Functional safety for smart battery cells

Abstract

The invention relates to functional safety for smart battery cells. A battery pack may include a battery monitoring system that may monitor battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster plate, in response to determining that the battery metrics satisfy a first bypass condition, enable a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster plate, and in response to determining that the battery metrics no longer satisfy the first bypass condition, enable a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster plate. And exiting the bypass mode. The master controller may send an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter a bypass mode in response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been satisfied, and send a flipping instruction to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode in response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The disclosed subject matter relates to electric vehicles (eg, transportation vehicles), and more particularly, to functional safety of smart battery cells for electric vehicles. Background Art

[0002] Electric drivetrains, such as those used in electric vehicles, are based on batteries with direct current (DC), which can carry hazardous voltages (e.g., voltages high enough to be harmful to humans). Many systems are designed around these batteries to protect and control them. Auxiliary units are used to generate alternating current (AC) voltage to run the motors and charge the batteries. Such systems are complex and expensive, and can be a source of error.

[0003] There are many different types of battery packs that include multiple batteries and / or cells. Some problems with such battery packs include (1) the cells are always on, that is, they always have a dangerous live voltage; and / or (2) the battery cells provide a constant voltage, and therefore the battery pack uses auxiliary units to provide fluctuating voltages (e.g., AC voltage) and / or lower voltages (e.g., 12V, 48V, etc.).

[0004] In existing battery packs, when a cell error occurs (such as overcurrent or temperature exceeding a safety threshold), either (1) the entire battery pack fails, or (2) the failed cell is irreversibly disconnected from the pack (e.g., via a melted wire or fuse). Both situations result in irreversible performance issues for vehicles that include such battery packs.

[0005] The above background information related to electric vehicles is intended only to provide a contextual overview of some current issues and is not intended to be exhaustive. Additional contextual information may become further apparent upon review of the following detailed description. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following summary is presented to provide a basic understanding of one or more embodiments of the present invention. This summary is not intended to identify key or critical elements or to delineate any scope of a particular embodiment or the scope of the claims. Its sole purpose is to present concepts in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later. In one or more embodiments described herein, a system, apparatus, computer-implemented method, and / or computer program product facilitates functional safety for smart battery cells.

[0007] As hinted above, electric vehicles and electric vehicle battery systems may be improved in various ways, and various embodiments are described herein for this and / or other purposes.

[0008] According to one embodiment, a battery pack may include: a battery monitoring system that monitors battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster board, enables a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board in response to determining that the battery metrics satisfy a first bypass condition, and exits the bypass mode in response to determining that the battery metrics no longer satisfy the first bypass condition; and a main controller that sends an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter the bypass mode in response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been satisfied, and sends an override instruction to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode in response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied.

[0009] According to another embodiment, a non-transitory machine-readable medium may include executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate the performance of operations including: monitoring battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster board; in response to determining that the battery metrics satisfy a first bypass condition, enabling a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board; in response to determining that the battery metrics no longer satisfy the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode; in response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been satisfied, sending an instruction to a battery monitoring system via a main controller to enter the bypass mode; and in response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, sending an override instruction to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode.

[0010] According to yet another embodiment, a method may include: monitoring, by a system including a processor, battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster board; enabling, by the system, a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board in response to determining that the battery metrics satisfy a first bypass condition; exiting, by the system, the bypass mode in response to determining that the battery metrics no longer satisfy the first bypass condition; sending, by the system, an instruction to a battery monitoring system to enter the bypass mode in response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been satisfied; and sending, by the system, an overriding instruction to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode in response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 A block diagram of an example system is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0012] Figure 2 A block diagram of an example system is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0013] Figure 3 An orthogonal view of an example non-limiting system that can facilitate smart battery cells with integrated monitoring and switching is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0014] Figure 4An orthogonal view of an example non-limiting system that can facilitate smart battery cells with integrated monitoring and switching is shown according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0015] Figure 5 A flow chart illustrating a process associated with functional safety for a smart battery cell according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0016] Figure 6 A block flow diagram illustrates processes associated with functional safety for smart battery cells according to one or more embodiments described herein.

[0017] Figure 7 is an example, non-limiting computing environment in which one or more embodiments described herein may be implemented.

[0018] Figure 8 is an example, non-limiting networking environment in which one or more embodiments described herein may be implemented. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The following detailed description is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the application or use of the embodiments and / or embodiments. In addition, it is not intended to be bound by any express or implied information presented in the above background or summary or detailed description.

[0020] One or more embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout. In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, in various circumstances, it will be apparent that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details.

[0021] It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled" to another element, this may describe one or more different types of couplings, including but not limited to a chemical coupling, a communicative coupling, a capacitive coupling, an electrical coupling, an electromagnetic coupling, an inductive coupling, an operational coupling, a conductive coupling, an acoustic coupling, an ultrasonic coupling, an optical coupling, a physical coupling, a thermal coupling, and / or another type of coupling. As referenced herein, an "entity" may include a person, a client, a user, a computing device, a software application, an agent, a machine learning model, an artificial intelligence, and / or another entity. It will be understood that such an entity may facilitate implementation of the subject disclosure in accordance with one or more embodiments described herein.

[0022] The computer processing systems, computer-implemented methods, apparatus, and / or computer program products described herein employ hardware and / or software to solve problems that are highly technical in nature (e.g., facilitating functional safety for smart battery cells) that are not abstract and not performable as a set of mental acts by a human.

[0023] In various embodiments, a battery system cluster board (e.g., a smart cell cluster) may have the following responsibilities, among other suitable responsibilities:

[0024] (1) The battery system cluster board can maintain the corresponding battery cells within a safe operating window (e.g., voltage, current, temperature, and / or other suitable metrics). In this regard, the battery cells should always operate within a safe voltage, current, and temperature window to avoid degassing or thermal events. The embodiments herein enable each battery system cluster board to bypass current from the battery cluster, for example, so that the battery cells within the battery cluster and the battery pack as a whole are protected from further voltage increases and decreases. In addition, overcurrent can be prevented, internal battery heating can be prevented, and the use of cold cells (e.g., below a defined safety temperature threshold) can be prevented. For example, the foregoing is implemented using a high integrity circuit (e.g., a battery monitoring system) that forces the battery cluster to enter bypass mode, for example, in the event of any defined unsafe condition occurring, or if the high integrity master controller does not allow the use of the particular battery cluster. In this regard, each cluster can include independent safety mechanisms that do not interfere with the complete vehicle functionality. Thus, a failure of a battery cluster does not completely reduce the functionality of the corresponding battery pack as a whole, although a slight overall power reduction may occur for each corresponding cluster failure compared to maximum performance.

