Electric vehicle battery system control strategy incorporating thermal management

Abstract

Electric vehicle battery system control strategies in conjunction with thermal management are described. In an example, a method includes powering, by a system operably coupled to at least one processor, one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle with a smart cell system including a plurality of battery cells, each including a local controller, the local controller controls operation of a respective battery cell connected to the local controller. The method further includes determining, by the system, control information for each of the battery cells, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the respective battery cell within the target hot window and satisfying the power demand of the one or more electrical systems, and the system guides the local controller to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell according to the control information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to electric and / or hybrid electric vehicle drive technology, and more particularly to control strategies incorporating thermal management for electric vehicle battery systems. Background Art

[0002] Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular as a more sustainable mode of transportation. Currently, electric powertrains (e.g., those used in electric vehicles) are based on battery devices with a direct current (DC) voltage of approximately 370 volts (V). Many systems are designed around such battery devices to protect and control the battery cells. Auxiliary units are used to generate alternating current (AC) voltage to run the motor and charge the battery cells. Such systems are often complex and expensive, and can be a source of errors.

[0003] It is known from practical experience that electric drive technology is limited by the battery devices available today, for example. This involves, for example, limitations given by complex requirements (e.g. a large number of charging cycles), performance requirements in terms of power output, available capacity, operating conditions, etc. If, for example, an electric machine (e.g. an electric motor) is to be operated with a battery device, high requirements are set for the control of the battery device.

[0004] In addition, lithium-ion battery cells used in today's commercial electric vehicles are sensitive to temperature, which affects the performance of the battery pack, including the battery pack's range, voltage efficiency, charging time, and state of health (SOH). For example, cold battery pack temperatures reduce the battery pack's charge / discharge capacity and power capabilities because the chemical reactions inside the battery slow down, thereby increasing internal resistance. In extremely cold conditions (usually below 0°C), battery cells may even stop working and suffer irreversible damage.

[0005] Higher battery pack temperatures may also cause performance degradation, including capacity loss (e.g., due to loss of lithium and reduction of active materials at high temperatures) and power loss (e.g., due to increased internal resistance). Similar to extreme cold, extremely high temperatures (typically above 60°C) may also cause the battery pack to fail to operate and, in some cases, cause irreversible damage. In the worst case, thermal runaway may even cause spontaneous combustion and explosion. Summary of the invention

[0006] An overview is provided below to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or core elements or to delineate any scope of a particular embodiment or any scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description presented later. In one or more embodiments described herein, a system, computer-implemented method, and / or computer program product is provided that facilitates an electric vehicle battery system control strategy (management of an electric vehicle battery system) incorporating thermal management.

[0007] In one embodiment, a method can include using a smart cell battery system to power one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle through a system operably coupled to at least one processor, the smart cell battery system including a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units each including a local controller, the local controller controlling operation of a corresponding battery cell connected to the local controller. The method also includes determining, by the system, control information for each battery cell unit, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and satisfying power demand of the one or more electrical systems, and directing, by the system, the local controller to control operation of the corresponding battery cell in accordance with the control information.

[0008] In various implementations, the method further includes determining, by the system, a temperature change required to place the corresponding battery cell within the target thermal window, and wherein determining the control information includes determining the control information based on the temperature change.

[0009] In some embodiments, the control information includes use priority information that controls a priority order of use of corresponding battery cells for powering one or more electrical systems. In various embodiments, the priority order prioritizes the use of cooler battery cells before using hotter battery cells. The priority order can also result in an increase or decrease in the temperature of different battery cells of the corresponding battery cells. For example, operation can include operating the corresponding battery cells in different operating modes, wherein the control information controls the timing and duration of operating the corresponding battery cells in the different operating modes, and wherein the different operating modes result in an increase or decrease in the temperature of the corresponding battery cells.

[0010] In another embodiment, a system can include an intelligent single-cell battery system configured to power one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle, the intelligent single-cell battery system including a plurality of battery single-cell units, the plurality of battery single-cell units respectively including a local controller, the local controller controlling the operation of a corresponding battery single-cell connected to the local controller. The system can also include a memory storing computer executable components, and a processor executing the computer executable components stored in the memory. The computer executable components can include a scheduling component and a control component, wherein the scheduling component determines control information for each battery single-cell unit, the control information results in a balance between placing the corresponding battery single-cell within a target thermal window and satisfying the power demand of one or more electrical systems, and the control component directs the local controller to control the operation of the corresponding battery single-cell according to the control information.

[0011] In another embodiment, a computer program product facilitates controlling power supplied to one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle from a smart cell battery system, the smart cell battery system comprising a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units respectively comprising a local controller, the local controller controlling operation of a corresponding battery cell connected to the local controller. The computer program product includes executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitates performance of operations including determining control information for each battery cell unit, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and satisfying power demands of the one or more electrical systems, and directing the local controller to control operation of the corresponding battery cell in accordance with the control information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] One or more exemplary embodiments are described below in the detailed description section with reference to the following figures.

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary smart cell battery system for powering one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0014] Figure 2A An exemplary battery cell unit of a smart cell battery system according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0015] Figure 2B Another exemplary battery cell unit of a smart cell battery system according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0016] Figure 3 A high-level flow chart illustrating an exemplary control process for a smart cell battery system according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0017] Figure 4Another high-level flow chart of an exemplary control process for a smart single-cell battery system incorporating thermal management according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0018] Figure 5 A high-level block diagram of an exemplary battery cell unit of a smart cell battery system is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0019] Figure 6 A high-level block diagram of an exemplary motherboard is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0020] Figure 7 An exemplary computer-implemented method of controlling usage of battery cells of a smart cell battery system based on thermal considerations according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0021] Figure 8 Another exemplary computer-implemented method of controlling usage of battery cells of a smart cell battery system based on thermal considerations according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown.

[0022] Fig. 9 Another exemplary computer-implemented method of controlling usage of battery cells of a smart cell battery system based on thermal considerations according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The following detailed description is illustrative only and is not intended to limit the application or use of the embodiments and / or embodiments. In addition, it is not intended to be bound by any explicit or implicit information presented in the previous background technology part or the invention summary part, or the detailed description part.

[0024] In one or more embodiments described herein, systems, computer-implemented methods, and / or computer program products of one or more embodiments described herein are provided, which facilitate electric vehicle battery system control strategies incorporating thermal management. The disclosed control strategies are particularly intended to provide techniques for controlling the use of battery cells (e.g., with respect to priority and duration) of an electric vehicle in a manner that optimizes efficiency based on the thermal sensitivity of the battery cells while minimizing degradation. More specifically, the disclosed techniques include thermal management of the battery system using intelligent scheduling logic rather than using external heating and / or cooling equipment. To this end, the disclosed techniques are rooted in an electric vehicle battery system that is an intelligent single-cell battery system.

[0025] The smart cell battery system aims to remove large and expensive components from traditional transmission systems and use batteries more efficiently. More specifically, the smart cell battery system is a multilevel inverter concept that aims to replace transmission system components such as traditional large inverters by integrating them into printed circuit boards (PCBs) connected to battery cell clusters. These printed circuit boards are wirelessly connected to a central controller that handles advanced control. Each printed circuit board includes local wireless communication hardware, a small DC to DC (DCDC) inverter, multiple power switches (e.g., high current and low voltage switches), one or more sensors and other electronic hardware elements and software elements that enable them to intelligently control and manage the operation of the corresponding battery cells to which they are connected (e.g., making them "smart"). In addition, the printed circuit board is capable of converting the DC (DC) output from the small battery cluster into AC (AC) to control the motor through field-oriented control (FOC). The battery pack can be configured in a variety of different ways depending on the needs of propulsion, the utilization of other high-voltage and low-voltage electrical systems of the vehicle, and charging. By changing the inverter switching to a smart cell system, the battery pack is able to operate at twice the voltage level of a similar battery pack using a traditional inverter, resulting in lower current and less losses. In addition, only the required battery cells are activated, rather than all cells needing to be active all the time, which improves efficiency.

