Battery current estimation

Abstract

The invention relates to battery current estimation. A computer system including processing circuitry is presented. The processing circuit is configured to obtain resistance data of a plurality of inter-cell connectors of a battery pack comprising a plurality of battery cells and obtain inter-cell voltage drops on the plurality of inter-cell connectors. The processing circuit is further configured to determine the current between the battery cells based on the resistance data and the associated voltage drop between the battery cells; and determining a battery pack current estimation value of a battery pack current of the battery pack based on the inter-cell current.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to power control. In particular aspects, the present disclosure relates to battery current estimation. The present disclosure may be applied to marine vessels, industrial applications, and vehicles, particularly heavy vehicles such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment, as well as other vehicle types. Although the present disclosure may be described with respect to a particular vehicle, the present disclosure is not limited to any particular vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Any battery powered system or device will generally benefit from estimating the current being supplied by the battery. In addition to being an indication of the power consumption of the system or device, the current drawn from the battery (or to the battery during charging) can also indicate any potential problems caused by unexpectedly high or low current.

[0003] Generally, in electrically propelled vehicles, current sensors are provided to monitor and detect the current entering and being supplied by the traction battery. In response to detecting an abnormal current, the vehicle's computer system is usually configured to (temporarily) block the transfer of current to / from the battery. For this purpose, high integrity and reliability of the current measurement is very important. High integrity and reliability are advantageous, for example, in order not to damage the battery cells by charging with too high a current due to incorrect current readings, or not to erroneously detect an excessively high current, leading to unnecessary cessation of the use of the battery. Summary of the invention

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, a computer system including a processing circuit is proposed. The processing circuit is configured to obtain resistance data of multiple inter-cell connectors of a battery pack including multiple battery cells and obtain inter-cell voltage drops on the multiple inter-cell connectors. The processing circuit is also configured to determine the inter-cell current based on the resistance data and the associated inter-cell voltage drops, and determine a battery pack current estimate of the battery pack current of the battery pack based on the inter-cell current. The first aspect of the present disclosure may seek to improve the accuracy, completeness and / or reliability of current measurements provided by a current sensor of a battery pack. Technical benefits may include reducing the risk of erroneous current measurements and making the battery pack cheaper because the current sensor can be omitted. Technical benefits may include: estimates based on multiple currents result in estimates that converge to a normal distribution according to the central limit theorem.

[0005] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to determine an inter-cell current average value as the mean value of the inter-cell current, and determine the battery pack current estimate based on the inter-cell current average value. Technical benefits may include averaging multiple currents so that their means converge to the true mean value of the current according to the central limit theorem and the law of large numbers.

[0006] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to determine an estimated standard deviation of the inter-cell current as a standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value, and for each inter-cell connector that exhibits an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval of the inter-cell current average value, determine that the inter-cell connector has failed. Technical benefits can include detecting a potential problem with an inter-cell connector or a sensor associated with the inter-cell connector.

[0007] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to obtain a battery pack current of the battery pack current from a battery pack current sensor, and determine a delta current indicator by comparing the battery pack current and the battery pack current estimate. The processing circuit is further configured to determine that the battery pack current sensor is faulty in response to the delta current indicator exceeding an allowable error range. Technical benefits may include detecting that there is a problem with the battery pack current sensor.

[0008] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to determine an incremental current offset by comparing the incremental current indicator with one or more previous incremental current indicators, and in response to the incremental current offset exceeding an allowable deviation range, determine that the battery pack current sensor has failed. Technical benefits can include detecting that there is a problem with the battery pack current sensor.

[0009] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to, in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, determine to allow further power to / from the battery pack based on the battery pack current estimate. Technical benefits may include allowing the battery pack to continue to provide power to the load regardless of whether the battery pack current sensor has failed because the battery pack current estimate can provide an accurate current estimate.

[0010] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to update resistance data of one or more of the plurality of inter-cell connectors based on the battery pack current estimate and the inter-cell voltage drop across the plurality of inter-cell connectors. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connectors.

[0011] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to update resistance data of one or more of the plurality of inter-cell connectors based on the time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop across the plurality of inter-cell connectors. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connectors.

[0012] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to update resistance data of one or more of the plurality of inter-cell connectors based on a battery pack current obtained from a battery pack current sensor of the battery pack. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connectors.

[0013] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the processing circuit is further configured to: determine an inter-cell current average value as a mean value of the inter-cell current, and determine a battery pack current estimate based on the inter-cell current average value; determine an inter-cell current estimate standard deviation as a standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value, and for each inter-cell connector that exhibits an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval of the inter-cell current average value, determine that the inter-cell connector has failed; obtain a battery pack current of the battery pack current from a battery pack current sensor, determine an incremental current indicator by comparing the battery pack current and the battery pack current estimate, and determine that the battery pack current sensor has failed in response to the incremental current indicator exceeding an allowable error range; in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, determine to allow further power to / from the battery pack based on the battery pack current estimate; and update resistance data of one or more of the multiple inter-cell connectors based on the battery pack current estimate and the inter-cell voltage drop across the multiple inter-cell connectors, and / or time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop across the multiple inter-cell connectors. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connectors. Technical benefits may include allowing a battery pack to continue to provide power to a load regardless of a battery pack current sensor failure because the battery pack current estimate may provide an accurate current estimate. Technical benefits may include detecting a problem with a battery pack current sensor. Technical benefits may include detecting a potential problem with an inter-cell connector or a sensor associated with the inter-cell connector. Technical benefits may include averaging multiple currents such that their means converge to a true mean of the currents based on the central limit theorem and the law of large numbers.

[0014] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes an electric propulsion source, a battery pack, the battery pack being operably connected to the computer system of the first aspect and configured to provide power to the electric propulsion source. Technical benefits may include reducing the risk of erroneous current measurements and making the battery pack cheaper because current sensors may be omitted. Technical benefits may include: estimation based on multiple currents results in the estimated values ​​converging to a normal distribution according to the central limit theorem.

[0015] Optionally, in some examples, including in at least one preferred example, the vehicle is a heavy vehicle.

[0016] According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, a computer-implemented method is provided. The method includes obtaining, by a processing circuit of a computer system, resistance data of a plurality of inter-cell connectors of a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, and obtaining, by a processing circuit of the computer system, an inter-cell voltage drop on the plurality of inter-cell connectors. The method also includes determining, by a processing circuit of the computer system, an inter-cell current based on the resistance data and the associated inter-cell voltage drop, and determining, by a processing circuit of the computer system, a battery pack current estimate of a battery pack current of the battery pack based on the inter-cell current.

[0017] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method further comprises determining, by a processing circuit of a computer system, an average value of the inter-cell current as the average value of the inter-cell current, and determining, by a processing circuit of a computer system, an estimated value of the battery pack current based on the average value of the inter-cell current. Technical benefits may include averaging multiple currents so that their means converge to the true mean value of the current according to the central limit theorem and the law of large numbers.

[0018] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method further comprises determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, an estimated standard deviation of the inter-cell current as a standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value, and for each inter-cell connector exhibiting an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval of the inter-cell current average value, determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, that the inter-cell connector is faulty. Technical benefits may include detecting a potential problem with an inter-cell connector or a sensor associated with the inter-cell connector.

[0019] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method further includes obtaining a battery pack current of a battery pack current from a battery pack current sensor by a processing circuit of a computer system, and determining a delta current indicator by comparing the battery pack current with a battery pack current estimate by the processing circuit of the computer system. The method further includes determining that a battery pack current sensor fails by the processing circuit of the computer system in response to the delta current indicator exceeding an allowable error range. Technical benefits may include detecting that there is a problem with the battery pack current sensor.