[0025] (2) The battery system cluster board can provide string voltage and current control to deliver the correct voltage and current required to generate torque in the motor, thereby receiving / delivering energy to / from the external energy source. The string current should always be maintained within a safe range (e.g., within a defined corresponding current range, voltage range, and temperature range) to avoid over-braking or under-braking of the wheels of the electric vehicle. The battery system cluster board can, for example, enable bypassing of current from the battery pack (e.g., in bypass mode) so that the cluster does not contribute to the string voltage and current and prevents the cluster from contributing to unauthorized torque generation. For example, in the event that the high integrity master controller does not allow torque to be generated, this can be facilitated by a forced bypass mode (e.g., via the master controller and / or via the battery monitoring system).

[0026] (3) The battery system cluster board can provide a low voltage (e.g., a voltage less than or equal to approximately 48V) within a defined safety range for the operation of safety-critical loads. The high voltage to low voltage conversion should provide voltage within a safe and defined operating window under all reasonable current loads so that the safety-critical loads can maintain their corresponding safe operation. The battery system cluster board in this article can implement control of the high voltage to low voltage conversion, for example, so that when the voltage of the low voltage bus is lower than a defined low voltage set point, each cluster independently and with high integrity converts the voltage from high voltage to low voltage, and vice versa, and stops converting the high voltage to low voltage when the voltage of the low voltage bus is higher than a defined high voltage set point. Both the low voltage set point and the high voltage set point can be configured to have high integrity (e.g., according to the Automotive Safety Integrity Level (ASIL) D specification) so that the voltage span is always within a defined safe operating range. The embodiments in this article can isolate the DC / DC conversion from the high voltage system so that problems on the high voltage side (including in the battery pack) will not propagate to the low voltage side. In addition, the embodiments in this article implement redundant low voltage supply capabilities.

[0027] Now go to Figure 1, illustrates an example, non-limiting system 100 (e.g., a battery pack) according to one or more embodiments herein. The system 100 may include a computerized tool that may be configured to perform various operations related to functional safety for smart battery cells. In various embodiments, the system 100 may be included in a vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle). In this regard, the system 100 may include one or more of various components, such as a battery system cluster board 102 (e.g., including a power supply 110, a cluster controller 108, a DC / DC converter 112, a battery monitoring system (BMS) 114, an H-bridge 126, and / or battery cells 120). The master controller 118 may include a processor 106, a memory 104, and / or a communication component 116. The cluster controller 108 may include a processor 106, a memory 104, and / or a communication component 116. The BMS 114 may include a processor 106 and / or a memory 104. In some embodiments, the battery system cluster board 102 may be communicatively coupled to or may further include the master controller 118, a previous board 122, and / or a next board 124. In various embodiments, one or more of the main controller 118, the battery system cluster board 102, the power supply 110, the cluster controller 108, the DC / DC converter 112, the BMS 114, the H-bridge 126, the battery cells 120, the previous board 122, and / or the next board 124 may be communicatively or operatively coupled to one another (e.g., via a bus or wireless network) to perform one or more functions of the system 100. Note that the previous board 122 and / or the next board 124 may include respective instances of the battery system cluster board 102, each instance including respective components similar to those of the battery system cluster board 102.

[0028] Figure 2 Also shown is system 100. Figure 2 , additional components of the system 100 are depicted. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of similar components are omitted. In this regard, the system 100 may include a positive low voltage bus 218, a negative low voltage bus 220, an output terminal 228, an output terminal 230, a temperature sensor 216, an electrical sensor (e.g., a voltage sensor and / or a current sensor) 214, and / or a switch driver 204. Note that the H-bridge 126 may include switches 206, 208, 210, and / or 212. The communication channel 222, the switch control 232, and / or the communication path 236 may include a quality management (QM) integrity channel. The communication channel 224, the pulse width modulation (PWM) 234, and / or the forced bypass mode 226 may include high integrity channels (e.g., ASILD rated channels).

[0029] In various embodiments herein, the BMS 114 may be configured to monitor for local faults (e.g., local to a battery system cluster board 102), and the master controller 118 may be configured to monitor for global faults (e.g., across the system 100), which may include multiple battery system cluster boards 102. For example, the BMS 114 may monitor for cell-related issues, and the master controller 118 may monitor multiple battery system cluster boards 102. For example, if the BMS 114 determines a local (e.g., cell-related) issue, the BMS 114 may initiate the bypass mode described herein. In this regard, the BMS 114 may be responsible for exiting (e.g., overriding) the bypass mode initiated by the BMS 114. Similarly, if the master controller determines a global (e.g., system 100-level) issue, the master controller 118 may instruct the BMS 114 to enter the bypass mode. In this regard, the master controller 118 may be responsible for instructing the BMS to exit (e.g., overriding) the bypass mode initially instructed by the master controller 118.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the BMS 114 may monitor battery metrics of the battery cells 120 of the battery system cluster board 102 . In various embodiments, the BMS 114 may enable a bypass mode for the battery system cluster board 102 in response to determining that the battery metrics meet a bypass condition (e.g., a first bypass condition). In one or more embodiments, the first bypass condition may include a battery cell temperature exceeding a defined battery cell temperature threshold (e.g., determined via temperature sensor 216 ). In other embodiments, the first bypass condition may include a battery cell current exceeding a defined battery cell current threshold (e.g., determined via a current sensor such as electrical sensor 214 ). In further embodiments, the first bypass condition may include a battery cell voltage exceeding a defined battery cell voltage threshold (e.g., determined via a voltage sensor such as electrical sensor 214 ). In one or more embodiments, the BMS 114 may include an ASIL D BMS. In the example bypass mode herein, switches 206 and 210 of the H-bridge 126 may be closed (e.g., via switch driver 204 ), and switches 208 and 212 may be opened (e.g., via switch driver 204 ). In another example bypass mode herein, switches 206 and 210 may be set to open, and switches 208 and 212 may be set to closed. In various embodiments, for example, if the BMS 114 determines that the battery metric (e.g., that caused the bypass mode to be entered) no longer satisfies the first bypass condition herein, the BMS 114 may exit the bypass mode herein.

[0031] In various embodiments, the override signal herein (e.g., from the BMS 114) may be sent to the H-bridge 126 and / or the switch driver 204. In this regard, in some embodiments, the switch driver 204 may be included in the H-bridge 126, or may be a separate component communicatively and / or electrically coupled to the H-bridge 126. Note that the switch driver 204 may control the opening and closing of each switch of the H-bridge 126.

[0032] In various embodiments, the BMS 114 can measure (e.g., via temperature sensor 216 and / or electrical sensor 214) the voltage of each battery cell 120, the temperature of the battery cluster, the current of the cluster, the voltage of the cluster, and can perform high-integrity diagnostics on communications from the master controller 118 (e.g., via communication channel 222 and / or communication channel 224). In various embodiments, for example, if one or more battery cells 120 in the battery system cluster board 102 are determined to be outside their safe operating window, if the low voltage bus is below a critical threshold, if the master controller 118 does not allow operation, and / or if communication with the master controller 118 (e.g., via communication channel 222 and / or communication channel 224) is damaged or broken, the BMS 114 can activate a forced bypass mode in the high-integrity switch driver 204. In this regard, the switch driver 204 can facilitate operation of the switches 206-212 of the H-bridge 126 to enter (or exit) the bypass mode.

