A battery status detection system and method for electric bicycles

Abstract

This invention discloses a method for detecting the battery status of an electric bicycle, comprising: a battery management module detecting the battery status information of the battery module and transmitting the battery status information to a serial-to-infrared module; the serial-to-infrared module loading a digital signal containing the battery status information into an infrared signal, modulating it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission; and a mobile detection device receiving the pulse sequence and demodulating it to obtain the battery status information. The invention also discloses a battery status detection system using this method, comprising a battery module, a serial-to-infrared module and a battery management module connected for communication, a connector, and a mobile detection device. This invention incorporates a serial-to-infrared module within the battery pack, transmitting the battery status information detected by the battery management module to the mobile detection device via an infrared signal. This allows for convenient acquisition of battery status information without disassembling the battery pack at a lower cost after replacing lead-acid batteries with lithium batteries.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery testing technology, and in particular to a battery status testing system and method for electric bicycles. Background Technology

[0002] Electric bicycles are quite common in China, with a current ownership of 300 million units and an annual production of over 30 million units. Previously, electric bicycles primarily used inexpensive but low-performance lead-acid batteries, which were considered polluting. However, with the decrease in lithium battery costs and the standardization of electric bicycle definitions under the new national standards, many electric bicycles classified as light electric motorcycles are being phased out, and large-scale replacement of lead-acid batteries with lithium batteries is gradually underway. Currently, lithium battery packs on the market mainly offer two types of protection: conventional hardware protection and software protection. Many users who replace their lead-acid electric bicycles with lithium batteries encounter problems because the battery connectors still use the original national standard connectors, leading to interface inconsistencies or protocol mismatches, preventing the use of software protection. This necessitates adding detection ports and external adapter harnesses to access battery status information. On the other hand, conventional hardware protection battery packs present difficulties in battery status detection, requiring disassembly for after-sales service and routine testing, which is inconvenient.

[0003] A patent document published in China, titled "A Status Monitor for Lead-Acid Batteries in Electric Vehicles," with publication number CN206742444U and publication date of December 12, 2017, describes a monitor that utilizes a microcontroller as the core microcontroller system of the main control board and an intelligent battery monitoring chip as the core measuring element of a modular data acquisition board. Under the unified control of the main control board, the modular data acquisition board dynamically measures the operating data of each battery in the battery pack in real time. The data measured by the modular data acquisition board is transmitted to the main control board through an opto-isolated interface. This technology can monitor the voltage, current, temperature, charging capacity, discharging capacity, and remaining capacity of each battery in real time, providing real-time information on the battery pack's operating status. However, this technology is still applied to lead-acid batteries and uses national standard connectors. When the lead-acid batteries in the battery pack are replaced with lithium batteries, the original national standard connectors are incompatible, preventing the battery pack from providing a detection port. Therefore, additional detection ports and external adapter cables are needed, increasing hardware costs, or the battery pack needs to be disassembled to obtain battery status information. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention aims to overcome the problem in existing technologies where replacing lead-acid batteries in a battery pack with lithium batteries requires additional detection ports and external adapter cables, increasing hardware costs, or disassembling the battery pack to obtain battery status information, when using the original national standard connectors. The invention provides an electric bicycle battery status detection system and method that incorporates a serial-to-infrared module within the battery pack. This module transmits battery status information detected by the battery management module to a mobile detection device via infrared signals. After replacing lead-acid batteries with lithium batteries, battery status information can be conveniently obtained at a lower cost without disassembling the battery pack.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] An electric bicycle battery status detection system includes a battery module. One end of the battery module is connected to one end of a serial-to-infrared module and a first interface of a connector. The other end of the battery module is connected to one end of a battery management module. The other end of the battery management module is connected to the other end of the serial-to-infrared module and a second interface of the connector. The serial-to-infrared module and the battery management module are connected for communication. The serial-to-infrared module is equipped with an infrared transmitter, which corresponds to a light guide on the battery pack housing. The detection system also includes a mobile detection device equipped with an infrared receiver.

[0007] In this invention, the battery module is mainly composed of lithium battery cells connected in series and parallel. The battery management module has a communication function, responsible for communicating with the serial-to-infrared module. The serial-to-infrared module also has a communication function, receiving battery status information through communication with the battery management module and converting it into an infrared signal for output. The connectors are national standard grade connectors. The battery management module, serial-to-infrared module, and battery module are installed inside the battery pack housing and fixed with screws, pressure plates, or glue. The infrared emitting end of the serial-to-infrared module is attached and fixed to the light guide on the battery pack housing. The connectors are installed on the battery shell with screws. Therefore, the desired battery status information can be obtained simply by moving the detection device to read the infrared signal sent out by the serial-to-infrared module through the light guide, without disassembling the battery pack or adding external detection ports and external adapter cables.

