Battery discharge diagnostic apparatus and method of operating same

Abstract

A battery discharge diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment disclosed herein may include: an acquisition unit that acquires a voltage of a battery unit; a calculation unit that calculates a weighted sum of the number of times the voltage of the battery cell is sensed in a plurality of different voltage ranges; and a diagnosis unit that compares the weighted sum with at least one threshold value and diagnoses the degree of discharge of the battery cell.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the priority and benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2022 - 0171810, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on December 9, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery discharge diagnosis device and an operation method thereof. Background Art

[0005] Recently, research and development of secondary batteries have been actively carried out. Herein, secondary batteries as rechargeable / dischargeable batteries may include all conventional nickel (Ni) / cadmium (Cd) batteries, Ni / metal hydride (MH) batteries, etc., as well as recent lithium - ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium - ion batteries have a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, etc. In addition, lithium - ion batteries can be made small and light in weight, such that lithium - ion batteries have been used as power sources for mobile devices, and recently, their usage scope has been extended to power sources for electric vehicles, thus attracting attention as a next - generation energy storage medium.

[0006] In addition, secondary batteries can be used as battery packs including battery modules in which a plurality of battery cells are connected in series and / or in parallel. Secondary batteries can be used as battery racks including a plurality of battery modules and rack frames for accommodating the battery modules.

[0007] Battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, or battery racks can be used in various devices. For example, batteries can be used not only in mobile devices such as mobile phones, portable computers, smart phones, smart tablets, etc., but also in fields such as vehicles (EV, HEV, PHEV) driven by electricity, large - capacity energy storage systems (ESS), etc. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical Problem

[0009] Recently, due to functional diversification, driver negligence, the influence of the external environment, etc., vehicle AUX batteries often discharge. Discharge of the vehicle AUX battery may accelerate life degradation due to battery deterioration or cause an electric vehicle not to start, so it needs to be continuously managed.

[0010] In a conventional battery system, when the battery of a parked vehicle discharges, no management is performed to prevent it. Before the driver directly starts the vehicle, the battery state of the vehicle and whether the vehicle is discharging cannot be known.

[0011] The objective of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery discharge diagnosis device and an operation method thereof, in which the depth of discharge of a battery cell can be diagnosed by a weighted sum value calculated based on the voltage of the battery cell and a plurality of voltage ranges, thereby pre-sensing the discharge of the battery cell.

[0012] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and those of ordinary skill in the art will clearly understand other technical problems not mentioned based on the following description.

[0013] Technical solution

[0014] A battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes: an obtaining unit configured to obtain the voltage of a battery cell; a calculating unit configured to calculate a weighted sum value of the number of times the voltage of the battery cell is sensed in a plurality of different voltage ranges; and a diagnosing unit configured to diagnose the depth of discharge of the battery cell by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold value.

[0015] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiment disclosed in this document, the calculating unit may also be configured to calculate the weighted sum value by adding the product of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of voltage ranges.

[0016] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiment disclosed in this document, the calculating unit may also be configured to set a lower weight value corresponding to a higher upper limit of the voltage range.

[0017] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiment disclosed in this document, the obtaining unit may also be configured to obtain a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period, and the battery discharge diagnosis device may further include a determining unit configured to determine the plurality of voltage ranges based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value.

[0018] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiment disclosed in this document, the determining unit may also be configured to: determine a first voltage range with the maximum value of the first voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the first voltage value as the lower limit; determine a second voltage range with the maximum value of the second voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the second voltage value as the lower limit; determine a target voltage range by excluding the first voltage range from the second voltage range; and determine a plurality of voltage ranges in the target voltage range.

[0019] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiments disclosed herein, the determining unit may further be configured to determine the plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage value in the target voltage range.

[0020] In the battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiments disclosed herein, the obtaining unit may further be configured to obtain the number of times the battery cell is charged by another battery cell disposed in the electronic device when the electronic device is in a power-off state, and the battery discharge diagnosis device may further include a correction unit configured to further correct the depth of discharge based on the number of times the battery cell is charged.

[0021] The battery discharge diagnosis device according to the embodiments disclosed herein may further include a correction unit configured to identify the time during which the voltage of the battery cell remains at a specified voltage or lower, and further correct the depth of discharge based on the identified time.