[0033] In various embodiments, the cluster controller 108 may control the DC / DC converters 112 based on a minimum and / or maximum defined voltage set point (e.g., via the communication path 236). In this regard, the cluster controller 108 may set a set point between a defined minimum and / or maximum safe set point. Furthermore, in this regard, the DC / DC converters 112 may ignore any instructions outside of the permitted window. In various embodiments, the cluster controller 108 may promote energy efficiency. In this regard, if only one DC / DC converter 112 is needed in the system 100 (e.g., for current electrical requirements), the cluster controller 108 may determine which DC / DC converter 112 to use and activate (e.g., via the communication path 236), while other DC / DC converters (e.g., in addition to the DC / DC converter 112 and not depicted herein) may include a lower voltage activation set point (e.g., sleep until the voltage drops to its voltage set point level). Furthermore, in this regard, the cluster controller 108 may set a voltage activation set point for the corresponding DC / DC converter 112.

[0034] According to one embodiment, the master controller 118 (e.g., a master controller) may determine whether a bypass condition (e.g., a second bypass condition in addition to the first bypass condition) is satisfied. In this regard, the master controller 118 may, in response to determining that the second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board 102 has been satisfied, send an instruction to the BMS 114 to enter bypass mode. Similarly, in response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, the master controller 118 may send an override instruction to the BMS 114 to exit bypass mode. In one or more embodiments, the master controller may include an ASIL D master controller. In various embodiments, the master controller 118 may communicate with the BMS 114 at defined intervals (e.g., every 10 ms, 100 ms, or another suitable interval). In various embodiments, the override instruction (e.g., via the communication channel 224) may include a black channel type communication channel. In this regard, the communication channel 224 may include a secure communication channel that is encrypted and protected from unauthorized access or monitoring. Furthermore, in this regard, it is noted that the instructions herein (e.g., via the communication channel 224) may utilize a checksum algorithm. In one or more embodiments, the master controller 118 may send an override instruction in response to determining that the second bypass condition has ended for at least a threshold duration. Note that in various embodiments, the master controller 118 may send an instruction to the BMS 114 (e.g., to enter bypass mode) based on a comparison of an output from the BMS 114 with another output from another battery system cluster board other than the battery system cluster board 102 (e.g., the previous board 122, the next board 124, or another battery system cluster board that includes the corresponding battery pack of the battery system cluster board 102). In this regard, one or more metrics of the battery system cluster board 102 may be compared with corresponding metrics of other battery system cluster boards of the corresponding battery pack (e.g., via the master controller 118) to determine (e.g., via the master controller 118) whether the one or more metrics are consistent across the battery system cluster boards herein. For example, if the metrics are consistent across the battery system cluster boards by a threshold, the master controller 118 does not send an instruction (e.g., to the BMS 114) to enter bypass mode. However, if the metric is threshold inconsistent across the battery system cluster panels, the master controller may send an instruction (eg, to the BMS 114 ) to enter the bypass mode described herein.

[0035] According to one embodiment, the cluster controller 108 may relay the signals or instructions herein from the master controller 118 to the BMS 114 (e.g., via the communication channel 224). In one or more embodiments, the cluster controller 108 may include a quality management (QM) level cluster controller. The cluster controller 108 may include a QM integrity level, for example, because in various embodiments, the cluster controller 108 only relays the instructions or signals herein and does not generate or even interpret the instructions or signals herein.

[0036] In various embodiments, the low voltage bus (e.g., including the positive low voltage bus 218 and the negative low voltage bus 220) can supply low voltage within a defined safety window for safety-critical loads (e.g., according to the ASIL D integrity level). To achieve high reliability, in various embodiments, the DC / DC converter 112 can include an analog DC-DC converter. In one or more embodiments, the DC / DC converter 112 can convert the voltage from the battery cells 120 and convert it to approximately 15 volts (e.g., or another suitable low voltage) for low voltage loads. In various embodiments, the DC / DC converter 112 can be self-executing and does not rely on the cluster controller 108 or another component to convert to a defined low voltage.

[0037] Figure 3 An orthogonal view of an example non-limiting device 300 is shown that can facilitate a smart battery cell with integrated monitoring and switching according to one or more embodiments described herein. The device 300 may include a battery device and / or a battery cell device that can be implemented in a variety of different electronic systems. In one embodiment, the device 300 can be implemented as a single battery device and / or a single battery cell device. In another embodiment, the device 300 can be implemented as a single battery device and / or a single battery cell device in a battery pack (also known as a battery array, battery bank, power bank, etc.). In another embodiment, the device 300 can be implemented as a single battery device and / or a single battery cell device in a battery pack used in an electric powertrain of an electric vehicle (EV).

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown in the example embodiment depicted in , the device 300 may include a terminal 302 including monomer poles 302a, 302b and / or a communication port 302c. In this embodiment, the device 300 may further include a smart monomer module 304, which may be coupled to the terminal 302 and / or the monomer poles 302a, 302b and further coupled to the active monomer material 306 and / or the monomer material poles 306a, 306b of the active monomer material 306. In this embodiment, the device 300 may further include a housing 308 that may encapsulate one or more components of the device 300. For example, the housing 308 may encapsulate the active monomer material 306, the monomer material poles 306a, 306b and / or the smart monomer module 304. In some embodiments, the housing 308 may also (e.g., partially or completely) encapsulate the terminal 302 and / or the monomer poles 302a, 302b. In Figure 3In the example embodiment shown, the device 300 may further include a gas exhaust portion 310 that may be formed on a side of the device 300 and / or the housing 308. In various embodiments, the device 300 and / or the smart cell module 304 may include the battery system cluster board 102 (or one or more components of the battery system cluster board 102).

[0039] In various embodiments, the terminals 302 may include battery terminals. The cell poles 302a, 302b may include battery cell poles (e.g., positive and negative battery terminals). The terminals 302 and / or the cell poles 302a, 302b may include conductive materials that may facilitate the transfer of current and / or voltage to and / or from the smart cell module 304 and / or the active cell material 306 (e.g., via the cell material poles 306a, 306b).

[0040] In various embodiments, the communication port 302c may include a communication port that enables a wired connection (e.g., a wired connection of the smart cell module 304) of the device 300 to another device (e.g., a computer, a controller (e.g., a microcontroller), a transceiver, a processor, a memory, etc.). Figure 3 The illustrated example embodiment includes a communication port 302c that can facilitate a wired connection to the device 300 (e.g., to the smart cell module 304), but it should be noted that the subject disclosure is not limited in this regard. For example, in some embodiments, as described below, the device 300 and / or one or more components thereof (e.g., the smart cell module 304) can include a transmitter, a receiver, and / or a transceiver that can facilitate wireless communication between the device 300 (e.g., the smart cell module 304) and another device (e.g., a computing and / or communication device of an electric vehicle including the device 300, a computing resource (e.g., a virtual machine, a virtual computer, a server, a memory, etc.) in a cloud computing environment, and / or another device) over a network (e.g., the Internet, etc.).

