Contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method and contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method and a contact resistance abnormality detection system, the contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method comprising the steps of: when a battery connector of a battery pack is coupled to a plurality of system connectors of a plurality of battery exchange systems (BSS) through a first connector coupling body at a plurality of first time points; receiving a plurality of first contact resistance values of the first connector coupling body at a plurality of first time points from the plurality of BSSs; when the battery connector is connected to a plurality of vehicle connectors of the plurality of vehicles through the second connector coupling body at a plurality of second time points, receiving a plurality of second contact resistance values of the second connector coupling body at the plurality of second time points from the plurality of vehicles; the central server generates a log table by sorting the plurality of first contact resistance values and the plurality of second contact resistance values in a chronological order of the plurality of first time points and the plurality of second time points, and determines states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors based on the log table.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0144699, filed on October 26, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method and a contact resistance abnormality detection system. Background Art

[0004] Due to the nature of the usage environment, swappable battery packs charged by battery swap systems / stations (BSS) are frequently attached and detached between multiple BSSs and multiple vehicles. Due to repeated attachment and detachment from various devices, fatigue may accumulate in the battery pack connectors, or foreign matter may become lodged in the connectors.

[0005] When the contact resistance of the connector increases due to deformation caused by accumulated fatigue of the connector, clogging by foreign matter, etc., the performance of the battery pack may deteriorate during charging and discharging of the battery pack. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present disclosure attempts to provide a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method and a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system for diagnosing abnormalities in connectors provided in a battery pack, a BSS and a vehicle, respectively, by monitoring the contact resistance of the connector between the battery pack and the BSS and the contact resistance of the connector between the battery pack and the vehicle for an interchangeable battery pack.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method performed by causing a processor to execute a connector contact abnormality diagnosis program stored in a memory includes the following steps: when a battery connector of a battery pack is connected to multiple system connectors of multiple battery swap systems (BSSs) through a first connector assembly at multiple first time points, a central server receives multiple first contact resistance values ​​of the first connector assembly corresponding to the multiple first time points from the multiple BSSs; when the battery connector is connected to multiple vehicle connectors of multiple vehicles through a second connector assembly at multiple second time points, the central server receives multiple second contact resistance values ​​of the second connector assembly corresponding to the multiple second time points from the multiple vehicles; the central server arranges the multiple first contact resistance values ​​and the multiple second contact resistance values ​​in time sequence of the multiple first time points and the multiple second time points to generate a log table; and determines the status of the battery connector, the multiple system connectors, and the multiple vehicle connectors based on the log table.

[0010] The contact resistance abnormality diagnostic method may further include the step of transmitting a diagnostic result indicating states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors to a user terminal.

[0011] Each of the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​may be a value obtained by dividing a difference between a positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and a positive terminal voltage of a corresponding system connector among the plurality of system connectors by a charging current of the battery pack at each of the plurality of first time points.

[0012] Each of the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​may be a value obtained by dividing a difference between a positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and a positive terminal voltage of a corresponding vehicle connector among the plurality of vehicle connectors by a discharge current of the battery pack at each of the plurality of second time points.

[0013] The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method may also include the following steps: when the second resistance value immediately following the first resistance value exceeding a predetermined upper limit threshold among multiple first contact resistance values ​​and multiple second contact resistance values ​​is less than the first resistance value, the state of the system connector corresponding to the first resistance value among multiple system connectors and multiple vehicle connectors or the state of the vehicle connector corresponding to the first resistance value is determined as an abnormal state.

[0014] The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method may further include determining the state of the battery connector as an abnormal state when a predetermined number or more of contact resistance values ​​among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​continuously exceed a predetermined upper limit threshold.

[0015] The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method may also include the following steps: when the slope between two contact resistance values ​​at two adjacent time points among the multiple first contact resistance values ​​and the multiple second contact resistance values ​​is continuously greater than or equal to a predetermined critical slope, the state of the battery connector is determined to be an abnormal state.

[0016] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system includes: a memory storing a connector contact abnormality diagnostic program for an interchangeable battery pack; a processor executing the connector contact abnormality diagnostic program to determine states of a battery connector of the battery pack, a plurality of system connectors of a plurality of battery swap systems (BSSs), and a plurality of vehicle connectors of a plurality of vehicles; and a communication unit receiving, from the plurality of BSSs, a plurality of first contact resistance values ​​of the first connector assembly corresponding to the plurality of first time points when the battery connector is connected to the system connector of each of the plurality of BSSs via a first connector assembly at a plurality of first time points, and receiving, from the plurality of vehicles, a plurality of second contact resistance values ​​of the second connector assembly corresponding to the plurality of second time points when the battery connector is connected to the vehicle connector of each of the plurality of vehicles via a second connector assembly at a plurality of second time points, wherein the processor arranges the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​in a time sequence of the plurality of first time points and the plurality of second time points to generate a log table, and determines the states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors based on the log table.