[0026] At a high level, the disclosed control strategy for the smart cell battery system selectively uses (e.g., switches on and off) the power supplied by the corresponding battery cells as needed based on factors such as the dynamic power demand of the electrical system to which they feed and the monitored temperature of the corresponding battery cells. According to various embodiments, the disclosed technology increases and decreases the priority of battery cell use so that each battery cell or battery cell cluster can be heated or cooled without any battery heating and cooling system actuation. This means energy saving because no actuation of the external heating and cooling system is required to control the maximum and / or minimum battery cell temperature. In this regard, traditional thermal control of the battery pack requires energy to activate multiple actuators involved in battery cell cooling and heating events. In some embodiments in which an external cooling and heating system is incorporated into the smart cell battery system, the disclosed technology also facilitates reducing the energy consumption of the external thermal control system by delaying the activation requirement of the external thermal control system. Implicitly, this function also manages the delta temperature within the battery pack battery cells, which should be kept at a minimum for control purposes (e.g., ideal for battery cell aging control and overall battery pack performance).

[0027] Additionally, the cell usage scheduling logic will include functionality to not use cells or cell clusters that are diagnosed as faulty or unsafe. This can be based on temperature sensor electrical or rationality failure, voltage sensor failure, resistance measurement, current measurement failure, cell pressure measurement, contactor failure, communication failure, or any other cluster control input failure.

[0028] Although one or more devices and / or systems are described below with reference to wheeled vehicles such as automobiles, one or more embodiments described herein are not limited to such use. The battery devices and / or battery systems described herein can be implemented in any suitable electronic system, such as, for example, the electric drive train of an electric vehicle (EV). In fact, one or more devices and / or systems described herein can be used with any of military vehicles, marine vehicles such as ships or marine drones, winged vehicles such as airplanes, and / or rotary-wing vehicles such as helicopters or drones. Similarly, use can be extended to any suitable mobile and / or fixed device that can be extended to robots and / or use battery devices or battery systems.

[0029] One or more embodiments are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same reference numerals are always used to refer to the same elements. In the following description, for the purpose of explanation, many specific details are set forth to provide a more thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it is apparent that, in various cases, one or more embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled" to another element, it is possible to describe one or more different types of coupling, including but not limited to chemical coupling, communication coupling, electrical coupling, electromagnetic coupling, operational coupling, optical coupling, physical coupling, thermal coupling and / or another type of coupling.

[0030] Figure 1An exemplary smart cell battery system 102 is shown for powering one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle 100 according to one or more embodiments described herein. The one or more electrical systems can include one or more electric motors 112, one or more high voltage (HV) electrical systems 110, and / or one or more low voltage (LV) electrical systems 108. The one or more low voltage electrical systems 108 can include any type of electrical system associated with the electric vehicle 100 that typically consumes a DC input voltage of less than about 50 volts (V) (e.g., 12V, 14V, 15V, 40V, 48V, etc.). Some examples of low voltage electrical systems can include, but are not limited to, power steering systems, autonomous driving systems, infotainment systems, navigation systems, backup camera systems, and the like. The one or more high voltage electrical systems 110 can include any type of electrical system associated with the electric vehicle 100 that typically consumes a DC input voltage greater than about 50V (e.g., 48V, 72V, 100V, 400V, etc.), such as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, and the like.

[0031] One or more motors 112 (e.g., a single motor typically used for 2-wheel drive vehicles and two motors for 4-wheel drive vehicles) can include any type of electric vehicle motor that is part of the vehicle's powertrain or drive, including one or more DC motors and / or one or more AS motors. In various embodiments, one or more motors 112 can include or correspond to a three-phase motor, such as a permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM). A permanent magnet synchronous motor PMSM is a synchronous motor that uses permanent magnets (PM) instead of electromagnetic windings to generate a magnetic field. The three-phase machine operates using a three-phase current system. The fundamental frequency of the power supply three-phase system also determines the rotor speed by controlling the rotating magnetomotive force (MMF). The magnetomotive force MMF generates torque together with the magnetic field of the permanent magnet rotor.

[0032] The rotor consists of permanent magnets and the three static coils are the stator windings. The stator windings are distributed at 120° from the center of the permanent magnets. The stator windings can be represented as an inductor in series with a resistor. The three windings are described as phase A, phase B and phase C, and the phase current is i a 、i b and i c When current flows through the static coil, a magnetic field is generated according to Faraday's law, and a magnetic field is generated by the permanent magnet. When the electrical angle between the magnetomotive force of the stator and the magnetic field of the rotor is 90°, the maximum torque is generated.

[0033] In a conventional BEV system, a three-phase current for an AC motor such as a permanent magnet synchronous motor is generated from a DC power source through an inverter. According to one or more embodiments of the disclosed technology, a three-phase current is generated from a smart cell battery system 102 without using an inverter. To facilitate this purpose, the smart cell battery system 102 includes a plurality of battery cells (not shown) arranged in three separate strings, each of which corresponds to three different phases (e.g., a phase A string, a phase B string, and a phase C string), which are capable of providing corresponding three of the three-phase currents for driving one or more motors 112.

[0034] In this regard, the smart single-cell battery system 102 includes a plurality of battery cell units 106 arranged in three separate strings, which are indicated as phase A string, phase B string, and phase C string, respectively. The battery cell units 106 associated with the phase A string include cells A1-An, the battery cells associated with the phase B string include cells B1-Bn, and the battery cells associated with the phase C string include cells C1-Cn. The number of battery cells "n" associated with each string can vary. For example, in some embodiments, the number of battery cells n included in each string is 96, so that there are a total of 288 battery cell units 106 in the smart single-cell battery system 102. However, the number of battery cell units 106 included in the smart single-cell battery system 102 is not limited to this configuration and can be customized to accommodate various usage scenarios.

[0035] Each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can include one or more battery cells and a printed circuit board device (referred to herein as a "cluster board") that includes several power electronic components that enable them to intelligently control and manage the operation of the corresponding battery cells to which they are connected. In addition, the cluster boards enable the DC output from the corresponding battery cells to which they are connected to be converted into AC to control one or more motors 112 through field oriented control FOC. These cluster boards are wirelessly connected to the main board 104 that handles high-level control.

[0036] Figure 2A and 2B An exemplary battery cell of the smart cell battery system 102 is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 2A An exemplary battery cell 200A including a single battery cell 202 is shown. Figure 2B Another exemplary battery cell 200B including a plurality of battery cells 202 is shown. Figure 1 , Figure 2A and Figure 2B , in various embodiments, Figure 1All or some of the battery cell units 106A1 -An, B1 -Bn, and C1 -Cn shown in FIG. 1 can correspond to the battery cell 200A and / or the battery cell 200B.

[0037] like Figure 2A As shown, in some embodiments, one or more of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can include a single battery cell 202. In other embodiments, one or more of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can include a cluster 206 of battery cells 202, wherein the cluster 206 can include two or more battery cells 202. The number of battery cells 202 included in the cluster 206 can vary. For example, although the battery cell 200B is shown as having four battery cells 202, it should be understood that the number of battery cells 202 can be customized for different usage scenarios and power requirements. The battery cells 202 can include any type of battery cell material, such as lithium battery cell material, lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery cell material, lithium metal battery cell material, lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cell material, molten salt (Na-NiCl2) battery cell material, nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery cell material, lead-acid battery cell.