[0041] The smart cell module 304 may include an intelligent (e.g., "smart") separator (e.g., interface) between the cell poles 302a, 302b (e.g., outer cell poles) of the terminal 302 and the cell material poles 306a, 306b (e.g., inner cell poles) of the active cell material 306. The smart cell module 304 may include internal circuitry of the device 300. The smart cell module 304 may include an integrated circuit (IC) formed on a substrate (e.g., a silicon (Si) substrate, etc.) using one or more of the manufacturing techniques and / or materials described below.

[0042] The fabrication of device 300 and / or small unit module 304 may include a multi-step sequence of, for example, photolithographic and / or chemical processing steps that facilitate the stepwise creation of electronic-based systems, devices, components, and / or circuits in semiconductor and / or superconducting devices (e.g., ICs). For example, the small single-unit module 304 can be manufactured on a substrate (e.g., a silicon (Si) substrate, etc.) by adopting the following technologies including but not limited to: photolithography, microlithography, nanolithography, nanoimprint lithography, photomask technology, patterning technology, photoresist technology (e.g., positive photoresist, negative photoresist, mixed-tone photoresist, etc.), etching technology (e.g., reactive ion etching (RIE), dry etching, wet etching, ion beam etching, plasma etching, laser ablation, etc.), evaporation technology, sputtering technology, plasma ashing technology, thermal treatment (e.g., rapid thermal annealing, furnace annealing, thermal oxidation, etc.), chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), physical vapor deposition (PVD), molecular beam epitaxy (MBE), electrochemical deposition (ECD), chemical mechanical planarization (CMP), back grinding technology and / or another technology for manufacturing integrated circuits.

[0043] In various embodiments, the device 300 and / or the small cell module 304 can be fabricated using one or more of a variety of suitable materials. For example, the device 300 and / or the small cell module 304 can be fabricated using one or more materials from different material classes, including but not limited to conductive materials, semiconductor materials, superconducting materials, dielectric materials, polymeric materials, organic materials, inorganic materials, non-conductive materials, and / or another material that can be used with one or more of the aforementioned techniques for fabricating integrated circuits.

[0044] although Figure 3 300 , between terminals 302 and active cell material 306, the smart cell module 304 is vertically positioned within the device 300, but it should be noted that the subject disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, in another embodiment, the smart cell module 304 can be positioned (e.g., vertically, horizontally, etc.) within and / or on, for example, the housing 308, the active cell material 306, a battery pack including the device 300, and / or at another location within and / or on the device 300 and / or such a battery pack including the device 300.

[0045] In various embodiments, smart cell module 304 can be implemented in device 300 to form a smart battery cell that can include one or more integrated monitoring components and / or switches that can facilitate different parameter monitoring and / or collection operations and / or different operating modes of device 300 according to one or more embodiments of the subject matter disclosed herein. For example, smart cell module 304 can include one or more sensors (e.g., temperature sensor 216, electrical sensor 214, and / or other suitable sensors) that can monitor and / or collect parameter data of device 300 and / or one or more components thereof. For example, the smart cell module 304 may include one or more sensors that can monitor and / or collect parameter data of the device 300 and / or the active cell material 306, including but not limited to: temperature; pressure (e.g., expansion); chemical properties (e.g., chemical properties on the electrolyte to monitor aging); acceleration (e.g., to sense a crash of, for example, an electric vehicle including the device 300); current (e.g., current flowing into and / or out of the device 300 and / or the active cell material 306); voltage (e.g., voltage potential across the cell material poles 306a, 306b of the active cell material 306); and / or other parameter data of the device 300 and / or the active cell material 306. In these examples, the smart cell module 304 may further include one or more switches (e.g., switches of the H-bridge 126), which may include, for example, metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) switches, which may facilitate different operating modes (e.g., disconnect, positive, negative, bypass, etc.) of the device 300 according to one or more embodiments of the subject disclosure described herein.

[0046] To facilitate such parameter monitoring and / or different operating modes of the apparatus 300, the smart cell module 304 may include a processor 106, a memory 104, one or more sensors, and / or one or more switches. Figure 3 As described, the smart cell module 304 may include a processor 106 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a microprocessor, etc.), a memory 104, one or more sensors (e.g., a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, etc.) and / or one or more switches (e.g., a MOSFET switch), which can implement parameter monitoring and / or different operating modes of the above-mentioned device 300.

[0047] In some embodiments, the device 300 and / or the smart cell module 304 may include a switch controller (e.g., switch driver 204) that can control the operation of one or more switches (e.g., switches 206-212) to facilitate the different operating modes of the device 300. In some embodiments, a battery pack including multiple devices 300 and / or smart cell modules 304 may include such a switch controller. In these embodiments, the switch controller in the battery pack can control (e.g., via processor 106 and / or another processor) the operation of one or more switches (e.g., MOSFET switches) in each device 300 to facilitate the different operating modes of each device 300.

[0048] In various embodiments, the device 300 may include modular components that may function and / or be controlled independently of all other battery devices and / or battery cell devices that may be in a battery pack (e.g., other devices 300). Therefore, it should be noted that one or more devices 300 in such a battery pack may be removed and / or replaced without affecting the structure and / or function of the battery pack and / or any other devices 300 in the battery pack as a whole.

[0049] In various embodiments, the active cell material 306 may include active battery cell material, such as a battery cell (also referred to as a "cell"). In various embodiments, the active cell material 306 may include a single battery cell, or in some embodiments, a plurality of individual battery cells (e.g., battery cells 120) that may be positioned inside the housing 308 according to various patterns (e.g., vertically, horizontally, etc.). In various embodiments, the active cell material 306 may include any type of battery cell material, such as, for example, a lithium battery cell material, a lithium ion (Li-Ion) battery cell material, a lithium metal battery cell material, a lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cell material, a molten salt (Na-NiCl2) battery cell material, a nickel metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery cell material, a lead-acid battery cell material, and / or another type of battery cell material.

[0050] In various embodiments, the gas vent 310 may include a device and / or structure that may facilitate release of gas that may be generated by the active monomer material 306 (e.g., during charging, discharging, etc.) from the housing 308. For example, the gas vent 310 may include a vent, a port, an orifice, a plate, a baffle, a valve (e.g., a pressure relief valve, a one-way valve, a check valve, etc.), and / or another device and / or structure that may facilitate release of gas from the housing 308.

[0051] In various embodiments, the smart cell module 304 may include any type of component, machine, device, facility, equipment, and / or instrument that may include a processor and / or may be capable of effective and / or operative communication with a wired and / or wireless network. All such embodiments are contemplated. For example, the smart cell module 304 may include a computing device, a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a quantum computing device (e.g., a quantum computer), an integrated circuit, a system on a chip (SOC), and / or another type of device.

[0052] In various embodiments, the smart cell module 304 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, etc.) to one or more external systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., classical and / or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.). For example, the smart cell module 304 can be coupled to the one or more external systems, sources, and / or devices via the communication port 302c using a data cable (e.g., a High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), an Ethernet cable, etc.) and / or one or more wired networks described below.

