determined that there are no errors in the voltage measurement, the battery management device 130 terminates the process without performing any further correction processing.

[0091] On the other hand, the battery management method 1100 can be implemented in the form of a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium. That is, the computer program can include instructions for implementing the battery management method 1100, and the instructions of the program can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium. The computer program can include a mobile application.

[0092] For example, computer-readable storage media can include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical media such as CD-ROMs and DVDs; magneto-optical media such as floptical disks; and hardware devices specifically configured to store and execute computer program instructions, such as ROM, RAM, and flash memory. Computer program instructions can include machine code created by a compiler and high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter or the like.

[0093] The terms “contain,” “constitute,” or “have,” as used above, mean “may contain,” and should not be interpreted as meaning that they may contain, unless otherwise specified, other components, rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, should have the same meaning as that generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong, unless otherwise specified. Commonly used terms, such as those defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted to be consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein.

[0094] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept disclosed herein, and any person with ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong can make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only, not to limit the technical concept of the embodiments disclosed herein, and the scope of the technical concept disclosed herein is not limited by such embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical concept disclosed herein must be interpreted according to the claims described below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0095] 100: Battery charging and discharging system 110: Charger / discharger 120:Battery 130:Battery management device 131: Interface 132: Controller 1100: Battery management method

Claims

1. An interface configured to obtain voltage measurements generated by measuring the voltage from a battery according to a fixed time interval within a first time interval, During the first time interval, the average rate of change of the voltage measurement was derived, The voltage measurement value is compared with the corresponding value based on the average rate of change to derive the voltage difference value during the first time interval. A controller configured to determine whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement value during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value, A battery management device, including a battery management device.

2. The aforementioned controller, The battery management device according to claim 1, further configured to derive a voltage correction value for the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value if it is determined that an error exists in the voltage measurement value.

3. The aforementioned controller, The presence or absence of a first error that occurs in the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value is determined. The battery management device according to claim 2, configured to correct the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of the first error.

4. The battery management device according to claim 3, wherein the first error includes errors occurring in a charger / discharger that charges or discharges the battery for charge / discharge testing, and errors occurring in the process of measuring the voltage of the battery to generate the voltage measurement value.

5. The aforementioned controller, The battery management device according to claim 3 or 4, configured to determine the presence or absence of the first error based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether, after the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, it recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within a second time interval.

6. The aforementioned controller, The battery management device according to claim 5, configured to determine that a first error exists if the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval which is after the first time interval.

7. The aforementioned controller, The battery management device according to claim 5, wherein the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values, and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value, the device is configured to determine that the first error does not exist and that a second error caused by a battery defect exists.

8. The aforementioned controller, The battery management device according to claim 5, configured such that if the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value and the voltage difference value does not recover within the second time interval, it is determined that the first error does not exist and that the second error caused by a battery defect does not exist.

9. The steps include obtaining voltage measurements generated by measuring the voltage from the battery via an interface according to a fixed time interval within a first time interval, The steps include: deriving the average rate of change of the voltage measurement value during the first time interval via the controller; The steps include: comparing the measured voltage value with the corresponding value based on the average rate of change via the controller to derive the voltage difference value during the first time interval; The steps include determining, via the controller, whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement value during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value, Battery management methods, including those mentioned above.

10. The battery management method according to claim 9, further comprising the step of deriving a voltage correction value for the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value if it is determined via the controller that an error exists in the voltage measurement value.

11. The step of deriving the voltage correction value is: A step of determining whether or not a first error occurs in the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value, The battery management method according to claim 10, comprising the step of correcting the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of the first error.

12. The battery management method according to claim 11, wherein the first error includes an error occurring in a charger / discharger that charges or discharges the battery for a charge / discharge test, and an error occurring in the process of measuring the voltage of the battery to generate the voltage measurement value.

13. The step of determining whether or not the aforementioned first error exists is: A battery management method according to claim 11 or 12, comprising the step of determining whether or not the first error exists based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether or not the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether or not the voltage difference value recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within a second time interval after exceeding the threshold difference value.

14. The step of determining whether or not the aforementioned first error exists is: The battery management method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of determining that the first error exists if the sign of the voltage difference value is negative, the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and the voltage difference value recovers within the second time interval.

15. The step of determining whether or not the aforementioned first error exists is: The battery management method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of determining that the first error does not exist and a second error caused by a battery defect exists if the sign of the voltage difference value includes both positive and negative values ​​and the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value.

16. The step of determining whether or not the aforementioned first error exists is: The battery management method according to claim 13, further comprising the step of determining that if the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds the threshold difference value and the voltage difference value does not recover within the second time interval, then the first error does not exist and the second error caused by a battery defect does not exist.

17. Batteries and A charger / discharger configured to charge or discharge the battery for charge / discharge testing, A battery management device configured to obtain a voltage measurement value generated by measuring the voltage from the battery during a first time interval, derive the average rate of change of the voltage measurement value during the first time interval, compare the voltage measurement value with a corresponding value based on the average rate of change to derive a voltage difference value during the first time interval, and determine whether or not an error exists in the voltage measurement value during the first time interval based on the voltage difference value, A battery charging and discharging system, including a battery charging and discharging system.

18. The aforementioned battery management device, The battery charging and discharging system according to claim 17, further configured to derive a voltage correction value for the first time interval by correcting the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value if it is determined that an error exists in the voltage measurement value.

19. The aforementioned battery management device, The presence or absence of a first error that occurs in the process of generating the voltage measurement value based on the voltage difference value is determined. The battery charging and discharging system according to claim 18, configured to correct the voltage measurement value based on the presence or absence of the first error.

20. The aforementioned battery management device, The battery charging and discharging system according to claim 19, configured to determine the presence or absence of the first error based on the sign of the voltage difference value, whether the magnitude of the voltage difference value exceeds a threshold difference value, and whether the voltage difference value recovers to a range that does not exceed the threshold difference value within a second time interval after exceeding the threshold difference value.

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