Solving communication failure in a vehicle wireless battery management system

Abstract

Methods, apparatus, systems, devices, and non-transitory computer program products that address communication failures within a wireless battery management system (BMS) of a vehicle are disclosed. In particular embodiments, a wireless network controller (WNC) of a wireless BMS determines that a communication failure exists between the WNC and one or more module measurement systems (MMSs). The WNC also determines a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, and selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level. In particular embodiments, the WNC performs the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

Description

BACKGROUND

[0001] Vehicle sensor systems often use wireless communication to facilitate communication between vehicle sensors and control systems. When communication is lost between a sensor and a control system, safety measures must be implemented to put the vehicle into a safe operating state, which can include stopping the vehicle, limiting vehicle acceleration, limiting top vehicle speed, and / or other safety precautions. The safe operating state is maintained until the vehicle can be repaired. However, in many cases, the communication failure can be only temporary and the cause of the failure can be resolved without putting the vehicle into a safe operating state. SUMMARY

[0002] Methods, apparatus, systems, devices, and non-transitory computer program products are disclosed that address communication failures within a wireless battery management system (BMS) of a vehicle. In particular embodiments, a wireless network controller (WNC) of a wireless BMS determines that a communication failure exists between the WNC and one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) of the wireless BMS. In this example embodiment, the WNC determines a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, and selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level. In this particular embodiment, the WNC performs the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0003] In particular embodiments, a wireless battery management system (BMS) is disclosed that includes one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack. The wireless BMS also includes a wireless network controller (WNC) that includes a processor and a memory operatively coupled to the processor, the memory having computer program instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the WNC to perform operations. In this example embodiment, the operations include determining a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, determining a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level, and performing the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0004] In another embodiment, the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions embodied thereon that, when executed by a processor of a wireless network controller (WNC) of a wireless battery management system (BMS), cause the WNC to perform operations. In this embodiment, the operations include determining that a communication failure exists between the WNC and one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) of the wireless BMS, the one or more MMSs configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack; determining a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level; and performing the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0005] By utilizing the background RF power level to select one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure within the BMS, the WNC has an opportunity to identify the action(s) that are most likely to correct the failure. Performing the selected action(s) can resolve the failure such that communication between the WNC and the one or more MMSs can be restored prior to expiration of a fault-tolerant time interval of the vehicle. In this case, the communication failure is resolved without requiring the vehicle to enter a safe operating state. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters indicate identical or similar parts throughout the drawings, and wherein:

[0007] Figure 1 A block diagram illustrating a battery pack apparatus including a wireless battery management system configured to resolve a communication failure within the wireless battery management system is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0008] Figure 2 A block diagram illustrating a module measurement system of a wireless battery management system configured to resolve a communication failure within the wireless battery management system is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] Figure 3 A block diagram illustrating a wireless network controller of a wireless battery management system configured to resolve a communication failure within the wireless battery management system is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0010] Figure 4 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving a communication failure within a wireless battery management system is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0011] Figure 5An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0012] Figure 6 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0013] Figure 7 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0014] Figure 8 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0015] Figure 9 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 10 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 11 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 12 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 13 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 14 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 15 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 16 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 17An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 18 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 19 An implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not intended to be limiting of further examples. Whenever a singular form such as "a," "an" and "the" is used in conjunction with a term such as "comprising," "including," "containing," "having" or the like, there is a full and complete understanding that the term is intended to be interpreted as including the possessive form of the term as well as the singular form. Also, the use of "including" and "comprising" and variations thereof is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items and equivalents thereof. Further, "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration," and not "preferred" over other examples. Similarly, "embodiment" or "embodiments" is / are not necessarily used in the sense of perfect or ideal examples, but rather to express that a particular example is an example of one or more implementations.

[0027] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. It is to be understood that the term "comprising" or "comprises" is not limiting and means "including at least" and also encompasses the meaning of "consisting essentially of" and "consisting of."

[0028] Accordingly, although the description has been described with reference to particular examples, it is to be understood that changes can be made to these examples without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. As indicated above, for example, the principles of the present disclosure can be applied to wireless battery management systems other than those described above. As such, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the examples described herein but rather is to be accorded the widest scope possible consistent with the principles and various features described herein.

[0029] The principles of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example method, apparatus, device, and computer program product for determining a wireless battery management system communication disruption according to the present disclosure are described beginning with FIG. 1. To further illustrate and describe the principles of the present disclosure, Figure 1A block diagram of a battery pack apparatus (100) including a wireless battery management system (BMS) 101 configured to address communication failures within the wireless BMS (101) is shown in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery pack apparatus (100) includes a battery (102), such as a high-voltage battery for an electric vehicle. The battery (102) includes a plurality of cells (104a-104n), such as lithium-ion (Li-ion) cells. The cells (104a-104n) are grouped into modules (106a-106n) such that each module (106a-106n) includes a corresponding subset of the cells (104a-104n). The cells (104a-104n) can be physically grouped into modules (106a-106n) using a housing, a chassis, or other enclosure. The cells (104a-104n) can also be logically grouped into modules (106a-106n) by virtue of different groupings of the cells (104a-104n) monitored by different module monitoring systems (108a-108n).

[0030] The battery pack apparatus (100) also includes a plurality of module monitoring systems (MMSs) (108a-108n). Each MMS (108a-108n) is configured to monitor a corresponding module (106a-106n) of the cells (104a-104n). For example, each module (106a-106n) can have an MMS (108a-108n) attached to a chassis, a base, a tray, or other mechanism that holds the cells (104a-104n) of the module (106a-106n). Each MMS (108a-108n) includes sensors to measure various properties of the cells (104a-104n) of its corresponding module (106a-106n). Such properties can include voltage, current, temperature, and potentially other properties. The properties are indicated in battery sensor data generated by the MMS (108a-108n).