[0020] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, an incremental current offset is determined by a processing circuit of a computer system by comparing an incremental current indicator with one or more previous incremental current indicators, and in response to the incremental current offset exceeding an allowable deviation range, a determination is made by the processing circuit of the computer system that a battery pack current sensor has failed. Technical benefits may include detecting that a problem exists with the battery pack current sensor.

[0021] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, the processing circuit of the computer system determines based on the battery pack current estimate whether to allow further power to / from the battery pack. Technical benefits may include allowing the battery pack to continue to provide power to the load regardless of whether the battery pack current sensor has failed because the battery pack current estimate can provide an accurate current estimate.

[0022] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method further includes updating the resistance data of one or more of the plurality of inter-cell connectors based on the estimated battery pack current and the inter-cell voltage drop on the plurality of inter-cell connectors, and / or the time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop on the plurality of inter-cell connectors by the processing circuit of the computer system. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connectors.

[0023] Optionally, in some examples, including at least one preferred example, the method further comprises updating the resistance data based on the battery pack current by a processing circuit of a computer system. Technical benefits may include ensuring that the resistance data is correct and compensating for aging, wear, etc. of the inter-cell connector.

[0024] According to a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a computer program product is provided, wherein the computer program product comprises program code, and when the program code is executed by a processing circuit, the method of the third aspect is performed.

[0025] According to a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium is provided, comprising instructions, which, when executed by the processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the method of the third aspect.

[0026] The disclosed aspects, examples (including any preferred examples), and / or the appended claims may be appropriately combined with each other, which is obvious to any person skilled in the art. Additional features and advantages are disclosed in the detailed description, claims, and drawings, and in part will be obvious to those skilled in the art or recognized by practicing the disclosure as described herein.

[0027] Also disclosed herein are computer systems, control units, code modules, computer-implemented methods, computer-readable media, and computer program products associated with the technical benefits discussed above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Examples are described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Figure 1A is an exemplary side view of a vehicle according to an example.

[0030] Figure 1B is an exemplary block diagram of a vehicle according to an example.

[0031] Figure 2 is an exemplary block diagram of a battery pack according to an example.

[0032] Figure 3 is an exemplary block diagram of a battery pack according to an example.

[0033] Figure 4 is an exemplary system diagram of a battery pack current estimator according to an example.

[0034] Figure 5A is an exemplary block diagram of a battery pack according to an example.

[0035] Figure 5B is an exemplary circuit schematic diagram of a battery pack according to an example.

[0036] Figure 6 is an example diagram of a method for estimating a current of a battery pack according to an example.

[0037] Figure 7 is an exemplary block diagram of a computer program product.

[0038] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary computer system for implementing the examples disclosed herein, according to an example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] The detailed description set forth below provides information and examples of the disclosed technology in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure.

[0040] Figure 1A 1 is an exemplary schematic side view of a heavy vehicle 10 (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 10 for simplicity). This particular vehicle 10 includes a tractor unit 10a arranged to tow a trailer unit 10b. In other examples, other heavy vehicles may be employed, such as trucks, buses, and construction equipment. Although Figure 1AAlthough not explicitly shown in the figure, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the vehicle 10 includes all necessary vehicle units and associated functions (such as a powertrain, chassis, and various control systems) so that it can operate as expected by those skilled in the art for the vehicle 10. The focus of the present disclosure is on the current of the vehicle 10, and therefore the functions and features related thereto will become the focus of the present disclosure. However, the vehicle 10 includes one or more propulsion sources 12. The propulsion source 12 can be any suitable propulsion source 12, such as, but not limited to, one or more of an electric motor, an internal combustion engine (such as a diesel engine, a gas engine, or a gasoline engine), or a combination thereof. At least one propulsion source 12 is an electric motor. The vehicle 10 also includes at least one energy source 200 suitable for providing energy to the propulsion source 12. That is, since at least one propulsion source 12 is an electric motor, at least one propulsion source 12 is a battery pack 200. The vehicle 10 also includes a sensor circuit 16 arranged to detect, measure, sense, or otherwise obtain data related to the operation of the vehicle 10. The data related to the operation of the vehicle 10 may be, for example but not limited to, one or more of the following: the voltage of the battery pack 200, the current provided by the battery pack 200, the speed of the vehicle 10, the weight of the vehicle 10, the inclination of the vehicle 10, the state of the energy source 200 of the vehicle 10 (state of charge, fuel level, etc.), etc. Advantageously, the vehicle 10 also includes a communication circuit 18 configured to communicate with an external device of the vehicle 10. The vehicle 10 also includes a computer system 100.

[0041] like Figure 1B As shown, the vehicle 10 can communicate with the cloud server 20 using the communication circuit 18. The communication circuit 18 can be configured to communicate directly with the cloud server 20, or via a communication interface (such as, Figure 1BThe cloud server 20 may be any suitable cloud server, such as, but not limited to, Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), IBM Cloud, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), DigitalOcean, Vultr, Linode, Alibaba Cloud, Rackspace, etc. The communication interface is advantageously a wireless communication interface, such as, but not limited to, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Zigbee, Z-Wave, LoRa, Sigfox, 2G (GSM, CDMA), 3G (UMTS, CDMA2000), 4G (LTE), 5G (NR), etc. The vehicle 10 may also be operably connected to a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) 40 via the communication circuit 18, such as, but not limited to, a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), Galileo, a BeiDou satellite navigation system, an Indian constellation navigation (NavIC), etc. The vehicle 10 may be configured to utilize data obtained from the GNSS 40 to determine the geographic location of the vehicle 10.

[0042] The computer system 100 of the vehicle 10 is advantageously operably connected to the communication circuit 18, the sensor circuit 16, the energy source 200, and / or the propulsion source 12 of the vehicle 10. The computer system 100 includes a processing circuit 110. The computer system 100 may include a storage device 120, advantageously a non-volatile storage device such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid state drive (SSD), etc. In some examples, the storage device 120 is operably connected to the computer system 100.

[0043] As mentioned above, the vehicle 10 according to the present disclosure is a vehicle that is at least partially electrically propelled. To this end, the vehicle 10 of the present disclosure includes at least one energy source 200 in the form of an electrical energy source 200, i.e., at least one battery pack 200. The vehicle battery pack 200 includes at least two battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. Figure 1B, the battery pack 200 is shown as including four battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. However, this is for illustrative purposes only, and the battery pack 200 may include any number of battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. Battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. The battery pack 200 is advantageously configured to provide energy to at least the propulsion source 12 of the vehicle 10. Additionally or alternatively, the battery pack 200 may be configured to provide energy to other components of the vehicle 10, such as, but not limited to, vehicle electronics, climate control of the vehicle 10, safety features of the vehicle, and the like.