[0053] In various embodiments, the smart cell module 304 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, etc.) to one or more external systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., classical and / or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.) via a network 312. The network 312 can include one or more wired and / or wireless networks, including, but not limited to, a cellular network, a wide area network (WAN) (e.g., the Internet), and / or a local area network (LAN). For example, the smart cell module 304 can communicate with one or more external systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., computing devices) using the network 312, which can include virtually any desired wired or wireless technology, including, but not limited to, Ethernet over power line, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Fiber optic communications, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Zigbee and other 802.XX wireless technologies and / or legacy telecommunication technologies, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), RF4CE protocol, WirelessHART protocol, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 Low Power Wireless Area Network), Z-Wave, ANT, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) standard protocol and / or other proprietary and non-proprietary communication protocols. In such examples and as described above, the smart cell module 304 may include hardware (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a transceiver, a decoder, an antenna, quantum hardware, a quantum processor, etc.), software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes, executing software, quantum pulse scheduling, quantum circuits, quantum gates, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software that facilitates communication of information between the smart cell module 304 and external systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., computing devices, communication devices, etc.).

[0054] Figure 4 An orthogonal view of an example non-limiting apparatus 400 is shown that can facilitate intelligent battery cells with integrated monitoring and switching, according to one or more embodiments described herein. For the sake of brevity, repeated descriptions of similar elements and / or processes employed in corresponding embodiments are omitted. In various embodiments, the apparatus 400 can include multiple battery system cluster boards 102 (or one or more components of a battery system cluster board 102).

[0055] Figure 4 The apparatus 400 shown in FIG. 4 may include the apparatus 400 shown in FIG. Figure 3 For example, the apparatus 400 may include one or more apparatuses 300 (e.g., Figure 4 In another example, the device 400 may include a battery pack having one or more devices 300 (e.g., three), where such a battery pack may be implemented in an electronic system such as, for example, an electric powertrain of an electric vehicle (EV).

[0056] Figure 5A flow chart illustrating a process 500 associated with functional safety for a smart battery cell according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. At 502, the master controller 118 may monitor a bypass condition (e.g., a second bypass condition described herein). At 504, if the second bypass condition is met (e.g., yes at 504), the process may proceed to 506. If, at 504, the second bypass condition is not met (e.g., no at 504), the process may proceed to 518. Such a second bypass condition herein may include, for example, a problem with a traction control system or stability control system of the vehicle herein (e.g., determined via the master controller 118). As an example, in bypass mode, the torque output of the rear axle of the vehicle herein may be limited to 200 Newton meters (e.g., via the system 100). At 506, the master controller 118 may send a bypass command signal to the BMS 114 at 508. At 508, if a bypass command signal is received from the master controller 118 via the BMS 114 (e.g., yes at 508), the process may proceed to 516. At 516, the bypass mode herein may be activated (e.g., via the BMS 114), and the process 500 may return to steps 508 and / or 508 to continue monitoring. If at 508, a bypass command signal is not received from the master controller 118 via the BMS 114 (e.g., no at 508), the process may proceed to 510. At 510, the BMS 114 may monitor the battery metrics herein. At 512, if it is determined (e.g., via the BMS 114) that a battery metric bypass condition (e.g., a first bypass condition) is met, the process may proceed to 516. If it is determined at 512 that the battery metric bypass condition is not met (e.g., no at 512), the process may proceed to 514. At 514, if communication between the BMS 114 and the master controller 118 is determined to be lost or damaged (e.g., yes at 514), the process may proceed to 516. If communication between the BMS 114 and the master controller 118 is not determined to be lost or damaged at 514 (e.g., no at 514), the process may proceed to 518. At 518, the bypass mode may be deactivated (e.g., or prevented from being activated) at the BMS 114. After step 518, the process 500 may return to steps 502 and / or 508 to continue monitoring via the BMS 114 and the master controller 118.

[0057] Figure 6A block flow diagram of a process 600 associated with functional safety for smart battery cells according to one or more embodiments described herein is shown. At 602, process 600 may include monitoring (e.g., via BMS 114) battery metrics of battery cells 120 of battery system cluster board 102. At 604, process 600 may include enabling (e.g., via BMS 114) a bypass mode applicable to battery system cluster board 102 in response to determining (e.g., via BMS 114) that the battery metrics satisfy a first bypass condition. At 606, process 600 may include exiting (e.g., via BMS 114) the bypass mode in response to determining (e.g., via BMS 114) that the battery metrics no longer satisfy the first bypass condition. At 608, process 600 may include, in response to determining (e.g., via master controller 118) that a second bypass condition applicable to battery system cluster board 102 has been met, sending (e.g., via master controller 118) an instruction to enter bypass mode to battery monitoring system (e.g., BMS 114) via master controller (e.g., via master controller 118). At 610, process 600 may include, in response to determining (e.g., via master controller 118) that the second bypass condition is no longer met, sending (e.g., via master controller 118) an overriding instruction to exit bypass mode to battery monitoring system (e.g., BMS 114).

[0058] The systems described herein can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, inductively, acoustically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., electronic control systems (ECUs), classical and / or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.). For example, the system 100 (or other systems, controllers, processors, etc.) can be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and / or devices using data cables (e.g., High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), Recommended Standard (RS), Ethernet cables, etc.) and / or one or more wired networks described below.

[0059] In some embodiments, the systems herein may be coupled (e.g., communicatively, electrically, operatively, optically, inductively, acoustically, etc.) to one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., electronic control units (ECUs), classical and / or quantum computing devices, communication devices, etc.) via a network. In these embodiments, such networks may include one or more wired and / or wireless networks, including, but not limited to, cellular networks, wide area networks (WANs) (e.g., the Internet), and / or local area networks (LANs). For example, the system 100 may communicate with one or more local or remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and / or devices, such as computing devices using such networks, which may include virtually any desired wired or wireless technology, including, but not limited to: powerline Ethernet, VHF, UHF, AM, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Fiber optic communications, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX), Enhanced General Packet Radio Service (Enhanced GPRS), 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2) Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Zigbee and other 802.XX wireless technologies and / or legacy telecommunication technologies, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), RF4CE protocol, WirelessHART protocol, L-band voice or data information, 6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low Power Wireless Area Network), Z-Wave, ANT, Ultra Wideband (UWB) standard protocol and / or other proprietary and non-proprietary communication protocols. In this example, the system 100 may include hardware (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a transceiver, a decoder, an antenna (e.g., an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna, Low Energy (BLE) antennas, etc.), quantum hardware, quantum processors, etc.), software (e.g., a set of threads, a set of processes, software in execution, quantum pulse scheduling, quantum circuits, quantum gates, etc.), or a combination of hardware and software that facilitates communicating information between the systems herein and remote (e.g., external) systems, sources, and / or devices (e.g., computing and / or communication devices such as, for example, smart phones, smart watches, wireless earbuds, etc.).