[0017] The communication unit may transmit a diagnosis result indicating states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors to the user terminal.

[0018] The battery pack can obtain a corresponding contact resistance value among multiple first contact resistance values ​​by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding system connector among the multiple system connectors by the charging current of the battery pack at each of the multiple first time points.

[0019] The battery pack can obtain a corresponding contact resistance value among multiple second contact resistance values ​​by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding vehicle connector among the multiple vehicle connectors by the discharge current of the battery pack at each of the multiple second time points.

[0020] When the second resistance value immediately following the first resistance value exceeding a predetermined upper limit threshold among multiple first contact resistance values ​​and multiple second contact resistance values ​​is less than the first resistance value, the processor can determine the state of the system connector corresponding to the first resistance value among multiple system connectors and multiple vehicle connectors or the state of the vehicle connector corresponding to the first resistance value as an abnormal state.

[0021] The processor may determine the state of the battery connector as an abnormal state when a predetermined number or more of contact resistance values ​​continuously exceed a predetermined upper limit threshold value among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values.

[0022] The processor may determine the state of the battery connector as an abnormal state when a slope between two contact resistance values ​​at two adjacent time points among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is continuously greater than or equal to a predetermined critical slope.

[0023] Beneficial effects

[0024] According to the present disclosure, by detecting a change in contact resistance between connectors that can exchange a battery pack, it is possible to smooth the flow of current during charging and discharging of the battery pack and to improve the life of the battery pack.

[0025] According to the present disclosure, the risk of difficulty in using the battery pack due to occurrence of connector contact abnormality can be prevented in advance.

[0026] According to the present disclosure, by repairing the connector before a problem occurs in the operation of a BSS, a vehicle, etc. to which a swappable battery pack may be connected, it is possible to improve the convenience of management and reduce the cost of the BSS, the vehicle, etc.

[0027] According to the present disclosure, the availability of a swappable battery pack can be improved by managing the swappable battery pack, the BSS, the vehicle, and the like. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a contact abnormality diagnostic system for an interchangeable battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0029] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a detailed configuration of a battery connector.

[0030] Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a detailed configuration of a system connector or a vehicle connector.

[0031] Figure 4 It is schematically shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the battery pack and BSS configuration is shown.

[0032] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment coupled to Figure 4 A block diagram of the BSS states is shown.

[0033] Figure 6 It shows that Figure 5A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment is shown with one end of a BSS connected to a system connector.

[0034] Figure 7 It is schematically shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the battery pack and vehicle configuration is shown.

[0035] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack connected to a Figure 7 A block diagram of the state of the vehicle is shown.

[0036] Figure 9 It is schematically shown that Figure 8 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle is shown with one end connected to a vehicle connector.

[0037] Figure 10 It is schematically shown Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 9 A block diagram of the detailed configuration of the central server is shown.

[0038] Figure 11 、 Figure 12 and Figure 13 is an example of a graph represented by a log table according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0039] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or similar components are given the same figure numbers and are not described repeatedly. The suffixes "module" and / or "unit" of the components used in the following description are given or mixed only for the convenience of writing the description, and therefore, they themselves do not have meanings or functions that distinguish one from another. In addition, when it is determined that a detailed description of known technologies related to the embodiments disclosed in this specification may obscure the main points of the embodiments disclosed in this specification, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, it should be understood that the drawings are provided only to make the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure easy to understand, and the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited to the drawings, but includes all modifications, equivalents and replacements included in the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

[0041] Terms including ordinal numbers such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0042] It should be further understood that the terms "include" or "have" used in this specification indicate the presence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or their combinations mentioned in this specification, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or their combinations.

[0043] In a component according to an embodiment, a program implemented as an instruction set specifying a control algorithm required to control other components may be installed in the component to control the other components under specific control conditions. The control component may process input data and stored data according to the installed program to generate output data. The control component may include a non-volatile memory for storing the program and a memory for storing data.

[0044] Figure 1 is a block diagram schematically illustrating a contact abnormality diagnostic system for an interchangeable battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0045] Reference Figure 1 The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system 1 capable of exchanging battery packs may include a battery pack 10 , a plurality of battery swap systems (BSS) 30_1 to 30_3 , a plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 , a central server 50 , and a user terminal 60 .

[0046] The battery pack 10 may include a battery connector 21. The battery pack 10 is an interchangeable battery pack and can be attached and detached multiple times between each of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 or between usage applications. Here, the usage application may represent a battery pack counterpart, such as a two-wheeled vehicle, a cart, or a vehicle. For ease of description, it is assumed that the usage application is a vehicle.

[0047] The plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 may be two-wheeled vehicles, vehicles, carts, etc. The battery pack 10 may be attached and detached from each of the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 a plurality of times.

[0048] For the convenience of description, when describing the common operations and technical features of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3, the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 are collectively referred to as BSS 30. Figure 1 In the embodiment, the number of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 is shown as three, but this is for the convenience of description and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system 1 may include two or more BSSs. For the convenience of the following description, it is assumed that the number of BSSs is three.