[0031] Each MMS (108a-108n) encodes its battery sensor data for transmission as a wireless signal and transmits its battery sensor data as a wireless signal to a wireless network controller (WNC) (114). The WNC (114) can in turn provide the battery sensor data to a vehicle control system (112).

[0032] In a particular embodiment, the WNC (114) determines a communication failure between the WNC (114) and one or more of the MMS (108a-108n). The WNC (114) also determines a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (114) and one or more of the MMS (108a-108n), and selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (114) and the one or more MMS (108a-108n) based on the determined background RF power level. In this particular embodiment, the WNC (114) performs the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0033] By utilizing the background RF power level, the WNC has an opportunity to identify the action(s) that are most likely to correct the failure by selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure within the BMS. Performing the selected action(s) can resolve the failure such that communication between the WNC and the one or more MMS can be restored prior to expiration of the fault-tolerant time interval for the vehicle. In this case, the communication failure is resolved without requiring the vehicle to enter a safe operating state.

[0034] Construction Figure 1 The arrangement of devices and components of the exemplary system shown is for explanatory and not limiting purposes. The BMS (103) can support various communication protocols, such as IEEE 802.11, WAP (Wireless Access Protocol), Bluetooth, and others as will occur to those skilled in the art. In addition to the components shown, the BMS (103) can include other components, such as a power supply, a power supply controller, and the like. Figure 1 In addition to the embodiments shown, embodiments of the present application can also be implemented on various hardware platforms.

[0035] To further illustrate, Figure 2 A module monitoring system (MMS) (200) of a wireless battery management system (BMS) (e.g., the BMS (101)) in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 1 The MMS (200) includes a WNC (202) and one or more MMS (204a-204n). The WNC (202) is configured to communicate with one or more MMS (204a-204n) via a communication channel (206). The WNC (202) is also configured to determine a background RF power level of the communication channel (206) between the WNC (202) and one or more MMS (204a-204n), and select one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC (202) and the one or more MMS (204a-204n) based on the determined background RF power level. The WNC (202) is further configured to perform the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure. Figure 1a block diagram of a module monitoring system (108a-108n) of a wireless battery management system (101) configured to address communication failures within the wireless BMS. The MMS (200) includes a controller (201) coupled to a memory (203). The controller (201) is configured to obtain sensor readings from sensors (205) (e.g., voltage sensors, temperature sensors, current sensors) to generate battery sensor data (211). The controller (201) is further configured to transmit the sensor data (211) through a radio frequency transceiver (209). The controller (201) can include or implement a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic array (PLA), such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other data computing unit according to the present disclosure. The battery sensor data (211) can be stored in the memory (203). The memory (203) can be a non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory.

[0036] To further illustrate, Figure 3 a wireless BMS (e.g., a wireless battery management system (101)) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, Figure 1 a block diagram of a wireless network controller (WNC) (300) of a BMS (101) (e.g., a wireless battery management system (101)) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, Figure 1 a block diagram of a wireless network controller (WNC) (300) of a BMS (101) (e.g., a wireless battery management system (101)) according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown, Figure 2 The WNC (300) includes a controller (301) coupled to a memory (303). The WNC (301) is configured to receive wireless signals encoding sensor data (311) from a plurality of MMS (e.g., MMS (200)) through a radio frequency transceiver (309). The controller (301) can generate the sensor data (311) based on the wireless signals.

[0037] The controller (301) can include or implement a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a programmable logic array (PLA), such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA), or other data computing unit according to the present disclosure. The battery sensor data (311) can be stored in the memory (303). The memory (303) can be a non-volatile memory, such as a flash memory. The controller (301) can be further configured to provide the sensor data to a vehicle control system (e.g., a vehicle control system (112)) through a VCS interface (313). The VCS interface (313) can include a bus or other wired connection to the VCS. Figure 1

[0038] ​In particular embodiments, the WNC (300) determines a communication failure between the WNC (300) and one or more MMSs. The WNC (300) also determines a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (300) and the one or more MMSs, and selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (300) and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level. In this particular embodiment, the WNC (300) performs the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0039] To further illustrate, Figure 4 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system (BMS) in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 4 The method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system (BMS) includes a wireless network controller (WNC) (401) of the wireless BMS recording (410) received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements of a plurality of incoming data packets received from one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) (403). For example, the WNC (401) can receive data packets from the MMSs (403) on a periodic basis (e.g., every 2 seconds). In this example, the data packets can be transmitted via a radio frequency (RF) link and received by the WNC (401). The received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements of the plurality of incoming data packets received from the one or more MMSs (403) are recorded (410) by the WNC (401) measuring and recording the RSSI of the incoming data packets received from the one or more MMSs (403).

[0040] Figure 4 The method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system (BMS) also includes the WNC (401) determining (420) that a communication failure has occurred in response to detecting that the packet loss count has exceeded a packet loss threshold. A fault tolerance time interval (FTTI) can be defined, for example, in terms of time since the last data packet was received or the number of packets lost (i.e., no data packets received for a predetermined interval). For example, the FTTI can expire when 10 data packets have not been received or 10 seconds have passed since the last data packet was received. Once the FTTI expires, the vehicle must be placed in a safe operating state. The determination (420) that a communication failure has occurred in response to detecting that the packet loss count has exceeded a packet loss threshold is made by the WNC (401) setting a packet loss threshold (e.g., packet loss = 3) to avoid exceeding the FTTI, and the WNC (401) determining that the number of expected but not received packets has exceeded the packet loss threshold.