[0008] Preferably, the serial-to-infrared module is also connected to an infrared command receiver, which corresponds to the light guide; the motion detection device is also equipped with an infrared command transmitter to send an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information.

[0009] In this invention, an infrared command receiving device is set on the serial port to infrared module, and an infrared command transmitting device is set on the mobile detection device. Therefore, the mobile detection device can first send a command to the battery pack to read the battery status information, and then the battery management module in the battery pack can transmit the battery status information to the serial port to infrared module. Then, the serial port to infrared module sends infrared information containing the battery status information. The serial port to infrared module can be activated when reading is needed, without the need to continuously send infrared information, thus saving energy.

[0010] Preferably, the battery pack housing is provided with a tag containing battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device is also provided with a tag reading module to read the battery pack identification information in the tag; or the battery management module stores the battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device receives infrared information containing battery pack identification information sent by the serial port to infrared module.

[0011] In this invention, a mobile detection device will detect and acquire battery status information from a large number of battery packs over a period of time. Therefore, in order to facilitate the statistical analysis of battery information, it is necessary to match each battery pack with its battery status information one by one. To solve this problem, a tag can be set on the battery pack shell, containing unique battery pack identification information, so that the mobile detection device can identify which battery pack's battery status information it is. Alternatively, the battery pack identification information can be directly combined into the infrared information of the battery status information.

[0012] A method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery, comprising:

[0013] The battery management module detects the battery status information of the battery module and transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module; the serial-to-infrared module loads the digital signal containing the battery status information into the infrared signal and modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission.

[0014] The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain the battery status information.

[0015] In this invention, the battery management module continuously acquires battery status information while managing the battery modules within the battery pack. When battery status information is needed, the battery management module transmits this information to the serial-to-infrared module via a communication connection harness. It then modulates the digital signal containing the battery status information into a pulse signal and emits it as a light pulse through the infrared transmitter. The pulse reaches the infrared receiver via a light guide and is demodulated at the mobile detection device to acquire the battery status information. This avoids the need to disassemble the battery pack or add detection ports and external connection harnesses to acquire battery status information.

[0016] Preferably, the battery management module periodically detects and saves the battery status information of the battery module;

[0017] The mobile detection device sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read battery status information via an infrared command transmitter.

[0018] After the battery management module re-detects the battery module and updates the battery status information, it transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module.

[0019] In this invention, to avoid the problem of high power consumption caused by the serial port to infrared module continuously emitting infrared signals, an infrared command transmitter and an infrared command receiver are set up. When it is necessary to obtain battery status information through a mobile detection device, the infrared command transmitter sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information. After receiving the infrared command, the battery management module detects the battery module again, updates the battery status information, and then transmits it to the serial port to infrared module, causing the serial port to infrared module to start working and emitting infrared signals. After the transmission is completed, it stops working.

[0020] Preferably, before receiving the pulse sequence containing battery status information, the mobile detection device first reads the battery pack identification information from the tag through the tag reading module and matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information; or the mobile detection device demodulates the received pulse sequence to obtain the battery pack identification information and battery status information and matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information.

[0021] In this invention, before acquiring the battery status signal, the mobile detection device can first read the battery pack identification information from the tag set on the battery pack housing through the tag reading module, and then match the battery pack identification information with the battery status information inside the battery pack, which facilitates subsequent analysis and processing. Alternatively, the infrared signal emitted by the serial port to infrared module can simultaneously contain the battery status information and the battery pack identification information, so that when the mobile detection device detects and acquires a large amount of battery status information data, it can correctly match each battery pack with its battery status information.

[0022] Preferably, the infrared command transmitter sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information, including the number of times the battery status information is repeatedly sent (n), so that the mobile detection device receives and demodulates n sets of digital signals containing the battery status information.

[0023] The data at the same position in n sets of digital signals are compared. The data with a similarity rate exceeding a set ratio among all the data at the same position are taken as the reliable data at that position. The data are then combined to obtain the final battery status information.

[0024] In this invention, when the infrared command transmitting device sends infrared commands, in addition to the command to instruct the serial port to infrared module to send battery status information, it may also include a command to repeat the transmission a certain number of times. This allows the mobile detection device to acquire several sets of battery status information data. This avoids the problem of incomplete information reception caused by issues such as the infrared receiver of the mobile detection device not being aligned with the light guide when only one set of battery status information is transmitted. Furthermore, by comparing multiple sets of battery status information data, errors in the infrared transmission process can be avoided, resulting in more accurate battery status information.