[0049] BSS 30_1 may include system connector 22_1, BSS 30_2 may include system connector 22_2, and BSS 30_3 may include system connector 22_3. Each of the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 (eg, 30_1) may charge the battery pack 10 connected to a corresponding system connector (eg, 22_1) among the plurality of system connectors 22_1 to 22_3.

[0050] For the convenience of the following description, when describing the common operations and technical features of the plurality of system connectors 22_1 to 22_3, the plurality of system connectors 22_1 to 22_3 will be collectively referred to as a system connector 22. The system connector 22 can be coupled to and electrically connected to the battery connector 21. The battery connector 21 can be connected to one (e.g., 22_1) of the plurality of system connectors 22_1 to 22_3 to electrically connect a corresponding BSS (e.g., 30_1) among the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 to the battery pack 10.

[0051] exist Figure 1 In the figure, for convenience of description, the BSS connected to the battery pack 10 among the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 is BSS30_1, and the use application connected to the battery pack 10 among the multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 is vehicle 40_1, but this is for convenience of description and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0052] Hereinafter, for the convenience of description, when describing the common operations and technical features of the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2, the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 will be collectively referred to as vehicles 40. Figure 1 In the figure, the number of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 is shown as two, but this is for the convenience of description and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system 1 may include two or more vehicles. In the following, for the convenience of description, it is assumed that the number of vehicles is two.

[0053] The vehicle 40_1 may include a vehicle connector 23_1, and the vehicle 40_2 may include a vehicle connector 23_2. Each of the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 (eg, 40_1) may discharge the battery pack 10 connected to a corresponding system connector (eg, 22_1) among the plurality of vehicle connectors 23_1 and 23_2.

[0054] Hereinafter, for ease of description, when describing the common operation and technical features of the plurality of vehicle connectors 23_1 and 23_2, the plurality of vehicle connectors 23_1 and 23_2 will be collectively referred to as the vehicle connector 23. The vehicle connector 23 can be coupled and electrically connected to the battery connector 21. The battery connector 21 can be connected to one of the plurality of vehicle connectors 23_1 and 23_2 (e.g., 23_1) to electrically connect the corresponding vehicle (e.g., 40_1) among the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 to the battery pack 10.

[0055] The central server 50 can communicate with the BSS 30 and / or the vehicle 40 via a network, and can also communicate with the user terminal 60 via the network. Hereinafter, the network can be wired or wireless. For example, the network can be LTE communication of the vehicle 10, Ethernet communication of each of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3, or the like. The central server 50 can receive charging contact resistance information and discharging contact resistance information from the BSS 30 and / or the vehicle 40. The charging contact resistance information can be the contact resistance of the connector to which the battery pack 10 and the BSS 30 are connected when charging the battery pack 10, and the discharging contact resistance information can be the contact resistance of the connector to which the battery pack 10 and the vehicle 40 are connected when discharging the battery pack 10. For example, the central server 50 can receive charging contact resistance information from the BSS 30_1 and discharging contact resistance information from the vehicle 40_1. The battery pack 10 can be connected one or more times to each of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and one or more times to each of the multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2. The plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 may receive charging contact resistance information from the battery pack 10 corresponding to each installation time point and transmit the charging contact resistance information to the central server 50 at any time point within a predetermined time period starting from the reception time point. The plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 may receive discharging contact resistance information from the battery pack 10 corresponding to each installation time point and transmit the discharging contact resistance information to the central server 50 at any time point within a predetermined time period starting from the reception time point.

[0056] When connected to one of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 (e.g., 30_1), the battery pack 10 can perform a charging operation (hereinafter referred to as a "charging operation") using power supplied from the connected BSS (e.g., 30_1). When connected to one of the multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 (e.g., 40_1), the battery pack 10 can perform a discharging operation (hereinafter referred to as a "discharging operation") of supplying power to the connected vehicle (e.g., 40_1). The battery pack 10 can alternately perform a charging operation from one of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 (e.g., 30_1) and a discharging operation to one of the multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 (e.g., 40_1).

[0057] For example, after the discharge operation performed by the battery pack 10 connected to the vehicle 40_1 is terminated, the battery pack 10 is electrically disconnected from the vehicle 40_1 and electrically connected to the BSS 30_1 to perform a charging operation. After the charge operation performed by the battery pack 10 connected to the BSS 30_1 is terminated, the battery pack 10 is electrically disconnected from the BSS 30_1 and electrically connected to the vehicle 40_1 to perform a discharge operation again.

[0058] exist Figure 1 , the battery pack 10 is shown as being charged by multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and discharged by multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2. However, this is for ease of description and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The following description of the multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 can be applied to a device having a charging device capable of charging the battery pack 10, and the description of the multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 can be applied to a device having a load that receives power from the battery pack 10.