[0022] A battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein includes the following steps: obtaining a voltage of a battery unit; calculating a weighted sum value of the number of times the voltage of the battery unit is sensed in a plurality of different voltage ranges; and diagnosing a depth of discharge of the battery unit by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold.

[0023] In the battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein, calculating the weighted sum value may include calculating the weighted sum value by adding the products of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of voltage ranges.

[0024] The battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein may further include setting a weight value corresponding to the voltage range to be lower for a higher upper limit of the voltage range.

[0025] The battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein may further include the following steps: obtaining a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period; and determining the plurality of voltage ranges based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value.

[0026] In the battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein, determining the plurality of voltage ranges may include: determining a first voltage range having an upper limit as the maximum value of the first voltage value and a lower limit as the minimum value of the first voltage value; determining a second voltage range having an upper limit as the maximum value of the second voltage value and a lower limit as the minimum value of the second voltage value; determining a target voltage range by excluding the first voltage range from the second voltage range; and determining a plurality of voltage ranges within the target voltage range.

[0027] In the battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein, determining the plurality of voltage ranges may include determining the plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage value within the target voltage range.

[0028] The battery discharge diagnosis method according to the embodiments disclosed herein may further include the steps of: obtaining the number of times the battery cell is charged by another battery cell disposed in the electronic device when the electronic device is in a power-off state; and additionally correcting the depth of discharge based on the number of times the battery cell is charged.

[0029] Advantageous Effects

[0030] The battery discharge diagnosis device and its operation method according to various embodiments disclosed herein can pre-sense the discharge of the battery cell, thereby preventing a situation where the vehicle suddenly fails to start.

[0031] The effects of the battery discharge diagnosis device and its operation method according to the disclosure of this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and those of ordinary skill in the art will clearly understand other effects not mentioned according to the disclosure of this document.

[0032] In addition, various effects directly or indirectly recognized from the disclosure can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment.

[0034] Figure 2 is a diagram showing the voltage of a battery cell obtained by a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment.

[0035] Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment determining a target voltage range.

[0036] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment determining a plurality of voltage ranges.

[0037] Figure 5 It is a diagram showing an example in which a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment calculates a weighted sum value.

[0038] Figure 6 It is a flowchart of the operation of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 7 It is a flowchart of the operation of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment. Detailed embodiments

[0040] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the description is not intended to limit the present disclosure to specific embodiments, and it should be construed as including various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternative forms according to the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0041] It should be understood that the various embodiments of this document and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, and include various changes, equivalents, or alternative forms corresponding to the corresponding embodiments. Regarding the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used to refer to like or related elements. It will be understood that a singular form of a noun corresponding to an article may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0042] As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the articles listed together in the corresponding one of the phrases. Terms such as "first", "second", "the first", "the second", "A", "B", "(a)", or "(b)" may be used to simply distinguish corresponding components from one another, and there is no limitation on other aspects of the components (e.g., importance and order), unless otherwise stated.

[0043] Herein, it will be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being "connected", "coupled", or "linked" or "coupled to" or "connected to" another element (e.g., a second element), with or without the terms "operably" or "communicatively", this means that the element can be connected to the other element directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or via a third element.

[0044] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded between a seller and a purchaser as a product. The computer program product can be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or the computer program product can be distributed online via an application store or directly between two user devices (e.g., downloaded or uploaded). If it is distributed online, at least a part of the computer program product can be generated temporarily, or at least a part of the computer program product can be stored at least temporarily in a machine-readable storage medium (such as the memory of a server of an application store, a forwarding server, or a manufacturer's server).

[0045] According to various embodiments, each of the above components (e.g., a module or a program) can include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities can be respectively disposed in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above components can be omitted, or one or more other components can be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) can be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component can still perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding one of the multiple components before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, a program, or another component can be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or in a heuristic manner, or one or more of the operations can be performed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations can be added.

[0046] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment.

[0047] Referring to Figure 1 , the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 can be connected to the electronic device 103 and the user terminal 105 wired and / or wirelessly.

[0048] According to an embodiment, the connection 104 between the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 and the electronic device 103 can communicate via a wired network and / or a wireless network. According to an embodiment, the wired network can be based on local area network (LAN) communication or power line communication. According to an embodiment, the wireless network can be based on a short-distance communication network (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a long-distance communication network (e.g., a cellular network, a fourth-generation (4G) network, a fifth-generation (5G) network).

