Battery cell imbalance detection system during battery discharge

Abstract

The present disclosure generally relates to systems and methods for monitoring cell imbalance during battery discharge. The battery may include a plurality of battery cells. During discharge of the battery, when the battery capacity reaches a standard, the battery discharge apparatus retrieves an energy and / or a voltage of the battery and determines a voltage change corresponding to a change in the energy of the battery. The determined result may be compared to battery discharge reference data to determine a battery cell imbalance. The battery discharge apparatus may terminate the battery discharge process by detecting battery cell imbalance.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 479,320, filed on January 10, 2023, entitled “BATTERY CELL IMBALANCE DETECTION SYSTEM DURING BATTERY DISCHARGING,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to battery cell technology. More particularly, embodiments of the present disclosure relate to detecting battery cell imbalance. Background Art

[0004] A battery discharge device can be used to measure or otherwise characterize various aspects of the battery cells that make up a battery. More specifically, the battery discharge device can be connected to a battery and measure the battery's output voltage and / or current. The battery discharge device can also be connected to a load. The load serves as a repository for energy extracted from the battery. For example, by connecting the battery discharge device to a battery and a load, it can facilitate the discharge process by directing the battery's energy into the load. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Throughout the drawings, reference numerals may be repeated to indicate corresponding relationships between reference elements. The drawings are provided to illustrate example embodiments described herein and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0006] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a battery discharge system including one or more batteries, battery discharge equipment, and battery management services.

[0007] Figure 2 is an example of a battery installed in an example vehicle.

[0008] Figure 3A is a block diagram of an illustrative battery management system.

[0009] Figure 3B is a block diagram of an illustrative battery discharge device.

[0010] Figure 4A-4B is a block diagram illustrating the details of battery discharge by monitoring battery cell imbalance.

[0011] Figure 5 is a flow chart illustrating a routine for discharging a battery. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] Although certain preferred embodiments and examples are disclosed below, the subject matter of the present invention extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and / or their uses, modifications, and equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the appended claims is not limited by any specific embodiment described below. For example, in any method or process disclosed herein, the actions or operations of the method or process may be performed in any suitable order and are not necessarily limited to any particular disclosed order. Furthermore, in a manner that facilitates understanding of certain embodiments, various operations may be described as multiple discrete operations; however, the order of description should not be interpreted as implying that these operations are order-dependent. In addition, the structures, systems, and / or devices described herein may be embodied as integrated components or separate components. For the purpose of comparing various embodiments, certain aspects and advantages of these embodiments are described. Not all such aspects or advantages must be achieved by any particular embodiment. Thus, for example, various embodiments may be performed in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a group of advantages taught herein without necessarily achieving other aspects or advantages taught or suggested herein.

[0013] This disclosure describes techniques for detecting cell imbalance during the discharge of a battery, wherein the battery includes a plurality of cells. Illustratively, one or more aspects of this disclosure correspond to monitoring voltage and / or current changes of a battery in real time or near real time during the discharge of the battery, and halting discharge upon detecting cell imbalance. Furthermore, in some embodiments, cell imbalance can be detected by monitoring electrical properties of the battery, without necessarily monitoring the electrical properties of individual cells included in the battery.

[0014] Typically, rechargeable batteries (e.g., storage batteries or secondary batteries) can be used in a variety of applications, such as personal electrical devices, vehicles, electric vehicles, or any electrical device that requires electricity. Rechargeable batteries are configured to charge or discharge a load. Charging and discharging can generally be referred to as a charge cycle, and a rechargeable battery can have many charge cycles during the life of the rechargeable battery. The charging and discharging of a battery can be based on the movement of ions within the battery. For example, a lithium-ion battery can utilize lithium ions, which move between the anode and cathode of the battery through a liquid electrolyte. Lithium ion is just one example, and various ions can be used based on the specific application, such as lead acid, zinc air, nickel cadmium (NiCd), nickel metal hydride (NiMH), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer).

[0015] Rechargeable battery cells can be formed into a battery based on the battery capacity requirements of a specific application. For example, if a load requires 10 kWh, 10 battery cells (each with a capacity of 1 kWh) can be packaged as a battery (e.g., connected in series). Therefore, each battery can include multiple battery cells based on the battery capacity required by the load (e.g., based on the specific application). However, such batteries can be prone to fire. For example, even when the battery is not connected to a load, ions in each cell can move due to connections to other cells. In this example, ions in certain cells may move more actively in those cells than in other cells. This movement of ions in certain cells (e.g., unbalanced movement) can lead to battery cell imbalance. It is understood that such cell imbalance can generate heat within the battery and may cause a battery fire. To reduce this heating and the associated risks caused by cell imbalance, batteries can be discharged when not in use (e.g., stored for a period of time). For example, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) provides strict guidelines for shipping batteries, including requirements for maintaining battery energy during transportation. For example, IATA requires that the state of charge of batteries (lithium-ion) be below a threshold (e.g., 30%) of their rated capacity to be transported. In another example, during battery service or recycling procedures (where the process requires the battery to be removed from the load), it is necessary to discharge the battery to minimize the risk of fire. In other examples, when a battery installed in an electric vehicle requires maintenance, it may be necessary to discharge the battery.

[0016] Traditionally, battery discharge is performed by connecting a discharge load to the battery. For example, the discharge load can be connected to the battery and can draw current from the battery, causing the battery to discharge. During this discharge, cell imbalance can occur, resulting in heat generation. For example, one or more cells in the battery may discharge faster than other cells. Due to the excessive current flowing into the discharge load, these cells generate heat. However, conventional technology cannot detect cell imbalance before the battery cells generate heat. Therefore, conventional technology has a high risk of fire during the discharge process.