[0059] Due to repeated disconnection and connection with multiple BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and multiple vehicles 40_1 and 40_2, battery pack 10 may experience deformation due to accumulated connector fatigue, foreign matter between the connectors, and other problems. Contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system 1 can determine the status of battery connector 21, system connector 22, and vehicle connector 23 based on the contact resistance value of the connector assembly generated by connecting battery connector 21 to system connector 22 and the contact resistance value of the connector assembly generated by connecting battery connector 21 to vehicle connector 23.

[0060] The central server 50 may transmit the diagnosis result indicating the determined status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 to the user terminal 60. The user terminal 60 may provide a screen showing the diagnosis result through the application 61. The user may check the screen displayed on the user terminal 60 and, when an abnormal connector exists among the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23, the user may take actions such as abnormality diagnosis and repair.

[0061] Figure 2 is an exemplary diagram showing a detailed configuration of a battery connector.

[0062] Reference Figure 2 The battery connector 21 may include a positive pin 211, a negative pin 212, a terminal 213 for a signal, a guide pin 214, a belt 215, a fixing hole 216, and a body 217. The battery connector 21 may be a female connector.

[0063] Reference Figure 2 The positive pin 211 may be connected to the positive electrode of the battery pack 10. The negative pin 212 may be connected to the negative electrode of the battery pack 10. The positive pin 211 and the negative pin 212 may be connected to a path through which a large current of the battery pack 10 flows.

[0064] Reference Figure 2 When the battery connector 21 is connected to the system connector 22, the signal terminal 213 can send and receive signals to and from the system connector 22. When the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle connector 23, the signal terminal 213 can send and receive signals to and from the vehicle connector 23. The guide pin 214 can be an area connected to the guide pin of the system connector 22 or the vehicle connector 23. The band 215 can be provided with a rubber material for waterproofing the positive pin 211, the negative pin 212, the signal terminal 213, etc. The fixing holes 216 are a plurality of holes provided in the body 217, and a fixing member for fixing the battery connector 21 and the system connector 22, or for fixing the battery connector 21 and the vehicle connector 23 can be connected to the fixing holes 216.

[0065] Figure 3 is an exemplary diagram showing a detailed configuration of a system connector or a vehicle connector.

[0066] Reference Figure 3 , the system connector 22 and the vehicle connector 23 may include a positive pin 231, a negative pin 232, a terminal 233 for a signal, a guide pin 234, a belt 235, a fixing hole 236, and a body 237. Each of the system connector 22 and the vehicle connector 23 may be a male connector.

[0067] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , when the system connector 22 or the vehicle connector 23 is connected to the battery connector 21, Figure 3 The positive pin 231 shown can be contacted Figure 2 The positive pin 211 is electrically connected to Figure 3 The negative pin 232 shown in FIG can be connected by contacting Figure 2 The positive pin 231 can be connected to the positive terminal of the BSS 30 or the positive terminal of the vehicle 40. The negative pin 232 can be connected to the negative terminal of the BSS 30 or the negative terminal of the vehicle 40. The positive pin 231 and the negative pin 232 can be connected to a path through which a large current flows in the BSS 30 or the vehicle 40.

[0068] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 , when the system connector 22 or the vehicle connector 23 is connected to the battery connector 21, the terminal 233 for the signal can be connected to Figure 2 The terminals 213 for signals are shown to send signals to the battery connector 21 and receive signals from the battery connector 21. Figure 3 The terminal 233 for the signal may include two terminals 233a and 233b. The two terminals 233a and 233b may be configured to be symmetrical with each other with respect to the positive pin 231, and the two terminals 233a and 233b may be connected to each other. Figure 2 The signal terminal 213 shown can transmit and receive signals to and from the BSS 30 or the vehicle 40, regardless of whether the signal terminal 213 is connected to the terminal 233a or 233b. This is to enable transmission and reception of signals regardless of the connection direction when the battery connector 21 is connected to the system connector 22 or the vehicle connector 23.

[0069] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 The guide pin 234 may be an area that couples with the guide pin 214 of the battery connector 21. The band 235 may be provided with a rubber material for waterproofing the positive pin 231, the negative pin 232, the signal terminal 233, etc. The fixing holes 236 are a plurality of holes provided in the body 237, and a fixing member for fixing the system connector 22 and the battery connector 21 or for fixing the system connector 22 and the battery connector 21 may be coupled to the fixing holes 236.

[0070] Figure 4 It is schematically shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the battery pack and BSS configuration is shown.

[0071] Reference Figure 4 The contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system 1 may include a battery pack 10, a BSS 30, and a central server 50. Hereinafter, in the description of the battery pack 10, the BSS 30, and the central server 50, any portion of the description that overlaps with the previous description may be omitted.

[0072] Reference Figure 4 The battery pack 10 may include a battery module 110, a battery management system (BMS) 120, a switching element 130, a relay 140, and a battery connector 21. Both ends P21+ and P21- of the battery pack 10 may be electrically connected to the battery connector 21.