[0060] The systems herein may include one or more computer- and / or machine-readable, writable, and / or executable components and / or instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., processor 106, which may include a classical processor, a quantum processor, etc.), may facilitate the performance of operations defined by such component(s) and / or instruction(s). Furthermore, in many embodiments, as described herein with or without reference to the various figures of the subject disclosure, any component associated with the systems herein may include one or more computer- and / or machine-readable, writable, and / or executable components and / or instructions that, when executed by a processor, may facilitate the performance of operations defined by such component(s) and / or instruction(s). Thus, according to many embodiments, the systems herein and / or any components associated therewith, as disclosed herein, may employ a processor (e.g., processor 106) to execute such computer- and / or machine-readable, writable, and / or executable components and / or instructions to facilitate the performance of one or more operations described herein with reference to the systems herein and / or any such components associated therewith.

[0061] The system herein may include any type of system, device, machine, equipment, component and / or instrument, including a processor and / or it can communicate with one or more local or remote electronic systems and / or one or more local or remote devices via a wired and / or wireless network. All such embodiments are contemplated. For example, a system (e.g., system 100 or any other system or device described herein) may include a computing device, a general-purpose computer, a field programmable gate array, an AI accelerator ASIC, a dedicated computer, an onboard computing device, a communication device, an onboard communication device, a server device, a quantum computing device (e.g., a quantum computer), a tablet computing device, a handheld device, a server-class computing machine and / or a database, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a wearable device, an Internet of Things device, a cellular phone, a smart phone, consumer electronics and / or an instrument, an industrial and / or commercial device, a digital assistant, a multimedia Internet-enabled phone, a multimedia player and / or another type of device.

[0062] To provide additional context for the various embodiments described herein, Figure 7 The following discussion is intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable computing environment 700 in which various embodiments described herein may be implemented. Although the embodiments have been described above in the general context of computer-executable instructions that may be executed on one or more computers, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments may also be implemented in conjunction with other program modules and / or as a combination of hardware and software.

[0063] Generally, program modules include routines, programs, components, data structures, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. Moreover, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the various methods can be practiced with other computer system configurations, including single-processor or multi-processor computer systems, minicomputers, mainframe computers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, distributed computing systems, as well as personal computers (e.g., ruggedized personal computers), field programmable gate arrays, handheld computing devices, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, and the like, each of which is operatively coupled to one or more associated devices.

[0064] The illustrated embodiments of the embodiments herein may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network. In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0065] Computing devices typically include various media, which may include computer-readable storage media, machine-readable storage media, and / or communication media, the two terms being used differently herein as follows. A computer-readable storage medium or machine-readable storage medium may be any available storage medium that can be accessed by a computer, and includes both volatile and non-volatile media, and both removable and non-removable media. By way of example and not limitation, a computer-readable storage medium or machine-readable storage medium may be implemented in conjunction with any method or technology for storing information such as computer-readable or machine-readable instructions, program modules, structured data, or unstructured data.

[0066] Computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, compact disk read-only memory (CD ROM), digital versatile disk (DVD), Blu-ray disk (BD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage, solid-state drives or other solid-state storage, or other tangible and / or non-transitory media that can be used to store the desired information. In this regard, the terms "tangible" or "non-transitory" as applied to storage, memory, or computer-readable media should be understood as excluding only the transmission of transitory signals themselves as a modifier, and do not disclaim the right to all standard storage, memory, or computer-readable media that transmit more than just transitory signals themselves.

[0067] Computer-readable storage media can be accessed by one or more local or remote computing devices, eg, via access requests, queries, or other data retrieval protocols, for various operations regarding the information stored by the media.

[0068] Communication media typically embodies computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal (such as a modulated data signal, e.g., a carrier wave or other transport mechanism), and includes any information delivery or transmission media. The term "modulated data signal" or multiple modulated data signals refers to a signal that has one or more characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal or signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media, such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media, such as acoustic, RF, optical, infrared, and other wireless media.

[0069] Refer again Figure 7 , an example environment 700 for implementing various embodiments of the aspects described herein includes a computer 702, which includes a processing unit 704, a system memory 706, and a system bus 708. The system bus 708 couples system components including, but not limited to, the system memory 706 to the processing unit 704. The processing unit 704 can be any of various commercially available processors, field programmable gate arrays, AI accelerator application specific integrated circuits, or other suitable processors. Dual microprocessors and other multi-processor architectures can also be employed as the processing unit 704.

[0070] The system bus 708 can be any of several types of bus structures, which can be further interconnected to a memory bus (with or without a memory controller), a peripheral bus, and a local bus using any of a variety of commercially available bus architectures. The system memory 706 includes ROM 710 and RAM 712. The basic input / output system (BIOS) can be stored in a non-volatile memory such as ROM, erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or EEPROM, and contains basic routines that help transfer information between elements within the computer 702, such as during startup. The RAM 712 can also include high-speed RAM, such as static RAM for caching data. It should be noted that the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) can be utilized herein.

[0071] The computer 702 further includes an internal hard disk drive (HDD) 714 (e.g., EIDE, SATA), one or more external storage devices 716 (e.g., a magnetic floppy disk drive (FDD) 716, a memory stick or flash drive reader, a memory card reader, etc.), and an optical drive 720 (e.g., which can read from or write to a disk 722 such as a CD-ROM disk, a DVD, a BD, etc.). Although the internal HDD 714 is shown as being located within the computer 702, the internal HDD 714 can also be configured for external use in a suitable chassis (not shown). In addition, although not shown in the environment 700, a solid-state drive (SSD) can be used in addition to or in place of the HDD 714. The HDD 714, the external storage device(s) 716, and the optical drive 720 can be connected to the system bus 708 via an HDD interface 724, an external storage device interface 726, and an optical drive interface 728, respectively. The interface 724 for external drive implementations may include at least one or both of Universal Serial Bus (USB) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 1394 interface technologies.Other external device connection technologies are within the contemplation of the embodiments described herein.

[0072] The drives and their associated computer-readable storage media provide non-volatile storage of data, data structures, computer-executable instructions, and the like. For the computer 702, the devices and storage media accommodate the storage of any data in a suitable digital format. Although the above description of computer-readable storage media relates to corresponding types of storage devices, those skilled in the art will appreciate that other types of storage media readable by a computer (whether currently existing or developed in the future) may also be used in the example operating environment, and further, any such storage media may contain computer-executable instructions for performing the methods described herein.

[0073] A number of program modules can be stored in the drives and RAM 712, including an operating system 730, one or more applications 732 (e.g., application programs), other program modules 734, and program data 736. All or portions of the operating system, applications, modules, and / or data can also be cached in RAM 712. The systems and methods described herein can be implemented using various commercially available operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0074] Computer 702 may optionally include emulation technology. For example, a hypervisor (not shown) or other intermediary may emulate the hardware environment for operating system 730, and the emulated hardware may optionally be different from the hardware of the operating system. Figure 7The hardware shown. In such an embodiment, operating system 730 may include one of multiple virtual machines (VMs) hosted at computer 702. In addition, operating system 730 may provide a runtime environment, such as a Java runtime environment or a .NET framework, for application 732. A runtime environment is a consistent execution environment that allows application 732 to run on any operating system that includes a runtime environment. Similarly, operating system 730 may support containers, and application 732 may be in the form of a container, which is a lightweight, self-contained, executable software package that includes, for example, code, a runtime, system tools, system libraries, and settings for the application.

