Battery management equipment, battery testing devices and battery management methods

Abstract

A battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes: a curve generation unit configured to acquire a battery curve representing the correspondence between the battery voltage and the state of charge (SOC), and to generate a differential curve representing the correspondence between the SOC and a differential voltage relative to the SOC based on the acquired battery curve; and a control unit configured to receive the differential curve from the curve generation unit, calculate the degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset standard curve, and determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the calculated degree of correlation.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application 10-2020-0138622, filed in Korea on October 23, 2020, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] This disclosure relates to battery management devices and battery management methods, and more specifically to battery management devices and battery management methods capable of determining the type of negative electrode of a battery. Background Technology

[0003] Recently, demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, cameras, and mobile phones has increased dramatically, and electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites have also been developed. Therefore, high-performance batteries that allow for repeated charging and discharging are being actively researched.

[0004] Currently available batteries include nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), nickel-zinc (NiZn), and lithium-ion batteries. Among them, lithium-ion batteries have attracted attention because they have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, and also have a very low self-charging rate and high energy density.

[0005] Depending on the type of positive and negative electrodes used, batteries exhibit different voltage curves, which represent the relationship between voltage and capacity. If the type of the battery's positive and negative electrodes is unknown, it becomes impossible to specify the appropriate usage conditions. For example, when the type of the battery's positive and negative electrodes is unknown, a problem arises where an unsuitable battery is used in a product requiring fast charging, preventing it from being charged quickly. Therefore, for batteries with unknown positive and negative electrodes, determining their type is one way to prevent rapid battery degradation.

[0006] However, depending on the nickel (Ni) composition, it is relatively easy to distinguish the positive electrode of a battery, but it is difficult to determine whether the negative electrode of a battery is based on natural graphite or artificial graphite.

[0007] Therefore, it is necessary to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the battery voltage and SOC (state of charge) behavior, and to set the battery usage conditions according to the determination results. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] This disclosure aims to address the problems of the prior art. Therefore, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a battery management device and method for determining the type of the negative electrode of a battery based on the battery's voltage and SOC, and setting the battery's usage conditions according to the determination result.

[0010] These and other objects and advantages of this disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description and from exemplary embodiments thereof. Moreover, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of this disclosure can be achieved by the means set forth in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

[0011] Technical solution

[0012] A battery management device according to one aspect of this disclosure may include: a curve generation unit configured to acquire a battery curve representing the correspondence between the battery voltage and the state of charge (SOC), and to generate a differential curve representing the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage of the SOC based on the acquired battery curve; and a control unit configured to receive the differential curve from the curve generation unit, calculate the degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset standard curve, and determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the calculated degree of correlation.

[0013] The control unit can be configured to calculate a first degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset first standard curve, calculate a second degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset second standard curve different from the first standard curve, and determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery by comparing the calculated first degree of correlation and the calculated second degree of correlation.

[0014] The control unit can be configured to determine that the negative electrode of the battery is a natural graphite-based negative electrode when the first correlation degree is equal to or greater than the second correlation degree.

[0015] The control unit can be configured to determine that the negative electrode of the battery is a graphite-based negative electrode when the first correlation degree is less than the second correlation degree. The first standard curve can be configured to be preset to represent the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage of a first reference cell including a natural graphite-based negative electrode.

[0016] The first standard curve can be configured to represent the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage of a first reference cell including a negative electrode based on natural graphite.

[0017] The second standard curve can be configured to represent the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage of a second reference cell including a negative electrode based on artificial graphite.

[0018] The control unit can be configured to calculate, respectively, a first degree of correlation representing the curve consistency rate between the first SOC interval of the first standard curve and the first SOC interval of the differential curve, and a second degree of correlation representing the curve consistency rate between the first SOC interval of the second standard curve and the first SOC interval of the differential curve.

[0019] The control unit can be configured to determine a target peak value in the second SOC interval of the differential curve, compare the differential voltage of the determined target peak value with a preset reference value, and determine whether to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the comparison result.

[0020] The control unit can be configured to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the first standard curve, the second standard curve, and the differential curve when the differential voltage of the target peak is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0021] The control unit can be configured to set the battery usage conditions based on whether to determine the type of the battery's negative electrode and the determined type of the battery's negative electrode.