[0025] The present invention has the following advantages: A serial port to infrared module is set in the battery pack, which transmits the battery status information detected by the battery management module to the mobile detection device via infrared signal. After the lead-acid battery is replaced with a lithium battery, the battery status information can be conveniently obtained without disassembling the battery pack at a lower cost. An infrared command receiving device is set on the serial port to infrared module, and an infrared command transmitting device is set on the mobile detection device. The mobile detection device can first send a command to the serial port to infrared module in the battery pack to read the battery status information, and then receive the infrared information containing the battery status information sent from the serial port to infrared module. This eliminates the need to continuously send infrared information, saving energy. Attached Figure Description

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the battery state detection system in this invention;

[0027] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of the battery state detection method in this invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the modulation of a digital signal containing battery status information into a pulse sequence in this invention;

[0029] In the diagram: 1. Battery module; 2. Battery management module; 3. Serial port to infrared module; 4. Connector; 5. Light guide; 6. Motion detection equipment; 7. Communication connection harness; 8. Battery pack housing; 31. Infrared transmitter; 61. Infrared receiver; 62. Display screen. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] Example 1, such as Figure 1As shown, an electric bicycle battery status detection system includes a battery module 1. One end of the battery module 1 is connected to one end of a serial port to infrared module 3 and the first interface of a connector 4. The other end of the battery module 1 is connected to one end of a battery management module 2. The other end of the battery management module 2 is connected to the other end of the serial port to infrared module 3 and the second interface of the connector 4. The serial port to infrared module 3 and the battery management module 2 are connected via a communication connection harness 7. The serial port to infrared module 3 is provided with an infrared transmitter 31, which corresponds to a light guide 5 on the battery pack housing 8. The detection system also includes a mobile detection device 6 provided with an infrared receiver 62 and a display screen 62.

[0032] In this invention, the battery module is mainly composed of lithium battery cells connected in series and parallel. The battery management module has a communication function, responsible for communicating with the serial-to-infrared module. The serial-to-infrared module also has a communication function, receiving battery status information through communication with the battery management module and converting it into an infrared signal for output. The connectors are national standard grade connectors. The battery management module, serial-to-infrared module, and battery module are installed inside the battery pack housing and fixed with screws, pressure plates, or glue. The infrared emitting end of the serial-to-infrared module is attached and fixed to the light guide on the battery pack housing. The connectors are installed on the battery shell with screws. Therefore, the desired battery status information can be obtained simply by reading the infrared signal sent out by the serial-to-infrared module through the light guide using a mobile detection device, without disassembling the battery pack or adding external detection ports and adapter cables. The mobile detection device in this invention can be a handheld detector.

[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, a method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery includes:

[0034] The battery management module detects the battery status information of the battery module and transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module; the serial-to-infrared module loads the digital signal containing the battery status information into the infrared signal and modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission.

[0035] The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain the battery status information.

[0036] In this invention, the battery management module continuously acquires battery status information while managing the battery modules within the battery pack. When battery status information is needed, the front-end acquisition IC (e.g., SH367309U) of the battery management module monitors the battery status information and transmits it to the main control IC (e.g., N32G455REL7) via I2C. Then, the battery management module transmits this information to the serial-to-infrared module via communication connection harnesses (e.g., 485A / 485B) according to a specified communication protocol (using TLL level standard, RS232, or RS485). The digital signal containing the battery status information is modulated into a pulse signal of a specific frequency (e.g., 38kHz) and emitted as a light pulse through the infrared transmitter. The specific modulation method is as follows: Figure 3 As shown, this is a common existing technology and therefore will not be described in detail. The pulse signal reaches the infrared receiver through the light guide and is demodulated at the mobile detection device to obtain the battery status information. This can avoid disassembling the battery pack or adding detection ports and external connection harnesses to obtain battery status information.

[0037] In this embodiment, battery status information may include battery charge information, temperature information, cycle count, etc., to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the battery's status. For battery status information transmitted from the battery management module to the serial-to-infrared module, it includes a start flag, an end flag, and intermediate information data, such as:

[0038] 3A is the start identifier, a single byte, and a fixed value;

[0039] 16 is the address identifier, a single byte, representing the battery pack address code;

[0040] 08 is a communication command, a single byte, representing the internal temperature command of the battery pack (see the communication command table for other communication commands);

[0041] 04 represents the data length, a single byte, indicating the length of the data in the data buffer within this communication data frame.