[0038] All or some of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can include a cluster plate 204 formed thereon and electrically connected to one or more battery cells 202 associated with the battery cell units 106, respectively. For example, the cluster plate 204 can be physically attached to a single battery cell 202 or one or more of the respective battery cells 202 included in the cluster 206. The manner in which the cluster plate is physically attached to the single battery cell 202 (e.g., as shown with respect to battery cell 200A) and / or the cluster 206 of battery cells (e.g., as shown with respect to battery cell 200B) can vary. For example, the cluster plate 204 can be materially bonded to the one or more battery cells 202, for example, via one or more weld bonds (e.g., braze material weld bonds, laser material weld bonds, etc.) and / or via one or more adhesive material bonds. Alternatively, the cluster plate device 204 can be attached to the one or more battery cells 202 via one or more screw connections.

[0039] The manner in which the cluster board 204 (or its components) is electrically connected to individual battery cells 202 and / or clusters 206 of battery cells 202 can also vary. For example, each battery cell 202 can include one or more terminals or power supply points (not shown), and the cluster board 204 (or its components) can be electrically connected to at least one terminal of the battery cell 202 via any suitable thermal connection (e.g., busbars, direct metal-to-metal component connections, wired connections, etc.). In some embodiments, each battery cell 202 can include four terminals or output points, where two of the terminals or output points can be AC ​​terminals or power supply points and two can be isolated DC terminals or power supply points. In some embodiments applied to clusters 206 of battery cells 202, the cluster board 204 (or its components) can be electrically connected to at least one terminal of each battery cell of the cluster 206. In other embodiments applied to clusters 206 of battery cells 202, the printed circuit board assembly 204 (or its components) can be electrically connected to at least one terminal of at least one battery cell 202 of the cluster 206.

[0040] The battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn (and / or components thereof) can be electrically connected to each other (e.g., via hardwire connections) in appropriate quantities in series and / or in parallel to achieve a desired voltage and / or form independent subgroups of battery cells 106 that are connected to different electrical systems (e.g., one or more of the low-voltage electrical system 108 and / or the high-voltage electrical system 110) of the electric vehicle 100. The battery cells 106 (and / or components thereof) and / or subgroups of battery cells 106 can be further electrically connected (e.g., via hardwire connections) to one or more of the one or more electric motors 112, the low-voltage electrical system 108, and / or the high-voltage electrical system 110.

[0041] For example, in various embodiments, some or all of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn (or portions thereof applied to two motors in a four-wheel drive machine) can be used to feed direct current to one or more low-voltage electrical systems 108 and / or one or more high-voltage electrical systems 110 and to feed alternating current to one or more motors 112. To facilitate this, the corresponding cluster board 204 of the battery cell unit 106 can include a DCDC inverter that can be used to generate a desired DC output voltage for feeding the low-voltage and / or high-voltage electrical system. The DCDC inverters of the individual battery cell units 106 can be connected in series and / or in parallel (e.g., via a wired connection). The corresponding cluster board 204 can also include an H-bridge, and each H-bridge can be connected in series (via a wired connection). The battery cell units 106 are capable of feeding respective AC phase currents from (each of the three phase strings A, B, and C) to one or more motors 112 via their respective battery cell clusters and H-bridge connections independent of their respective DCDC inverters which feed DC currents to the respective low voltage electrical systems 110 or high voltage electrical systems 112 to which they are connected. Various configurations are contemplated.

[0042] In this regard, the cluster board 204 can include or correspond to a circuit board device including electronic or electrical hardware (and software) components that enable the cluster board 204 to intelligently control various operations of the corresponding battery cells 202 connected thereto, including providing DC output and AC output to the corresponding electrical system of the electric vehicle 100. The electronic or electrical hardware components can include, but are not limited to: a DCDC inverter, a power module including a plurality of power switches for the DCDC inverter and the H-bridge (as well as other functions), bus bars, wires, ports, one or more sensors, one or more control units (e.g., including a microprocessor, a central processing unit (CPU) coupled to a memory device, etc.), wireless communication components (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) transmitter / receiver, a transceiver, etc.), and various other components.

[0043] As described above, the cluster board 204 of each of the battery cell units 106A1-AN, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be wirelessly connected (e.g., via any suitable wireless communication technology) to the main board 104 that handles high-level control. In this regard, the main board 104 and the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be configured to operate according to a server-client architecture, wherein the main board 104 transmits (i.e., broadcasts, transmits, sends, etc.) control information to the corresponding battery cell unit 106, and wherein the battery cell unit 106 is configured to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell unit 106 according to the received control information.

[0044] For example, Figure 3 A high-level flow chart of an exemplary control process 300 for a smart single-cell battery system is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 1-Figure 3 According to the process 300, each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can transmit battery cell unit parameter information 302 to the main board 104. For example, during operation of the vehicle 100 (e.g., including driving and charging operations, and in some embodiments when the vehicle is not in an active operating mode), each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be configured to provide the main board 104 with battery cell unit parameter information 302, the battery cell unit parameter information 302 including information identifying or indicating one or more parameters of the battery cell unit. The battery cell unit parameter information 302 can include current condition information about the battery cell unit 106 and / or the corresponding battery cell 202 of the battery cell unit, such as, but not limited to: charge level, current / voltage input / output, current utilization, temperature, and various other parameters as described in more detail below. The battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn and C1-Cn can be configured to provide battery cell parameter information 302 to the mainboard 104 at a defined frequency (e.g., every 1.0 milliseconds, every 1.0 seconds, every 1.0 minutes, every 5.0 minutes, etc.) in response to a triggering event (e.g., a charge level drops below a threshold, etc.) and / or in response to a request received from the mainboard 104.

[0045] The mainboard 104 can further monitor the current power demand 306 of the various electrical systems of the vehicle 100 (including one or more low-voltage electrical systems 108, one or more high-voltage electrical systems 110, and one or more electric motors 112). Based on the current power demand 306 and the battery cell parameter information 302 of each battery cell, the mainboard 104 can determine and transmit (e.g., transmit, broadcast, send, etc.) battery cell control information 304 to the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn, which instructs the corresponding battery cell units how to operate. At 308, the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be configured to control the power supply to the corresponding electrical system of the vehicle 100 according to the control information. In this regard, each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be configured to be independently controlled (e.g., via a local controller, which corresponds to the local control component 504, such as Figure 5Operation of the corresponding battery cells 202 of the cluster board 204 (shown) connected to the corresponding battery cell units and one or more electrical systems of the vehicle (e.g., one or more low-voltage electrical systems 108, one or more high-voltage electrical systems 110 and / or one or more electric motors 112).

[0046] In this regard, the operation of the corresponding battery cell controlled by the local controller based on the battery cell unit control information 304 can include, but is not limited to, the operation mode of the corresponding battery cell. For example, the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 can be configured to operate in different operation modes, the different operation modes including an active mode in which the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 actively supplies power output to one or more electrical systems, and an inactive mode in which the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 does not supply output power to one or more electrical systems. In some embodiments, the different operation modes may include or correspond to a positive mode (e.g., corresponding to actively supplying output power to one or more electrical systems), a negative mode (e.g., corresponding to receiving power from one or more electrical systems and / or an external charging circuit), and a bypass mode (e.g., corresponding to an inactive mode in which the battery cell does not receive or provide power). To this end, the battery cell unit control information 304 can control the activation (i.e., turning on) and deactivation (i.e., disconnection) of its corresponding battery cell 202 associated with supplying current to one or more electrical systems of the vehicle. In addition to controlling only the connection and disconnection of power supply from the corresponding battery cell 202, each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn and C1-Cn can be configured to control the amount of current supplied, the type of current supplied (e.g., DC or AC), and the direction of current flow, including output current flowing from the battery cell to one or more electrical systems, and input current flowing to the battery cell 202 associated with the charging operation, including input current received from an external charging system and / or one or more electrical systems of the vehicle 100.