[0017] To address at least some of the aforementioned shortcomings, the disclosed technology is capable of monitoring and / or detecting battery cell imbalance during battery discharge. According to one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, a battery discharge device can perform battery discharge by monitoring a change in battery voltage relative to the amount of battery discharge, such as a measure of voltage change relative to energy change during battery discharge (e.g., dV / dQ, where V is voltage and Q is energy or charge). The battery discharge device can measure battery voltage and / or current during discharge. In some examples, the battery voltage measurement is provided by a battery discharge device connected to the battery. The battery discharge device can also monitor battery energy (e.g., discharged energy or remaining energy) during discharge. The battery discharge device can detect battery cell imbalance based on the measured battery voltage and / or current relative to battery energy change. For example, the battery discharge device can determine a measure of battery voltage change relative to energy change during discharge (e.g., a measure of voltage change relative to energy change). The determined battery voltage change relative to energy change can be compared to battery discharge reference data (e.g., stored in the battery discharge device or otherwise accessible to the battery discharge device). The battery discharge reference data can include various reference battery voltages relative to battery energy. For example, if the voltage of a battery drops from 10V to 7V, the reference data may provide a reference battery energy change, such as 100Wh to 70Wh corresponding to 10V and 7V. The measured voltage change (measured by the discharge device or an external device in communication with the discharge device) for the energy change of 100Wh to 70Wh can then be compared with the reference battery energy corresponding to 10V and 7V. Furthermore, in this example, if the battery voltage changes slowly or rapidly with respect to the battery energy change during the battery discharge process (e.g., relative to the reference battery voltage change with respect to the energy change included in the reference data), the battery discharge device may detect a battery cell imbalance and abort the discharge process. Thus, in some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data may indicate a metric (e.g., dV / dQ) that can be compared to the above-mentioned measurement metric. If the measurement metric is greater than a threshold value different from the reference data, an imbalance may be detected.

[0018] Illustratively, the battery discharge device can measure the voltage and / or current of the battery by being connected to the battery. For example, the battery discharge device can include an interface for electrically connecting to the output terminals of the battery. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device can include a processor for determining the battery voltage and / or current of the battery. The battery discharge device can also determine the energy associated with the battery during battery discharge (e.g., remaining battery energy or discharged energy). The battery discharge device can receive battery discharge reference data from an external source such as a network service. The battery discharge device can then determine the battery cell imbalance by comparing the measured battery voltage and / or current with the battery discharge reference data.

[0019] One aspect of the present invention relates to monitoring battery cell imbalance during battery discharge. In this regard, a battery discharge device can measure the voltage of a battery. The battery voltage can be measured in real time or near real time and used as input data for the battery discharge device. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device also stores battery discharge reference data in a memory of the battery discharge device. Alternatively, the battery discharge device can receive the battery discharge reference data from a battery management server. The battery discharge reference data can include battery energy levels corresponding to battery output voltages (e.g., measured voltages). For example, the battery discharge reference data can indicate each voltage corresponding to a specific battery energy level (e.g., non-limiting examples of remaining energy, remaining capacity, discharged energy, or discharged capacity). Thus, a change in battery voltage (a measure of the change in battery voltage) can be determined based on two values of battery energy, and this change can be determined as a measure and used as reference data. In some cases, the battery discharge device can monitor battery cell imbalance by comparing the reference data with the measured data of the battery. For example, the battery discharge device can measure two battery voltages at two different times, such as an initial time when discharge is initiated and a second time when the battery is discharged to a specific percentage of the initial energy. For example, an initial measured voltage (e.g., an initial voltage) may indicate an output battery voltage of 10V, while a second measured voltage (e.g., a measured voltage during discharge or a measured voltage when the battery is discharged to a certain level) indicates an output battery voltage of 5V. The battery discharge device may also determine the battery energy corresponding to the measured voltage, such as 100Wh and 50Wh corresponding to 10V and 5V, respectively. In this example, the voltage change according to the energy change may be determined to be 0.1V / Wh. The battery discharge device may then access the battery discharge reference data and determine a reference voltage change with respect to the energy change, such as 0.2V / Wh (this value may be derived in the example of referring to the voltage change (10V to 5V) with respect to the energy change (70Wh to 45Wh), respectively). In this example, 0.1V / Wh is less than the reference value of 0.2V / Wh, and a cell imbalance may be detected. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data may provide a reference energy change within a single value or range. These reference energy changes may be used as thresholds.

[0020] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to the frequency of detecting battery cell imbalance during battery discharge. In this regard, a battery discharge device can detect a triggering event (e.g., a threshold), initiate measurement of the output voltage of the battery, and determine whether a battery cell imbalance has occurred. The triggering event can utilize a criterion that can trigger the battery discharge device to analyze whether a battery cell imbalance has occurred. In some examples, the criterion can be based on the discharge level of the battery. For example, if the battery is discharged to approximately 10% of the initial energy of the battery (or the rated capacity of the battery), the battery discharge device can initiate a battery cell imbalance detection process. Throughout this disclosure, terms such as voltage change with respect to energy change can refer to a measure of voltage change with respect to energy change. Even if the present disclosure relates to a measure of voltage change with respect to energy change, the metric can also be an energy change with respect to voltage change.

[0021] Although aspects of the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with illustrative network components, interactions, and routines, those skilled in the relevant art will understand that one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented in accordance with various environments, system architectures, client computing device architectures, and the like. Similarly, references to specific devices, such as batteries, may be viewed as general references and are not intended to provide additional meaning or configuration for individual batteries. Furthermore, the illustrations and exemplary configurations are not intended to be limiting and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, these examples are illustrative in nature and should not be interpreted as limiting. Furthermore, as used herein, energy may generally refer to the energy stored in a battery or the battery capacity (i.e., the amount of energy that can be extracted from the battery), and the like.

[0022] Figure 1 A block diagram of one embodiment of a system 100 is depicted. The system 100 may include a network 140 connecting at least one battery discharge device 130 and a battery 110. Illustratively, various aspects associated with the battery 110 may be implemented as one or more components associated with one or more functions or services. These components may correspond to software modules implemented or executed by the battery discharge device 130, which may be a separate, stand-alone device. The system 100 may also include a network 150 connecting the battery discharge device 130 and a battery management service 120. Illustratively, various aspects associated with the battery management service 120 may be implemented as one or more components associated with one or more functions or services. Therefore, the components of the battery management service 120 should be considered as logical representations of the service.