[0044] Regardless of the load, as previously mentioned, it may be advantageous to accurately estimate the current provided to the load by the battery pack 200. Accurate current data helps evaluate the health and performance of the battery pack 200. By monitoring the current flowing to / from the battery pack 200, charging and discharging patterns can be tracked, abnormal behavior can be identified, and potential problems of overcharging, undercharging, or excessive discharge (short circuit) can be detected. Accurate current measurement enables the battery state of charge and the health of the battery pack 200 to be evaluated, thereby ensuring optimal performance and extending battery life. The battery pack 200 typically stores a large amount of energy when used as a traction battery, which increases the risk of abnormal behavior leading to dangerous conditions, such as overheating, thermal runaway, or electrical failure. In addition, accurate current measurement helps optimize the energy efficiency of the vehicle 10. By monitoring the current during charging and / or discharging, the efficiency of the battery pack 200 can be evaluated and opportunities for improvement can be identified. Nevertheless, current measurement provides valuable data for performance analysis and diagnostics. By analyzing the current profile during various driving conditions and operations, it is possible to gain insight into the energy usage, power requirements, efficiency, etc. of the vehicle 10. This information may help diagnose performance issues, optimize system configurations, and / or identify areas for improvement in energy consumption and overall vehicle performance. Additionally, accurate current measurements are often required to comply with regulatory standards and industry guidelines. Many standards and regulations place specific limits on battery current for safety and operational reasons. By accurately measuring and recording current, compliance with these standards can be demonstrated and ensure that the vehicle 10 meets the necessary requirements.

[0045] The inventors of the present disclosure have recognized the importance of current measurement. Through creative thinking and challenging the technical biases in the art, an alternative method and system for estimating the current flowing to / from the battery pack 200 has been designed. The teachings of the present disclosure can be used to ensure the accuracy of prior art battery pack current sensors, replace prior art battery pack current sensors, calibrate prior art battery pack current sensors, etc. The importance of current measurement in batteries has caused technicians to stay on the known prior art battery pack current sensors and provide redundancy by adding additional current sensors, rather than thinking outside the box and implementing the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0046] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the battery pack 200 according to some examples will be explained. As mentioned above, the battery pack 200 includes at least two battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. Figure 2 , the battery pack 200 is shown to include four battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. The battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d are connected by inter-cell connectors 230. The inter-cell connectors 230 are conductive members, such as, but not limited to, one or more of bus bars, interconnect cables, inter-cell welds, screws, etc., or a combination thereof. The battery pack 200 advantageously includes a battery pack processing circuit 220. The battery pack processing circuit 220 may form part of the computer system 100 and the processing circuit 110 of the computer system 100. The battery pack processing circuit 220 is configured to monitor the operation of the battery pack 200. To this end, the battery pack processing circuit 220 may be operably connected to (or include) one or more battery pack sensor circuits 240. The battery pack sensor circuit 240 may be configured to measure, sense, or otherwise obtain operating data of the battery pack 200. The operating data of the battery pack 200 may include one or more voltages of the battery pack 200, one or more currents of the battery pack 200, one or more temperatures of the battery pack 200, etc. Typically, the resistance of the inter-cell connector 230 is determined / calibrated during the manufacture and / or design of the battery pack 200. The resistance of the inter-cell connector 230 is advantageously stored in a non-volatile storage circuit ( Figure 2 or Figure 3 210d). The battery pack 200 also includes two or more connectors 231, 232 operably connected to the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. Typically, the first connector 231 is operably connected to a first voltage potential of the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, and the second connector 232 is operably connected to a second voltage potential of the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d. The battery pack 200 also includes a battery pack current sensor 250, which is configured to detect, measure, or otherwise obtain a current provided to or provided by the two or more connectors 231, 232.

[0047] The inter-cell connector 230 may be configured to connect the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d in series, in parallel, or in a combination of series or parallel. The configuration of the inter-cell connector 230 depends on the number of battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, the capacity of the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, the voltage of the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d, and the required voltage of the battery pack 200. The inter-cell connector 230 connects the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d to provide the rated capacity from the battery pack 200 and the rated voltage difference between the first potential (the voltage of the first connector 231) and the second potential (the voltage of the second connector 232) of the battery pack 200. In some examples, the rated voltage of the energy source is approximately 800 V.

[0048] exist Figure 2 In FIG. 1 , the inter-cell connector 230 is configured to connect the battery cells 210 a, 210 b, 210 c, and 210 d in parallel. Figure 3 In the embodiment, the inter-cell connector 230 is configured to connect the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d in series.

[0049] Figure 2 and Figure 3 The battery pack 200 shown in FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the battery pack 200 advantageously includes additional features, such as pre-charging circuits, fuses, and the like.

[0050] exist Figure 4 , a system diagram of a battery pack current estimator 300 is shown. The battery pack current estimator 300 is configured to estimate a battery pack current estimate 305. The battery pack current estimate 305 is an estimate of the current provided or received by one or more battery packs 200 associated with the battery pack current estimator 300. The functions of the battery pack current estimator 300 are advantageously performed by the processing circuit 110 of the computer system 100 and / or the battery pack processing circuit 210. It should be mentioned that it may be advantageous to distribute the monitoring and supervision of the battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d among dedicated monitoring circuits (e.g., analog front end (AFE) cell circuits arranged near their associated battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, 210d). Such dedicated cell monitoring circuits are considered to form part of the battery pack processing circuit 210. The pack current estimator 300 is advantageously configured to receive data and / or provide data to the memory device 120 and / or the pack current sensor 250 .

[0051] The battery pack current estimator 300 includes an inter-cell voltage drop obtainer 310. The inter-cell voltage drop obtainer 310 is configured to obtain a voltage drop 312 across a plurality of inter-cell connectors 230. The inter-cell voltage drop 312 is a voltage potential difference between a first connection point and a second connection point interconnected by one or more inter-cell connectors 230. The inter-cell voltage drop 312, or simply voltage drop 312, can be obtained by the battery pack sensor circuit 240 previously introduced. The inter-cell voltage drop 312 can be described as being associated with one or more inter-cell connectors 230, and the voltage drop is obtained across the one or more inter-cell connectors.

[0052] exist Figure 4 In one embodiment, the battery pack current estimator 300 includes inter-cell connector data 320. In other examples, the battery pack current estimator 300 can be configured to obtain the inter-cell connector data 320 from the storage device 120. In some examples, some of the inter-cell connector data 320 is included in the battery pack current estimator 300 and some of the inter-cell connector data 320 is stored in the storage device 120. The inter-cell connector data 320 includes data describing the inter-cell connectors 230. The inter-cell connector data 320 includes resistance data 322 associated with at least two inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200. The resistance data 322 includes resistance values ​​describing the resistance of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200. The resistance data 322 may include reactance values ​​describing the reactance of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200. The resistance data 322 may be provided as a function of temperature or compensated based on the temperature of the associated inter-cell connectors 230. The inter-cell connector data 320 may describe how the inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200 are connected. The resistance data 322 may be based on a resistance measurement using a set current, for example as the last step of a manufacturing process. In another example, the resistance data 322 may be obtained based on the components included in the battery pack 200. Thus, the resistance data 322 may be data calculated based on the components forming the battery pack 200 (such as a bus bar used to form the battery pack 200). The resistance data 322 may be stored in the storage device 120. The battery pack current estimator 300 may be configured to access the storage device 120 to obtain the resistance data 322. The inter-cell connector data 320 may describe the types of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200. The inter-cell connector data 320 may describe the physical characteristics (length, width, current handling capability, etc.) of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of the battery pack 200. The inter-cell connector data 320 may be stored in the storage device 120. The battery pack current estimator 300 may be configured to access the storage device 120 to obtain the inter-cell connector data 320 .