[0047] To this end, the battery cell control information 304 can include or correspond to scheduling information that directs when and how the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn operate, including when to activate and deactivate supplying AC and / or DC power to the corresponding electrical systems of the vehicle 100, how much power (e.g., voltage level) to provide, and when to activate reverse current associated with charging operations. Because each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn can be independently controlled, the number of battery cell units 106 and / or the number of battery cells 202 used to power one electrical system of the vehicle 100 can be customized based on the power demand 306. In this regard, the motherboard 104 can selectively control the utilization of the battery cell units 106 as needed to meet the power demand 306, including utilizing only a portion of the battery cell units 106 at any given time. In other words, the motherboard 104 can selectively control the activation of some battery cell units 106 and the deactivation of other battery cell units 106 as needed during the operation of the vehicle to meet the power demand 306.

[0048] In various embodiments, the control logic followed by the motherboard 104 for determining which battery cells to activate and when to activate can be based on balancing the utilization of the respective battery cell units 106 according to the respective states of charge (SOC) of the respective battery cell units 106. In this regard, the longer the battery cell units are utilized and the greater the amount of output current supplied, the lower the state of charge of the battery cell 202. Therefore, the motherboard 104 can schedule the utilization of the respective battery cell units 106 to supply DC power and / or AC power to one or more electrical systems based on the reported states of charge of the respective battery cell units 106 (e.g., included in the battery cell unit parameter information 302) in a manner that preferentially utilizes those battery cell units 106 with higher states of charge.

[0049] According to the disclosed technology, in addition to and / or in lieu of the state of charge of the corresponding battery cells, the mainboard 104 is also capable of scheduling the utilization of the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn in a manner that regulates the temperature of the corresponding battery cell units. In this regard, as discussed in the background technology section, lithium-ion battery cells and other types of battery cells used in electric vehicles (such as vehicle 100) are sensitive to temperature, which affects the performance of the battery pack, including the battery pack's range, voltage efficiency, charging time, and health status. Battery cells used in electric vehicles (e.g., battery cell 202) typically have a small thermal operating window in which they perform most efficiently. In addition, when exposed to temperatures exceeding certain levels (e.g., high levels and low levels, such as greater than about 25°C and less than about 0°C), the battery cells may suffer degradation during both active and inactive utilization.

[0050] At a high level, the motherboard 104 is able to employ one or more control strategies for the smart cell battery system 102, which involve selectively using (e.g., switching on and off) the power supplied by the corresponding battery cells 202 as needed based on the power demand of the electrical system they feed and the monitored temperature of the corresponding battery cells (e.g., included in the battery cell unit parameter information 302), as well as other factors. According to various embodiments, the motherboard 104 is able to increase and decrease the battery cell usage priority so that each battery cell 202 and / or battery cluster 206 can be heated or cooled without any battery heating and cooling system actuation. This means energy savings because no actuation of an external heating and cooling system is required to control the maximum and / or minimum battery temperature. In this regard, conventional thermal control of a battery pack requires energy to activate multiple actuators that participate in battery cooling and heating events. In some embodiments where an external cooling and heating system is incorporated into the smart cell battery system 102, the disclosed technology also facilitates reducing energy consumption from the external thermal control system by delaying the activation requirement of the external thermal control system. Implicitly, this function also manages the delta temperature within the battery pack cells, which should be kept to a minimum for control purposes (eg, desirable for cell aging control and overall battery pack performance).

[0051] Additionally, the cell usage scheduling logic employed by the main board 104 can include functionality to not use a cell or cell cluster 106 that is diagnosed as faulty or unsafe. This can be based on a temperature sensor electrical or rationality failure, a voltage sensor failure, a resistance measurement, a current measurement failure, a cell pressure measurement, a contactor failure, a communication failure, or any other cluster control input failure.

[0052] For example, Figure 4A high-level flow chart of an exemplary control process 400 for an intelligent single-cell battery system incorporating thermal management according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. Process 400 corresponds to process 300, with the addition of high-level sub-processes (e.g., corresponding to steps 412 and 414) performed by the main board 104 and more detailed examples of battery single-cell parameters 402 that can be used to facilitate thermal management according to one or more embodiments. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of the same elements employed in various embodiments are omitted.

[0053] in this regard, Figure 4 Some exemplary battery cell parameters 402 are presented that can be included in the battery cell parameter information 302 reported by each battery cell 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn to the main board 104. It should be understood that the battery cell parameters 402 are shown with respect to a single unit (i.e., battery cell 106-A1) for exemplary purposes. In various embodiments, the battery cell parameters 402 can include, but are not limited to, thermal control temperature targets 404, current sensor measurements 406, current SOC parameters 408, and current SOH parameters.

[0054] The thermal control temperature target 404 can include information identifying or indicating one or more target thermal windows of a battery cell 202 (e.g., individually) and / or a cluster 206 of battery cells 202 of the battery cell unit. In this regard, the term "target thermal window" is used herein to refer to a desired target temperature range for maintaining a battery cell 202 and / or a cluster 206 of battery cells therein, and can be defined by an upper temperature threshold and a lower temperature threshold. In some embodiments, the median temperature of the target thermal window can include or correspond to an optimal temperature for maintaining the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206. In some embodiments, the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 can be associated with different target thermal windows for different applications. For example, the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 can have a first target thermal window defined by a first upper temperature threshold and a first lower temperature threshold associated with supplying direct current, and a second target thermal window defined by a second upper temperature threshold and a second lower temperature threshold associated with supplying alternating current or a combination of direct current and alternating current. In another example, the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 may have a first target thermal window defined by a first upper temperature threshold and a first lower temperature threshold associated with supplying direct current and / or alternating current, and a second target thermal window defined by a second upper temperature threshold and a second lower temperature threshold associated with receiving power during a charging operation. In another example, the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 may have a first target thermal window defined by a first upper temperature threshold and a first lower temperature threshold, and a second operating window defined by a second upper temperature threshold and a second lower temperature threshold, wherein the first target thermal window is customized to operations involving power supply below a threshold voltage level, and the second operating window is customized to operations involving power supply above a threshold voltage level. The thermal control temperature target 404 can also identify or indicate the optimal upper and lower temperature levels of the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 during its inactive use (e.g., when the vehicle is turned off and / or when the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 is not supplying or receiving power).

[0055] In some embodiments, the thermal control temperature target 404 (i.e., one or more target thermal windows) can be included in the battery cell parameters 302. Since these targets are constant or relatively constant, in some embodiments, the cluster board 204 can be configured to transmit the thermal control temperature target 402 to the main board 104 once (e.g., when the vehicle 100 is started). In other embodiments, the main board 104 can store (e.g., in a memory 618, etc.) information defining the thermal control temperature target 404 (i.e., one or more target thermal windows) for each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn. With these embodiments, the thermal control temperature target 404 can be excluded from the battery cell parameters 302 sent to the main board 104.

[0056] The current sensor measurements 406 can include sensor measurements obtained by the cluster board 204 from one or more sensors (e.g., sensors 518) connected to the battery cells 202 and / or the cluster 206 and / or the cluster board 204. These sensors can include, but are not limited to, thermal sensors (i.e., temperature sensors), voltage sensors (e.g., voltmeters), pressure sensors, chemical sensors, and various other sensors. In this regard, the current sensor measurements 406 can include, but are not limited to, information identifying or indicating the current temperature of the battery cells 202, the current voltage output or input level of the battery cells 202, the current pressure level associated with the battery cells 202, the current battery cell material chemistry, etc. In some embodiments, the cluster board 204, the battery cells 202, and / or components thereof can include one or more sensors (e.g., included in the sensor 518) configured to detect and report errors or faults associated with the operation of the cluster board 204 and / or the battery cells. For example, errors and / or faults can be based on electrical connection issues (e.g., contact failures), electrical components failing or underperforming relative to a target, and various other defined error signals associated with the battery cells 202, cluster board 204, and / or components thereof. With these embodiments, the current sensor measurements 406 can include any signals or measurements generated by such sensors.