[0022] The control unit can be configured to set the battery usage conditions when the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a natural graphite-based negative electrode, such that the battery is charged and discharged below a predetermined C rate.

[0023] The control unit can be configured to set the battery usage conditions when the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a graphite-based negative electrode, such that the battery is charged and discharged at the predetermined C rate or higher.

[0024] The control unit can be configured to reduce the available SOC range of the battery and set the battery usage conditions so that the battery is charged and discharged below the predetermined C rate when the type of the negative electrode of the battery is not determined.

[0025] A battery testing apparatus according to another aspect of this disclosure may include a battery management device according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0026] A battery pack according to another aspect of this disclosure may include a battery management device according to one aspect of this disclosure.

[0027] A battery management method according to another aspect of this disclosure may include: a battery curve acquisition step, wherein a battery curve representing the correspondence between battery voltage and SOC is acquired in the battery curve acquisition step; a differential curve generation step, wherein a differential curve representing the correspondence between SOC and differential voltage of SOC is generated based on the battery curve acquired in the battery curve acquisition step; a correlation degree calculation step, wherein the correlation degree calculation step calculates the correlation degree between the differential curve and a preset standard curve; and a negative electrode type determination step, wherein the negative electrode type determination step determines the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the correlation degree calculated in the correlation degree calculation step.

[0028] According to another aspect of this disclosure, the battery management method may further include: after the differential curve generation step, the battery management method further includes: a determination step, in which a target peak value in the second SOC interval of the differential curve is determined, the differential voltage of the determined target peak value is compared with a preset reference value, and a determination is made based on the comparison result as to whether to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery.

[0029] In the correlation degree calculation step, the correlation degree may be calculated only when the type of the negative electrode of the battery is determined in the determination step.

[0030] Beneficial effects

[0031] According to one aspect of this disclosure, it is advantageous that the type of the negative electrode of the battery can be determined even without prior information about the battery.

[0032] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art based on the description of the claims. Attached Figure Description

[0033] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure; therefore, the present disclosure is not to be construed as limited to the drawings.

[0034] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery curve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0036] Figure 3 This is a diagram schematically illustrating the differential curves according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0037] Figure 4This is a diagram schematically illustrating a first standard curve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically illustrating a second standard curve according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery detection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0040] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0042] It should be understood that the terms used in the specification and appended claims should not be construed as limited to their general or dictionary meanings, but rather as meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of this disclosure, based on the principle that inventors are permitted to appropriately define terms to obtain the best interpretation.

[0043] Therefore, the description presented herein is merely a preferred example for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. It should be understood that other equivalents and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0044] In addition, in describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of relevant known elements or functions are omitted here where such descriptions would obscure the key subject matter of the disclosure.

[0045] Terms including ordinal numbers such as “first” and “second” can be used to distinguish one element from another among various elements, but are not intended to limit elements by terminology.

[0046] Throughout this specification, when a section is referred to as “comprising” or “including” any element, it means that the section may further include other elements without excluding them, unless otherwise expressly stated.

[0047] Furthermore, the term "control unit" described in the specification refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0048] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when one part is referred to as "connected" to another part, it is not limited to the case where they are "directly connected," but also includes the case where they are "indirectly connected" with another element inserted between them.

[0049] In the following, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] refer to Figure 1 The battery management device 100 may include a curve generation unit 110 and a control unit 120.

[0052] The curve generation unit 110 can be configured to acquire a battery curve PF_B representing the correspondence between the battery voltage and SOC.

[0053] Here, "battery" means a physically separable, independent cell comprising a negative terminal and a positive terminal. For example, a pouch-type lithium polymer cell can be considered a battery. Furthermore, "battery" can refer to a battery module consisting of multiple cells connected in series and / or parallel. In the following text, for ease of description, "battery" will be described as meaning a single, independent cell.

[0054] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the battery curve PF_B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] Specifically, Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a battery curve PF_B that can be obtained by the curve generation unit 110. (See reference) Figure 2 The battery curve PF_B can be a curve representing the relationship between the battery voltage and SOC.

[0056] For example, the battery curve PF_B can be the curve of the negative electrode of the battery. That is, the battery curve PF_B can be a curve that represents the relationship between the voltage of the negative electrode of the battery and the state of charge (SOC) of the battery. Figure 2 The battery curve PF_B can be obtained by charging the negative terminal of the battery with a constant current at a low rate (e.g., 0.05C (C rate)).