[0053] The battery pack current estimator 300 also includes an inter-cell current determiner 330. The inter-cell current determiner 330 is configured to determine a plurality of inter-cell currents 332. Each inter-cell current 332 is determined based on an inter-cell voltage drop 312 of a particular inter-cell connector 230 (or a plurality of particular inter-cell connectors 230) and resistance data 322 of a particular inter-cell connector 230 (or a plurality of particular inter-cell connectors 230). The inter-cell currents 332 are advantageously determined using Ohm's law.

[0054] The battery pack current estimator 300 also includes a data processor 340. The data processor 340 is configured to process the plurality of inter-cell currents 332 and determine the battery pack current estimate 305. The data processor 340 may be configured to determine the battery pack current estimate 305 in any suitable manner. In one example, the data processor 340 is configured to determine an inter-cell current average 342 of the plurality of inter-cell currents 332. The battery pack current estimate 305 may be determined by setting the battery pack current estimate 305 to the inter-cell current average 342 or by basing the battery pack current estimate 305 on the inter-cell current average 342. In some examples, the inter-cell current average 342 is an arithmetic mean of the plurality of inter-cell currents 332. In some examples, the inter-cell current determiner 342 is a geometric mean of the plurality of inter-cell currents 332. In some examples, the data processor 340 may be configured to determine an inter-cell current estimate standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. In some examples, the data processor 340 can be configured to determine a delta current indicator 344. The delta current indicator 344 indicates a current difference between a battery pack current 251 sensed by the battery pack current sensor 250 and the battery pack current estimate 305. Thus, the delta current indicator 344 can be determined by comparing the battery pack current 251 to the battery pack current estimate 305. In some examples, the data processor 340 can be configured to determine a delta current offset 345. The delta current offset 345 indicates an offset of the delta current indicator 344 and can be obtained by comparing a current delta current indicator 344 to one or more previous delta current indicators 344. Advantageously, the delta current offset 345 is determined by comparing the current delta current indicator 344 to a sliding delta current indicator average value, which is provided as a sliding average value of multiple previous delta current indicators 344.

[0055] By determining the battery pack current estimate 305 as the mean of multiple inter-cell currents 332, the battery pack current estimate 305 will tend to be normally distributed even if the inter-cell current 332 itself is not normally distributed. This is called the central limit theorem. In addition, according to the law of large numbers, the battery pack current estimate 305 converges to the true mean (expected value) of the inter-cell current 332. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that this is assuming that there is no common offset in the inter-cell current 332 and that, for example, the AD converter provides sufficient resolution. This means that by combining several different (advantageously independent) measurements of the same real battery pack current, as the number of inter-cell currents 332 increases, the battery pack current estimate 305 can provide a more accurate real battery pack current measurement than the battery pack current sensor 250.

[0056] exist Figure 4 In the embodiment of the present invention, the battery pack current estimator 300 includes an optional current sensor calibrator 350. The current sensor calibrator 350 is configured to monitor the data of the battery pack current estimator 300 and determine whether the battery pack current sensor 250 is operating normally. To this end, the current sensor calibrator 350 can be configured to compare the incremental current indicator 344 with the allowable error range 344'. If the incremental current indicator 344 exceeds the allowable error range 344', the current sensor calibrator 350 can be configured to determine that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed. The allowable error range 344' can be a constant predetermined range, a range defined by a certain percentage of the current incremental current indicator 344, or a combination of the two. Additionally or alternatively, the current sensor calibrator 350 can be configured to compare the incremental current offset 345 with the allowable deviation range 345'. If the incremental current offset 345 exceeds the allowable deviation range 345', the current sensor calibrator 350 can be configured to determine that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed. The allowed deviation range 345' can be a constant predetermined range, a range defined by a certain percentage of the current delta current offset 345, or a combination of the two. The current sensor calibrator 350 is advantageously configured to send an indication of a current sensor failure to the computer system 100 if the current sensor calibrator 350 determines that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed. Additionally or alternatively, the current sensor calibrator 350 can be configured to calibrate, offset, compensate, or otherwise control the battery pack current sensor 250 and / or the battery pack current 251 based on the battery pack current estimate 305 and / or any other data from the data processor 340.

[0057] In some examples, the battery pack current estimator 300 includes an inter-cell connector calibrator 360. The inter-cell connector calibrator 360 can be configured to update the resistance data 322 of one or more specific inter-cell connectors (or multiple specific inter-cell connectors) based on the associated inter-cell voltage drop 312 and the battery pack current estimate 305 of one or more specific inter-cell connectors 230 (or multiple specific inter-cell connectors 230). The resistance data 322 can be updated by setting the resistance data 322 to a resistance value calculated based on the inter-cell voltage drop 312 and the battery pack current estimate 305. In some examples, the resistance data 322 can be updated by weighting the resistance data 322 and the resistance value calculated based on the inter-cell voltage drop 312 and the battery pack current estimate 305. In some examples, the resistance data 322 can be updated by weighting the resistance data 322 and the resistance value calculated based on the inter-cell voltage drop 312 and the battery pack current estimate 305. The weight can be any suitable weight, average value, etc. Additionally or alternatively, the inter-cell connector calibrator 360 may be configured to update the resistance data 322 accordingly based on the battery pack current 251. For example, in order to reduce noise and filter out temporary errors, the battery pack current 251 and / or the inter-cell voltage drop 312 used to update the resistance data 322 may be an average of a plurality of previous battery pack currents 251 and / or inter-cell voltage drops 312, i.e., an average of the time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop 312 and / or the battery pack current 251. Updating the resistance data 322 is advantageous because it allows the resistance data 322 to be updated and corrected when the associated inter-cell connector 230 is aged, damaged, etc.

[0058] Additionally or alternatively, the inter-cell connector calibrator 360 may be configured to compare the inter-cell current average 342 to a confidence interval 342' of the inter-cell current average 342. The confidence interval 342' may be a predefined confidence interval defined as, for example, a certain percentage, and / or the confidence interval 342' may be defined based on a standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. In some examples, the confidence interval 342' may be defined as the standard deviation 343 plus / minus four times the standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. In some examples, the confidence interval 342' may be defined as the standard deviation 343 plus / minus five times the standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. In some examples, the confidence interval 342' may be defined as the standard deviation 343 plus / minus six times the standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. The inter-cell connector calibrator 360 may be configured to determine that any inter-cell connector 230 exhibiting an inter-cell current 332 outside the confidence interval 342' of the inter-cell current average 342 is faulty. Advantageously, the inter-cell connector calibrator 360 is configured to send an indication of an inter-cell connection fault to the computer system 100 if the current sensor calibrator 350 determines that one or more inter-cell connectors 230 are faulty.

[0059] Additionally or alternatively, the inter-cell connector calibrator 360 may be configured to identify an inter-cell connector 230 that is determined to be faulty, and the inter-cell current determiner 330 may be configured to exclude the inter-cell voltage 312 associated with the faulty inter-cell connector 230 from the continuous estimation of the battery reverse current estimate 305.