[0057] Current state of charge parameters 408 can include one or more parameters that identify or indicate the current state of charge of battery cells 202 (e.g., individually) and / or clusters 206 (collectively). The state of charge of a battery describes the difference between a fully charged battery and the same battery in use. It is associated with the remaining charge available in the battery. It is defined as the ratio of the charge remaining in the battery divided by the maximum charge that the battery can deliver.

[0058] The current state of health parameter 410 can include information identifying or indicating the state of health (SOH) of a battery cell 202 (e.g., individually) and / or a cluster 206 (collectively). In the electric vehicle field, the state of health is a quality factor of the condition of a battery cell 202 or a battery cell group (e.g., a cluster 206 and / or all battery cells 202 included in a smart battery system 202) compared to its ideal condition. For example, the unit of the state of health can be expressed as a percentage value (or another value), where a 100% state of health means that the condition of the battery matches the battery's specifications. Typically, the state of health of a battery will be 100% at the time of manufacture and will degrade over time and use. However, the performance of a battery at the time of manufacture may not meet its specifications, in which case its initial state of health will be less than 100%. The main factors that lead to battery degradation are driver patterns, driver aggression, climate, cabin thermodynamics, and infrastructure, with driver patterns and climate having the greatest impact. Because the state of health does not correspond to a specific physical quality, there is no consensus in the industry on how to determine the state of health. In various embodiments, the health status of a single battery cell 202 and / or cluster 206 can be determined based on one or more of the following parameters: internal resistance, internal impedance, internal conductance, capacity, voltage, self-discharge, ability to accept charge, number of charge / discharge cycles, battery life, thermal profile of the battery, and total charge and discharge energy. To this end, in some embodiments, the current health status parameters 410 can include current values ​​of one or more of these parameters, and the main board 104 can be configured to calculate the current health status of the battery cell 202 and / or cluster 206 associated with each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn based on current and historical measurements (e.g., parameters tracked over time) using a previously defined algorithm or process. In other embodiments, the cluster board 204 can perform a health status assessment and report the current health status value in the battery cell unit control information 304.

[0059] With respect to the main board 104, in various embodiments, the main board 104 can analyze and process the information included in the battery cell parameters 302 reported by the respective battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn in association with determining the battery cell control information 304 using one or more optimization functions specifically adapted to account for the thermal sensitivity of the battery cells 202. Specifically, at 412, the main board 104 can determine the battery cell control information 304 for each of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn that results in a balance between placing the respective battery cell 202 connected to each of the battery cells within a target thermal window and satisfying the power demand of one or more electrical systems. At 414, the main board 104 can further transmit the battery cell control information 304 to the respective battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn associated with directing the battery cell units to control the operation of the respective battery cells 202 and / or the cluster 206 connected thereto.

[0060] For example, in various embodiments, the battery cell unit control information 304 can include usage priority information that controls the usage priority order of the corresponding battery cells controlled by each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn to power one or more electrical systems of the vehicle 100 to which they are connected (e.g., one or more of the low voltage electrical systems 108, one or more of the high voltage electrical systems 110, and / or one of the multiple motors 112). In various embodiments, the priority order can prioritize the use of colder battery cells before using hotter battery cells (e.g., in scenarios where it is desired to increase the temperature of colder battery cells and / or decrease the temperature of hotter battery cells). The priority order can also cause the temperature of different battery cells of the corresponding battery cells to be increased or decreased. For example, operation can include operating the corresponding battery cells in different operating modes, wherein the control information controls the timing and duration of operating the corresponding battery cells in the different operating modes, and wherein the different operating modes cause the temperature of the corresponding battery cells to be increased or decreased.

[0061] For example, in some embodiments, at 412, the main board 104 can determine the temperature change required to place the corresponding battery cell within the target thermal window of the corresponding battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn. For example, this can involve comparing the current temperature of the corresponding battery cell unit 106 with its corresponding thermal control window for the current operating environment of the corresponding battery cell unit 106 (e.g., note that, as described above, the thermal control window can vary for different battery cells and operating environments), and determining whether and to what extent the temperature of the corresponding battery cell unit 106 should be increased or decreased to place the temperature of the corresponding battery cell unit 106 within its target temperature window for the current operating environment. Using these embodiments, the main board 104 can determine the battery cell unit control information 304 based on the required temperature change. For example, the main controller 104 can selectively determine how to schedule the utilization and non-utilization of the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn to provide power to the corresponding electrical system of the vehicle 100 to meet the power demand while also achieving the temperature change.

[0062] In this regard, the temperature of the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 increases according to the duration of activation (e.g., time), the type of activation (e.g., supplying or receiving power, generating AC or DC power, etc.), and the amount of voltage or current involved in the activation. Similarly, the temperature of the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 can be reduced by deactivating the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 (e.g., disconnecting the voltage output and / or input), operating the battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 in bypass mode, and / or reducing the amount of voltage utilized and / or the duration of its utilization. To this end, by increasing the battery usage priority or decreasing the priority, each battery cell 202 or battery cluster 206 can be heated or cooled as needed to achieve the thermal control temperature target without requiring any external battery heating / cooling system actuation. This means that energy is saved because no actuation of the cooling system is required to control the maximum and / or minimum battery temperature. Implicitly, this function also manages the Δ temperature within the battery pack battery cell, which should be kept at a minimum value (ideal for battery cell aging control and overall battery pack performance). In this regard, the battery cell control information 304 can direct how each battery cell 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn operates, including whether and when (e.g., based on time, based on cluster priority, etc.) to actively generate and supply AC power and / or DC power, the amount of power (e.g., voltage output target), the duration of power generation and supply, whether to disable power generation and supply, etc. To this end, the battery cell control information 304 can define or correspond to a priority order for the use of the corresponding battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn.

[0063] In association with determining the battery cell unit control information 304 that results in a balance between achieving a thermal control temperature target and satisfying the current power demand, the mainboard 104 can employ one or more optimization functions that implicitly take into account the known effects of changes in the operating mode or state of the battery cell 202 and / or cluster 206 on its temperature. In various embodiments, the one or more optimization functions can also take into account various additional parameters and constraints and complex relationships between these parameters and defined constraints (e.g., constraints related to satisfying the power demand of the vehicle 100, operational safety, etc.). For example, the additional parameters can include, but are not limited to, any parameters included in the battery cell unit control information 304. For example, one or more optimization functions can account for whether and to what extent the current state of charge and / or health state of the battery cell 202 and / or cluster 206 affect their temperature in association with operating in different operating modes and conditions. In another example, one or more optimization functions can account for whether and to what extent the current battery cell pressure, material composition, and various other sensor values ​​(e.g., included in the current sensor measurement 406) affect their temperature in association with operating in different operating modes and conditions.

[0064] In some embodiments, the additional parameters can also include historically tracked values ​​of the battery cell parameters 402 of the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn (e.g., recorded by the main board 104 over time). In some embodiments, the additional parameters can also include predicted information, including predicted power demand (e.g., corresponding to the power demand 306 still expected in one or more upcoming time frames), and predicted values ​​of any battery cell parameters 402. In various embodiments, the main board 104 can employ machine learning (ML) and / or artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to determine these predicted values ​​based on historically tracked values ​​and historical patterns associated with the power demand 306 that are also tracked and recorded over time. In some embodiments, the additional parameters can also include external factors that can significantly affect the temperature of the battery cells 202 and / or clusters 206, such as known or predicted weather information (e.g., current and predicted climate temperatures and weather patterns). The temperature of the individual battery cells 202 and / or clusters can also be affected by their relative positions to each other and the positions in which they are installed within the vehicle 100, which can also be considered as constraints, etc. in one or more optimization functions. For example, an inactive cell cluster can be indirectly heated by an active cell cluster located nearby. Thus, the optimization function can take into account the relative positions of the cells to each other when scheduling the respective cell clusters in a manner intended to increase or decrease the current temperature of the respective cell clusters to achieve the thermal control target 412.