[0057] The curve generation unit 110 can be configured to generate a differential curve PF_D based on the acquired battery curve PF_B, which represents the correspondence between the state of charge (SOC) and the differential voltage relative to the SOC.

[0058] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the differential curve PF_D according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0059] Specifically, the differential curve PF_D can be a curve representing the relationship between the battery's SOC and the differential voltage (dV / dSOC), which is obtained by differentiating the battery's voltage from its SOC.

[0060] For example, refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The curve generation unit 110 can obtain Figure 2 The battery curve PF_B in the image is then used to generate the battery curve PF_B. Figure 3 The differential curve PF_D in the figure.

[0061] The control unit 120 can be configured to receive the differential curve PF_D from the curve generation unit 110.

[0062] Specifically, the control unit 120 can be connected to communicate with the curve generation unit 110. After generating the differential curve PF_D, the curve generation unit 110 can send the generated differential curve PF_D to the control unit 120.

[0063] The control unit 120 can be configured to calculate the correlation between the differential curve PF_D and a preset standard curve.

[0064] Specifically, multiple standard curves can be provided. For example, the standard curves may include a first standard curve PF1 and a second standard curve PF2 based on the type of the battery's negative electrode.

[0065] Figure 4 This is a diagram schematically illustrating the first standard curve PF1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] The first standard curve PF1 can be a curve pre-defined to represent the relationship between the state of charge (SOC) and the differential voltage of a first reference cell with a negative electrode based on natural graphite. In other words, the first standard curve PF1 can be the differential curve PF_D of the first reference cell with a negative electrode based on natural graphite.

[0067] Figure 5 This is a diagram schematically illustrating the second standard curve PF2 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0068] The second standard curve PF2 can be a preset curve representing the relationship between the state of charge (SOC) and the differential voltage of a second reference cell with a negative electrode based on artificial graphite. In other words, the second standard curve PF2 can be the differential curve PF_D of the second reference cell with a negative electrode based on artificial graphite.

[0069] The control unit 120 can calculate the degree of correlation between the first standard curve PF1 and the second standard curve PF2 and the differential curve PF_D received from the curve generation unit 110, respectively. Furthermore, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine the type of the battery's negative electrode based on the calculated degree of correlation.

[0070] In other words, the control unit 120 can calculate the degree of correlation between the first standard curve PF1 and the differential curve PF_D, and between the second standard curve PF2 and the differential curve PF_D, and determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery as either a negative electrode based on natural graphite or a negative electrode based on artificial graphite based on the calculated degree of correlation.

[0071] For example, for a battery with an unknown negative electrode type, the battery management device 100 can determine whether the negative electrode of the battery is a negative electrode based on natural graphite or a negative electrode based on artificial graphite by using the battery curve PF_B and the differential curve PF_D.

[0072] Therefore, the battery management device 100 has the advantage of being able to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery even without prior information about the battery.

[0073] Meanwhile, the control unit 120 disposed in the battery management device 100 may optionally include processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, communication modems, data processing devices, etc., known in the art, to execute the various control logics performed in this disclosure. Furthermore, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control unit 120 can be implemented as a set of program modules. In this case, the program modules can be stored in memory and executed by the control unit 120. The memory can be located internally or externally to the control unit 120 and can be connected to the control unit 120 in various known ways.

[0074] Furthermore, the battery management device 100 may also include a storage unit 130. The storage unit 130 may store data required for the operation and function of each component of the battery management device 100, data generated during the execution of operations or functions, etc. The type of storage unit 130 is not particularly limited, as long as it is a known information storage means capable of recording, erasing, updating, and retrieving data. As examples, information storage means may include RAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM, registers, etc. Additionally, the storage unit 130 may store program code defining processes that can be executed by the control unit 120.

[0075] The control unit 120 can be configured to calculate a first degree of correlation between the differential curve PF_D and a preset first standard curve PF1. Furthermore, the control unit 120 can be configured to calculate a second degree of correlation between the differential curve PF_D and a preset second standard curve PF2, which is different from the first standard curve PF1.

[0076] For example, the first standard curve PF1 and the second standard curve PF2 can be stored in the storage unit 130.