[0042] 7E 0B 33 02 is 4 bytes of data in the data area, where the integer 0x0B7E formed by the first and second bytes represents the temperature data;

[0043] E0 00 is the accumulated checksum, which is two bytes long, with the lower byte being E0 and the higher byte being 00.

[0044] 0D and 0A represent end identifier 1 and end identifier 2, respectively, both two bytes in size and fixed values.

[0045] Communication command line table:

[0046]

[0047] Example 2: Based on Example 1, the serial port to infrared module is further connected to an infrared command receiver, which corresponds to the light guide. The mobile detection device is also equipped with an infrared command transmitter to send an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information.

[0048] In this embodiment, an infrared command receiving device is set on the serial port to infrared module, and an infrared command transmitting device is set on the mobile detection device. Therefore, the mobile detection device can first send a command to the battery pack to read the battery status information, and then the battery management module in the battery pack can transmit the battery status information to the serial port to infrared module. Then, the serial port to infrared module sends infrared information containing the battery status information. The serial port to infrared module can be activated when reading is needed, without the need to continuously send infrared information, thus saving energy.

[0049] In this case, the method for detecting the battery status of an electric bicycle is as follows:

[0050] The battery management module periodically detects and saves the battery status information of the battery module; the mobile detection device sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information via an infrared command transmitter; after the battery management module detects the battery module again and updates the battery status information, it transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module.

[0051] The serial-to-infrared module loads a digital signal containing battery status information into an infrared signal and modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission.

[0052] The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain the battery status information.

[0053] In this embodiment, to avoid the problem of high power consumption caused by the serial port to infrared module continuously emitting infrared signals, an infrared command transmitter and an infrared command receiver are set up. When it is necessary to obtain battery status information through a mobile detection device, the infrared command transmitter sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information. After receiving the infrared command, the battery management module detects the battery module again, updates the battery status information, and then transmits it to the serial port to infrared module, causing the serial port to infrared module to start working and emitting infrared signals. After the transmission is completed, it stops working.

[0054] As a further improvement, in the process of the infrared command transmitter sending the infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information, the method also includes the number of times the battery status information is repeatedly sent (n), so that the mobile detection device receives and demodulates n sets of digital signals containing the battery status information; the data at the same position in the n sets of digital signals are compared, and the data with a similarity rate exceeding a set ratio among all the data at the same position is taken as the reliable data at that position, and the data are combined to obtain the final battery status information.

[0055] In this embodiment, when the infrared command transmitter sends infrared commands, in addition to the command to instruct the serial port to infrared module to send battery status information, it may also include a command to repeat the transmission a certain number of times. This allows the mobile detection device to acquire several sets of battery status information data. This avoids the problem of incomplete information reception caused by issues such as the infrared receiver of the mobile detection device not being aligned with the light guide when only one set of battery status information is transmitted. Furthermore, by comparing multiple sets of battery status information data, errors in the infrared transmission process can be avoided, resulting in more accurate battery status information.

[0056] Example 3: Based on Example 1, a tag containing battery pack identification information is provided on the battery pack casing. The mobile detection device is also equipped with a tag reading module to read the battery pack identification information in the tag; or the battery management module stores the battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device receives infrared information containing battery pack identification information sent by the serial port to infrared module.

[0057] In this embodiment, a mobile detection device will detect and acquire battery status information from a large number of battery packs over a period of time. Therefore, in order to facilitate the statistics and analysis of battery information, it is necessary to match each battery pack with its battery status information one by one. To solve this problem, a tag can be set on the battery pack shell, containing unique battery pack identification information, so that the mobile detection device can identify which battery pack's battery status information it is. Alternatively, the battery pack identification information can be directly combined into the infrared information of the battery status information.

[0058] In this case, the method for detecting the battery status of an electric bicycle is as follows:

[0059] Before receiving a pulse sequence containing battery status information, the mobile detection device first reads the battery pack identification information from the tag through the tag reading module, and then matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information; or

[0060] The mobile detection device demodulates the received pulse sequence to obtain battery pack identification information and battery status information, and then matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information.

[0061] The battery management module detects the battery status information of the battery module and transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module.

[0062] The serial-to-infrared module loads a digital signal containing battery status information into an infrared signal and modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission.

[0063] The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain the battery status information.

[0064] Example 4: Based on Example 2, a tag containing battery pack identification information is provided on the battery pack casing, and a tag reading module is also provided on the mobile detection device to read the battery pack identification information in the tag; or the battery management module stores the battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device receives infrared information containing battery pack identification information sent by the serial port to infrared module.