[0041] Figure 4The method of can further include the WNC (401) measuring (430) a background RF power level. The background RF power level is measured (430) by the WNC (401) measuring the RF power level of the received signal when no data packet is expected. For example, if a data packet from the MMS (403) is expected every 2 seconds, the WNC (401) measures the background RF power level ("PBG") at a time between such intervals. For example, the PBG can be measured at a time reserved for channel access for BMS commands (i.e., a time slot).

[0042] Figure 4 The method of can further include the WNC (401) determining (440) a likelihood that the communication loss is temporary based on the measured background RF power level. The likelihood that the communication loss is temporary is determined (440) by the WNC (401) categorizing a probability level that the communication loss is temporary based on whether the PBG is above or below a threshold level. The threshold level can be based on a recorded RSSI from one or more MMS ("PRX"). For example, the PRX can be a recorded RSSI value from a data packet from one MMS, an average of RSSI values from one MMS, an average of RSSI values from multiple MMSs, or a maximum recorded RSSI value.

[0043] When the PBG is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the WNC (401) can categorize the likelihood that the communication loss is temporary as a high probability. For example, the first threshold can be the PRX. Thus, when PBG > PRX, there is a high probability that the communication loss. The likelihood that the communication loss is temporary can be a high probability in that the communication loss is highly likely to be due to signal interference. Thus, the interfering signal can stop or move away from the vehicle, the vehicle can move away from the interfering signal, a denial of service (DoS) attack can subside, and thus the communication loss can be remedied before the FTTI expires.

[0044] When the PBG is less than the PRX but greater than or equal to a second threshold, the WNC (401) can categorize the likelihood that the communication loss is temporary as a medium probability. For example, the second threshold can be the PRX minus a power factor, such as PRX - M dBm. For example, M can equal 6 dBm. In the scenario where PBG < PRX but PBG > PRX - M dBm, there is a medium probability that the communication loss is temporary.

[0045] When PBG is less than a third threshold, WNC (401) can categorize the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary as no probability. For example, the third threshold can be PRX minus another power factor, such as PRX - N dBm. For example, N can equal 10 dBm. In the scenario where PBG < PRX - N dBm, it can be inferred that the interfering signal is not due to the communication loss, but rather the communication loss is more likely due to a hardware failure.

[0046] Figure 4 The method of determining the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary further includes WNC (401) performing (450) a remedial operation (e.g., one or more actions) in response to the communication loss based on the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary. The performing (450) of the remedial operation in response to the communication loss based on the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary is performed in the following manner: WNC (401) takes remedial action based on whether the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary is high, medium, or no probability. For example, if it is determined that the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary is high, WNC (401) can attempt to remedy the communication loss by switching to a redundant communication channel to avoid exceeding FTTI. If it is determined that the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary is medium, WNC (401) can attempt to remedy the communication loss by increasing the radio frequency power of WNC (401) and MMS (403) and re-evaluating the communication loss before FTTI elapses. If it is determined that the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary is no probability, WNC (401) can attempt to remedy the communication loss by increasing the radio frequency power of WNC (401) and MMS (403) and re-evaluating the communication loss before FTTI elapses. If FTTI elapses, the vehicle can enter a safe operating state.

[0047] Figure 4 The exemplary method of determining the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary can be embodied in computer program instructions stored in the memory of WNC (401) that, when executed by the processor of WNC (401), cause WNC (401) to perform the method of determining the likelihood of the communication loss being temporary. Figure 4 However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the present application can also be embodied in a computer program product deployed on a computer readable storage medium for use with any suitable data processing system.

[0048] To further illustrate, Figure 5 is shown an implementation flow diagram illustrating a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining (502), by the WNC (501), that there is a communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503). The WNC (501) determines (502) that there is a communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) by detecting that no data packets have been received within a set time period; detecting that no set number of packets have been received within a set time period; detecting that a packet loss count has risen above a packet loss threshold; other communication disruption detection methods.

[0049] Figure 5 The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining (504), by the WNC (501), a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503). The WNC (501) determines (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) by the WNC (501) measuring the RF power level of a received signal when no data packet is expected. For example, if a data packet from an MMS (503) is expected every 2 seconds, the WNC (501) can measure the background RF power level ("PBG") at a time between such intervals. For example, the PBG can be measured at a time reserved for channel access for BMS commands.

[0050] Further, Figure 5 The method of claim 1, further comprising: selecting (506), by the WNC (501), one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level. The WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level by determining whether the background RF power level is above a particular threshold; determining whether to determine whether the background RF power level is below another threshold; selecting a set of actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the particular threshold; selecting another set of actions in response to determining that the background RF power is below the other threshold.

[0051] Figure 5 The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing (508), by the WNC (501), the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure. The WNC (501) performs (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure by the WNC performing one or more of: switching from one communication channel to a redundant communication channel to communicate with the one or more MMSs; increasing the RF transceiver power of the WNC; increasing the RF transceiver power of the one or more MMSs.

[0052] By utilizing the background RF power level, the WNC has an opportunity to identify the action(s) that are most likely to correct the communication failure by selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure within the BMS. Performing the selected action(s) can resolve the failure such that communication between the WNC and the one or more MMS can be restored prior to expiration of the fault-tolerant time interval for the vehicle. In this case, the communication failure is resolved without requiring the vehicle to enter a safe operating state.

[0053] To further illustrate, Figure 6 An implementation flowchart illustrating a method of resolving a communication failure within a wireless battery management system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 The method of Figure 5 The method of Figure 6 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure has occurred between the WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected action(s) to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0054] However, in the method of Figure 6 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure has occurred between the WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected action(s) to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0055] In addition, the WNC (501) selecting (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting (604) a first set of actions as the one or more actions. The selecting (604) of the first set of actions as the one or more actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level includes: switching to a redundant communication channel to avoid exceeding the FTTI.