[0077] Here, the first degree of correlation can represent the curve similarity rate between the first SOC interval of the first standard curve PF1 and the first SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D. Furthermore, the second degree of correlation can represent the curve similarity rate between the first SOC interval of the second standard curve PF2 and the first SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D.

[0078] The first SOC interval can be an SOC interval that does not include the target peak TP, which will be described later. For example, the first SOC interval can be an SOC interval that is above 0% and smaller than the SOC of the target peak TP. More specifically, the first SOC interval can be an SOC interval that is above 0% and less than 40%.

[0079] The control unit 120 can calculate a first degree of correlation based on the consistency rate between the first standard curve PF1 and the differential curve PF_D within the first SOC interval. For example, the control unit 120 can calculate the first degree of correlation by considering the number of peaks and the SOC interval of the peaks included in the first SOC interval of the first standard curve PF1 and the first SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D. Similarly, the control unit 120 can calculate a second degree of correlation based on the consistency rate between the second standard curve PF2 and the differential curve PF_D within the first SOC interval.

[0080] For example, in Figure 3 In this implementation, the first peak P1 and the second peak P2 can be included in the first SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D. Here, the peak can be a point where the instantaneous rate of change of the differential voltage with respect to SOC is 0 and the instantaneous rate of change of the differential voltage with respect to SOC changes from positive to negative around the peak. That is, the peak can be a point in the differential curve PF_D with an upward convex shape. Furthermore, in Figure 4 In this implementation, the first SOC interval of the first standard curve PF1 may include a first peak a1, a second peak a2, and a third peak a3. Additionally, in... Figure 5 In this implementation, the first peak b1 and the second peak b2 may be included in the first SOC interval of the second standard curve PF2. The control unit 120 may calculate a first correlation degree between the differential curve PF_D and the first standard curve PF1 for the first SOC interval, and calculate a second correlation degree between the differential curve PF_D and the second standard curve PF2 for the first SOC interval.

[0081] The control unit 120 can be configured to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery by comparing a calculated first correlation degree with a calculated second correlation degree.

[0082] The control unit 120 can be configured to determine the negative electrode of the battery as a natural graphite-based negative electrode if a first correlation degree is greater than or equal to a second correlation degree. Conversely, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine the negative electrode of the battery as a synthetic graphite-based negative electrode if the first correlation degree is less than the second correlation degree.

[0083] For example, refer to Figures 3 to 5 The differential curve may have two peaks, the first standard curve may have three peaks, and the second standard curve may have two peaks. In this case, based on the number of peaks, the first correlation between the differential curve and the first standard curve can be calculated as lower than the second correlation between the differential curve and the second standard curve. Therefore, the control unit 120 can determine that the negative electrode of the battery is based on artificial graphite. In this embodiment, the correlation is calculated considering the number of peaks; however, it should be noted that the correlation between the first SOC interval of the differential curve and the first SOC interval of the standard curve is calculated based on various factors such as the SOC of the peaks, the differential voltage, and the distance between the peaks.

[0084] In other words, since the first standard curve PF1 is the differential curve PF_D of the first reference cell with a negative electrode based on natural graphite, and the second standard curve PF2 is the differential curve PF_D of the second reference cell with a negative electrode based on artificial graphite, if the first correlation degree is greater than or equal to the second correlation degree, the control unit 120 can determine that the type of the negative electrode of the battery is a negative electrode based on natural graphite.

[0085] Here, compared to a negative electrode based on artificial graphite, a negative electrode based on natural graphite degrades faster when charged or discharged at a higher C-rate (i.e., fast charging or discharging). Therefore, when the first correlation degree and the second correlation degree are calculated to be equal, the control unit 120 can determine that the type of the battery's negative electrode is a natural graphite-based negative electrode, thereby preventing accidental battery degradation in advance. To prevent battery degradation, the battery's operating conditions can be set according to the determined type of the negative electrode, as described later.

[0086] Meanwhile, the control unit 120 can first calculate the differential voltage of the target peak TP included in the second SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D before judging the degree of correlation between the standard curve and the differential curve PF_D, and then determine whether to judge the degree of correlation based on the calculated differential voltage.

[0087] In other words, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine the target peak value TP in the second SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D. Here, the first SOC interval and the second SOC interval can be different from each other. Preferably, the first SOC interval and the second SOC interval can be different from each other and do not overlap.