[0049] According to another embodiment, the connection 104 between the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 and the electronic device 103 may be a connection using a device-to-device communication scheme (e.g., a bus, general-purpose input and output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0050] According to an embodiment, the connection 106 between the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 and the user terminal 105 may be a communication connection via a wired network and / or a wireless network.

[0051] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 103 may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a smart tablet), an electric vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid EV (HEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a fuel cell EV (FCEV), an energy storage system (ESS), or a battery swapping system (BSS).

[0052] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 103 may include one or more battery units 111, 113, and 115. For example, when the electronic device 103 is an electric vehicle, one or more battery units 111, 113, and 115 may be vehicle AUX batteries. Herein, each of the one or more battery units 111, 113, and 115 may be a battery cell, a battery module, a battery pack, or a battery rack.

[0053] According to an embodiment, the user terminal 105 may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a smart tablet) or a personal computer (PC).

[0054] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may include a communication circuit 120, a sensor 130, a memory 140, and a processor 150. According to an embodiment, in addition to Figure 1 the components shown in Figure 1 the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 shown in may further include at least one component (e.g., a display, an input device, or an output device).

[0055] According to an embodiment, the communication circuit 120 may establish a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 and the electronic device 103 and / or the user terminal 105, and send data to and receive data from the electronic device 103 and / or the user terminal 105 via the established communication channel.

[0056] According to an embodiment, the communication circuit 120 may establish a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 and an external server, and transmit data to and receive data from the external server through the established communication channel.

[0057] According to an embodiment, the sensor 130 may obtain values related to the states of the battery cells 111, 113, and 115 of the electronic device 103. According to an embodiment, the values related to the states may indicate one or more values or a combination thereof among the voltage, current, resistance, state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), or temperature of the battery cells 111, 113, and 115. Hereinafter, the values related to the states may be referred to as "state values".

[0058] According to an embodiment, the memory 140 may include volatile and / or non-volatile memory.

[0059] According to an embodiment, the memory 140 may store data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 150) of the battery discharge diagnosis device 101. For example, the data may include software (or instructions related thereto), input data, or output data. According to an embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the processor 150, may cause the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 to perform operations defined by the instructions.

[0060] According to an embodiment, the memory 140 may include one or more software (e.g., the obtaining unit 141, the determining unit 143, the calculating unit 145, the diagnosing unit 147, and the correcting unit 149).

[0061] According to an embodiment, the processor 150 may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

[0062] According to an embodiment, the processor 150 may execute software (e.g., the obtaining unit 141, the determining unit 143, the calculating unit 145, the diagnosing unit 147, and the correcting unit 149) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware component or a software component) of the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 connected to the processor 150, and perform various data processing or operations.

[0063] Hereinafter, with reference to Figures 2 to 5 a method performed by the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 will be described, which diagnoses the depth of discharge of the battery cells 111, 113, and 115 through the obtaining unit 141, the determining unit 143, the calculating unit 145, the diagnosing unit 147, and / or the correcting unit 149.

[0064] Figure 2This is a diagram showing the voltage of battery cells obtained by a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment. Figure 3 This is a diagram showing an example in which a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment determines a target voltage range. Figure 4 This is a diagram showing an example in which a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment determines a plurality of voltage ranges. Figure 5 This is a diagram showing an example in which a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment calculates a weighted sum value. The following components will be used to describe Figure 1 this Figure 2 、 Figure 3 、 Figure 4 and Figure 5 .

[0065] According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can obtain the voltage of battery cells 111, 113, or 115. According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can obtain a voltage distribution indicating the voltage values of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 with respect to time.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can obtain the voltage of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 through an electronic device 103 connected by a wired network and / or a wireless network.

[0067] Referring to Figure 2 , a diagram 200 indicating the voltage values of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 with respect to time can be seen. According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can discretely obtain the voltage of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 as shown in diagram 200.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can obtain a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period. Here, the plurality of new battery cells, the plurality of old battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells 111, 113, and 115 of the electronic device 103 can be battery cells of the same model. According to an embodiment, the first reference period and the second reference period can be equal to each other or different from each other.

[0069] According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can obtain the first voltage value and the second voltage value through an external server connected by a wired network and / or a wireless network.

[0070] Referring to Figure 3 , a diagram 300 showing the first voltage value and the second voltage value with respect to the obtained time can be seen. According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 can discretely obtain the first voltage value and the second voltage value as shown in diagram 300.