[0056] In particular embodiments, the first threshold level can be a logged RSSI from one or more MMS ("PRX") of incoming data packets. For example, the PRX can be a logged RSSI value from one MMS of data packets, an average of RSSI values from one MMS, an average of RSSI values from multiple MMS, or a maximum logged RSSI value. When the background RF power level ("PBG") is greater than or equal to the first threshold, the likelihood that the communication loss is temporary can be a high probability. For example, the first threshold can be the PRX. Thus, when PBG > PRX, the probability of a communication loss can be high. The likelihood that the communication loss is temporary can be a high probability in that the high likelihood of a communication loss is due to signal interference. Thus, the interfering signal can stop or move away from the vehicle, the vehicle can move away from the interfering signal, or the DoS attack can weaken, and thus the communication loss can be remedied before the FTTI expires.

[0057] To further illustrate, Figure 7 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 The method of Figure 6 The method of Figure 7 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; wherein the WNC (501) selecting (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determining (602) whether the background RF power level is above a first threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting (604) a first set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0058] However, unlike the method of Figure 6 The method of Figure 7 The method of includes: the WNC (501) receiving (702) a plurality of data packets from one or more MMS (503). The WNC (501) receives (702) the plurality of data packets from the one or more MMS (503) by receiving the data packets at a wireless network adapter of the WNC via a wireless communication channel.

[0059] Further, Figure 7 The method of further includes the WNC (501) determining (704) received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements for the plurality of data packets. The WNC (501) determines (704) received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements for the plurality of data packets by the WNC (501) measuring and recording the RSSI of incoming data packets received from one or more MMS (503). For example, the WNC (501) can receive data packets from the MMS (503) on a regular basis (e.g., every 2 seconds). The data packets are transmitted via a radio frequency (RF) link and received by the WNC (501).

[0060] Additionally, Figure 7 The method of includes the WNC (501) setting (706) a first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurements. The WNC (501) sets (706) a first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurements by storing the RSSI measurement as the first threshold; storing the RSSI measurement plus a first additional value as the first threshold; storing the RSSI measurement minus a second additional value as the first threshold.

[0061] To further illustrate, Figure 8 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication faults within a wireless battery management system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 8 The method of is similar to the method of Figure 7 The method of is similar to the method of Figure 8The method also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; the WNC (501) receiving (702) a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (704) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets; based on the determined RSSI measurement, the WNC (501) setting (706) a first threshold level; wherein the WNC (501) selects (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determining (602) whether the background RF power level is above the first threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting (604) a first set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0062] In Figure 8 In the method, the WNC (501) sets (706) the first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (802) the determined data packet RSSI as the first threshold level. Setting (802) the determined data packet RSSI as the first threshold level specifically includes: storing the RSSI measurement as the first threshold.

[0063] To further illustrate, Figure 9 An implementation flowchart of a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 9 The method is similar to the method of Figure 6 The method is similar to the method of Figure 9The method also includes: WNC (501) determining (502) a communication failure occurs between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) determining (504) the background radio frequency (RF) power level of the communication channel between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; wherein, WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determining (602) whether the background RF power level is higher than a first threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is higher than the first threshold level, selecting (604) a first set of actions as one or more actions.

[0064] exist Figure 9 In the method, the first set of actions may include: in order to communicate with one or more MMSs (503), the WNC (501) switches (902) from a communication channel to a redundant communication channel. The WNC (501) switches (902) from a communication channel to a redundant communication channel by: sending an instruction to one or more MMSs to switch to the redundant communication channel; switching to the redundant communication channel without instructing the MMSs; transmitting data packets to one or more MMSs using the redundant communication channel; and receiving data packets from one or more MMSs on the redundant communication channel.

[0065] To further elaborate, Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating an implementation of a method for resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is provided. Figure 10 Methods and Figure 5 The similarities between the methods are that, Figure 10 The method also includes: WNC (501) determining (502) a communication failure occurs between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) determining (504) the background radio frequency (RF) power level of the communication channel between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0066] However, inFigure 10 In the method of 200, the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level, including: determining (1002) whether the background RF power level is above a second threshold level. Determining (1002) whether the background RF power level is above a second threshold level is performed by: comparing the background RF power level to a predetermined power level; comparing the background RF power level to a value based on the recorded RSSI values of the one or more MMSs.

[0067] In addition, the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level, including: in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the second threshold level, selecting (1004) a second set of actions as the one or more actions. Selecting (1004) a second set of actions as the one or more actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the second threshold level is performed by: increasing the RF power level of the WNC; increasing the RF power level of the one or more MMSs; sending an indication to the one or more MMSs to increase the RF power level.

[0068] In particular embodiments, when the PBG is less than PRX (e.g., a first threshold) but greater than or equal to a second threshold, the communication loss being temporary (e.g., due to signal interference) can be a medium probability. For example, the second threshold can be PRX minus a power factor, such as PRX - M dBm. For example, M can equal 6 dBm. In the scenario where PBG < PRX but PBG > PRX - M dBm, there can be a medium probability that the communication loss is temporary.

[0069] To further illustrate, Figure 11 FIG. 2 shows an implementation flow diagram of a method to address communication failure within a wireless battery management system, in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 11 The method of 200 is similar to the method of Figure 10 The method of 200 is similar to the method of Figure 11The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; wherein the WNC (501) selecting (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determining (1002) whether the background RF power level is above a second threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the second threshold level, selecting (1004) a second set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0070] Further, Figure 11 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) receiving (1102) a plurality of data packets from one or more MMSs (503). The WNC (501) receives (1102) a plurality of data packets from one or more MMSs (503) by receiving the data packets at a wireless network adapter of the WNC via a wireless communication channel.