[0065] Additionally, as described above, in some embodiments, the battery cell scheduling logic employed by the main board 104 can include functionality to not use a battery cell or cluster that is diagnosed as faulty or unsafe. Using these embodiments, the main board 104 can perform diagnostic functions for the respective battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn based on analysis of information included in the battery cell parameters 302 (e.g., via the diagnostic component 608). For example, the main board 104 can determine or infer (e.g., using the machine learning component 614) whether a battery cell is faulty or unsafe based on a temperature sensor electrical or rationality fault, a voltage sensor fault, a resistance measurement, a current measurement fault, a battery cell pressure measurement, a contactor fault, a communication fault, or any other cluster control input fault.

[0066] Figure 5 1 shows a high-level block diagram of an exemplary battery cell unit 106 of the smart battery system 102 according to one or more embodiments described herein. Figure 1-Figure 5 The battery cell unit 106 can include or correspond to some or all of the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of the same elements employed in various embodiments are omitted.

[0067] like Figure 5As shown, the cluster board 204 can include a memory 510 that can store computer or machine executable components 502, including a local control component 504, a measurement component 506, and an evaluation component 508. In various embodiments, the local control component 504 can include or correspond to one or more local control units of the cluster board, which can perform control functions of the cluster board 204, including interpreting and applying or executing control commands based on the battery cell parameter information 302 for a specific battery cell 106 from the main board 104. For example, the control component 504 can control the operation mode and voltage output of the corresponding battery cell 202 connected to the cluster board 204 by controlling the switching of the corresponding power switches (e.g., MOSFETs, FETs, etc.) and circuits (e.g., DCDC inverter circuits and H-bridges, etc.) of the cluster board 204 that connect the battery cell 202 to the DC and AC input and output electrical connections of one or more electrical systems of the vehicle 100. The local control component 504 can also control wireless communication between the cluster board 204 and the main board 104 according to a defined communication protocol (e.g., via the communication component 514). For example, the local controller 504 can control the transmission timing of the battery cell parameters 302 of the battery cell unit 106. The measurement component 506 can control the measurement and collection of any current sensor measurements 406 from one or more sensors 518 connected to the cluster board 204. As described above, these sensors can include various types of sensors (e.g., temperature sensors, pressure sensors, chemical sensors, motion sensors, etc.) coupled to the battery cell cluster 206, the individual battery cells 202, and / or the electrical hardware components of the cluster board 204. The evaluation component 508 can perform intelligent processing functions for the cluster board 204. For example, in some embodiments, the evaluation component 508 can perform the same or similar processing functions described with respect to the main board 104 associated with autonomously performing control functions between receiving control information from the main board 104, but perform them locally.

[0068] The cluster board 204 can also include a processing unit 512 that executes the machine executable components 502 stored in the memory 510. The main board 104 can also include a communication component 514 that enables wireless communication between the cluster board 204 and the main board 104. In this regard, the communication component 514 (and the communication component 622) can respectively include or correspond to suitable hardware and / or software that enables wireless communication between the cluster board 204 and the main board 104 and optionally other external systems and / or devices. For example, the communication component 514 can include a transmitter, a receiver, and / or a transceiver. The communication component 514 can employ any suitable proprietary and / or non-proprietary wireless communication protocol, which can include nearly any desired wired or wireless technology, including but not limited to: powerline Ethernet, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Fiber optic communications, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Zigbee and other 802.XX wireless technologies and / or legacy telecommunication technologies, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), RF4CE protocol, WirelessHART protocol, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over low power wireless LAN), Z-Wave, ANT, ultra-wideband (UWB) standard protocol, and / or other proprietary and non-proprietary communication protocols. In such examples and as described above, the communication component 514 can include hardware (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), transceiver, decoder, antenna, quantum hardware, quantum processor, etc.), software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes, software in execution, quantum pulse scheduling, quantum circuits, quantum gates, etc.) or a combination of hardware and software that facilitates the transmission of information between the cluster board 204 and the main board 104.

[0069] The other printed circuit board electronic components 520 can include or correspond to various electrical components of the cluster board, which enable the functions of the cluster board 204 applied to the smart single-cell battery system to be implemented. For example, as described above, the other printed circuit board electronic components 520 can include, but are not limited to, a DCDC inverter, a power module including multiple power switches for the DCDC inverter and the H-bridge (and other functions), bus bars, wires, ports, and various others. The cluster board 204 can also include a system bus 516 and a battery cell cluster 206, wherein the system bus 516 communicatively and / or operably connects the various hardware and software components of the cluster board 204 to each other.

[0070] Figure 6A high-level block diagram of an exemplary motherboard 104 according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. The motherboard 104 can include a memory 618 that can store computer or machine executable components 602, wherein the computer or machine executable components 602 include a main control component 604, a monitoring component 606, a diagnostic component 608, a scheduling component 610, a logging component 612, and a machine learning component 614. The motherboard 104 can also include a processing unit 620 that executes the machine executable components 602 stored in the memory 618. The motherboard 104 can also include a communication component 622 that allows wireless communication between the motherboard 104 and the cluster board 204 of the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn. For example, the communication component 622 can correspond to the communication component 514, so repeated descriptions are omitted for brevity. The motherboard 104 can also include a system bus 616 that couples the memory, the processing unit 620, and the communication component 622 to each other.

[0071] refer to Figure 1-Figure 6 , the master control component 604 can include or correspond to a master controller of the smart single-cell battery system 102. In this regard, the master controller can perform high-level control functions, including sending (e.g., broadcasting, transmitting, etc.) battery cell control information 304 to the battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn (e.g., using the communication component 622) to instruct its local control component 504 to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell 202 and / or the cluster 206 connected thereto. In some embodiments, the master control component 604 can also control the sending of a request to the main board 104 for providing battery cell parameter information 302 as needed. The monitoring component 606 can monitor the battery cell parameter information 302 received from the corresponding battery cell units 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1-Cn and the power demand 306 of the electrical system of the vehicle 306. In some embodiments, in association with monitoring the battery cell parameter information 302 and the power demand 306, the monitoring component 606 can initiate downstream processing functions for downstream processing (e.g., via the diagnostic component 608, the scheduling component 610, the logging component 612, and / or the machine learning component 614) based on the detected information and / or the change of the parameter value in the information corresponding to the trigger condition (e.g., the temperature increases or decreases exceeding a threshold, the failure to receive a specific parameter value, the indication of a potential fault or error associated with the battery cell, etc.). In some embodiments, the recording component 612 can record (e.g., record and track in one or more log files / records stored in the memory 618, etc.) some or all of the battery cell parameters 302 and the information describing the power demand 306 changing over time.

[0072] The diagnostic component 608 can perform diagnostic functions for the corresponding battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1 based on the analysis of the information included in the battery cell parameters 302. For example, the diagnostic component 608 can employ one or more diagnostic models (e.g., algorithms, machine learning models, classification models, etc.) configured to determine or infer whether the battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1 are faulty or unsafe based on temperature sensor electrical or rationality failures, voltage sensor failures, resistance measurements, current measurement failures, single cell pressure measurements, contactor failures, communication failures, or any other cluster control input failures. In some embodiments, based on determining that the battery cell is faulty or unsafe (for any number of reasons), the scheduling component 610 can be configured to retire (i.e., not use or schedule its utilization) or temporarily retire the utilization of the battery cell until the unit has been repaired or replaced. In this regard, the scheduling component 610 can “retire” a battery cell unit by directing the battery cell unit to deactivate usage of the battery cell 202 associated with supplying and / or receiving power.