[0073] The battery module 110 may include a plurality of battery cells 101 to 103. Figure 4 , a plurality of battery cells 101 to 103 are connected in series, and the number of battery cells 101 to 103 is shown as three, but this is for ease of description and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The battery module 110 may be implemented as two or more battery cells connected in series, a plurality of battery cells having two or more battery cells connected in parallel, or two or more battery cells connected in parallel.

[0074] The positive node B+ of the battery module 110 may be connected to the positive electrode of the most positive battery cell 101 among the plurality of battery cells 101 to 103. The negative node B- of the battery module 110 may be connected to the negative electrode of the most negative battery cell 103 among the plurality of battery cells 103 to 103.

[0075] One end of the switching element 130 may be connected to the positive node B+ of the battery module 110, and the other end of the switching element 130 may be connected to one end of the relay 140. The other end of the relay 140 may be connected to one end P21+ of the battery module 110. The switching element 130 may connect the power supply of the battery pack 10 to the BSS 30 or the vehicle 40. For example, the switching element 130 may be a power distribution unit (PDU) such as a relay or contactor in an electric vehicle (EV).

[0076] The BMS 120 may include a main control unit (MCU) 121 , a battery monitoring integrated circuit (BMIC) 122 , a plurality of analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) 123 to 125 , and a battery memory 126 .

[0077] The battery memory 126 may include at least one type of storage medium selected from the group consisting of a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a multimedia card micro, a card type memory (e.g., an SD or XD memory, etc.), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.

[0078] The MCU 121 may control the operation of the BMIC 122. The MCU 121 may generate a relay control signal RCS and a switch control signal SCS and provide the generated relay control signal RCS and switch control signal SCS to corresponding elements among the relay 140 and the switch element 130.

[0079] The switching element 130 and the relay 140 may be implemented as a fuse, a field effect transistor (FET), a relay, a contactor, etc. One end of the switching element 130 is connected to one end B+ of the battery module 110, and the other end of the switching element 130 is connected to one end of the relay 140. Closing and opening of the switching element 130 may be controlled according to a switching control signal SCS provided by the MCU 121.

[0080] One end of the relay 140 is connected to the other end of the switching element 130, and the other end of the relay 140 is connected to one end P21+ of the battery pack 10. Closing and opening of the relay 140 may be controlled according to a relay control signal RCS provided from the MCU 121.

[0081] The battery pack 10 may be connected to an external device. The external device may include a load and a charging device such as an inverter, a converter, etc. In an exemplary embodiment, the external device may be provided in the BSS 30 or the vehicle 40.

[0082] The BMIC 122 may be connected to both ends of each of the plurality of battery cells 101 to 103. The BMIC 122 may derive a cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells 101 to 103 based on signals received from both ends of each of the plurality of battery cells 101 to 103. The BMIC 122 may transmit the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells 101 to 103 to the MCU 121.

[0083] BMIC 122 may include a plurality of terminals P_1 to P_3. BMIC 122 may be connected to a plurality of ADCs 123 to 125 via the plurality of terminals P_1 to P_3. BMIC 122 may receive voltage signals from one end of switching element 130, the other end of switching element 130, and the other end of relay 140 based on the signals received via the plurality of terminals P_1 to P_3. BMIC 122 may derive the voltage across switching element 130 and the voltage across relay 140 based on the signals received from the plurality of terminals P_1 to P_3. Based on the voltage across switching element 130 and the voltage across relay 140, BMIC 122 may determine whether switching element 130, relay 140, etc., are abnormal under control conditions. Here, the control condition may include MCU 121 controlling the opening / closing of switching element 130 and / or the opening / closing of relay 140.

[0084] The BMIC 122 may derive the voltage of one terminal P21+ of the battery pack 10 based on a signal received from one terminal P_3 .

[0085] BMIC 122 can transmit the voltage of one end of the switching element 130, the voltage of the other end of the switching element 130, and the voltage of one end P21+ of the battery pack 10 to MCU 121. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, the voltage of one end P21+ of the battery pack 10 is referred to as "battery pack positive voltage".

[0086] The BSS 30 may include a charging device 310, an electronic control unit (ECU) 320, a communication unit 330, and a system connector 22. Both ends P22+ and P22- of the BSS 30 may be electrically connected to the system connector 22. The system connector 22 may be connected to at least one component in the BSS 30. Both ends P22+ and P22- of the BSS 30 may be electrically connected to the MCU 410.

[0087] The charging device 310 can supply power to a battery pack connected to both ends P22+ and P22- of the BSS 30. Both ends of the charging device 310 can be connected to the system connector 22. One end of the charging device 310 can be connected to both ends P22+ of the BSS 30, and the other end of the charging device 310 can be connected to the other end P22- of the BSS 30. The charging device 310 can send and receive signals to and from the ECU 320. The MCU 410 can communicate with the central server 50 via a network and send and receive signals and / or data.