[0071] Figure 11 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (1104) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets. The WNC (501) determines (1104) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets by the WNC (501) measuring and recording the RSSI of incoming data packets received from the one or more MMSs (503). For example, the WNC (501) can receive data packets from the MMSs (503) periodically (e.g., every 2 seconds). The data packets are transmitted via a radio frequency (RF) link and received by the WNC (501).

[0072] Additionally, Figure 11The method of further includes: the WNC (501) sets (1106) a second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement. The WNC (501) sets (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement in a specific way: stores the RSSI measurement plus a first additional value as the second threshold; stores the RSSI measurement minus a second additional value as the second threshold. For example, the second threshold can be PRX minus a power factor, such as PRX - M dBm. For example, M can equal 6 dBm. In a scenario where PBG < PRX but PBG ≥ PRX - M dBm, there can be a medium probability to consider the communication loss as temporary.

[0073] To further illustrate, Figure 12 An implementation flowchart showing a method of solving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 12 The method of further includes: Figure 11 The method of is similar to the method of, Figure 12 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determines (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) determines (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) performs (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; wherein the WNC (501) selects (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMS (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determines (1002) whether the background RF power level is higher than a second threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is higher than the second threshold level, selects (1004) a second set of actions as the one or more actions. In addition, the method of is similar to the method of, Figure 11 The method of, Figure 12 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) receives (1102) a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMS (503); the WNC (501) determines (1104) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets; based on the determined RSSI measurement, the WNC (501) sets (1106) a second threshold level.

[0074] In the method of, Figure 12In the method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold.

[0075] To further illustrate, Figure 13 An implementation flowchart is shown for a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 13 The method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold. Figure 10 The method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold. Figure 13 The method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold.

[0076] In the method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold. Figure 13 In the example of the method of the WNC (501) setting (1106) the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1202) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level specifically involves: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the second threshold.

[0077] To further illustrate, Figure 14 An implementation flowchart is shown for a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure.Figure 14 Methods and Figure 5 The similarities between the methods are that, Figure 14 The method also includes: WNC (501) determining (502) a communication failure occurs between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) determining (504) the background radio frequency (RF) power level of the communication channel between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); based on the determined background RF power level, WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between WNC (501) and one or more MMS (503); WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0078] exist Figure 14 In the method, the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed based on the determined background RF power level to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503), including: determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is lower than a third threshold level. Specifically, determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is lower than the third threshold level involves: comparing the background RF power level with a predetermined power level; and comparing the background RF power level with a measured RSSI value based on one or more MMSs.

[0079] In addition, Figure 14 In the method, the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed based on the determined background RF power level to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503), including: selecting (1404) a third set of actions as one or more actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is lower than a third threshold level. Specifically, selecting (1404) a third set of actions as one or more actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is lower than a third threshold level involves: increasing the RF power level of the WNC; increasing the RF power level of one or more MMSs; sending an indication to one or more MMSs to increase the RF power level; and switching to a redundant communication channel to avoid exceeding the FTTI.

[0080] In a specific embodiment, when PBG is less than the third threshold, the likelihood that the communication loss is temporary can be zero. For example, the third threshold can be PRX minus another power factor, such as PRX – N dBm. For example, N can be equal to 10 dBm. In the scenario where PBG < PRX – N dBm, it can be inferred that the interference signal is not caused by the communication loss, but is more likely caused by a hardware failure.

[0081] To further illustrate, Figure 15 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 15 The method of Figure 14 The method of Figure 15 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure; wherein the WNC (501) selecting (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level includes: determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is below a third threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is below the third threshold level, selecting (1404) a third set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0082] However, Figure 15 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) receiving (1502) a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs (503). The WNC (501) receives (1502) the plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs (503) by receiving the data packets at a wireless network adapter of the WNC via a wireless communication channel.

[0083] In addition, Figure 15 The method of also includes: the WNC (501) determining (1504) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets. The WNC (501) determines (1504) the RSSI measurement of the plurality of data packets by the WNC (501) measuring and recording the RSSI of the incoming data packets received from the one or more MMSs (503). For example, the WNC (501) can receive data packets from the MMSs (503) periodically (e.g., every 2 seconds). The data packets can be transmitted via a radio frequency (RF) link and received by the WNC (501).

[0084] Additionally, Figure 15The method of the WNC (501) also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure. In one embodiment, the WNC (501) selects (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level by: determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is below a third threshold level; and in response to determining that the background RF power level is below the third threshold level, selecting (1404) a third set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0085] To further illustrate, Figure 16 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving a communication failure within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 16 The method of the WNC (501) is similar to Figure 15 The method of the WNC (501) is similar to Figure 16 The method of the WNC (501) also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure occurs between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure. In one embodiment, the WNC (501) selects (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level by: determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is below a third threshold level; and in response to determining that the background RF power level is below the third threshold level, selecting (1404) a third set of actions as the one or more actions. Figure 15 The method of the WNC (501) is similar to Figure 16 The method of the WNC (501) also includes: the WNC (501) receiving (1502) a plurality of data packets from one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (1504) a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement value of the plurality of data packets; and based on the determined RSSI measurement value, the WNC (501) setting (1506) a third threshold level.

[0086] In one embodiment, Figure 16In the method of the WNC (501) setting (1506) a third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1602) a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1602) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level is performed by: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the third threshold.