[0071] According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 may obtain the number of times the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 are charged by another battery cell disposed in the electronic device 103 when the electronic device 103 is in a powered-off state. Herein, the other battery cell may be a battery cell separated from at least one of the battery cells 111, 113, and 115 shown in Figure 1 . For example, the other battery cell may include a high-voltage battery and / or a low-voltage battery. According to an embodiment, the obtaining unit 141 may obtain the number of times the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 are charged by another battery cell disposed in the electronic device 103 through the electronic device 103 connected by using a wired network and / or a wireless network when the electronic device 103 is in a powered-off state.

[0072] According to an embodiment, the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of different voltage ranges. According to an embodiment, the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges based on a first voltage value and a second voltage value obtained by the obtaining unit 141.

[0073] For example, referring to Figure 3 , the determining unit 143 may determine a first voltage range R1 having the maximum value V1 of the first voltage value as an upper limit and the minimum value V3 of the first voltage value as a lower limit. The determining unit 143 may further determine a second voltage range R2 having the maximum value V2 of the second voltage value as an upper limit and the minimum value V4 of the second voltage value as a lower limit. The determining unit 143 may determine a target voltage range R3 by excluding the first voltage range R1 from the second voltage range R2.

[0074] According to an embodiment, the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges in the target voltage range R3. According to an embodiment, the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage values in the target voltage range R3.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges in the target voltage range, each of which includes a specified number of second voltage values. For example, referring to Figure 4 , the determining unit 143 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges R4, R5, R6, and R7 in the target voltage range, each of which includes two second voltage values. Although each of the plurality of voltage ranges R4, R5, R6, and R7 is shown to include two second voltage values in Figure 4 , the specified number may be set differently and is not limited thereto.

[0076] According to an embodiment, the calculating unit 145 may calculate a weighted sum value of the number of times of sensing the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 in the plurality of voltage ranges. Herein, the plurality of voltage ranges may be stored in the memory 140 or determined by the determining unit 143.

[0077] According to an embodiment, the calculation unit 145 may calculate a weighted sum value by adding the products of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to a plurality of voltage ranges.

[0078] For example, according to Figure 5 FIG. 500, the calculation unit 145 may calculate the product 0 of the weight value 0 corresponding to the voltage range R4 (the voltage range is at least T1 but less than V3) and the number of times 0 of sensing the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 in the voltage range R4 as the first product value. The calculation unit 145 may calculate the product 3 of the weight value 1 corresponding to the voltage range R5 (the voltage range is at least T2 but less than T1) and the number of times 3 of sensing the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 in the voltage range R5 as the second product value. The calculation unit 145 may calculate the product 8 of the weight value 2 corresponding to the voltage range R6 (the voltage range is at least T3 but less than T2) and the number of times 4 of sensing the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 in the voltage range R6 as the third product value. The calculation unit 145 may calculate the product 8 of the weight value 4 corresponding to the voltage range R7 (the voltage range is at least V4 but less than T3) and the number of times 2 of sensing the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 in the voltage range R7 as the fourth product value. The calculation unit 145 may calculate the sum value 19 of the first product value, the second product value, the third product value, and the fourth product value as the weighted sum value.

[0079] According to an embodiment, for a higher upper limit of the voltage range, the calculation unit 145 may set the weight value corresponding to the voltage range to be lower. For example, referring to Figure 5 FIG. 500, the calculation unit 145 may set the weight value corresponding to the voltage range R4 with the highest upper limit to be the lowest. The calculation unit 145 may set the weight value corresponding to the voltage range R5 with the second highest upper limit to be lower than the weight values corresponding to the voltage ranges R6 and R7. The calculation unit 145 may set the weight value corresponding to the voltage range R6 with the third highest upper limit to be lower than the weight value corresponding to the voltage range R7.

[0080] According to an embodiment, the diagnosis unit 147 may diagnose the state of charge of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold value. For example, when the weighted sum value is greater than or equal to the first threshold value, the diagnosis unit 147 may diagnose the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 as being in a discharged state. When the weighted sum value is greater than or equal to a second threshold value smaller than the first threshold value but less than the first threshold value, the diagnosis unit 147 may diagnose the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 as being in a discharge risk state.

[0081] According to an embodiment, the calibration unit 149 may additionally correct the depth of discharge diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 147 based on the number of times the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 are charged by another battery cell set in the electronic device 103 when the electronic device 103 is in a power-off state.