[0023] like Figure 1As shown, network 140 can connect the devices and modules of the system. In some embodiments, battery 110 and battery discharge device 130 are connected via network 140. In these embodiments, network 140 can be a wired communication network, such as where battery discharge device 130 and battery 110 are connected via wired communication using any commercially available wired communication standard. In some embodiments, network 140 is a high-voltage cable.

[0024] like Figure 1 As shown, network 150 can connect one or more battery discharge devices 130 and battery management service 120. Network 150 can include any combination of wired and / or wireless networks, such as one or more direct communication channels, local area networks, wide area networks, personal area networks, and / or the Internet. In some embodiments, network 150 can include one or more wireless networks, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, 5G communications, or any other type of wireless network. Network 160 can use protocols and components to communicate via the Internet or any other of the aforementioned types of networks. For example, the protocols used by network 160 can include Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), HTTP Secure (HTTPS), Message Queuing Telemetry Transport (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), etc. The protocols and components used for communicating via the Internet or any of the aforementioned types of communication networks are well known to those skilled in the art and are therefore not described in detail herein. In some embodiments, wireless communications via network 150 can be performed over one or more secure networks, such as communications using encrypted data via SSL (e.g., 256-bit, military-grade encryption). The various communication protocols discussed herein are examples only, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0025] Figure 1 The battery 110 in the embodiment can be connected to the battery discharge device 130. In some embodiments, the battery 110 is a rechargeable battery (e.g., a storage battery or a secondary battery). In these embodiments, the battery 110 can be configured to charge or discharge the battery to the load. Charging and discharging can generally be referred to as a charge cycle, and the battery 110 can have many charge cycles during its life. Various types of batteries can be used, such as lead-acid, zinc-air, nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) type batteries.

[0026] In some embodiments, as Figure 1As shown, battery 110 may include a plurality of battery cells 114. In some embodiments, one or more battery cells 114 or a plurality of battery cells 114 may be packaged as battery 110. The number of battery cells 114 within battery 110 may be determined based on a particular application. Figure 1 The battery 110 shown is illustrated for illustrative purposes. The battery 110 may include a plurality of battery cells 114 and may be packaged as a battery cell array. The present disclosure does not limit the configuration or structure of the battery 110.

[0027] Figure 1 The illustrated battery 110 may include a battery discharge interface 116. In some embodiments, the battery discharge interface 116 may be configured to provide a physical interface to the battery discharge device 130 via the network 140. For example, the battery discharge interface 116 may be electrically connected to the battery 110. In this example, the battery discharge interface 116 may be connected to the battery 110, and thus, the battery discharge interface 116 may provide an interface to the battery discharge device 130 that may measure the status of the battery 110. For example, the status may include the energy, voltage, current, temperature, operating time, impedance, etc. of each battery 110. In some embodiments, each battery 110 may include a battery discharge interface 116. In one embodiment, multiple batteries may use a single battery discharge interface 116. The battery 110 is merely a logical implementation, and the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0028] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery discharge device 130 can be connected to the battery 110 via the network 140. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can discharge the battery 110 by discharging the energy of each battery cell 114. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can be a discharge load, and the energy of the battery 110 can be discharged into the load of the battery discharge device 130. The battery 110 can also be connected to an external discharge load ( Figure 1 (not shown), and battery discharge device 130 can monitor battery status during discharge, such as discharged battery energy and / or remaining battery energy. In some embodiments, battery discharge device 130 can include a battery discharge load. In these embodiments, battery 110 can discharge by discharging its energy into battery discharge device 130.

[0029] In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can access the battery management service 120 to discover the battery discharge reference data 122. In these embodiments, the battery management service 120 may include the battery discharge reference data 122. The battery discharge reference data may provide reference changes in battery voltage, current, state of charge, etc. during the battery discharge process. For example, the battery discharge reference data may show the appropriate battery energy based on the battery voltage. In this example, the discharge rate may be determined based on the battery voltage change relative to the battery energy change. Therefore, the battery discharge device 130 may determine whether a battery cell imbalance has occurred based on the measured discharge rate based on the measured voltage compared to the battery discharge reference data. In some embodiments, the battery management service 120 may store the battery discharge rate, measured voltage, and / or measured energy during its discharge process. The components of the battery management service 120 should be viewed as a logical representation of the service, without requiring any specific implementation on one or more client computing devices.

[0030] Figure 2 The figure shows an example of a battery installed in a vehicle. Figure 2 As shown, the battery 210 can be installed in the vehicle 200. In some embodiments, the battery 210 includes a plurality of battery cells 214. The configuration of the battery 210 can be determined based on the specific application. The present disclosure does not limit the configuration of the battery. The vehicle 200 may include a battery discharge interface 216. The battery discharge interface 216 may be configured to provide an electrical interface for connecting to the battery discharge device 130 via the network 140. For example, the battery discharge interface 216 may provide positive and negative terminals, wherein the battery discharge device 130 is connected to these terminals. In this example, the positive and negative terminals are connected to one or more battery cells 214. In some embodiments, the battery 210 may be connected to a battery discharge load ( Figure 2 In these embodiments, the battery discharge interface 216 can be connected to the battery discharge device 130 (such as Figure 1 During the battery discharge process, the battery discharge device 130 may measure the current, voltage, and energy (eg, the remaining energy or the discharge energy during battery discharge) of the battery 210 in real time or near real time.

[0031] Figure 3A An illustrative battery 110 (e.g. Figure 1 The battery 110 may be configured to monitor its status by measuring voltage and / or current, energy, etc. In some embodiments, the battery 110 measures the battery status of the battery 110. In these embodiments, the battery 110 may discharge power to the battery device 130 (e.g., Figure 1 As shown) sends the measured voltage, current and / or energy of the battery 110. Figure 3AAs shown, the overall architecture of battery 110 includes an arrangement of computer hardware and software components that can be used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, battery 110 includes a processing unit 302, a battery management circuit system 304, a computer-readable medium 306, and a network interface 308, all of which can communicate with each other via a communication bus. The components of battery 110 can be physical hardware components or can be implemented as software modules.