[0060] In some examples, the battery pack current estimator 300 includes a current controller 370. The current controller 370 can be configured to determine whether power (current) should be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 at any given point in time. Typically, if the battery reverse current 251 exceeds the allowed battery current range 251', the battery pack 200 will prevent further power from entering the battery pack 200 or being provided by the battery pack. However, in the battery pack current estimator 300 of the present disclosure, the current controller 370 can be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 even if the battery pack current 251 sensed by the current sensor 250 exceeds the allowed battery current range 251'. In one example, the current controller 370 is configured to prevent further power from being transferred to / from the battery pack 200 if both the battery pack current estimate 305 and the battery pack current 251 exceed the battery current range 251'. That is, the current controller 370 may be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 if the battery pack current estimate 305 is within the battery pack current range 251' and the battery pack current 251 is outside the battery current range 251'. In some examples, the current controller 370 may be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 if the battery pack current estimate 305 is outside the battery pack current range 251' and the battery pack current 251 is within the battery current range 251'. In some examples, the current controller 370 may be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 if it is determined that the current sensor 250 is faulty. In some examples, the current controller 370 may be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack 200 if the battery pack current estimate 305 is within the battery pack current range 251' and the current sensor 250 is determined to be faulty. In some examples, current controller 370 may be configured to allow further power to be transferred to / from battery pack 200 at a limited rate if current sensor 250 is determined to be faulty.

[0061] It should be mentioned that the functionality proposed herein will allow for statistically accurate measurements of the real current provided or received by the battery pack 200. The risk of unnecessary downtime due to inaccurate current measurements is reduced. It is not uncommon for a battery pack 200 suitable for a vehicle 10 to include more than 5,000 battery cells 210, and it is also common to have far more than 9,000 battery cells 210. Each of these cells is connected by a corresponding inter-cell connector 230 so that their associated inter-cell voltage 312 group is well within a range that can be considered a normal distribution. A group of battery cells 210 is typically connected in parallel (via an inter-cell connector 230) to form a so-called logical cell. Multiple logical cells are typically connected in series (via an inter-cell connector 230), and typically the voltage between each of these logical cells is monitored by, for example, a battery pack processing circuit 220. The vehicle 10 typically includes 100-200 logical cells with an inter-cell connector 230, which also provides a large enough sample size to assume that their average values ​​are normally distributed. As mentioned earlier, generally, not all battery cells 210 are placed in parallel, but rather multiple groups of battery cells 210 are typically placed in parallel to obtain the desired capacitance of the battery pack 200, and these groups of battery cells are placed in series to obtain the desired voltage of the battery pack 200. This will be achieved by Figure 5A and Figure 5B The simplified example in the following is explained in detail.

[0062] exist Figure 5A , an exemplary schematic diagram of a portion of a battery pack 200 is shown. Figure 5A In, the battery pack 200 includes a first battery cell 210a, a second battery cell 210b, a third battery cell 210c and a fourth battery cell 210d. The first battery cell 210a and the second battery cell 210b are connected in parallel via a first inter-cell connector 230a and a fourth inter-cell connector 230d. The third battery cell 210c and the fourth battery cell 210d are connected in parallel via a third inter-cell connector 230c and a fifth inter-cell connector 230e. The parallel arrangement of the first battery cell 210a and the second battery cell 210b is connected in series with the parallel arrangement of the third battery cell 210c and the fourth battery cell 210d via the second inter-cell connector 230b. The first connector 231 is operably connected to the fifth inter-cell connector 230e. The second connector 232 is operably connected to the fourth inter-cell connector 230d. An exemplary load L is connected between the first connector 231 and the second connector 232. In Figure 5A In the embodiment, a plurality of sensor circuits 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d, 240e are provided to sense the inter-cell voltage drop 312 of their corresponding inter-cell connectors 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d, 230e. Figure 5AIn the embodiment, the first sensor circuit 240a is arranged to sense the inter-cell voltage drop on the first inter-cell connector 230a, the second sensor circuit 240b is arranged to sense the inter-cell voltage drop on the second inter-cell connector 230b, the third sensor circuit 240c is arranged to sense the inter-cell voltage drop on the third inter-cell connector 230c, the fourth inter-cell sensor circuit 240d is arranged to sense the voltage drop on the fourth inter-cell connector 230d, and the fifth sensor circuit 240e is arranged to sense the inter-cell voltage drop on the fifth inter-cell connector 230e. In some examples, a particular sensor circuit 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d, 240e, 240f can be configured to selectively sense the voltage drop of more than one inter-cell connector 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d, 230e, 230f. In some examples, a particular sensor circuit 240a, 240b, 240c, 240d, 240e, 240f may be configured to selectively sense a voltage drop across two or more inter-cell connectors 230a, 230b, 230c, 230d, 230e, 230f connected in series.

[0063] exist Figure 5B In the Figure 5A Schematic diagram of a battery pack 200. Current I is provided from the battery pack 200 to a load L. Ideal components are assumed below. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the current I is equal to the inter-cell current 332 passing through the second inter-cell connector 230b. The current I is also equal to the sum of the inter-cell currents 332 passing through the third inter-cell connector 230c and the fifth inter-cell connector 230e. In addition, the current I is also equal to the sum of the inter-cell currents 332 passing through the first inter-cell connector 230a and the second inter-cell connector 230d. In other words, the current I through the load L can be determined by a combination of the inter-cell currents 332 and cannot be directly determined from the resistance data 322 and the inter-cell voltage 312 of the corresponding inter-cell connector 230.

[0064] exist Figure 6 In the embodiment of the present invention, the method 400 is used to provide a current estimate 305 of the current flowing out of or into the battery pack 200. The method 400 is advantageously a computer-implemented method that can be executed by the computer system 100 presented herein, specifically by the processing circuit 110 of the computer system 100. In some examples, the processing circuit 110 of the computer system 100 can be configured to cause the execution of the method 400 rather than to execute the method 400 itself. The method 400 should not be considered as limited to reference only. Figure 6 The features presented can be advantageously expanded to include any features, functions or examples described in the present disclosure, especially with reference to Figure 4 Those features, functions or examples described.

[0065] The method 400 includes obtaining 410 resistance data 322 of a plurality of inter-cell connectors 230 of a battery pack 200. As previously described, this may include reading the resistance data 322 or the inter-cell connector data 320 from the storage device 120. The method 400 also includes obtaining 420 an inter-cell voltage drop 312 across a plurality of inter-cell connectors 230. As previously described, this may be accomplished by configuring one or more battery pack sensor circuits 240 to measure, sense, or otherwise obtain the inter-cell voltage drop 312. The method 400 also includes determining 430 an inter-cell current 332 based on the resistance data 322 and the associated inter-cell voltage drop 312. As previously described, this may be accomplished by calculating using Ohm's law. The method 400 also includes determining 450 an estimated value of the battery pack current estimate 305, the battery pack current 251, based on the inter-cell current 332. This may be accomplished by, for example, setting the estimated value of the battery pack current 305 to one of the inter-cell currents 332.

[0066] Optionally, in some examples, the method 400 may include processing 440 of the inter-cell current 332. As previously described, the processing 440 may be performed in a variety of different ways. In some examples, the processing 440 includes determining 442 an inter-cell current average 342 of the inter-cell current 332. As previously described, the inter-cell current average 342 may be, for example, an arithmetic mean, a geometric mean, etc. The processing 440 may also include determining 444 an estimated inter-cell current standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current average 342. Additionally or alternatively, the processing 440 may include determining 446 an incremental current indicator 344. The incremental current indicator 344 is advantageously determined by comparing the battery pack current 251 to the battery pack current estimate 305. For this or any other suitable purpose, in some examples, the method 400 may include obtaining 405 the battery pack current 251, advantageously obtained from the current sensor 250 of the battery pack 200. The determination 450 of the current estimate advantageously utilizes one or more of the inter-cell current average 342 , the inter-cell current estimate standard deviation 343 , and / or the delta current indicator 344 to determine the pack current estimate 305 .