[0075] Furthermore, the computer 702 may be enabled with a security module, such as a Trusted Processing Module (TPM). For example, using a TPM, before loading the next boot component, the boot component hashes the next boot component in time and waits for the result to match a secure value. This process can occur at any layer in the code execution stack of the computer 702, for example, at the application execution level or at the operating system (OS) kernel level, thereby achieving security at any code execution level.

[0076] A user may enter commands and information into the computer 702 through one or more wired / wireless input devices (e.g., a keyboard 738, a touch screen 740, and a pointing device such as a mouse 742). Other input devices (not shown) may include a microphone, an infrared (IR) remote control, a radio frequency (RF) remote control, or other remote control, a joystick, a virtual reality controller and / or a virtual reality headset, a game pad, a stylus, an image input device (e.g., a camera or multiple cameras), a gesture sensor input device, a visual movement sensor input device, an emotion or facial detection device, a biometric input device (e.g., a fingerprint or iris scanner), or the like. These and other input devices are typically connected to the processing unit 704 through an input device interface 744, which may be coupled to the system bus 708, but may be connected through other interfaces such as a parallel port, an IEEE 1394 serial port, a game port, a USB port, an IR port, a memory card, a memory card, a text message, or the like. Interfaces, etc.

[0077] A monitor 746 or other type of display device may also be connected to the system bus 708 via an interface, such as a video adapter 748. In addition to the monitor 746, computers typically include other peripheral output devices (not shown) such as speakers, printers, and the like.

[0078] The computer 702 can operate in a networked environment using logical connections to one or more remote computers, such as a remote computer or computers 750, via wired and / or wireless communications. The remote computer(s) 750 can be a workstation, server computer, router, personal computer, portable computer, microprocessor-based entertainment device, peer device, or other public network node, and typically includes many or all of the elements described with respect to the computer 702, although only a memory / storage device 752 is shown for simplicity. The depicted logical connections include wired / wireless connections to a local area network (LAN) 754 and / or a larger network, such as a wide area network (WAN) 756. Such LAN and WAN networking environments are common in offices and companies and facilitate enterprise-wide computer networks, such as intranets, all of which can be connected to a global communication network, such as the Internet.

[0079] When used in a LAN networking environment, the computer 702 can be connected to the LAN 754 through a wired and / or wireless communication network interface or adapter 758. The adapter 758 can facilitate wired or wireless communication to the LAN 754, which can also include a wireless access point (AP) provided thereon for communicating with the adapter 758 in a wireless mode.

[0080] When used in a WAN networking environment, the computer 702 may include a modem 760, or may be connected to a communications server on the WAN 756 via other means for establishing communications over the WAN 756, such as through the Internet. The modem 760, which may be internal or external and a wired or wireless device, may be connected to the system bus 708 via the input device interface 744. In a networked environment, program modules depicted relative to the computer 702, or portions thereof, may be stored in the remote memory / storage device 752. It will be appreciated that the network connections shown are examples and other means of establishing a communications link between the computers may be used.

[0081] When used in a LAN or WAN networking environment, the computer 702 can access a cloud storage system or other network-based storage system in addition to or in lieu of the external storage device 716 described above. Generally, a connection between the computer 702 and the cloud storage system can be established over the LAN 754 or WAN 756, for example, via an adapter 758 or a modem 760, respectively. When the computer 702 is connected to the associated cloud storage system, the external storage device interface 726 can manage the storage provided by the cloud storage system with the aid of the adapter 758 and / or the modem 760, just as it would other types of external storage devices. For example, the external storage device interface 726 can be configured to provide access to cloud storage sources as if those sources were physically connected to the computer 702.

[0082] The computer 702 may be operable to communicate with any wireless device or entity operatively arranged for wireless communication, such as a printer, scanner, desktop and / or portable computer, portable data assistant, communication satellite, any device or location associated with a wirelessly detectable tag (e.g., a kiosk, newsstand, store shelf, etc.), and a telephone. This may include Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) and Wireless technology. Thus, the communication can be a predefined structure like a traditional network, or simply an ad hoc communication between at least two devices.

[0083] Now refer to Figure 8 , shows a schematic block diagram of a system 800 (e.g., a computing environment) according to the present specification. System 800 includes one or more clients 802 (e.g., computers, smartphones, tablets, cameras, PDAs). Client(s) 802 can be hardware and / or software (e.g., threads, processes, computing devices). Client(s) 802 can accommodate text files (e.g., multiple text files) and / or associated contextual information, for example, by employing a specification.

[0084] System 800 also includes one or more servers 804. Server (s) 804 can also be hardware or hardware and software (e.g., thread, process, computing device) combination. For example, server 804 can accommodate threads to perform the transformation of media items by adopting various aspects of the present disclosure. A possible communication between client 802 and server 804 can be the form of data packets suitable for transmission between two or more computer processes, wherein the data packets can include the header space and / or input of the encoded analysis. For example, the data packets can include text files and / or associated context information. System 800 includes a communication framework 806 (e.g., a global communication network such as the Internet) that can be adopted to promote the communication between client (s) 802 and server (s) 804.

[0085] Communication can be facilitated via wired (including fiber optic) and / or wireless technologies. Client(s) 802 are operatively connected to one or more client data storage devices 808, which can be employed to store information local to client(s) 802 (e.g., text files(s) and / or associated contextual information). Similarly, server(s) 804 are operatively connected to one or more server data storage devices 810, which can be employed to store information local to server(s) 804. Furthermore, client(s) 802 can be operatively connected to one or more server data storage devices 810.

[0086] In one exemplary embodiment, a client 802 can transmit an encoded file (e.g., an encoded media item) to a server 804. The server 804 can store the file, decode the file, or transmit the file to another client 802. Note that, in accordance with the present disclosure, a client 802 can also transmit an uncompressed file to a server 804, and the server 804 can compress the file and / or transform the file. Similarly, the server 804 can encode information and transmit the information to one or more clients 802 via the communication framework 806.

[0087] The illustrated aspects of the present disclosure may also be practiced in distributed computing environments where certain tasks are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communications network.In a distributed computing environment, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage devices.