[0088] For example, the second SOC range can be an SOC range of 40% or higher but less than 100%. That is, in an SOC range of 50% or higher, the control unit 120 can determine the target peak value TP.

[0089] exist Figure 3 In this implementation, the control unit 120 can determine a target peak TP located at approximately 56% of the State of Charge (SOC). Here, similar to the first and second peaks, the target peak TP can be a point where the instantaneous rate of change of the differential voltage relative to the SOC is 0 and the instantaneous rate of change of the differential voltage relative to the SOC changes from positive to negative around the target peak TP.

[0090] The control unit 120 can be configured to compare the differential voltage of the determined target peak TP with a preset reference value.

[0091] Specifically, the reference value can be the value of dQ / dSOC. Therefore, the control unit 120 can compare the differential voltage of the target peak TP with the reference value.

[0092] For example, in Figure 3 In this implementation, the differential voltage of the target peak TP can be -0.010(dQ / dSOC), and the reference value can be -0.075(dQ / dSOC).

[0093] The control unit 120 can be configured to determine whether to judge the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the comparison result.

[0094] Specifically, when the differential voltage of the target peak TP is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 120 can be configured to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the first standard curve PF1, the second standard curve PF2 and the differential curve PF_D.

[0095] In other words, the control unit 120 can determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery only when the differential voltage of the target peak TP is greater than or equal to the reference value, and can not determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery when the differential voltage of the target peak TP is less than the reference value.

[0096] Here, when the differential voltage of the target peak TP is less than the reference value, the resistance of the battery's negative electrode may increase significantly, and in this case, it may be impossible to determine whether the battery's negative electrode is a natural graphite-based negative electrode or a synthetic graphite-based negative electrode. That is, the reference value can be the differential voltage corresponding to the degree to which the resistance of the battery's negative electrode increases to the point where the type of the battery's negative electrode cannot be determined. Therefore, the control unit 120 can determine the type of the battery's negative electrode only when the differential voltage is equal to or greater than the reference value.

[0097] As in the previous embodiment, in Figure 3 In this implementation, it is assumed that the differential voltage of the target peak TP is -0.010 (dQ / dSOC) and the reference value is -0.075 (dQ / dSOC). Since the differential voltage of the target peak TP is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 120 can determine the type of the negative electrode of the corresponding battery by comparing the differential curve PF_D of the corresponding battery with the first standard curve PF1 and the second standard curve PF2, respectively.

[0098] The control unit 120 can be configured to set battery usage conditions based on whether to determine the type of the battery's negative terminal and the determination type of the battery's negative terminal.

[0099] Here, the usage conditions are the optimal conditions under which the battery can be used, and can be conditions set for the battery's charge / discharge C-rate and / or available SOC range.

[0100] The control unit 120 can be configured to set battery usage conditions such that when the battery's negative electrode is determined to be a natural graphite-based negative electrode, the battery is charged and discharged at a rate below a predetermined C-rate. For example, the predetermined C-rate can be set to 1C or higher.

[0101] When a battery containing a negative electrode based on natural graphite is charged or discharged at a high C-rate, it may degrade faster than a battery containing a negative electrode based on artificial graphite. Therefore, when the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a natural graphite-based negative electrode, the control unit 120 may set the charge / discharge C-rate of the battery to be lower than a predetermined C-rate, so that the corresponding battery may degrade slowly under actual use.

[0102] The control unit 120 can be configured to set the battery usage conditions such that when the negative terminal of the battery is determined to be a graphite-based negative terminal, the battery is charged and discharged at a predetermined C rate or higher.

[0103] Batteries containing a negative electrode based on artificial graphite may degrade more slowly than batteries containing a negative electrode based on natural graphite, even when charged or discharged at a high C-rate. Therefore, when the negative electrode of a battery is determined to be based on artificial graphite, the control unit 120 can set the charge / discharge C-rate of the battery to a predetermined C-rate or higher, thereby improving the charge / discharge efficiency of the battery in actual use.

[0104] If the type of the negative electrode of the battery is not determined, the control unit 120 can be configured to reduce the available SOC range of the battery and set the battery usage conditions so that the battery is charged and discharged at a rate lower than a predetermined C rate.