[0082] The electronic device 103 may activate a battery power saver function that changes the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 by using the power stored in other battery cells to prevent the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 from discharging when the electronic device 103 is in a power-off state. For a higher degree of deterioration, the battery power saver function may be activated more frequently. That is, the risk of discharge may increase as the number of times the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 activate the battery power saver function increases. In this regard, the calibration unit 149 may additionally correct the depth of discharge of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 based on the number of times the battery power saver function is activated.

[0083] According to an embodiment, the calibration unit 149 may identify the time during which the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 remains at a specified voltage or lower. The calibration unit 149 may additionally correct the depth of discharge diagnosed by the diagnosis unit 147 based on the identified time. For example, the calibration unit 149 may correct the depth of discharge by considering the discharge risk of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 to be high during a longer period when the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 remains at a specified voltage or lower. Here, the specified voltage may be set differently according to the specifications of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115.

[0084] Figure 6 is an operation flowchart of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment. The components shown in Figure 1 will be described Figure 6 .

[0085] Figure 6 The embodiments shown in Figure 6 may be examples, and the operation order according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be different from Figure 6 the operation order shown in Figure 6 , and

[0086] with reference to Figure 6, in operation 605, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may obtain the voltages of battery cells 111, 113, or 115. According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may obtain a voltage distribution indicating the voltage values of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 with respect to time. According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may discretely obtain the voltages of battery cells 111, 113, or 115.

[0087] In operation 610, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may determine a plurality of different voltage ranges. According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may determine a plurality of voltage values based on a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period.

[0088] Refer to Figure 7 Operation 610 of determining a plurality of different voltage ranges performed by the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 will be described in detail.

[0089] In operation 615, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may calculate a weighted sum value of the number of times the voltages of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 are sensed in the plurality of voltage ranges. Herein, the plurality of voltage ranges may be stored in the memory 140 or determined in operation 610.

[0090] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may calculate the weighted sum value by adding the products of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of voltage ranges. According to an embodiment, for a higher upper limit of the voltage range, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may set the weight value corresponding to the voltage range to be lower.

[0091] In operation 620, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may diagnose the depth of discharge of battery cells 111, 113, or 115 by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold. For example, when the weighted sum value is greater than or equal to a first threshold, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may diagnose battery cells 111, 113, or 115 as being in a discharged state. When the weighted sum value is greater than or equal to a second threshold smaller than the first threshold but less than the first threshold, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may diagnose battery cells 111, 113, or 115 as being in a discharge risk state.

[0092] In operation 625, the battery discharge diagnostic device 101 may additionally measure the depth of discharge of battery cells 111, 113, or 115.

[0093] According to an embodiment, when the electronic device 103 is in a powered-off state, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may additionally correct the depth of discharge diagnosed in operation 620 based on the number of times the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 are charged by another battery cell provided in the electronic device 103.

[0094] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may identify the time during which the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 remains at a specified voltage or lower. The battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may additionally correct the depth of discharge diagnosed in operation 620 based on the identified time. For example, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may correct the depth of discharge by considering the discharge risk of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 to be high during a longer period when the voltage of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115 remains at a specified voltage or lower. Here, the specified voltage may be set differently according to the specifications of the battery cells 111, 113, or 115.

[0095] Figure 7 is an operation flowchart of a battery discharge diagnosis device according to an embodiment. Components shown in Figure 1 will be described Figure 7 .

[0096] Figure 7 The embodiments shown in may be examples, and the operation order according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be different from Figure 7 the operation order shown in, and Figure 7 some operations shown in may be omitted, the order of operations may be changed, or operations may be combined.

[0097] Referring to Figure 7 , in operation 705, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may obtain a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells. Here, the usage period of the plurality of new battery cells may be a first reference period or shorter, and the usage period of the plurality of old battery cells may exceed a second reference period. The plurality of new battery cells, the plurality of old battery cells, and the plurality of battery cells 111, 113, and 115 of the electronic device 103 may be battery cells of the same model. According to an embodiment, the first reference period and the second reference period may be equal to or different from each other.

[0098] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may obtain the first voltage value and the second voltage value discretely.