[0087] To further illustrate, Figure 17 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failure within a wireless battery management system in accordance with at least one embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 17 The method of the WNC (501) is similar to the method of the WNC (501) in that, Figure 14 The method of the WNC (501) is also similar to the method of the WNC (501) in that: Figure 17 The method of the WNC (501) is also similar to the method of the WNC (501) in that: the WNC (501) determines (502) that a communication failure has occurred between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determines (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) selects (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level; and the WNC (501) performs (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure. The WNC (501) selects (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level by: determining (1402) whether the background RF power level is below a third threshold level; and selecting (1404) a third set of actions as the one or more actions in response to determining that the background RF power level is below the third threshold level.

[0088] In the method of the WNC (501) setting (1506) a third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes: setting (1602) a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a first predetermined power level as the second threshold level. Setting (1602) the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level as the second threshold level is performed by: determining the difference between the determined data packet RSSI and the first predetermined power level; and storing the determined difference as the third threshold. Figure 17 In the example of the method of the WNC (501) selecting (506) the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level, the third set of actions includes: the WNC (501) switching (1702) from a communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) increasing (1704) a radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs (503); and the WNC (501) increasing (1706) a radio frequency power of the WNC (501). The WNC (501) switches (1702) from the communication channel to the redundant communication channel by: sending an indication to switch to the redundant communication channel to the one or more MMSs; not instructing the MMSs to switch to the redundant communication channel; transmitting data packets to the one or more MMSs using the redundant communication channel; and receiving data packets from the one or more MMSs on the redundant communication channel.

[0089] Increasing (1704) the radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs (503) and increasing (1706) the radio frequency power of the WNC (501) by sending instructions to the one or more MMSs to increase the RF power used to transmit received wireless signals and instructing the wireless transceiver of the WNC to use higher power when transceiving with the one or more MMSs.

[0090] To further illustrate, Figure 18 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 18 The method of Figure 5 The method of Figure 18 The method of also includes the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure exists between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503), the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503), the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level, and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0091] In the method of Figure 18 In the method of the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure exists between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) includes detecting (1802) that a packet loss count has exceeded a packet loss threshold in a plurality of data packets (503) received from the one or more MMSs. Detecting (1802) that a packet loss count has exceeded a packet loss threshold in a plurality of data packets received from the one or more MMSs (503) is performed by the WNC (401) establishing a packet loss threshold (e.g., packet loss = 3) to not exceed a fault tolerance time interval (FTTI) and determining that a number of expected but not received packets is higher than the packet loss threshold.

[0092] To further illustrate, Figure 19 An implementation flowchart showing a method of resolving communication failures within a wireless battery management system according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 18 The method of Figure 5 The method of Figure 18The method of the WNC (501) also includes: the WNC (501) determining (502) that a communication failure has occurred between the WNC (501) and one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) determining (504) a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503); the WNC (501) selecting (506) one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) based on the determined background RF power level; and the WNC (501) performing (508) the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0093] In addition, Figure 19 The method of the WNC (501) includes: after performing the selected one or more actions, the WNC (501) determining (1902) that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions. The WNC (501) determines (1902) that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions in the following manner: determining that one or more data packets have been received; determining whether the reception condition of the one or more data packets meets the requirement for restarting the FTTI; in response to determining that the reception of the one or more data packets does not meet the requirement for restarting the FTTI, incrementing a counter of the FTTI; and determining that the counter of the FTTI is greater than a threshold value of the FTTI.

[0094] In addition, Figure 19 The method of the WNC (501) includes: in response to determining that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions, causing the vehicle to be placed (1904) in a safe operating state. The WNC (501) causes the vehicle to be placed (1904) in a safe operating state in response to determining that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC (501) and the one or more MMSs (503) is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions in the following manner: sending an instruction to an electronic control unit (ECU) of a vehicle control system (VCS) that the FTTI has expired; and sending an instruction to the ECU to cause the vehicle to be placed in the safe operating state.

[0095] In view of the above, the reader will appreciate that the benefits of determining radio battery management system communication interruptions in accordance with embodiments of the present application include improved vehicle wireless sensor systems in determining the type and / or underlying cause of a communication failure and determining whether the communication failure can be remedied before the FTTI elapses, and those skilled in the art will further appreciate other benefits.

[0096] The exemplary embodiments of the present application are primarily described in the context of a fully functional computer system for functional safety in a battery management system. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the application can be embodied in a computer program product deployed on a computer readable storage medium for use with any suitable data processing system. Such computer readable storage medium can be any storage medium for machine-readable information, including magnetic media, optical media, or other suitable medium. Examples of such media include a magnetic disk or tape in a hard disk drive or a floppy disk, a compact disk for a compact disk drive, a magnetic tape, and other media which those skilled in the art can appreciate. Those skilled in the art will immediately recognize that any computer system having suitable programming means can be able to execute the steps of the method of the present application embodied in a computer program product. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that alternative embodiments embodied as firmware or hardware are well within the scope of the present application, although some of the exemplary embodiments described in this specification are directed to software installed and executed on computer hardware.

[0097] The present application can be a system, a device, a method and / or a computer program product. The computer program product can include a computer readable storage medium (or media) having computer readable program instructions thereon for causing a processor to carry out aspects of the present application.

[0098] The computer readable storage medium can be a tangible device that can retain and store instructions for use by an instruction execution device. The computer readable storage medium can be, for example, but is not limited to, an electronic storage device, a magnetic storage device, an optical storage device, an electromagnetic storage device, a semiconductor storage device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. A non-exhaustive list of more specific examples of the computer readable storage medium can also include the following: a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), a static random access memory (SRAM), a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), a digital versatile disk (DVD), a memory stick, a floppy disk, a mechanically encoded device such as punch cards or punched tape, and any suitable combination of the foregoing. A computer readable storage medium, as used herein, is not to be construed as being transitory signals per se, such as radio waves or other freely propagating electromagnetic waves, electromagnetic waves propagating through a waveguide or other transmission media (e.g., light pulses passing through a fiber-optic cable), or electrical signals transmitted through a wire.