[0105] As described above, when the differential voltage of the target peak TP is less than the reference value, the control unit 120 may not determine the type of the battery's negative electrode. In this case, since the battery's negative electrode can be a natural graphite-based negative electrode, the control unit 120 can set the charge / discharge rate (C-rate) of the corresponding battery to be less than a predetermined C-rate, thereby preventing battery degradation due to rapid charge / discharge. Furthermore, the control unit 120 can prevent battery degradation due to full charge (or overcharge) and full discharge (or over-discharge) by reducing the available SOC range of batteries for which the negative electrode type is not determined.

[0106] In other words, the battery management device 100 according to the embodiments of this disclosure can not only determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery, but also set the battery usage conditions according to the determination result, thus having the advantage of preventing the battery from deteriorating rapidly in the actual use environment.

[0107] Meanwhile, for example, the usage conditions set for the battery can be stored in the control unit 120 or the storage unit 130. As another example, the usage conditions set for the battery can be transmitted to an external server via the control unit 120, and the battery usage conditions can be stored in the external server.

[0108] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery detection device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0109] Reference Figure 6 The battery testing device may include a battery management device 100, a charging and discharging unit 200, and a measurement unit 300.

[0110] The charge / discharge unit 200 can discharge battery B to 0% SOC and then charge it from 0% to 100% SOC. For example, the charge / discharge unit 200 can discharge and charge battery B at a charge / discharge rate of 0.05C. Preferably, the type of the negative electrode of battery B can be unknown.

[0111] When battery B is charged by charging and discharging unit 200, measuring unit 300 can measure the voltage and current of battery B and estimate the state of charge (SOC) of battery B.

[0112] For example, the measurement unit 300 can be connected to the battery B via the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2. Additionally, the measurement unit 300 can measure the voltage of the battery B via the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2. Furthermore, the measurement unit 300 can be connected to the current measurement unit A via the third sensing line SL3 to measure the current of the battery B.

[0113] For example, the measurement unit 300 can generate a battery curve PF_B representing the correspondence between the measured voltage of battery B and the estimated state of charge (SOC) of battery B, and send the generated battery curve PF_B to the battery management device 100. The battery management device 100 can generate a differential curve PF_D of battery B based on the battery curve PF_B received from the measurement unit 300, and determine the type of the negative electrode of battery B based on the generated differential curve PF_D, a preset first standard curve PF1, and a preset second standard curve PF2. Furthermore, the battery management device 100 can set the usage conditions of battery B based on whether the type of the negative electrode of battery B has been determined and the determined type of the negative electrode of battery B.

[0114] Therefore, the battery detection device not only has the advantage of determining the type of negative electrode of battery B, but also has the advantage of setting the optimal usage conditions for battery B.

[0115] The battery management device 100 according to this disclosure can be applied to a BMS (Battery Management System). That is, a BMS according to this disclosure may include the aforementioned battery management device 100. In this configuration, at least some components of the battery management device 100 can be implemented by supplementing or adding functions included in a conventional BMS. For example, the curve generation unit 110, the control unit 120, and the storage unit 130 can be implemented as components of a BMS.

[0116] Furthermore, the battery management device 100 according to this disclosure can be disposed in a battery pack. That is, a battery pack according to this disclosure may include the aforementioned battery management device 100 and one or more batteries B. In addition, the battery pack may also include electrical devices (relays, fuses, etc.) and a housing.

[0117] Preferably, the battery management device 100 can set the usage conditions of the battery B included in the battery pack. That is, the charge / discharge rate C of the battery B included in the battery management device 100 can be controlled according to the set usage conditions. Therefore, since the charge / discharge of the battery B can be controlled to correspond to the set usage conditions, rapid degradation of the battery B can be prevented.

[0118] For example, the battery management device 100 can determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery B to be reused and set usage conditions for it. If the battery B to be reused is used in an energy storage system (ESS), its lifespan can be increased by controlling its charging and discharging according to the set usage conditions.

[0119] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0120] Each step of the battery management method can be performed by the battery management device 100. In the following description, for ease of explanation, content overlapping with the previously described material will be omitted or briefly described.

[0121] Reference Figure 7 The battery management method may include a battery curve acquisition step (S100), a differential curve generation step (S200), a correlation degree calculation step (S300), and a negative electrode type determination step (S400).