[0088] The ECU 320 may control operations of the charging device 310 and the communication unit 330. The ECU 320 may derive a voltage of a terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 based on a signal received from the terminal P22+ of the BSS 30.

[0089] The communication unit 330 may communicate with the central server 40 through the network based on a signal received from the ECU 320. The communication unit 540 may include a configuration that communicates with other configurations in a wired and / or wireless manner.

[0090] The battery connector 21 can be coupled to the system connector 22. Figure 5 A state in which the battery connector 21 is coupled to the system connector 22 is described.

[0091] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment coupled to Figure 4 A block diagram of the BSS states is shown.

[0092] Reference Figure 5 The contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system 1 may include a battery pack 10, a BSS 30, and a central server 50. Hereinafter, in the description of the battery pack 10, the BSS 30, and the central server 50, any portion of the description that overlaps with the previous description may be omitted.

[0093] When the battery connector 21 is connected to the system connector 22 , the battery connector 21 and the system connector 22 are electrically connected, one end P21+ of the battery pack 10 can be electrically connected to one end P22+ of the BSS 30 , and the other end P21- of the battery pack 10 can be electrically connected to the other end P22- of the BSS 30 .

[0094] Hereinafter, the battery connector 21 and the system connector 22 in the coupled state are referred to as a connector assembly 210 . When the battery connector 21 is connected to the system connector 22 , the MCU 121 can transmit and receive signals to and from the ECU 320 through the connector assembly 210 .

[0095] The BSS 30 may include a charging device. Both ends P21+ and P21- of the battery pack 10 may be connected to the charging device of the BSS 30 and may be charged by receiving power from the charging device.

[0096] Hereinafter, the MCU 121 sending and receiving signals and / or data to and from the ECU 320 may indicate that the MCU 121 sends and receives signals and / or data to and from the ECU 320 through the connector assembly 210 .

[0097] The ECU 320 may transmit a signal indicating a voltage of one terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 (hereinafter referred to as “BSS positive voltage”) to the MCU 121 .

[0098] The MCU 121 may calculate the contact resistance of the connector assembly 210 based on the battery pack positive voltage and the BSS positive voltage. The MCU 121 may calculate the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 as shown in the following [Equation 1].

[0099] [Formula 1]

[0100]

[0101] Here, VP may indicate the battery pack positive voltage (unit: V), VP' may indicate the BSS positive voltage (unit: V), and I may indicate the charging current (unit: A) of the battery pack 10. Referring to [Equation 1], the contact resistance (unit: Ω) of the connector assembly 210 may be a value obtained by dividing the difference between the battery pack positive voltage and the BSS positive voltage by the charging current of the battery pack 10. Here, the charging current of the battery pack 10 may be a value received from the ECU 320 or a value pre-stored in the BMS 120.

[0102] Based on [Equation 1], when the battery connector 21 and the system connector 22 are coupled to form the connector assembly 210 , the MCU 121 may calculate a plurality of first contact resistance values ​​corresponding to a plurality of first time points.

[0103] The MCU 121 may store the calculated contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 in the battery memory 126. The MCU 121 may transmit the calculated contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 to the BSS 30.

[0104] The communication unit 330 may transmit the charging contact resistance information including the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 received from the MCU 121 to the central server 50. The charging contact resistance information may include the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210, the identification value of the battery 10 that transmits the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210, the identification value of the BSS 30, the installation time of the connector assembly 210, and the like.

[0105] Figure 6 It shows that Figure 5 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment is shown with one end of a BSS connected to a system connector.

[0106] Hereinafter, in the description of the battery pack 10 , the BSS 30 , and the central server 50 , any portion of the description that overlaps with the previous description may be omitted.

[0107] Reference Figure 6 In some exemplary embodiments, one terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 may be electrically connected to the system connector 22 via the wiring LN1. The MCU 121 may receive a signal indicating a voltage at the terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 via the connector assembly 210. The MCU 121 may derive a BSS positive voltage based on the signal indicating a voltage at the terminal P22+ of the BSS 30.

[0108] Figure 5 and Figure 6 The method in which the BMS 120 receives the signal indicating the voltage of the terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 from the BSS 30 shown in FIG is an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The BMS 120 may receive the signal indicating the voltage of the terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 from the BSS 30 through various methods.

[0109] Figure 7 It is schematically shown Figure 1 A block diagram of the battery pack and vehicle configuration is shown.

[0110] Reference Figure 7 , the contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system 1 may include a battery pack 10 and a vehicle 40. Hereinafter, descriptions of portions of the descriptions of the battery pack 10 and the vehicle 40 that overlap with the previous description may be omitted.

[0111] The vehicle 40 may include an MCU 410, a vehicle control unit (VCU) 420, a motor 430, a communication unit 440, and a vehicle connector 23. Both ends P23+ and P23- of the vehicle 40 may be electrically connected to the vehicle connector 23. The vehicle connector 23 may be connected to at least one component in the vehicle 40.