[0032] Network interface 308 may provide access to one or more networks, such as Figure 1 The battery management circuit system 304 may be a circuit system connected to the battery 110 and configured to measure the state of the battery 110. For example, the battery management circuit system 304 may be configured to measure the output voltage and / or current of the battery 110. The battery management circuit system 304 may also measure the state of the battery 110 in real time or near real time. The processing unit 302 may communicate with the memory 310 and may also provide output information of the battery state to the battery discharge device 130 via the network interface 308. In some embodiments, the battery 110 may include a Figure 3A More (or fewer) components than shown.

[0033] Memory 310 may include computer program instructions that are executed by processing unit 302 to implement one or more embodiments. Memory 310 typically includes RAM, ROM, or other persistent or non-transitory memory. Memory 310 may store an operating system 314, which provides computer program instructions for processing unit 302 to use in the general management and operation of battery 110. Memory 310 may also include computer program instructions and other information used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, memory 310 includes a battery monitoring component 316. In some embodiments, during battery discharge, when the battery capacity reaches certain criteria, battery monitoring component 316 may instruct processing unit 302 to measure the voltage and energy of battery 110 and transmit the measurement results to battery discharge device 130. For example, during battery discharge, when battery 110 reaches 10% of its capacity, battery monitoring component 316 may instruct processing unit 302 to measure the voltage of battery 110 and transmit the measured voltage to battery discharge device 130.

[0034] Figure 3B An illustrative battery discharge device 130 (e.g., Figure 1). The battery discharge device 130 can be configured to monitor battery discharge by measuring the remaining energy or discharged energy of the battery. The battery discharge device 130 can also detect battery cell imbalance during the discharge process. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can determine battery cell imbalance by utilizing battery discharge reference data and measured battery voltage and energy. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can measure the voltage and energy of the battery 110 when the discharge is initiated. After the discharge process is initiated, the battery discharge device 130 can detect a triggering event. The triggering event can be one or more thresholds or criteria and can be expressed as a percentage (multiple) of the remaining battery energy relative to the initial battery energy or the rated battery energy at full capacity. The battery discharge device 130 can also access the battery discharge reference data 122 stored in the battery management service 120. The battery discharge device 130 can also store the battery discharge reference data 122 in the memory of the battery discharge device 130. The battery discharge device 130 can analyze the measured voltage by comparing it with the battery discharge reference data to determine whether a battery cell imbalance has occurred. For example, the battery discharge device 130 may determine measured voltage changes associated with battery energy changes during battery discharge. These measured data may be compared to corresponding battery energy change references stored in the battery discharge reference data 122. The battery discharge reference data may include battery voltages, each voltage corresponding to one or more energy levels of the battery. For example, the battery discharge reference data may indicate a voltage and its corresponding energy level or energy level range. Thus, a reference change in battery voltage associated with battery energy changes may be determined. In some cases, the battery discharge device may monitor battery cell imbalance by comparing measured data (e.g., a measure of measured battery voltage changes associated with battery energy changes) with reference data (e.g., a reference measure of battery voltage changes associated with battery energy changes). For example, the battery discharge device may measure two battery voltages at two different times, such as an initial time and a second time. The initial time may correspond to the time when discharge is initiated, and the second time may be defined based on a percentage of the battery discharged energy relative to the initial measured energy. For example, the initial measured voltage may indicate an output battery voltage of 10V, while the voltage measured at the second time may indicate an output battery voltage of 5V. The battery discharge device can also determine the battery energy corresponding to the measured voltage, such as 100Wh and 50Wh corresponding to 10V and 5V, respectively. In this example, the voltage change according to the energy change can be determined to be 0.1V / Wh. The battery discharge device can then provide access to the battery discharge reference data and determine a reference energy change, such as 0.2V / Wh (this value can be derived in the example of referring to the voltage change (10V to 5V) with respect to the energy change (70Wh to 45Wh)).In this example, 0.1 V / Wh is less than the reference value of 0.2 V / Wh, and a cell imbalance can be detected. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data can provide a single value or a range of reference energy changes. These reference energy changes can be used as thresholds.

[0035] The overall architecture of the battery discharge device 130 is as follows Figure 3B , including an arrangement of computer hardware and software components that can be used to implement various aspects of the present disclosure. As shown, the battery discharge device 130 may include a processing unit 322, an input / output device interface 324, a computer-readable medium 326, and a network interface 328, all of which can communicate with each other via a communication bus. The components of the battery discharge device 130 may be physical hardware components or may be implemented as software modules.

[0036] Network interface 328 may provide access to one or more networks, such as Figure 1 The input / output device interface 324 may be an interface connected to the battery 110. In some embodiments, the input / output device interface 324 is connected to the battery discharge interface 116. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 measures the voltage transmitted by connecting to the battery via the battery discharge interface 116. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 measures the voltage, current, charge state, and energy of the battery 110 in real time and stores the measurement results as data, and the data may be stored in the computer readable medium 326. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may include a computer readable medium. Figure 3B More (or fewer) components than shown.

[0037] Memory 330 may include computer program instructions that are executed by processing unit 322 to implement one or more embodiments. Memory 330 typically includes RAM, ROM, or other persistent or non-transitory memory. Memory 330 may store an operating system 334 that provides computer program instructions for use by processing unit 322 in general management and operation of battery discharge device 130. Memory 330 may also include computer program instructions and other information for implementing various aspects of the present disclosure. For example, in one embodiment, memory 330 includes interface software 332 that interfaces with battery discharge interface 116.

[0038] Furthermore, the memory 330 includes a battery status measurement component 336 for measuring battery status. For example, the battery status may include the energy, voltage, current, temperature, operating time, impedance, and the like of the battery 110. In some embodiments, the battery status measurement component 336 measures the voltage of the battery 110 in real time or near real time. In these embodiments, the battery status measurement component 336 can process the measured voltage to detect battery cell imbalance during discharge. For example, during battery discharge, the battery status measurement component 336 can measure the voltage of the battery 110 in real time or near real time. The battery status measurement component 336 can execute instructions that cause the processing unit to categorize the battery 110 and store the measured voltages in a time series. In some embodiments, during battery discharge, when the battery capacity reaches certain criteria, the battery status measurement component 336 can instruct the battery cell analysis component 340 to measure the voltage and energy of the battery 110. For example, during battery discharge, when 10% of the battery 110 capacity has been discharged, the battery status measurement component 336 can instruct the battery cell analysis component 340 to analyze the battery cells to detect imbalance.