[0067] As previously described, the method may include determining 460 that the pack current sensor 250 and / or one or more inter-cell connectors 230 are faulty based on, for example, the inter-cell current average 342 , the inter-cell current estimated standard deviation 343 , and / or the delta current indicator 344 .

[0068] Optionally, in some examples, the method 400 may include, as previously described, updating 470 the resistance data 322 and / or the inter-cell connector data 320 based on one or more of the inter-cell voltage drop 312, the inter-cell current 332, the inter-cell current average 342, the inter-cell current estimated standard deviation 343, the incremental current indicator 344, etc. Accordingly, the method 400 may include calibrating (not shown) the battery pack current sensor 250 based on one or more of the inter-cell voltage drop 312, the inter-cell current 332, the inter-cell current average 342, the inter-cell current estimated standard deviation 343, the incremental current indicator 344, etc.

[0069] Figure 7 . The computer program product 500 comprises a computer program 600 and a non-transitory computer readable medium 700. The computer program 600 is advantageously stored on the computer readable medium 700. Figure 7 In the figure, the computer-readable medium 700 is illustrated as an old-fashioned 5.25-inch floppy disk, but may also be embodied as any suitable non-temporary computer-readable medium, such as but not limited to a hard disk drive (HDD), a solid-state drive (SSD), an optical disk (e.g., CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-RW, DVD-RW), a USB flash drive, a magnetic tape, a memory card, a read-only memory (ROM), a network attached storage (NAS), cloud storage, etc.

[0070] The computer program 600 includes instructions 610, such as program instructions, software codes, which when executed by a processing circuit cause the processing circuit to perform the Figure 6 Method 400 is described.

[0071] It should be noted that the teachings of the present disclosure are equally applicable to other loads besides propulsion sources, and to implementations in other fields besides transportation and vehicles. Any system, device, or equipment powered by a battery pack where accurate or redundant current estimation is beneficial can benefit from the present disclosure. Such systems, devices, or equipment may exist in industrial applications or in the marine field, such as watercraft, motorboats, workboats, sports boats, boats, ships, and other types of vessels.

[0072] Figure 8 8 is a schematic diagram of a computer system 800 for implementing the examples disclosed herein. The computer system 800 may be a reference Figure 1AThe computer system 100 described herein. The computer system 800 is suitable for executing instructions from a computer-readable medium to perform these and / or any functions or processes described herein. The computer system 800 can be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines in a LAN, an intranet, an extranet, or the Internet. Although only a single device is shown, the computer system 800 may include any device collection that executes an instruction set (or multiple instruction sets) individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. Therefore, any reference to a computer system, a computing system, a computer device, a computing device, a control system, a control unit, an electronic control unit (ECU), a processor device, a processing circuit, etc. in the present disclosure and / or claims includes a reference to one or more such devices to execute an instruction set (or multiple instruction sets) individually or jointly to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. For example, the control system may include a single control unit or multiple control units connected to each other or otherwise communicatively coupled, so that any executed function can be distributed between the control units as needed. In addition, such devices can communicate with each other or with other devices through various system architectures (such as directly or via a controller area network (CAN) bus, etc.).

[0073] The computer system 800 may include at least one computing device or electronic device capable of including firmware, hardware, and / or executing software instructions to implement the functionality described herein. The computer system 800 may include a processing circuit 802 (e.g., a processing circuit including one or more processor devices or control units), a memory 804, and a system bus 806. The processing circuit 802 may be or include a reference Figure 1B The processing circuit 110 described herein. The computer system 800 may include at least one computing device having a processing circuit 802. The system bus 806 provides an interface for system components including, but not limited to, a memory 804 and the processing circuit 802. The processing circuit 802 may include any number of hardware components for performing data or signal processing or for executing computer code stored in the memory 804. The processing circuit 802 may include, for example, a general purpose processor, a special purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a circuit containing a processing component, a group of distributed processing components, a group of distributed computers configured for processing, or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The processing circuit 802 may also include computer executable code that controls the operation of the programmable device.

[0074] The system bus 806 can be any of several types of bus structures, which can also be interconnected to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and / or a local bus using any of a variety of bus architectures. The memory 804 can be one or more devices for storing data and / or computer code to complete or facilitate the methods described herein. The memory 804 can include a database component, an object code component, a script component, or any type of information structure for supporting various activities herein. Any distributed or local memory device can be utilized with the systems and methods of this specification. The memory 804 can be communicatively connected to the processing circuit 802 (e.g., via a circuit or any other wired, wireless, or network connection) and can include computer code for performing one or more processes described herein. The memory 804 may include nonvolatile memory 808 (e.g., read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.) and volatile memory 810 (e.g., random access memory (RAM)), or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of machine-executable instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer or other machine having the processing circuit 802. A basic input / output system (BIOS) 812 may be stored in the nonvolatile memory 808 and may include the basic routines that help to transfer information between elements within the computer system 800.

[0075] The computer system 800 may also include or be coupled to non-transitory computer-readable storage media such as storage device 814, which may include, for example, an internal or external hard disk drive (HDD) (e.g., enhanced integrated drive electronics (EIDE) or serial advanced technology attachment (SATA)), a HDD for storage (e.g., EIDE or SATA), flash memory, etc. The storage device 814 and other drives associated with computer-readable and computer-usable media may provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, etc.

[0076] The hard-coded or soft-coded computer code may be provided in the form of one or more modules. The module may be implemented as software and / or hard-coded in the circuit to implement the functionality described herein in whole or in part. The module may be stored in a storage device 814 and / or a volatile memory 810 that may include an operating system 816 and / or one or more program modules 818. All or part of the examples disclosed herein may be implemented as a computer program 820 stored on a temporary or non-temporary computer-usable or computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a single medium or multiple media) such as a storage device 814, which includes complex programming instructions (e.g., complex computer-readable program code) that cause the processing circuit 802 to perform the actions described herein. Therefore, the computer-readable program code of the computer program 820 may include software instructions for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by the processing circuit 802. In some examples, storage device 814 may be a computer program product (e.g., a readable storage medium) having computer program 820 stored thereon, wherein at least a portion of computer program 820 may be loadable (e.g., loaded into a processor) for implementing the functionality of the examples described herein when executed by processing circuit 802. Processing circuit 802 may serve as a controller or control system of computer system 800 for implementing the functionality described herein.

[0077] The computer system 800 may include an input device interface 822 configured to receive input and selections to be transmitted to the computer system 800 when executing instructions, such as from a keyboard, mouse, touch-sensitive surface, etc. Such input devices can be connected to the processing circuit 802 through an input device interface 822 coupled to the system bus 806, but can be connected through other interfaces (such as a parallel port, an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 serial port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an IR interface, etc.). The computer system 800 may include an output device interface 824, which is configured to forward output to a display, a video display unit (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD) or a cathode ray tube (CRT)). The computer system 800 may include a communication interface 826 suitable for communicating with a network as appropriate or required.

[0078] The operational actions described in any exemplary aspect of this article are described to provide examples and discussions. These actions can be performed by hardware components, can be embodied in machine executable instructions to cause a processor to perform these actions, or can be performed by a combination of hardware and software. Although a specific order of method actions can be shown or described, the order of actions can be different. In addition, two or more actions can be performed simultaneously or partially simultaneously.