[0099] In operation 710, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a first voltage range and a second voltage range.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a first voltage range having the maximum value of the first voltage value obtained in operation 705 as an upper limit and the minimum value of the first voltage value as a lower limit. The battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a second voltage range having the maximum value of the second voltage value as an upper limit and the minimum value of the second voltage value as a lower limit.

[0101] In operation 715, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a target voltage range. According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine the target voltage range by excluding the first voltage range from the second voltage range.

[0102] In operation 720, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges within the target voltage range determined in operation 715.

[0103] According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine the plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage values within the target voltage range. According to an embodiment, the battery discharge diagnosis device 101 may determine a plurality of voltage ranges within the target voltage range, each including a specified number of second voltage values.

[0104] Terms such as "including", "comprising", or "having" as described above may mean that the corresponding components may be inherent unless otherwise stated, and thus should be interpreted as also including other components, rather than excluding other components. Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong. Unless clearly defined in this document, the terms used are generally the same as those defined in the dictionary and should be interpreted as having the same meaning as the context of the related art, rather than being interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning.

Claims

1. A battery discharge diagnosis device, the battery discharge diagnosis device comprising: An acquisition unit configured to acquire the voltage of a battery cell; A calculation unit configured to calculate a weighted sum value of the number of times the voltage of the battery cell is sensed in a plurality of different voltage ranges; And A diagnosis unit configured to diagnose the depth of discharge of the battery cell by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold.

2. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein The calculation unit is further configured to calculate the weighted sum value by adding the products of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of voltage ranges.

3. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 2, wherein, The calculation unit is further configured to set a lower weight value corresponding to a higher upper limit of the voltage range.

4. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein, The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period, and The battery discharge diagnosis device further includes a determination unit configured to determine the plurality of voltage ranges based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value.

5. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 4, wherein The determination unit is further configured to: Determine a first voltage range with the maximum value of the first voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the first voltage value as the lower limit; Determine a second voltage range with the maximum value of the second voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the second voltage value as the lower limit; Determine a target voltage range by excluding the first voltage range from the second voltage range; and Determine the plurality of voltage ranges in the target voltage range.

6. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 5, wherein The determination unit is further configured to determine the plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage value in the target voltage range.

7. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 1, wherein, The acquisition unit is further configured to acquire the number of times the battery cell is charged by another battery cell provided in the electronic device when the electronic device is in a power-off state, and The battery discharge diagnosis device further includes a correction unit configured to further correct the depth of discharge based on the number of times the battery cell is charged.

8. The battery discharge diagnosis device according to claim 1, the battery discharge diagnosis device further includes a correction unit configured to identify the time during which the voltage of the battery cell remains at a specified voltage or lower, and further correct the depth of discharge based on the identified time.

9. A battery discharge diagnosis method, the method comprising the following steps: Acquire the voltage of a battery cell; Calculate a weighted sum value of the number of times the voltage of the battery cell is sensed in a plurality of different voltage ranges; And Diagnose the depth of discharge of the battery cell by comparing the weighted sum value with at least one threshold.

10. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 9, wherein, The step of calculating the weighted sum value includes calculating the weighted sum value by adding the products of the number of times and a plurality of weight values corresponding to the plurality of voltage ranges.

11. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 10, the method further comprising the following steps: For a higher upper limit of the voltage range, set a lower weight value corresponding to the voltage range.

12. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 9, the method further comprising the following steps: Obtaining a first voltage value of a plurality of new battery cells having a usage period less than or equal to a first reference period and a second voltage value of a plurality of old battery cells having a usage period greater than a second reference period; And Determining the plurality of voltage ranges based on the first voltage value and the second voltage value.

13. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 12, wherein, The step of determining the plurality of voltage ranges comprises the following steps: Determining a first voltage range with the maximum value of the first voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the first voltage value as the lower limit; Determining a second voltage range with the maximum value of the second voltage value as the upper limit and the minimum value of the second voltage value as the lower limit; Determining a target voltage range by excluding the first voltage range from the second voltage range; and Determining the plurality of voltage ranges in the target voltage range.

14. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 13, wherein, The step of determining the plurality of voltage ranges comprises determining the plurality of voltage ranges based on the distribution of the second voltage values in the target voltage range.

15. The battery discharge diagnosis method according to claim 9, the method further comprising the following steps: Obtaining the number of times the battery cell is charged by another battery cell disposed in the electronic device when the electronic device is in a power-off state; And Additionally correcting the depth of discharge based on the number of times the battery cell is charged.

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