[0073] The scheduling component 610 can be based on the reference Figure 3 and Figure 4The techniques described herein determine the battery cell unit control information 304. In this regard, the scheduling component 610 is capable of determining the battery cell unit control information 304 for each of the battery cell units, which results in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cells connected thereto within the target thermal window and satisfying the power demand 304 of one or more electrical systems (e.g., one or more low-voltage electrical systems 108, one or more high-voltage electrical systems 110, and / or one or more electric motors 112) of the vehicle to which they are connected. As described above, in various embodiments, the scheduling component 610 is capable of determining control information including use priority information that controls the priority order of use of the corresponding battery cells that power the one or more electrical systems. For example, the scheduling component 610 is capable of determining the priority order based on using cooler battery cells in priority before using hotter battery cells. In another example, the scheduling component 610 is capable of determining the priority order in a manner that results in raising or lowering the temperature of different battery cells as needed to place them within their target thermal windows. For example, the scheduling component 610 can determine the temperature change required to achieve the thermal control temperature window of the battery cells (e.g., as described in reference 412), and determine the battery cell control information 304 for each battery cell unit 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1 that results in a balance between achieving the thermal control temperature window and meeting the current power demand. To facilitate this purpose, the scheduling component 610 can use the thermal control temperature window (e.g., maximum and minimum temperature values ​​of one or more operating environments) for each battery cell unit (e.g., included in the battery cell unit parameters 302 and / or previously received or defined by the mainboard 104 and stored in the memory 618), the received battery control cell parameter information 302, the monitored power demand 306, and one or more optimization functions, as described in reference 412 above. Figure 4 In some embodiments, in addition to the battery cell parameters 302 most recently received from the corresponding battery cell 106, one or more optimization functions can also process various additional inputs (eg, historical information, climate information, forecast information, etc.).

[0074] In various embodiments, the scheduling component 610 can employ a machine learning component 614 associated with determining battery cell control information that results in a balance between achieving thermal control temperature targets for the battery cells 106A1-An, B1-Bn, and C1 and meeting the current power demand 306 (and predicted power demand). To this end, the machine learning component 614 employs one or more machine learning (ML) and / or artificial intelligence (AI) models to learn relationships (e.g., causes and / or effects) between, for example, the operating modes / conditions of the corresponding battery cells, the temperatures of the battery cells 202 and / or clusters 206, the power demand 306, and various other parameters (e.g., any parameters included in the battery cell control information 304, external climate parameters, predicted parameters, and constraints on the optimization function). In these embodiments, based on learning such relationships, the scheduling component 610 can employ one or more ML and / or AI models to perform one or more tasks, including but not limited to determining or inferring battery cell control information 304, making predictions, making estimates (e.g., battery capacity (e.g., electrical energy) of activated battery cell materials), classifying data, implementing one or more monitoring and / or control operations, and / or another task. In some embodiments, such machine learning models can include artificial intelligence (AI)-based machine learning models, including but not limited to shallow or deep neural network models, support vector machine (SVM) models, classifiers, decision tree classifiers, regression models, and / or any supervised or unsupervised machine learning models capable of performing the operations of the above-mentioned machine learning components.

[0075] Figure 7 An exemplary computer-implemented method 700 for controlling the use of battery cells of a smart battery system based on thermal considerations according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. At 702, the method 700 includes employing, by a system (e.g., electric vehicle 100, main board 104, etc.) operably coupled to at least one processor, a smart battery system (e.g., smart battery system 102) to power one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle, the smart battery system including a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units each including a local controller (e.g., local control component 504) that controls the operation of a corresponding battery cell connected to the local controller. At 704, the method 700 includes determining, by the system (e.g., via main board 104 and / or scheduling component 610), control information for each battery cell unit, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and satisfying the power demand of one or more electrical systems. At 706, the method 700 includes directing, by the system (e.g., via main control component 604), the local controller to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell in accordance with the control information.

[0076] Figure 8 Another exemplary computer-implemented method 800 for controlling the use of battery cells of a smart cell battery system based on thermal considerations is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein. At 802, the method 800 includes determining, by a system (e.g., electric vehicle 100, main board 104, etc.) operably coupled to at least one processor, a temperature change required to place a battery cell of a smart cell battery system (e.g., smart cell battery system 102) within a target thermal window, wherein the smart cell battery system includes a plurality of battery cell units, each of which includes a local controller (e.g., cluster board 204 and / or local control component 504) that controls the operation of a corresponding cluster (e.g., cluster 206) of battery cells connected to the local controller. At 804, the method 800 includes determining, by the system, control information for each battery cell unit that results in achieving a balance between the temperature change and satisfying the power demand of one or more electrical systems (e.g., one or more electrical systems of electric vehicle 100 and / or another motor, system, or device) to which the battery cell is configured to power. At 806 , method 800 includes directing, by the system (eg, via master control assembly 604 ), the local controller to control operation of the respective battery cell in accordance with the control information.

[0077] Fig. 9 Another exemplary computer-implemented method 900 for controlling the use of battery cells of a smart battery system based on thermal considerations is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein. The method 900 includes, at 902, reporting, by a local controller of a corresponding battery cell unit of the smart battery system to a master controller of the smart battery system, battery cell unit parameter information, the local controller (e.g., cluster board 204 and / or local control assembly 504) and the master controller (e.g., main board 104 and / or master control assembly 604) being coupled to a processor (e.g., processing unit 512 and processing unit 620), respectively, and the battery cell unit parameter including a temperature of a corresponding battery cell connected to the local controller. At 904, the method 900 includes receiving, by the local controller from the master controller, control information determined by the master controller based on the battery cell unit parameter information, which results in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and satisfying power demand of one or more electrical systems. At 906, the method 900 also includes controlling, by the local controller, operation of the corresponding battery cell in accordance with the control information. (e.g., controlling the use of supplied AC and / or DC power by the battery cells, controlling the timing and amount (e.g., voltage amount) of the power supplied, controlling the use of received power associated with charging by the battery cells, controlling, controlling the timing of activation and deactivation of the battery cells, etc.).

[0078] One or more flow charts and / or block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show one or more possible architectures, functions and operations of one or more systems, devices and / or methods according to various embodiments described herein. In this regard, one or more blocks in one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams can represent modules, segments and / or parts of instructions, which can include one or more executable instructions for implementing specified logical functions. In one or more alternative embodiments, one or more functions mentioned in one or more of the blocks can occur in a sequence not shown in the figure. For example, one or more blocks shown in succession can be executed substantially simultaneously and / or one or more blocks can be executed in an order opposite to that shown, such as depending on the functions involved. It will also be noted that one or more blocks of one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams and / or one or more combinations of one or more blocks thereof can be implemented by a system based on dedicated hardware, which can perform one or more of the specified functions and / or can perform one or more dedicated hardware and / or computer instructions.

[0079] As indicated, one or more aspects are described herein with reference to one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams of one or more methods, devices and / or systems according to one or more embodiments described herein. It should be understood that one or more blocks of one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams, and / or one or more combinations of blocks in one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams can be implemented by one or more computer-readable program instructions.

[0080] Computer-readable program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, and / or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine. For example, instructions that can be executed via a processor of a computer and / or other programmable data processing device can create one or more devices for implementing one or more functions and / or processes specified in one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams. Computer-readable program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium that can instruct a computer, a programmable data processing device, and / or other devices to function in a particular manner. For example, a computer-readable storage medium in which instructions are stored can include an article containing instructions that can implement one or more aspects of one or more functions and / or processes specified in one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams. Computer-readable program instructions can be loaded onto a computer, other programmable data processing devices, and / or other devices so that one or more operating actions are performed on a computer, other programmable devices, and / or other devices to produce a computer-implemented process. For example, instructions that can be executed on a computer, other programmable devices, and / or other devices can implement one or more functions and / or processes specified in one or more flow charts and / or block diagrams.