[0039] The memory 330 may also include a cell analysis component 340 for detecting cell imbalance by analyzing the measured battery state of the battery 110. In some embodiments, the cell analysis component 340 performs analysis based on certain criteria. In these embodiments, the criteria may be based on the remaining capacity of the battery. For example, if the criteria include a value or metric of 90% of the remaining energy from the initial battery energy (or the battery energy at full capacity, such as if the initial battery energy is 100Wh, the analysis may be performed when the battery is discharged to 90Wh), the cell analysis component 340 may initiate an analysis to determine whether cell imbalance has occurred. The analysis may include determining voltage changes relative to the energy changes of the battery 110 during discharge. For example, when the battery 110 is discharged to approximately 10% of its initial energy (e.g., 90% of the remaining energy), such as when the battery 110 is discharged from 100Wh to 90Wh, the cell analysis component 340 may store a measured battery voltage, such as a measured voltage of 10V at a battery capacity of 90Wh. In this example, if the measured voltage of the battery at 100Wh is 20V, the voltage change according to the battery energy change may be 1 (e.g., 10V / 10Wh). These criteria may be set for more than one event, such as the criteria may be set to be discharged 5%, 10%, and 15% from the initial energy or the energy with respect to the full capacity of the battery, and analysis may be performed at each event. These criteria may be set with reference to the remaining energy, such as 95%, 90%, and 85% of the remaining energy. These criteria may be referred to as thresholds or trigger events. Furthermore, these values are provided as examples only, and the present disclosure is not limited to these numbers.

[0040] In some embodiments, the battery cell analysis component 340 can detect battery cell imbalance by utilizing battery discharge reference data 122 received from the battery management service 120 via the network 150. The battery discharge reference data 122 may include a battery energy range corresponding to a voltage range during battery discharge. In these embodiments, the battery discharge reference data 122 may be stored in a computer-readable medium 326, and the battery cell analysis component 340 may access the computer-readable medium 326 to execute instructions that cause the processing unit 322 to compare the battery discharge analysis results with the battery discharge reference data 122. Illustratively, when the battery capacity reaches a standard (e.g., the battery is discharged to a standard), the battery cell analysis component 340 may analyze each battery cell by executing the processing unit's instructions to determine a voltage change corresponding to the battery energy change. In this illustration, the voltage change determined based on the battery energy change may be compared with the battery discharge reference data. For example, if a battery discharges from 90Wh to 80Wh and the measured voltage of the battery changes from 12V to 7V, the measured voltage change associated with the battery energy change may be determined to be 0.5 (e.g., 5V / 10Wh). In this example, the battery discharge reference data 112 may provide reference data, such as a battery voltage change relative to battery energy variation that cannot exceed 0.8. Therefore, the determined value of 0.5 for the battery voltage change relative to battery energy variation may be within the range of the battery discharge reference data. If the battery voltage determined based on the battery energy variation is not within the reference voltage range, the battery cells are unbalanced, and the discharge process is terminated. For example, if the determined value of the battery voltage change corresponding to the battery energy variation is 1, such as the battery voltage changes from 12V to 2V while the battery is discharged from 90Wh to 85Wh, the battery discharge device 130 may determine that a battery cell imbalance may exist.

[0041] Now go to Figure 4A-4B , will be described as Figure 1 For purposes of illustration, it may be assumed that the battery 110 (e.g., Figure 1 ) includes a plurality of battery cells 114. The present disclosure is not intended to be limited to any particular battery type, configuration, or number of battery cells.

[0042] refer to Figure 4A, an illustrative interaction for an initial process of detecting battery cell imbalance will be described. This interaction is illustrative. At (1), the battery discharge device 130 can initiate a battery discharge process. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can be connected to the battery and the discharge process is initiated. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can include a discharge load. Therefore, connecting the battery discharge device 130 to the battery 110 can cause the discharge process. For example, the battery discharge device 130 is connected to the output of the battery by connecting to the battery discharge interface 116 via the network 140. In some embodiments, by controlling one or more functions of the battery discharge device 130, the output current of the battery is discharged into the discharge load included in the battery discharge device 130. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can measure the initial battery voltage and energy when initiating the battery discharge process.

[0043] At (2), the battery discharge device 130 can measure the status of the battery 110. For example, these statuses may include the energy, voltage, current, temperature, operating time, impedance, etc. of each battery 110. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 monitors the energy changes of the battery by measuring the status of the battery in real time or near real time. For example, when the battery discharge device 130 is connected to the battery 110, the battery discharge device 130 measures the voltage of the battery 110. In one embodiment, the battery discharge device 130 measures the energy of the battery 110.

[0044] In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may execute instructions that cause the processing unit to store the measured voltages in a time-series order by classifying each battery. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 includes one or more criteria for initiating a battery imbalance analysis. For example, the criteria for triggering a cell imbalance analysis may be based on the discharge rate of the battery 110. In this example, the criteria may be 5%, 10%, or 15% of the discharge rate (e.g., correspondingly, 95%, 90%, or 85% of the remaining battery energy, such as the initial battery energy or full battery energy capacity, respectively), and the criteria triggers a cell imbalance analysis when 5%, 10%, or 15% of the battery capacity is discharged. For example, if the initial battery energy is 100Wh, a cell imbalance analysis may be triggered when the battery energy is discharged to 95Wh, 90Wh, and 85Wh. These criteria and battery capacities are provided as examples only and may be determined based on the specific application.

[0045] In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can detect one or more parameters related to the battery status, such as voltage, current, energy, temperature, etc., from the battery discharge interface 116. In one embodiment, the discharge load ( Figure 4A1 ) is connected to the battery, and the battery discharge device 130 does not include a discharge load. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can monitor the battery discharge process by receiving one or more parameters related to the battery status from the battery discharge interface 116.