[0065] In this embodiment, a mobile detection device will detect and acquire battery status information from a large number of battery packs over a period of time. Therefore, in order to facilitate the statistics and analysis of battery information, it is necessary to match each battery pack with its battery status information one by one. To solve this problem, a tag can be set on the battery pack shell, containing unique battery pack identification information, so that the mobile detection device can identify which battery pack's battery status information it is. Alternatively, the battery pack identification information can be directly combined into the infrared information of the battery status information.

[0066] In this case, the method for detecting the battery status of an electric bicycle is as follows:

[0067] Before receiving a pulse sequence containing battery status information, the mobile detection device first reads the battery pack identification information from the tag through the tag reading module, and then matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information; or

[0068] The mobile detection device demodulates the received pulse sequence to obtain battery pack identification information and battery status information, and then matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information.

[0069] Then, the battery management module periodically checks and saves the battery status information of the battery module; the mobile detection device sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information through the infrared command transmitter; after the battery management module checks the battery module again and updates the battery status information, it transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module.

[0070] The serial-to-infrared module loads a digital signal containing battery status information into an infrared signal and modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency for transmission.

[0071] The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain the battery status information.

[0072] In this embodiment, before acquiring the battery status signal, the mobile detection device can first read the battery pack identification information from the tag set on the battery pack housing through the tag reading module, and then match the battery pack identification information with the battery status information inside the battery pack, which facilitates subsequent analysis and processing. Alternatively, the infrared signal emitted by the serial port to infrared module can simultaneously contain the battery status information and the battery pack identification information, so that when the mobile detection device detects and acquires a large amount of battery status information data, it can correctly match each battery pack with its battery status information.

[0073] The above embodiments are further elaborations and descriptions of the present invention to facilitate understanding, and are not intended to limit the present invention in any way. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A battery status detection system for electric bicycles, characterized in that, The system includes a battery module, one end of which is connected to one end of a serial-to-infrared module and the first interface of a connector, and the other end of the battery module is connected to one end of a battery management module. The other end of the battery management module is connected to the other end of the serial-to-infrared module and the second interface of the connector. The serial-to-infrared module and the battery management module are connected for communication. The serial-to-infrared module is equipped with an infrared transmitter, which corresponds to a light guide on the battery pack housing. The detection system also includes a mobile detection device equipped with an infrared receiver. The serial-to-infrared module loads a digital signal containing battery status information into an infrared signal, modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency, and transmits it. The battery status information is repeatedly transmitted n times. The motion detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain n sets of digital signals containing battery status information. The data at the same position in the n sets of digital signals are compared, and the data with a similarity rate exceeding a set ratio among all the data at the same position is taken as the reliable data for that position. The data are then combined to obtain the final battery status information.

2. The electric bicycle battery status detection system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The serial-to-infrared module is also connected to an infrared command receiver, which corresponds to the light guide. The mobile detection device is also equipped with an infrared command transmitter, which sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read the battery status information.

3. The electric bicycle battery status detection system according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The battery pack casing is provided with a tag containing battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device is also provided with a tag reading module to read the battery pack identification information in the tag; or The battery management module stores battery pack identification information, and the mobile detection device receives infrared information containing battery pack identification information sent by the serial-to-infrared module.

4. A method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery, using the electric bicycle battery state detection system as described in any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, include: The battery management module detects the battery status information of the battery module and transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module; The serial-to-infrared module loads a digital signal containing battery status information into an infrared signal, modulates it into a pulse sequence of a specific frequency, and transmits it; the battery status information is repeatedly transmitted n times. The infrared receiver of the mobile detection device receives the pulse sequence and demodulates it to obtain n sets of digital signals containing battery status information. The data at the same position in the n sets of digital signals are compared, and the data with a similarity rate exceeding a set ratio among all the data at the same position is taken as the reliable data for that position. The data are then combined to obtain the final battery status information.

5. The method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery according to claim 4, characterized in that, The battery management module periodically detects and saves the battery status information of the battery module. The mobile detection device sends an infrared command to the infrared command receiver to read battery status information via an infrared command transmitter. After the battery management module re-detects the battery module and updates the battery status information, it transmits the battery status information to the serial-to-infrared module.

6. A method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, Before receiving the pulse sequence containing battery status information, the mobile detection device first reads the battery pack identification information from the tag through the tag reading module and matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information.

7. A method for detecting the state of an electric bicycle battery according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that, The mobile detection device demodulates the received pulse sequence to obtain battery pack identification information and battery status information, and then matches the battery pack identification information with the battery status information.

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