[0081] As used in this specification, the term "processor" or "processing unit" can refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device, including but not limited to a single-core processor; a single processor with software multithreaded execution capability; a multi-core processor; a multi-core processor with software multithreaded execution capability; a multi-core processor using hardware multithreading technology; a parallel platform; and a parallel platform with distributed shared memory. In addition, the processor can refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a graphics processing unit (GPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic controller (PLC), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), a discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. In addition, the processor can utilize nanoscale architectures, such as, but not limited to, transistors, switches, and gates based on molecules and quantum dots, in order to optimize space usage or enhance the performance of user devices. The processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units. As used herein, terms such as "storage", "storage", "data storage", "data storage", "database", and any other information storage component substantially related to the operation and function of the component are used to refer to a "memory component", an entity embodied in a "memory", or a component including a memory. The processor can employ distributed and / or federated machine intelligence that can be used to operate and / or facilitate one or more of the above-described computer-readable program instructions.

[0082] The memory and / or memory components described herein can be volatile memory or non-volatile memory, and / or can include both volatile and non-volatile memory. As an illustration and not limitation, non-volatile memory can include read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically programmable ROM (EPROM), electrically erasable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, or non-volatile random access memory (RAM) (e.g., ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM)). Volatile memory can include, for example, RAM, which can be used as an external cache. As an illustration and not limitation, RAM can be obtained in a variety of forms, such as synchronous RAM (SRAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), enhanced SDRAM (ESDRAM), synchronous connection DRAM (SLDRAM), direct Rambus RAM (DRRAM), direct Rambus dynamic RAM (DRDRAM) and Rambus dynamic RAM (RDRAM). In addition, the memory components of the system or computer-implemented method disclosed herein are intended to include, but are not limited to, including these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0083] What is described herein includes only one or more examples of one or more systems and / or methods. Of course, for the purpose of describing the subject matter, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components and / or methods implemented by the systems. Nevertheless, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that one or more additional combinations and / or arrangements of the disclosed subject matter are possible. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," "having," and the like are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices, and / or drawings, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term "comprising," in that when "including" is used as a transition word in a claim, "including" is interpreted as.

[0084] It should be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled" to another element, the term "coupling" can describe one or more different types of coupling, including but not limited to chemical coupling, communication coupling, capacitive coupling, electrical coupling, electromagnetic coupling, inductive coupling, operational coupling, optical coupling, physical coupling, thermal coupling, and / or other types of coupling. As described herein, an "entity" includes a machine, a device, hardware, software, a computing device, and / or a person. According to one or more embodiments described herein, such an entity can facilitate the implementation of the subject matter disclosed herein.

[0085] In addition, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, unless otherwise specified or the singular form is clear from the context, the words "one" and "an" used in this specification and the drawings should generally be interpreted to mean "one or more". As used herein, the terms "example" and / or "exemplary" are used to indicate use as an example, instance, and / or illustration. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited to such examples. In addition, any aspect and / or design described herein as "example" and / or "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior and / or beneficial to other aspects or designs, nor is it meant to exclude equivalent exemplary structures and / or technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

[0086] The description of one or more various embodiments provided herein is presented for illustrative purposes, but is not intended to be exhaustive and / or limited to the disclosed one or more embodiments. One or more modifications and / or variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and / or spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, and / or technical improvements to technologies found on the market, and / or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0087] What has been described above merely includes examples of systems and computer-implemented methods. Of course, for the purposes of describing the present disclosure, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or computer-implemented methods, but one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that many further combinations and permutations of the present disclosure are possible. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," "having," and the like are used in the detailed description, claims, appendices, and drawings, these terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to that in which the term "including" is interpreted when used as a transitional word in the claims. Descriptions of various embodiments have been presented for illustrative purposes, but are not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The terms used herein are selected to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements to technologies found on the market, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method comprising: powering one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle using a smart cell battery system by a system operably coupled to at least one processor, the smart cell battery system comprising a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units each comprising a local controller that controls operation of a respective battery cell connected to the local controller; determining, by the system, control information for each of the battery cell units, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and meeting power demands of the one or more electrical systems; and The local controller is directed by the system to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell according to the control information.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A temperature change required to place the respective battery cell within the target thermal window is determined by the system, and wherein determining the control information includes determining the control information based on the temperature change.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The control information includes usage priority information that controls a priority order of usage of the respective battery cells for powering the one or more electrical systems.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The priority order prioritizes the use of cooler battery cells before the use of hotter battery cells. 5 . The method of claim 3 , wherein the priority order results in an increase or decrease in temperature of different ones of the corresponding battery cells.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The operating includes operating the respective battery cells in different operating modes, wherein the control information controls timing and duration of operating the respective battery cells in the different operating modes, and wherein the different operating modes result in an increase or decrease in temperature of the respective battery cells.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The different operation modes include an active power supply mode causing the increase and an inactive power supply mode causing the decrease.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Battery cell unit parameter information is received by the system from the local controller, the battery cell unit parameter information including one or more current parameters associated with the corresponding battery cell, the one or more current parameters including a current temperature of the corresponding battery cell, and wherein determining the control information includes determining the control information based on the battery cell unit parameter information.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the control information further includes determining the control information based on a state of charge and a state of health of the corresponding battery cells.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein: Determining the control information further includes determining the control information based on diagnostic information associated with the battery cell units, wherein the diagnostic information indicates whether a corresponding one of the battery cell units has received a faulty or unsafe diagnosis.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The control information directs any of the battery cell units that receives a faulty or unsafe diagnosis to operate a corresponding one of its battery cells in an inactive operating mode.

12. A system comprising: A smart cell battery system configured to provide power to one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle, the smart cell battery system comprising a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units each comprising a local controller that controls operation of a corresponding battery cell connected to the local controller; a memory storing computer executable components; and a processor that executes the computer executable components stored in the memory, wherein the computer executable components include: a scheduling component that determines control information for each of the battery cell units, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and meeting power demands of the one or more electrical systems; and A control component directs the local controller to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell according to the control information.

13. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The scheduling component determines a temperature change required to place the respective battery cells within the target thermal window and determines the control information based on the temperature change.

14. The system according to claim 12, wherein: The control information includes usage priority information that controls a priority order of usage of the respective battery cells for powering the one or more electrical systems.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein: The priority order results in an increase or decrease in temperature of different ones of the respective battery cells, and wherein the priority order prioritizes the use of cooler battery cells before the use of hotter battery cells.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein: The operation includes operating the respective battery cells in different operating modes, wherein the control information controls the timing and duration of operating the respective battery cells in the different operating modes, and wherein the different operating modes cause the temperature of the respective battery cells to increase or decrease.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein: The computer executable components also include: A communication component that receives battery cell unit parameter information from the local controller, the battery cell unit parameter information including one or more current parameters associated with the corresponding battery cell, the one or more current parameters including a current temperature of the corresponding battery cell, and wherein determining the control information includes determining the control information based on the battery cell unit parameter information.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the battery cell unit parameter information further includes a state of charge and a state of health of a corresponding battery cell.

19. A computer program product that facilitates controlling power supplied to one or more electrical systems of an electric vehicle from an intelligent single-cell battery system, the intelligent single-cell battery system comprising a plurality of battery cell units, the plurality of battery cell units each comprising a local controller that controls operation of a respective battery cell connected to the local controller, the computer program product comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising: determining control information for each of the battery cell units, the control information resulting in a balance between placing the corresponding battery cell within a target thermal window and meeting power demands of the one or more electrical systems; and The local controller is directed to control the operation of the corresponding battery cell according to the control information.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, wherein: The operations also include: determining a temperature change required to place the respective battery cells within the target thermal window, and wherein determining the control information comprises determining the control information based on the temperature change, and wherein the control information comprises usage priority information controlling a priority order of usage of the respective battery cells for powering the one or more electrical systems.

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