[0122] The battery curve acquisition step (S100) is a step of acquiring the battery curve PF_B, which represents the correspondence between the voltage and SOC of battery B, and can be executed by the curve generation unit 110.

[0123] For example, curve generation unit 110 can obtain Figure 2 The battery curve PF_B in the image.

[0124] The differential curve generation step (S200) is a step of generating a differential curve PF_D representing the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage for the SOC based on the battery curve PF_B obtained in the battery curve acquisition step (S100), and can be executed by the curve generation unit 110.

[0125] For example, the curve generation unit 110 can be based on Figure 2 Battery curve PF_B generation Figure 3 The differential curve PF_D in the figure.

[0126] The correlation calculation step (S300) is a step to calculate the correlation between the differential curve PF_D and the preset standard curve, and can be executed by the control unit 120.

[0127] For example, the standard curve may include a first standard curve PF1 and a second standard curve PF2. In this case, the control unit 120 can calculate a first degree of correlation between the first standard curve PF1 and the differential curve PF_D, and calculate a second degree of correlation between the second standard curve PF2 and the differential curve PF_D.

[0128] The negative electrode type determination step (S400) is a step to determine the type of the negative electrode of battery B based on the correlation degree calculated in the correlation degree calculation step (S300), and can be executed by the control unit 120.

[0129] For example, the control unit 120 can determine the type of the negative electrode of battery B as either a negative electrode based on natural graphite or a negative electrode based on artificial graphite based on the calculated degree of correlation.

[0130] Furthermore, the battery management method may also include a usage condition setting step (not shown) for setting usage conditions for battery B based on the type of the negative electrode of battery B determined in the negative electrode type determination step (S400). Preferably, the usage condition setting step may be executed by the control unit 120.

[0131] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery management method according to yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0132] Reference Figure 8 The battery management method may also include a determination step (S250).

[0133] The determination step (S250) can be performed by the control unit 120 after the differential curve generation step (S200) and before the correlation degree calculation step (S300).

[0134] Specifically, the determination step (S250) may be to determine the target peak value TP in the second SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D, compare the differential voltage of the determined target peak value TP with a preset reference value, and determine whether to determine the type of the negative electrode of battery B based on the comparison result.

[0135] For example, the control unit 120 can determine the target peak value TP in the second SOC interval of the differential curve PF_D before calculating the degree of correlation between the standard curve and the differential curve PF_D. Figure 3 In this implementation, the control unit 120 can determine the target peak value TP in the second SOC interval (40% to 100% SOC interval) of the differential curve PF_D. Additionally, the control unit 120 can determine whether to classify the type of the negative electrode of battery B based on a comparison between the differential voltage of the target peak value TP and a reference value.

[0136] The correlation degree calculation step (S300) can calculate the correlation degree only when the type of the negative electrode of battery B is determined in the determination step (S250).

[0137] For example, if the differential voltage of the target peak TP is equal to or greater than the reference value, the control unit 120 can determine the type of the negative electrode of battery B and can perform the correlation degree calculation step (S300).

[0138] Conversely, if the differential voltage of the target peak TP is less than the reference value, the control unit 120 can determine that the type of the negative electrode of battery B is not determined and the correlation degree calculation step is not performed (S300).

[0139] The embodiments of this disclosure described above can be implemented not only by devices and methods, but also by programs or recording media that implement functions corresponding to the configurations of the embodiments of this disclosure. Based on the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can easily implement the programs or recording media.

[0140] This disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that while the detailed description and specific examples indicate preferred embodiments of this disclosure, they are given by way of illustration only, as various changes and modifications within the scope of this disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art based on this detailed description.

[0141] Furthermore, without departing from the technical aspects of this disclosure, those skilled in the art can make many substitutions, modifications and changes to this disclosure, and this disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and drawings, and each embodiment can be selectively combined in part or in whole to allow various modifications.