[0112] The MCU 410 may control the operation of the VCU 420, the motor 430, and the communication unit 440. The MCU 410 may send and receive signals to and from the VCU 420. The MCU 410 may control the operation of the motor 430. The VCU 420 may derive the voltage of the terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40 based on the signal received from the terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40.

[0113] The communication unit 440 may communicate with the central server 50 through the network based on a signal received from the ECU 410. The communication unit 440 may include a configuration that communicates with other configurations in a wired and / or wireless manner.

[0114] The battery connector 21 can be coupled to the vehicle connector 23. Figure 8 A diagram depicting the battery connector 21 coupled to the vehicle connector 23 .

[0115] Figure 8is a schematic diagram showing a battery pack connected to a Figure 7 A block diagram of the state of the vehicle is shown.

[0116] Reference Figure 8 , the contact resistance abnormality diagnostic system 1 may include a battery pack 10 and a vehicle 40. Hereinafter, descriptions of portions of the descriptions of the battery pack 10 and the vehicle 40 that overlap with the previous description may be omitted.

[0117] When the battery connector 21 is connected to the vehicle connector 23, the battery connector 21 and the vehicle connector 23 are electrically connected, one end P21+ of the battery pack 10 is electrically connected to one end P23+ of the vehicle connector 23, and the other end P21- of the battery pack can be electrically connected to the other end P23- of the vehicle connector 23.

[0118] Hereinafter, the battery connector 21 and the vehicle connector 23 in a state where the battery connector 21 and the vehicle connector 23 are connected are referred to as a connector assembly 230. When the battery connector 21 is connected to the vehicle connector 23, the MCU 121 can transmit and receive signals to and from the VCU 420 through the connector assembly 230.

[0119] The vehicle 40 may include a load. Both ends P21+ and P21- of the battery pack 10 are connected to the load of the vehicle 40 so that the power provided by the battery pack 10 can be discharged through the load.

[0120] Hereinafter, the MCU 121 transmitting and receiving signals and / or data to and from the VCU 420 may indicate that the MCU 121 transmits and receives signals and / or data to and from the VCU 420 through the connector assembly 230 .

[0121] The VCU 420 may transmit a signal indicating a voltage of one terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40 (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle positive voltage”) to the MCU 121 .

[0122] The MCU 121 may calculate the contact resistance of the connector assembly 230 based on the battery pack positive voltage and the vehicle positive voltage. The MCU 121 may calculate the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230 as shown in the following [Equation 2].

[0123] [Formula 2]

[0124]

[0125] Here, VP may indicate the battery pack positive voltage (unit: V), VP" may indicate the vehicle positive voltage (unit: V), and I' may indicate the discharge current of the battery pack 10 (unit: A). Referring to [Equation 2], the contact resistance (unit: Ω) of the connector assembly 230 may be a value obtained by dividing the difference between the battery pack positive voltage and the vehicle positive voltage by the discharge current of the battery pack 10. Here, the discharge current of the battery pack 10 may be a value received from the ECU 320 or a value pre-stored in the BMS 120.

[0126] Based on [Equation 2], when the battery connector 21 and the vehicle connector 23 are coupled to form the connector assembly 230 , the MCU 121 may calculate a plurality of second contact resistance values ​​corresponding to a plurality of second time points.

[0127] The MCU 121 may store the calculated contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230 in the battery memory 126. The MCU 121 may transmit the calculated contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230 to the vehicle 40.

[0128] The communication unit 440 may transmit the discharge contact resistance information, including the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230, received from the MCU 121, to the central server 50. The discharge contact resistance information may include the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230, the identification value of the battery 10 that transmits the contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230, the identification value of the vehicle 40, the installation time of the connector assembly 230, and the like. The vehicle 40 may be connected to the battery pack 10 multiple times. For each of the multiple connections of the connector assembly 230, the vehicle 40 may transmit the discharge contact resistance information to the central server 50 at any time within a predetermined period of time from the installation time.

[0129] Figure 9 It is schematically shown that Figure 8 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a vehicle is shown with one end connected to a vehicle connector.

[0130] Hereinafter, in the description of the battery pack 10 , the vehicle 40 , and the central server 50 , any portion of the description that overlaps with the previous description may be omitted.

[0131] Reference Figure 9 In some exemplary embodiments, a terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40 may be electrically connected to the vehicle connector 23 via the wiring LN2. The MCU 121 may receive a signal indicating a voltage at a terminal P22+ of the BSS 30 via the connector assembly 230. The MCU 121 may derive a BSS positive voltage based on the signal indicating a voltage at a terminal P22+ of the BSS 30.

[0132] Figure 8 and Figure 9 The method in which the BMS 120 receives the signal indicating the voltage of the terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40 from the vehicle 30 shown in FIG is an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The BMS 120 may receive the signal indicating the voltage of the terminal P23+ of the vehicle 40 from the vehicle 30 through various methods.