[0046] refer to Figure 4B , an illustrative interaction of a battery cell imbalance analysis for detecting battery cell imbalance will be described. This interaction is illustrative. At (3), the battery discharge device 130 processes the measured voltage of the battery 110 (e.g., the battery state measured at (2)). In some embodiments, the measured voltage of the battery corresponding to the battery energy is processed based on a measurement time series. For example, the battery energy can be listed in a time series, and the measured voltage corresponding to each listed energy can be mapped. Advantageously, by utilizing the measured voltage of the battery 110, a measure of the measured voltage change can be determined based on the battery energy change of the battery 110. For example, if the battery energy changes from 90Wh to 80Wh, and the measured voltage of the battery changes from 12V to 7V, the measure of the measured voltage change corresponding to the battery energy change can be determined as 0.5 (e.g., 5V / 10Wh).

[0047] At (4), the battery discharge device 130 may retrieve the battery discharge reference data 122 from the battery management service 120. The battery discharge reference data may be a graph showing a voltage corresponding to the battery energy. The battery discharge reference data 122 may show a reference voltage change of the battery corresponding to a change in the battery energy during the battery discharge process. The battery discharge reference data may vary based on battery characteristics, such as the battery type, the number of cells, the operating temperature, and the like. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data may be provided as a threshold value of a battery voltage change according to a change in battery energy, such as a threshold value of 0.8. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data may be updated based on, for example, characteristics of the battery (e.g., battery type), the number of cells included in the battery, the battery discharge environment (e.g., humidity, temperature, etc.), and the like. In one embodiment, the battery discharge device 130 may receive the battery discharge reference data from an external device.

[0048] At (5), the battery discharge device 130 may determine the battery cell imbalance by utilizing the battery discharge reference data. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 determines the battery voltage change based on the battery energy change. The result may be compared with the battery discharge reference data. The battery discharge reference data may include a reference measure of the voltage change with respect to the energy change between the initial energy and the measured energy. For example, if the voltage and energy of the battery drop from 4V to 2V and from 90Wh to 80Wh, respectively, the determined result (reference data) may be 0.2. The result may be compared with the battery discharge reference data, such as the voltage and energy of the reference battery dropping from 4V to 1V and from 90Wh to 80Wh during the discharge process. Therefore, the measure of the reference voltage change with respect to the energy change (between the initial energy and the measured energy during the discharge process) is approximately 0.3. The two values 0.2 and 0.3 are different. Therefore, there is an imbalance in the battery cells within the battery. In another example, if the determined battery voltage with respect to the battery energy change is not within the corresponding reference voltage range, the battery cells are unbalanced, and therefore the discharge process is terminated. For example, if the determined value of the battery voltage change corresponding to the battery energy change is 1, such as the battery voltage changes from 12V to 2V, and the battery is discharged from 90Wh to 80Wh, the battery discharge device 130 can determine that there may be a battery cell imbalance. These values are provided as examples only, and the actual values can be determined based on the specific application. In some embodiments, the reference data can provide a measurement range of the reference voltage change with respect to the energy change. The measurement range can include a threshold range, such as even if the reference data (reference voltage change with respect to the energy change) indicates 0.5, the threshold range can also be + / - 0.1, so the reference data can be between 0.4 and 0.6. Therefore, if the measurement metric (e.g., the voltage change with respect to the energy change) is between 0.4 and 0.6, no imbalance is detected. These threshold ranges can be determined based on the specific application, and the present disclosure is not limited to these threshold ranges.

[0049] In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 terminates the battery discharge process upon detecting a cell imbalance. If the battery discharge device 130 does not detect a cell imbalance, the discharge process may continue. For example, in response to determining that a measured voltage variation metric differs from reference data, the discharge device may terminate the battery discharge. Otherwise, in response to determining that the measured voltage variation metric differs from the reference data, the discharge device may resume the battery discharge.

[0050] Now go to Figure 5 , a routine for performing a battery discharge process by monitoring battery cell imbalance will be described. This routine is illustratively implemented by the battery discharge device 130.

[0051] At block 500, the battery discharge routine begins. Then, at block 502, the battery discharge device 130 may determine the initial energy and voltage of the battery. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device may measure the initial energy and voltage of the battery by connecting to the battery via the battery discharge interface 116. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 measures the initial energy and voltage of the battery before initiating the battery discharge process. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 monitors the energy of the battery 110 by measuring the battery status in real time or near real time. For example, the status may include the energy, voltage, current, temperature, operating time, impedance, etc. of each battery 112. For example, when the battery discharge device 130 is connected to the battery 110 via the battery discharge interface 116, the battery discharge device 130 measures the status of the battery 110. The battery status may include battery charge or energy, but the type of energy is not limited in the present disclosure.

[0052] At block 504, the battery discharge device 130 may initiate a discharge process. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may be connected to the battery, and the discharge process is initiated. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may include a discharge load. Thus, connecting the battery discharge device 130 to the battery 110 may cause a discharge process. For example, the battery discharge device 130 is connected to the output of the battery, and by controlling one or more functions of the battery discharge device 130, the output current of the battery is discharged into the discharge load included in the battery discharge device 130. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may be connected to the battery discharge interface 116. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may receive one or more parameters related to the battery status, such as voltage, current, energy, temperature, etc., from the battery discharge interface 116. In one embodiment, the discharge load ( Figure 4A 1 ) is connected to the battery, and the battery discharge device 130 does not include a discharge load. In these embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 can monitor the battery discharge process by receiving one or more parameters related to the battery status from the battery discharge interface 116.

[0053] At block 506 , the battery discharge device 130 determines whether a cell imbalance analysis has been triggered. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 includes one or more criteria for triggering a cell imbalance analysis. For example, the criteria for triggering a cell imbalance analysis may be based on the discharge rate of the battery 110 . In this example, the criteria may be 5%, 10%, or 15% of the discharge rate (e.g., 95%, 90%, or 85% of the remaining battery energy, such as from the initial battery energy or full battery energy), with the criteria triggering a cell imbalance analysis when 5%, 10%, or 15% of the battery capacity has been discharged. For example, if the initial battery energy is 100Wh, a cell imbalance analysis may be triggered when the battery energy is discharged to 95Wh, 90Wh, and 85Wh. These criteria and battery capacities are provided as examples only and may be determined based on the specific application. If a cell imbalance has not been triggered, the battery discharge device 130 continues discharging the battery at block 508 .