[0088] The above description includes non-limiting examples of various embodiments. Of course, it is not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methods for purposes of describing the disclosed subject matter, and those skilled in the art will recognize that further combinations and permutations of the various embodiments are possible. The disclosed subject matter is intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

[0089] With respect to the various functions performed by the aforementioned components, devices, circuits, systems, and the like, unless otherwise indicated, terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to also include any structure(s) that perform the specified functions of the described components (e.g., functional equivalents), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structures. Additionally, while particular features of the disclosed subject matter may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several embodiments, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other embodiments, as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

[0090] As used herein, the terms "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" are intended to mean serving as examples, instances, or illustrations. For the avoidance of doubt, the subject matter disclosed herein is not limited by these examples. In addition, any aspect or design described herein as "exemplary" and / or "illustrative" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or designs, nor is it intended to exclude equivalent structures and techniques known to those skilled in the art. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "including," "having," "containing," and other similar words are used in the detailed description or claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive—in a manner similar to the term "comprising" as an open transition word—and do not exclude any additional or other elements.

[0091] As used herein, the phrase "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or." For example, the phrase "A or B" is intended to include instances of A, B, and both A and B. Additionally, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from context to direct to a singular form.

[0092] The term "set" as used herein excludes an empty set, i.e., a set having no elements therein. Thus, a "set" in the present subject disclosure includes one or more elements or entities. Similarly, the term "group" as used herein refers to a collective of one or more entities.

[0093] The description of the illustrated embodiments of the subject disclosure presented herein, including what is described in the Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific embodiments and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications contemplated within the scope of such embodiments and examples are possible, as those skilled in the art will recognize. In this regard, although the subject matter has been described herein in conjunction with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, it will be understood that other similar embodiments may be used, or that modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments, to perform the same, similar, alternative, or replacement functions of the disclosed subject matter, without departing from the disclosed subject matter. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather should be limited in breadth and scope according to the claims appended hereto.

[0094] Further aspects of the invention are provided by the subject matter of the following clauses:

[0095] 1. Battery pack, including:

[0096] A battery monitoring system, the battery monitoring system:

[0097] Monitor battery metrics of battery cells on battery system cluster boards,

[0098] In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board, and

[0099] In response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode; and

[0100] A main controller that:

[0101] In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, sending an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter a bypass mode, and

[0102] In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, an override instruction is sent to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode.

[0103] 2. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell temperature exceeding a defined battery cell temperature threshold.

[0104] 3. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a cell current exceeding a defined cell current threshold.

[0105] 4. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a cell voltage exceeding a defined cell voltage threshold.

[0106] 5. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the main controller comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D main controller.

[0107] 6. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the battery monitoring system comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D battery monitoring system.

[0108] 7. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, further comprising:

[0109] A quality management integrity level cluster controller is communicatively coupled to the battery monitoring system and the master controller.

[0110] 8. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the overriding instruction comprises a black channel type communication channel.

[0111] 9. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein in response to determining that the second bypass condition has ended for at least the threshold duration, the master controller sends an override instruction.

[0112] 10. A battery pack according to any preceding clause, wherein the master controller sends instructions based on a comparison of an output from the battery monitoring system with another output of another battery system cluster board other than the battery system cluster board.

[0113] 11. The battery pack according to the above clause 1, which has an assembly of any combination of the above battery packs 2-10.

[0114] 12. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:

[0115] Monitor battery metrics of battery cells on battery system cluster boards;

[0116] In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board;

[0117] In response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode;

[0118] In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, sending an instruction to the battery monitoring system via the main controller to enter a bypass mode; and

[0119] In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, an override instruction is sent to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode.

[0120] 13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the master controller comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D master controller.

[0121] 14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the battery monitoring system comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D battery monitoring system.

[0122] 15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, the quality management integrity level cluster controller being communicatively coupled to the battery monitoring system and the master controller.

[0123] 16. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of any preceding clause, wherein the overriding instruction comprises a black channel type communication channel.

[0124] 17. The non-transitory machine-readable medium according to clause 12 above, comprising a set of any combination of the non-transitory machine-readable media 13-16 above.

[0125] 18. A method comprising:

[0126] monitoring, by a system including a processor, battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster board;

[0127] In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling, by the system, a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board;

[0128] exiting the bypass mode by the system in response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition;

[0129] In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, sending, by the system, an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter a bypass mode; and

[0130] In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, an override instruction is sent by the system to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode.

[0131] 19. A method according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell temperature exceeding a defined battery cell temperature threshold.

[0132] 20. A method according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a cell current exceeding a defined cell current threshold.

[0133] 21. A method according to any preceding clause, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a cell voltage exceeding a defined cell voltage threshold.

[0134] 22. A method according to any preceding clause, wherein the instruction is sent in response to determining that the second bypass condition has ended for at least a threshold duration.

[0135] 23. The method according to clause 18 above, which is combined with any combination of the methods of clauses 19-22 above.

Claims

1. Battery pack, including: A battery monitoring system, wherein the battery monitoring system: Monitor battery metrics of battery cells on battery system cluster boards, In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board, and In response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode; as well as A main controller, the main controller: In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, sending an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter the bypass mode, and In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, an override instruction is sent to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode. 2 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell temperature exceeding a defined battery cell temperature threshold. 3 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell current exceeding a defined battery cell current threshold. 4 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell voltage exceeding a defined battery cell voltage threshold. 5 . The battery pack of claim 1 , wherein the master controller comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D master controller.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the battery monitoring system comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D battery monitoring system.

7. The battery pack according to claim 1, further comprising: A quality management integrity level cluster controller is communicatively coupled to the battery monitoring system and the master controller.

8. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the overriding instruction comprises a black channel type communication channel.

9. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the master controller sends the override instruction in response to determining that the second bypass condition has ended for at least a threshold duration. 10 . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the main controller sends the instruction based on a comparison of an output from the battery monitoring system with another output of another battery system cluster board other than the battery system cluster board.

11. A non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising: Monitor battery metrics of battery cells on battery system cluster boards; In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board; In response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode; In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, sending an instruction to the battery monitoring system via the main controller to enter the bypass mode; as well as In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, an override instruction is sent to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode.

12. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the master controller comprises an Automotive Safety Integrity Level D master controller.

13. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the battery monitoring system comprises an automotive safety integrity level D battery monitoring system.

14. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein a quality management integrity level cluster controller is communicatively coupled to the battery monitoring system and the master controller.

15. The non-transitory machine-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the overriding instruction comprises a black channel type communication channel.

16. A method comprising: monitoring, by a system including a processor, battery metrics of battery cells of a battery system cluster board; In response to determining that the battery metric satisfies a first bypass condition, enabling, by the system, a bypass mode applicable to the battery system cluster board; In response to determining that the battery metric no longer satisfies the first bypass condition, exiting the bypass mode by the system; In response to determining that a second bypass condition applicable to the battery system cluster board has been met, the system sends an instruction to the battery monitoring system to enter the bypass mode; as well as In response to determining that the second bypass condition is no longer satisfied, the system sends an override command to the battery monitoring system to exit the bypass mode. 17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell temperature exceeding a defined battery cell temperature threshold. 18 . The method of claim 16 , wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell current exceeding a defined battery cell current threshold.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the first bypass condition comprises a battery cell voltage exceeding a defined battery cell voltage threshold.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the instruction is sent in response to determining that the second bypass condition has ended for at least a threshold duration.

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