[0099] Computer readable program instructions described herein can be downloaded to respective computing / processing devices from a computer readable storage medium or to an external computer or external storage device via a network, for example, the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network and / or a wireless network. The network can comprise copper transmission cables, optical transmission fibers, wireless transmission, routers, firewalls, switches, gateway computers and / or edge servers. A network adapter card or network interface in each computing / processing device receives computer readable program instructions from the network and forwards the computer readable program instructions to storage media within the respective computing / processing device for execution by a processor.

[0100] Computer readable program instructions for carrying out operations of the present application can be assembler instructions, instruction-set-architecture (ISA) instructions, machine instructions, machine dependent instructions, microcode, firmware instructions, state-setting data, or either source code or object code written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object oriented programming language such as Smalltalk, C++ or the like, conventional procedural programming languages, such as the "C" programming language or similar programming languages, or combinations of such languages. The computer readable program instructions can execute entirely on the user's computing / processing device, partly on the user's computing / processing device, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the user's computing / processing device and partly on a remote computing / processing device or entirely on the remote computing / processing device or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computing / processing device can be connected to the user's computing / processing device through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection can be made to an external computing / processing device, for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider. In some embodiments, electronic circuitry including, for example, programmable logic circuitry, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or programmable logic arrays (PLA) can execute the computer readable program instructions by utilizing state information of the computer readable program instructions to personalize the electronic circuitry to perform aspects of the present application.

[0101] Aspects of the present application are described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) and computer program products according to embodiments of the application. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer readable program instructions.

[0102] These computer readable program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks. These computer readable program instructions can also be stored in a computer readable storage medium that can direct a computer, a programmable data processing apparatus, and / or other

[0103] The computer readable program instructions can also be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing apparatus, or other device to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer, other programmable apparatus or other device to produce a computer implemented process, such that the instructions which execute on the computer, other programmable apparatus, or other device implement the functions / acts specified in the flowchart and / or block diagram block or blocks.

[0104] The flow diagrams and the block diagrams in the drawings are meant as illustrative representations of architectures, functions, and operations according to embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, each block in the flow diagrams and the block diagrams can represent a module, segment, or portion of instructions, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing one or more specified logical functions "acts". In some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the box can occur out of the order noted in the figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently or the blocks can sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and / or flowchart illustrations, and combinations thereof, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.

[0105] Advantages and features of the disclosure can be further described through the following statements:

[0106] 1. A method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transitory medium for resolving communication faults within a vehicle's wireless battery management system (BMS), wherein the wireless BMS includes a wireless network controller (WNC) and one or more module measurement systems (MMS), the one or more MMS being configured to monitor multiple cells of a battery pack, the method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transitory medium comprising: the WNC determining that a communication fault exists between the WNC and the one or more MMS; the WNC determining the background radio frequency (RF) power level of the communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMS; based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC selecting one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication fault between the WNC and the one or more MMS; and the WNC executing the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication fault.

[0107] 2. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transient medium according to statement 1, wherein, based on a determined background radio frequency power level, the WNC selects one or more actions to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMS, including: determining whether the background radio frequency power level is higher than a first threshold level; and, in response to determining that the background radio frequency power level is higher than the first threshold level, selecting a first set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0108] 3. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transient medium according to statement 1 or 2, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurements of the plurality of data packets; and the WNC setting the first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurements.

[0109] 4. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transient medium according to any one of statements 1 to 3, wherein setting the first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement value includes: setting the determined data packet RSSI to the first threshold level.

[0110] 5. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, or non-transitory medium according to any one of statements 1 to 4, wherein the first set of actions includes: in order to communicate with the one or more MMSs, the WNC switches from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel.

[0111] 6. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-5, wherein based on the determined background radio frequency power level, the WNC selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, including: determining whether the background radio frequency power level is above a second threshold level; responsive to determining that the background radio frequency power level is above the second threshold level, selecting a second set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0112] 7. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-6, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets; the WNC setting the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement.

[0113] 8. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-7, wherein the WNC sets the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement, including: setting a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a first predetermined power level as the second threshold level.

[0114] 9. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-8, wherein the second set of actions includes: increasing a radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs; increasing a radio frequency power of the WNC.

[0115] 10. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-9, wherein based on the determined background radio frequency power level, the WNC selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, including: determining whether the background radio frequency power level is below a third threshold level; responsive to determining that the background radio frequency power level is below the third threshold level, selecting a third set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0116] 11. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any of statements 1-10, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets; the WNC setting the third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement.

[0117] 12. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any one of statements 1-11, wherein the WNC setting the third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement includes setting a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a second predetermined power level as the third threshold level.

[0118] 13. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any one of statements 1-12, wherein the third set of actions includes the WNC switching from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMSs, increasing radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs, and increasing radio frequency power of the WNC.

[0119] 14. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any one of statements 1-13, wherein the WNC determining that there is a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs includes detecting that a packet loss count has risen above a packet loss threshold within a plurality of data packets received from the one or more MMSs.

[0120] 15. The method, apparatus, system, computer program product, non-transitory medium of any one of statements 1-14, further comprising, after performing the selected one or more actions, the WNC determining that a fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions, and in response to determining that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions, causing the vehicle to be placed in a safe operating state.

[0121] 16. A wireless battery management system (BMS), comprising: one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack; a wireless network controller (WNC) including a processor and a memory operably coupled to the processor, the memory having computer program instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the WNC to: determine that there is a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; determine a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; select one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs based on the determined background RF power level; and perform the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0122] 17. The wireless BMS of statement 16, wherein selecting the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMS based on the determined background RF power level comprises determining whether the background RF power level is above a first threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting a first set of actions as the one or more actions.