[0079] Example 1. A computer system 100 includes a processing circuit 110, wherein the processing circuit is configured to: obtain resistance data 322 of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of a battery pack 200 including multiple battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d, obtain inter-cell voltage drops 312 on the multiple inter-cell connectors 230, determine an inter-cell current 332 based on the resistance data 322 and the associated inter-cell voltage drops 312, and determine a battery pack current estimate 305 of a battery pack current 251 of the battery pack 200 based on the inter-cell current 332.

[0080] Example 2. The computer system 100 according to Example 1, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: determine an inter-cell current average value 342 as an average value of the inter-cell current 332 , and determine the battery pack current estimate 305 based on the inter-cell current average value 342 .

[0081] Example 3. A computer system 100 according to Example 2, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: determine an estimated standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current as a standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value 342, and for each inter-cell connector 230 that exhibits an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval 342' of the inter-cell current average value 342, determine that the inter-cell connector 230 has failed.

[0082] Example 4 The computer system 100 according to Example 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: determine an average value of the inter-cell current average values ​​342 as an arithmetic mean of the inter-cell currents 332 .

[0083] Example 5 The computer system 100 according to Example 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: determine the inter-cell current average value 342 as a geometric mean of the inter-cell currents 332 .

[0084] Example 6. A computer system 100 according to any one of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: obtain a battery pack current 251 of the battery pack 200 from a battery pack current sensor 250, determine an incremental current indicator 344 by comparing the battery pack current 251 with the battery pack current estimate 305, and determine that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed in response to the incremental current indicator 344 exceeding an allowable error range 344'.

[0085] Example 7. The computer system 100 of Example 6, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to determine an incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 with one or more previous incremental current indicators 344, and determine that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed in response to the incremental current offset 345 exceeding an allowable deviation range 345'.

[0086] Example 8 The computer system 100 of Example 7, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to determine the incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 to a sliding incremental current indicator average of a plurality of previous incremental current indicators 344 .

[0087] Example 9. A computer system 100 according to any one of Examples 6 to 8, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed, similarly determine based on the battery pack current estimate 305 whether to allow further power to be transmitted to / from the battery pack 200.

[0088] Example 10. A computer system 100 according to any one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to update the resistance data 322 of one or more of the multiple cell connectors 230 based on the battery pack current estimate 305 and the cell voltage drop 312 across the multiple cell connectors 230, and / or time series data of the cell voltage drop 312 across the multiple cell connectors 230.

[0089] Example 11 The computer system 100 according to any one of Examples 6 to 10, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: update the resistance data 322 based on the battery pack current 251 .

[0090] Example 12. The computer system 100 of any one of Examples 3 to 11, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to exclude the inter-cell current associated with the inter-cell connector 230 determined to be faulty from the determination of the subsequent battery pack current estimate 305.

[0091] Example 13. The computer system 100 according to Example 1, wherein the processing circuit 110 is further configured to: determine an inter-cell current average value 342 as the mean value of the inter-cell current 332, and determine the battery pack current estimate 305 based on the inter-cell current average value 342; determine an inter-cell current estimate standard deviation 343 as the standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value 342, and for each inter-cell connector 230 that exhibits an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval 342' of the inter-cell current average value 342, determine that the inter-cell connector 230 has a fault; a fault; determining an average value of an inter-cell current average value 342 as an arithmetic mean of the inter-cell current 332, or determining the inter-cell current average value 342 as a geometric mean of the inter-cell current 332; obtaining a battery pack current 251 of the battery pack current 251 from a battery pack current sensor 250, determining an incremental current indicator 344 by comparing the battery pack current 251 with the battery pack current estimate 305, and determining that the battery pack current sensor 250 has a fault in response to the incremental current indicator 344 exceeding an allowable error range 344'; Determine an incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 with one or more previous incremental current indicators 344, and determine that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed in response to the incremental current offset 345 exceeding the allowable deviation range 345'; determine the incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 with a sliding incremental current indicator average of multiple previous incremental current indicators 344; and determine whether to allow the battery pack current sensor 250 to fail based on the battery pack current estimate 305 in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed. transferring power to / from the battery pack 200 in one step; updating the resistance data 322 of one or more of the multiple inter-cell connectors 230 based on the battery pack current estimate 305 and the inter-cell voltage drop 312 across the multiple inter-cell connectors 230, and / or time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop 312 across the multiple inter-cell connectors 230; updating the resistance data 322 based on the battery pack current 251; and excluding the inter-cell current associated with the inter-cell connector 230 determined to be faulty from the determination of a subsequent battery pack current estimate 305.

[0092] Example 14. A vehicle 10 comprising an electric propulsion source, a battery pack 200 operably connected to a computer system 100 according to any one of Examples 1 to 13 and configured to provide power to the electric propulsion source.

[0093] Example 15. The vehicle 10 of Example 14, wherein the vehicle 10 is a heavy vehicle 10.

[0094] Example 16. A computer-implemented method 400, comprising: obtaining 410 resistance data 322 of multiple inter-cell connectors 230 of a battery pack 200 including multiple battery cells 210a, 210b, 210c, and 210d through a processing circuit of a computer system 100; obtaining 420 an inter-cell voltage drop 312 on the multiple inter-cell connectors 230 through the processing circuit of the computer system 100; determining 430 an inter-cell current 332 based on the resistance data 322 and the associated inter-cell voltage drop 312 through the processing circuit of the computer system 100; and determining 450 a battery pack current estimate 305 of a battery pack current 251 of the battery pack 200 based on the inter-cell current 332 through the processing circuit of the computer system 100.

[0095] Example 17. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 16 further comprises: determining 442 an inter-cell current average value 342 as a mean value of the inter-cell current 332 by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, and determining 450 the battery pack current estimate 305 based on the inter-cell current average value 342 by the processing circuit of the computer system 100.

[0096] Example 18. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 17 further comprises: determining 444, by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, an estimated standard deviation 343 of the inter-cell current as the standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value 342, and for each inter-cell connector 230 that exhibits an inter-cell current 332 that exceeds a predefined confidence interval 342' of the inter-cell current average value 342, determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, that the inter-cell connector 230 is faulty.

[0097] Example 19. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 18 or 19 further comprises: determining 442 , by the processing circuit of the computer system 100 , an average value of the inter-cell current average values ​​342 as an arithmetic mean of the inter-cell currents 332 .

[0098] Example 20. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 17 or 18 further comprising: determining 442 , by the processing circuit of the computer system 100 , an average value of the inter-cell current average values ​​342 as a geometric mean of the inter-cell currents 332 .

[0099] Example 21. A computer-implemented method 400 according to any one of Examples 16 to 20, further comprising: obtaining 405 the battery pack current 251 of the battery pack current 251 from the battery pack current sensor 250 by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, determining 446 an incremental current indicator 344 by comparing the battery pack current 251 with the battery pack current estimate 305 by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, and determining 460 that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed in response to the incremental current indicator 344 exceeding an allowable error range 344'.

[0100] Example 22. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 21 further comprises: determining 446 an incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 with one or more previous incremental current indicators 344 by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, and determining 460 that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed in response to the incremental current offset 345 exceeding an allowable deviation range 345' by the processing circuit of the computer system 100.

[0101] Example 23. The computer-implemented method 400 of Example 22 further comprising determining 446 , by the processing circuit of the computer system 100 , the incremental current offset 345 by comparing the incremental current indicator 344 to a sliding incremental current indicator average of a plurality of previous incremental current indicators 344 .

[0102] Example 24. A computer-implemented method 400 according to any one of Examples 21 to 23, further comprising: in response to determining that the battery pack current sensor 250 has failed, determining by the processing circuit of the computer system 100 based on the battery pack current estimate 305 whether to allow further power to / from the battery pack 200.