[0054] At block 510, if a cell imbalance analysis is triggered, the battery discharge device 130 receives the voltage of the battery 110. In some embodiments, the battery discharge interface 116 measures the voltage of the battery 110 in real time during the discharge process and transmits the measured voltage to the battery discharge device. In these embodiments, the measured voltage may be at the level of the battery 110. Thus, the battery discharge interface 116 measures the energy and voltage of each battery 110. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 may store the measured energy and voltage in an internal storage medium.

[0055] At block 512, the battery discharge device 130 processes the measured voltage of the battery 110. In some embodiments, the measured voltage of the battery is processed based on a measurement time series. For example, the battery energy can be listed in a time series, and the measured voltage corresponding to each listed energy can be mapped. Advantageously, by utilizing the processed measured voltage of each battery 110, a voltage change can be determined based on the battery energy change of each battery 110. For example, if the battery energy changes from 90Wh to 80Wh, and the measured voltage of the battery changes from 12V to 7V, then a measure of the measured voltage change with respect to the battery energy change can be determined as 0.5 (e.g., 5V / 10Wh).

[0056] At box 514, the battery discharge device 130 can retrieve battery discharge reference data 122 from the battery management service 120. The battery discharge reference data can be a graph showing voltage changes corresponding to battery energy changes. The reference data can be expressed as a metric of a reference metric of voltage changes with respect to energy changes between an initial energy and a measured energy. The battery discharge reference data 122 can show the battery voltage corresponding to battery energy changes during battery discharge. The battery discharge reference data can vary based on battery characteristics, such as battery type, number of cells, operating temperature, etc. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data can be provided as a threshold value of battery voltage changes according to battery energy changes, such as a threshold value of 0.8. In some embodiments, the battery discharge reference data can be updated. In one embodiment, the battery discharge device 130 can receive battery discharge reference data from an external device. The battery discharge device 130 can determine reference data including a reference metric of voltage changes with respect to energy changes between an initial energy and a measured energy. The battery discharge reference data can also include multiple reference voltages and multiple energy levels, each voltage corresponding to one or more of these energy levels.

[0057] At block 516, the battery discharge device 130 may determine the battery cell imbalance by utilizing the battery discharge reference data. For example, the battery discharge device 130 may determine a voltage change indicating a voltage change between a measured voltage and an initial voltage relative to the measured energy and the initial energy. In some embodiments, the battery discharge device 130 determines the battery voltage change based on the battery energy change. This result may be compared with the battery discharge reference data. For example, if the voltage and energy of a battery drop from 4V to 2V and from 90Wh to 80Wh, respectively, the determined result may be 0.2. This result may be compared with reference data (e.g., from the battery discharge reference data), such as reference data for a reference battery voltage and energy during discharge that drops from 4V (initial voltage) to 1V (measured voltage) and from 90Wh (initial energy) to 80Wh (measured energy). Thus, the reference voltage change relative to the energy change is approximately 0.3. These two values, 0.2 and 0.3, are different. Therefore, there is a battery cell imbalance within the battery. In another example, if the battery voltage determined based on the battery energy change is not within the corresponding reference voltage range, the battery cell is unbalanced, and therefore the discharge process is terminated. For example, if the determined value of the battery voltage change corresponding to the battery energy change is 1, such as the battery voltage changes from 12V to 2V, and the battery is discharged from 90Wh to 80Wh, the battery discharge device 130 can determine that there may be a battery cell imbalance. These values are provided as examples only, and the actual values can be determined based on the specific application. In some embodiments, the reference data can provide a measurement range of the reference voltage change with respect to the energy change. The measurement range can include a threshold range, such as even if the reference data (reference voltage change with respect to the energy change) indicates 0.5, the threshold range can also be + / - 0.1, so the reference data can be between 0.4 and 0.6. These threshold ranges can be determined based on the specific application, and the present disclosure is not limited to these threshold ranges.

[0058] Based on the determination of cell imbalance, the battery discharge device 130 can manage battery discharge. For example, at block 518, if cell imbalance is detected, the discharge routine terminates at block 520. If cell imbalance is not detected, the battery discharge routine continues at block 508.

[0059] It should be understood that not all objects or advantages may be achieved according to any particular embodiment described herein. Thus, for example, those skilled in the art will recognize that certain embodiments may be configured to operate in a manner that achieves or optimizes one or a group of advantages taught herein without necessarily achieving other objects or advantages taught or suggested herein.

[0060] All processes described herein can be fully automated via software code modules, comprising one or more specific computer-executable instructions executed by a computing system. The computing system can include one or more computers or processors. The code modules can be stored in any type of non-transitory computer-readable medium or other computer storage device. Some or all of the methods can be embodied in dedicated computer hardware.

[0061] It will be apparent from this disclosure that many other variations exist in addition to those described herein. For example, depending on the embodiment, certain actions, events, or functions of any algorithm described herein may be performed in a different order, may be added, merged, or omitted entirely (e.g., not all described actions or events are necessary for the practice of the algorithm). Furthermore, in certain embodiments, actions or events may be performed concurrently, such as by multithreading, interrupt handling, or multiple processors or processor cores, or on other parallel architectures, rather than sequentially. Furthermore, different tasks or processes may be performed by different machines and / or computing systems that may work together.

[0062] The various illustrative logical blocks and modules described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented or executed by a machine designed to perform the functions described herein, such as a processing unit or processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternative embodiments, the processor may be a controller, a microcontroller, or a state machine, a combination thereof, or the like. The processor may include circuitry configured to process computer-executable instructions. In another embodiment, the processor includes an FPGA or other programmable device that can perform logical operations without processing computer-executable instructions. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of client computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Although primarily described herein with respect to digital technology, the processor may also include primarily analog components. The computing environment may include any type of computer system, including but not limited to microprocessor-based computer systems, mainframe computers, digital signal processors, portable client computing devices, device controllers, or computing engines within devices.