[0123] 18. The wireless BMS of statement 16 or 17, wherein the first set of actions comprises at least one of the following: switching from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMS; increasing a RF power of the one or more MMS; increasing a RF power of the WNC.

[0124] 19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless network controller (WNC) of a wireless battery management system (BMS), cause the WNC to: determine that there is a communication failure between the WNC and one or more module measurement systems (MMS) of the wireless BMS, the one or more MMS configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack; determine a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMS; based on the determined background RF power level, select one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMS; perform the selected one or more actions to attempt to correct the communication failure.

[0125] 20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of statement 19, wherein selecting the one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMS based on the determined background RF power level comprises determining whether the background RF power level is above a first threshold level; in response to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting at least one of the following as the one or more actions: the WNC switching from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMS; increasing a RF power of the one or more MMS; increasing a RF power of the WNC.

[0126] One or more embodiments can be described herein in terms of methods comprising functional building blocks and method steps. For convenience, these functional building blocks and method steps are described herein as separate items. This is not to be interpreted as a requirement that these functional building blocks and method steps be realized in separate items. The functions of the various functional building blocks and method steps can be performed in one or more structural blocks and / or by one or more structural components. The structural blocks and / or structural components can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. The functional building blocks and method steps described herein are intended to be interpreted broadly to include any and all combinations of hardware, software, firmware, and / or other structural components that perform the specified function.

[0127] The flow diagram blocks and sequence of blocks in the drawings can be defined in other ways and still perform certain important functions as long as the specified functions and relationships are appropriately performed. Accordingly, this alternative definition of the flow diagram blocks and sequence of blocks is within the scope and spirit of the claims. Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the functional building blocks and other illustrative blocks, modules and components described herein can be implemented as described herein or by hardware, software, firmware, processor-executed software or any combination thereof.

[0128] While various combinations of features and functions of one or more embodiments are explicitly described herein, other combinations of features and functions are also possible. The disclosure is not limited to the specific examples disclosed herein and expressly incorporates the other combinations.

[0129] From the foregoing, it will be appreciated that modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the true spirit of the present disclosure. The description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the language of the claims.

Claims

1. A method of resolving a communication failure within a wireless battery management system (BMS) of a vehicle, the wireless BMS including a wireless network controller (WNC) and one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack, the method comprising: the WNC determining that there is a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; the WNC performing the selected one or more actions; subsequent to performing the selected one or more actions, the WNC determining whether a fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired prior to the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs being corrected by performing the selected one or more actions; and if the selected one or more actions resolve the communication failure, resuming communication between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, or responsive to determining that the fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired prior to the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs being corrected by performing the selected one or more actions, placing the vehicle in a safe operating state. based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, includes:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, determining whether the background RF power level is above a first threshold level; responsive to determining that the background RF power level is above the first threshold level, selecting a first set of actions as the one or more actions.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the plurality of data packets; the WNC setting the first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement. setting the first threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement, includes:

4. The method of claim 3, wherein, setting the determined data packet RSSI as the first threshold level. the first set of actions includes the WNC switching from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMSs.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein, based on the determined background RF power level, the WNC selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, includes:

6. The method of claim 1, wherein, determining whether the background RF power level is above a second threshold level; responsive to determining that the background RF power level is above the second threshold level, selecting a second set of actions as the one or more actions.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; ​ the WNC determines a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement value for the plurality of data packets; the WNC sets the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, the WNC sets the second threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement value, including: setting a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a first predetermined power level as the second threshold level.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein, the second set of actions includes: increasing radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs; increasing radio frequency power of the WNC.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein, based on the determined background radio frequency power level, the WNC selects one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, including: determining whether the background radio frequency power level is below a third threshold level; in response to determining that the background radio frequency power level is below the third threshold level, selecting a third set of actions as the one or more actions.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: the WNC receiving a plurality of data packets from the one or more MMSs; the WNC determining a received signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement value for the plurality of data packets; the WNC sets the third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement value, the WNC sets the third threshold level based on the determined RSSI measurement value including setting a difference between the determined data packet RSSI and a second predetermined power level as the third threshold level.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein, the third set of actions includes: switching, by the WNC, from the communication channel to a redundant communication channel for communicating with the one or more MMSs; sending instructions to the one or more MMSs to increase radio frequency power of the one or more MMSs; increasing radio frequency power of the WNC.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein, the WNC determines that there is a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs, including: detecting, within a plurality of data packets received from the one or more MMSs, that a packet loss count has risen above a packet loss threshold.

14. A wireless battery management system (BMS), comprising: one or more module measurement systems (MMSs) configured to monitor a plurality of cells of a battery pack; a wireless network controller (WNC) including a processor and a memory operably coupled to the processor, the memory having computer program instructions stored therein that, when executed by the processor, cause the WNC to perform operations including: determining that there is a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; determining a background radio frequency (RF) power level of a communication channel between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; based on the determined background radio frequency power level, selecting one or more actions to be performed to attempt to correct a communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs; performing the selected one or more actions; subsequent to performing the selected one or more actions, the WNC determines whether a fault tolerance time interval for the vehicle has expired prior to the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMSs being corrected by performing the selected one or more actions; and and resuming communication between the WNC and the one or more MMS if the selected one or more actions resolve the communication failure, or placing the vehicle in a safe operating state in response to determining that a fault tolerance time interval of the vehicle has expired before the communication failure between the WNC and the one or more MMS is corrected by performing the selected one or more actions.

15. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer program instructions that, when executed by a processor of a wireless network controller (WNC) of a wireless battery management system (BMS), cause the WNC to perform the steps of the method of claim 1.

Images