[0103] Example 25. A computer-implemented method 400 according to any one of Examples 16 to 24, further comprising: updating 470 the resistance data 322 of one or more of the multiple cell connectors 230 based on the battery pack current estimate 305 and the cell-to-cell voltage drop 312 on the multiple cell-to-cell connectors 230, and / or time series data of the cell-to-cell voltage drop 312 on the multiple cell-to-cell connectors 230, by the processing circuit of the computer system 100.

[0104] Example 26 The computer-implemented method 400 of any of Examples 16 to 25 further comprising: updating 470 , by the processing circuit of the computer system 100 , the resistance data 322 based on the battery pack current 251 .

[0105] Example 27. A computer-implemented method 400 according to any one of Examples 16 to 26, further comprising: excluding, by the processing circuit of the computer system 100, the inter-cell current associated with the inter-cell connector 230 determined to be faulty from determining a subsequent battery pack current estimate 305.

[0106] Example 28. A computer program product comprising program code for performing the method according to any one of Examples 16 to 27 when executed by a processing circuit.

[0107] Example 29. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the method according to any one of Examples 16 to 27.

[0108] The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific aspects and are not intended to be limitations of the present disclosure. As used herein, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "one", "a kind of" and "the" are intended to also include plural forms. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. It should also be understood that the terms "include", "comprising" when used herein specify the presence of stated features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements and / or parts, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, actions, steps, operations, elements, parts and / or their groups.

[0109] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element.

[0110] Relative terms such as "below" or "above" or "upper" or "lower" or "horizontal" or "vertical" may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element to another element, as shown in the figures. It should be understood that these terms and those discussed above are intended to cover different device orientations in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the element may be directly connected or directly coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, there are no intermediate elements.

[0111] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It should also be understood that, unless otherwise clearly defined herein, the terms used herein should be interpreted as meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of this specification and the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense.

[0112] It should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the aspects described above and shown in the accompanying drawings; rather, those skilled in the art will recognize that many changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. In the drawings and description, various aspects have been disclosed for illustrative purposes only and not for limiting purposes, and the scope of the present disclosure is set forth in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A computer system comprising a processing circuit, wherein the processing circuit is configured to: obtaining resistance data of a plurality of inter-cell connectors of a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, obtaining the inter-cell voltage drops on the plurality of inter-cell connectors, determining an inter-cell current based on the resistance data and an associated inter-cell voltage drop, and A pack current estimate of a pack current of the battery pack is determined based on the inter-cell current.

2. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: determining an inter-cell current average value as the mean value of the inter-cell currents, and The battery pack current estimate is determined based on the inter-cell current average value.

3. The computer system of claim 2, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: determining an estimated standard deviation of the inter-cell current as a standard deviation of the mean value of the inter-cell current, For each inter-cell connector that exhibits an inter-cell current outside a predefined confidence interval of a mean value of the inter-cell current, the inter-cell connector is determined to be faulty.

4. The computer system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: An average of the inter-cell current averages is determined as an arithmetic mean of the inter-cell currents.

5. The computer system according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: An inter-cell current average value is determined as a geometric mean of the inter-cell currents.

6. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: obtaining a battery pack current of the battery pack from a battery pack current sensor, determining a delta current indicator by comparing the battery pack current to the battery pack current estimate, and In response to the incremental current indicator exceeding an allowable error range, determining that the battery pack current sensor fails; and optionally: determining a delta current offset by comparing the delta current indicator to one or more previous delta current indicators, and In response to the incremental current offset being outside an allowable deviation range, it is determined that the battery pack current sensor has failed.

7. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: A delta current offset is determined by comparing the delta current indicator to one or more previous delta current indicators, and in response to the delta current offset being outside an allowable deviation range, it is determined that the battery pack current sensor has failed.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The incremental current offset is determined by comparing the incremental current indicator to a sliding incremental current indicator average of a plurality of previous incremental current indicators.

9. The computer system (100) of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: In response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, determining to allow further power to / from the battery pack is based on the battery pack current estimate.

10. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The resistance data of one or more of the multiple inter-cell connectors is updated based on the battery pack current estimate and the inter-cell voltage drop on the multiple inter-cell connectors, and / or based on time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop on the multiple inter-cell connectors, and / or based on the battery pack current obtained from the battery pack current sensor of the battery pack.

11. The computer system of claim 6, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: The resistance data is updated based on the battery pack current.

12. The computer system of claim 1 , wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: determine an inter-cell current average value as a mean value of the inter-cell current, and determine the battery pack current estimate based on the inter-cell current average value; determine an inter-cell current estimate standard deviation as a standard deviation of the inter-cell current average value, and for each inter-cell connector that exhibits an inter-cell current that exceeds a predefined confidence interval of the inter-cell current average value, determine that the inter-cell connector has failed; obtaining a battery pack current of the battery pack current from a battery pack current sensor, determining a delta current indicator by comparing the battery pack current to the battery pack current estimate, and determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed in response to the delta current indicator exceeding an allowable error range; In response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, determining based on the battery pack current estimate whether to allow further power to / from the battery pack; and updating the resistance data of one or more of the multiple inter-cell connectors based on the battery pack current estimate and the inter-cell voltage drop across the multiple inter-cell connectors, and / or time series data of the inter-cell voltage drop across the multiple inter-cell connectors.

13. A vehicle comprising an electric propulsion source, a battery pack operably connected to the computer system of claim 1 and configured to provide power to the electric propulsion source, preferably the vehicle is a heavy vehicle.

14. A computer-implemented method comprising: Obtaining, by a processing circuit of a computer system, resistance data of a plurality of inter-cell connectors of a battery pack including a plurality of battery cells, Obtaining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, a voltage drop between cells on the plurality of cell connectors; determining, by the processing circuitry of the computer system, an inter-cell current based on the resistance data and an associated inter-cell voltage drop, and A pack current estimate of a pack current of a battery pack is determined by the processing circuit of the computer system based on the inter-cell current.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising: determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, an average value of the inter-cell current as the average value of the inter-cell current, and The battery pack current estimate is determined by the processing circuit of the computer system based on the inter-cell current average.

16. The computer-implemented method of claim 15, further comprising: determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, an estimated standard deviation of the inter-cell current as a standard deviation of the mean value of the inter-cell current, For each inter-cell connector that exhibits an inter-cell current outside a predefined confidence interval of the inter-cell current average, determining, by the processing circuitry of the computer system, that the inter-cell connector is faulty.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, further comprising: obtaining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, a battery pack current of the battery pack current from a battery pack current sensor, determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, a delta current indicator by combining the battery pack current and the battery pack current estimate, and In response to the incremental current indicator exceeding an allowable error range, determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, that the battery pack current sensor fails: And optionally: comparing, by the processing circuit of the computer system, the delta current indicator to one or more previous delta current indicators to determine a delta current offset, and In response to the incremental current offset being outside an allowable deviation range, determining, by the processing circuit of the computer system, that the battery pack current sensor has failed.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 17, further comprising: In response to determining that the battery pack current sensor has failed, determining, by the processing circuitry of the computer system, to allow further power to be transferred to / from the battery pack based on the battery pack current estimate.

19. A computer program product comprising program code for performing the method according to claim 14 when executed by a processing circuit.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processing circuit, cause the processing circuit to perform the method of claim 14.

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