[0142] (Reference marker)

[0143] 1: Battery testing device

[0144] 100: Battery Management Device

[0145] 110: Curve generation unit

[0146] 120: Control Unit

[0147] 130: Storage unit

[0148] 200: Charge / Discharge Unit

[0149] 300: Measurement Unit

[0150] B: Battery

Claims

1. A battery management device, the battery management device comprising: A curve generation unit is configured to acquire a battery curve representing the relationship between the battery voltage and the state of charge (SOC), and to generate a differential curve representing the relationship between the SOC and the differential voltage of the SOC based on the acquired battery curve. as well as A control unit is configured to receive the differential curve from the curve generation unit, calculate the correlation between the differential curve and a preset standard curve, and determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the calculated correlation. The control unit is configured to calculate a first degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset first standard curve, and to calculate a second degree of correlation between the differential curve and a preset second standard curve different from the first standard curve. The control unit is configured to determine that the negative electrode of the battery is a first type of negative electrode when the first correlation degree is equal to or greater than the second correlation degree. The control unit is configured to determine that the negative electrode of the battery is a second type of negative electrode when the first correlation degree is less than the second correlation degree.

2. The battery management device according to claim 1, in, The first type of negative electrode is a negative electrode based on natural graphite, and The second type of negative electrode is based on artificial graphite.

3. The battery management device according to claim 2, in, The first standard curve is configured to pre-define the relationship between the state of charge (SOC) and the differential voltage of a first reference cell, including a negative electrode based on natural graphite. The second standard curve is configured to represent the relationship between the SOC and the differential voltage of a second reference cell including a negative electrode based on artificial graphite.

4. The battery management device according to claim 1, in, The control unit is configured to calculate, respectively, a first degree of correlation representing the curve consistency rate between the first SOC interval of the first standard curve and the first SOC interval of the differential curve, and a second degree of correlation representing the curve consistency rate between the first SOC interval of the second standard curve and the first SOC interval of the differential curve.

5. The battery management device according to claim 4, in, The control unit is configured to determine a target peak value in the second SOC interval of the differential curve, compare the differential voltage of the determined target peak value with a preset reference value, and determine whether to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the comparison result.

6. The battery management device according to claim 5, in, The control unit is configured to determine the type of the negative electrode of the battery based on the first standard curve, the second standard curve, and the differential curve when the differential voltage of the target peak is equal to or greater than the reference value.

7. The battery management device according to claim 5, in, The control unit is configured to set the battery usage conditions based on whether to determine the type of the battery's negative electrode and the determined type of the battery's negative electrode.

8. The battery management device according to claim 7, in, The control unit is configured to set usage conditions for the battery when the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a natural graphite-based negative electrode, such that the battery is charged and discharged below a predetermined C rate. The control unit is configured to set usage conditions for the battery when the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be based on artificial graphite, such that the battery is charged and discharged at a predetermined C rate or higher. The control unit is configured to reduce the usable SOC range of the battery and set the battery usage conditions when the type of the negative electrode of the battery is not determined, so that the battery is charged and discharged below the predetermined C rate.

9. The battery management device according to claim 5, in, The first SOC interval is an SOC interval that is above 0% and smaller than the SOC of the target peak value.

10. The battery management device according to claim 5, in, The first SOC interval and the second SOC interval are different from each other and do not overlap.

11. A battery testing device, the battery testing device comprising the battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A battery management method, wherein, The battery management method includes: The battery curve acquisition step involves acquiring a battery curve that represents the relationship between the battery voltage and the state of charge (SOC). The differential curve generation step generates a differential curve representing the correspondence between the SOC and the differential voltage of the SOC based on the battery curve obtained in the battery curve acquisition step. The correlation degree calculation step calculates the correlation degree between the differential curve and a preset standard curve, including calculating a first correlation degree between the differential curve and a preset first standard curve, and a second correlation degree between the differential curve and a preset second standard curve different from the first standard curve; and The negative electrode type determination step determines the type of the battery's negative electrode based on the correlation degree calculated in the correlation degree calculation step. Specifically, when the first correlation degree is equal to or greater than the second correlation degree, the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a first type of negative electrode, and when the first correlation degree is less than the second correlation degree, the negative electrode of the battery is determined to be a second type of negative electrode.

13. The battery management method according to claim 12, further comprising, after the differential curve generation step: The determination step involves identifying the target peak value in the second SOC interval of the differential curve, comparing the differential voltage of the identified target peak value with a preset reference value, and determining whether to determine the type of the battery's negative electrode based on the comparison result. Specifically, in the correlation degree calculation step, the correlation degree is calculated only when the type of the negative electrode of the battery is determined in the determination step.

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