[0063] Unless specifically stated otherwise, conditional language such as "can," "could," "might," or "may" is generally understood in the context of conveying that some embodiments include, while other embodiments do not, certain features, elements, and / or steps. Thus, such conditional language generally does not imply that one or more embodiments require a feature, element, and / or step in any way, nor does it imply that one or more embodiments must include logic for deciding, with or without user input or prompting, whether such features, elements, or steps are included or to be performed in any particular embodiment.

[0064] Unless specifically stated otherwise, disjunctive language, such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z," should be understood along with the context generally used to indicate that an item, term, etc., can be X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require that at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z be present.

[0065] Any process description, element or block in the flowcharts described herein and / or shown in the accompanying drawings should be understood to potentially represent a module, segment or portion of code that includes one or more executable instructions for implementing the specific logical functions or elements in the process. Alternative implementations are included within the scope of the embodiments described herein, in which elements or functions may be deleted, executed out of the order shown or discussed, including substantially concurrently or in reverse order, depending on the functionality involved.

[0066] Unless expressly stated otherwise, articles such as "a" or "an" should generally be interpreted as including one or more of the recited items. Thus, phrases such as "a device configured to..." are intended to include one or more recited devices. Such one or more recited devices may also be collectively configured to perform the recited items. For example, "a processor configured to perform recites A, B, and C" may include a first processor configured to perform recites A, working in conjunction with a second processor configured to perform recites B and C.

Claims

1. A system for managing battery discharge based on battery cell imbalance, the system comprising: a battery comprising a plurality of battery cells; and a battery discharge device connected to the battery, wherein the battery discharge device is configured to: Measure initial battery voltage and initial energy; Initiate battery discharge; determining one or more criteria related to a discharge energy of the battery; and In response to determining that the battery is discharged to the standard: measuring the voltage and energy of the battery, determining reference data by accessing battery discharge reference data, the reference data comprising a reference metric of a voltage change associated with an energy change between the initial energy and the measured energy, wherein the battery discharge reference data comprises a plurality of reference voltages and a plurality of energy levels, each voltage corresponding to one or more of the energy levels; determining a metric of the measured voltage change, the metric indicative of a voltage change between the measured voltage and the initial voltage with respect to the measured energy and the initial energy, comparing said measure of said measured voltage variation with said reference data, and The battery discharge is managed based on a comparison between the measure of the measured voltage change and the reference data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein managing the battery discharge comprises: in response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage change is the same as the reference data, resuming discharge of the battery; or In response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage variation is different from the reference data, discharging the battery is terminated.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery discharge device comprises a discharge load.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery comprises a battery discharge interface, and wherein the battery discharge device and the battery are connected via the battery charge interface.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the reference data is stored in a memory of the battery discharge device. 6 . The system according to claim 1 , wherein the battery discharge device comprises a memory for storing the measurement results of the voltage of the battery and the discharge energy.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more criteria are defined based on a percentage of the discharged energy from the initial energy of the battery.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the battery discharge is initiated by connecting the battery discharge device to a battery discharge interface of the battery.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the reference data is updated based on temperature and / or humidity.

10. A battery discharge device for discharging a battery comprising a plurality of battery cells, the battery discharge device being configured to: initiating discharge of the battery; Measure initial battery voltage and initial energy; determining one or more criteria related to a discharge energy of the battery; In response to determining that the battery is discharged to the standard, measuring a voltage and energy of the battery; determining reference data by accessing battery discharge reference data, the reference data comprising a reference metric of a voltage change associated with an energy change between the initial energy and the measured energy, wherein the battery discharge reference data comprises a plurality of reference voltages and a plurality of energy levels, each voltage corresponding to one or more of the energy levels; determining a metric of the measured voltage change, the metric indicating a voltage change between the measured voltage and the initial voltage with respect to the measured energy and the initial energy; comparing said measure of voltage variation with said reference data; as well as In response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage change is the same as the reference data, resuming discharge of the battery, or In response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage change is different from the reference data, discharging the battery is terminated.

11. The battery discharge device of claim 10, wherein the battery discharge is initiated when the battery discharge device is connected to a battery discharge interface of the battery.

12. The battery discharge device of claim 10, wherein the battery discharge device comprises a discharge load, and wherein battery energy is discharged to the load.

13. The battery discharge device of claim 10, wherein the one or more criteria are defined based on a percentage of discharged energy from the initial energy of the battery.

14. The battery discharging device according to claim 10, wherein the reference data is updated based on temperature and / or humidity.

15. The system according to claim 10, wherein the reference data is stored in a memory of the battery discharge device.

16. A method for managing battery discharge, the method comprising: initiating discharge of the battery via connection of the battery to a battery discharge device, wherein the battery comprises a plurality of battery cells; Measure initial battery voltage and initial energy; determining one or more criteria related to a discharge energy of the battery; In response to determining that the battery is discharged to the standard, measuring a voltage and energy of the battery; determining reference data by accessing battery discharge reference data, the reference data comprising a reference metric of a voltage change associated with an energy change between the initial energy and the measured energy, wherein the battery discharge reference data comprises a plurality of reference voltages and a plurality of energy levels, each voltage corresponding to one or more of the energy levels; determining a metric of the measured voltage change, the metric indicative of a voltage change between the measured voltage and an initial voltage with respect to the measured energy and the initial energy; comparing said measure of voltage variation with said reference data; as well as The battery discharge is managed based on a comparison between the metric of measured voltage variation and the reference data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein managing the battery discharge comprises: in response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage change is the same as the reference data, resuming discharge of the battery; or In response to determining that the comparison result indicates that the metric of the measured voltage change is different from the reference data, discharging the battery is terminated.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the battery discharge device comprises a memory for storing results of the measurements of the voltage and energy of the battery.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more criteria are defined based on a percentage of discharged energy from the initial energy of the battery.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the reference data is updated based on temperature and / or humidity.

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