[0133] Figure 10 It is schematically shown Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 9 A block diagram of the detailed configuration of the central server is shown.

[0134] Reference Figure 10 , the central server 50 may include a communication unit 510 , a memory 520 and a processor 530 .

[0135] The communication unit 510 can communicate with the BSS ( Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 6 30) and / or vehicle ( Figure 1 and Figures 7 to 9 40) to send and receive signals and / or data. Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 6 30) can be connected to the battery pack 10 multiple times. Figure 1 and Figures 7 to 9 The communication unit 510 can be connected to the battery pack 10 multiple times. Figure 1 and Figures 4 to 6 The communication unit 510 can receive a plurality of charging contact resistance information corresponding to each of the plurality of connector assemblies 210 from the vehicle ( Figure 1 and Figures 7 to 9 40) receives a plurality of discharge contact resistance information corresponding to each of the plurality of connector assemblies 230.

[0136] The memory 520 may store a program for diagnosing connector contact abnormalities of an interchangeable battery pack based on the contact resistance of the connector (hereinafter referred to as a "connector contact abnormality diagnostic program"). The memory 520 may store multiple pieces of charging contact resistance information and multiple pieces of discharging contact resistance information. The memory 520 may include at least one type of storage medium selected from the group consisting of a flash memory, a hard disk, a multimedia card micro, a card-type memory (e.g., SD or XD memory), a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), a magnetic memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk.

[0137] Processor 530 may execute a connector contact abnormality diagnostic program to diagnose contact abnormality of connector assembly 210 or connector assembly 230 based on the charging contact resistance information and the discharging contact resistance information received from BSS 30 and / or vehicle 40. In addition, processor 530 may determine which of battery connector 21 and system connector 22 constituting connector assembly 210 is in an abnormal state, and which of battery connector 21 and vehicle connector 23 constituting connector assembly 230 is in a faulty state.

[0138] A "processor" refers to a configuration that processes operations, logical operations, determination operations, etc. to provide at least one function, and can be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. For example, the processor 530 can be implemented by software such as a task, a class, a subroutine, a process, an object, an execution thread, a program executed in a predetermined area on a memory, or hardware such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and can also be formed by a combination of software and hardware. The processor may be included in a computer-readable storage medium, or may be partially dispersed and distributed in multiple computers.

[0139] The processor 530 can extract the installation time point of the connector assembly 210 from each of the multiple charging contact resistance information, and can extract the installation time point of the connector assembly 230 from each of the multiple discharging contact resistance information. The processor 530 can arrange the extracted multiple installation time points of the connector assembly 210 (hereinafter referred to as "charging installation time points") and the multiple installation time points of the connector assembly 230 (hereinafter referred to as "discharging installation time points") in chronological order. The processor 530 can generate a log table including the contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 210 and the contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 230. The log table may include multiple contact resistance values ​​and identification information corresponding to each of the multiple contact resistance values. Hereinafter, the identification information may include the identification value of the battery 10, the identification value of the BSS 30, the identification value of the vehicle 40, and the like.

[0140] The plurality of charge contact resistance information received by the communication unit 510 includes information about the battery pack to which each of the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 is coupled, and thus may include contact resistance values ​​calculated from battery packs other than the battery pack 10. Similarly, the plurality of discharge contact resistance information received by the communication unit 510 includes information about the battery pack to which each of the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 is coupled, and thus may include contact resistance values ​​calculated from battery packs other than the battery pack 10.

[0141] The processor 530 can distinguish between the multiple pieces of charging contact resistance information and the multiple pieces of discharging contact resistance information based on the identification values ​​of the multiple battery packs to generate a log table for each battery pack. The processor 530 can perform the following operations on each log table generated for each battery pack by distinguishing between the multiple pieces of charging contact resistance information and the multiple pieces of discharging contact resistance information. For the convenience of the following description, the term "log table" may refer to the log table of the battery pack 10.

[0142] The processor 530 stores the log table in the memory 520 , and the processor 530 may update the charging contact resistance information or the discharging contact resistance information received in real time in the log table, and store the updated charging contact resistance information or the discharging contact resistance information in the memory 520 .

[0143] The log table may be a table that sorts the contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 210 and the contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 230 according to the installation order of the corresponding connector assembly 210 or 230. Since the battery pack 10 is alternately charged and discharged, the log table may sequentially display the discharge installation time points and the charge installation time points of each battery pack 10.

[0144] For example, the following description assumes that the battery pack 10 is coupled to the first BSS ( Figure 1 30_3 in ), connected to the first vehicle ( Figure 1 40_1 in ), and connects to the second BSS ( Figure 1 In this case, the log table may include contact resistance values ​​listed in the following order: the battery pack 10 and the first BSS ( Figure 1 The contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 between the battery pack 10 and the first vehicle ( Figure 1 The contact resistance value of the connector assembly 230 between 40_1) and the second BSS ( Figure 1 The contact resistance value of the connector assembly 210 between 30_1).

[0145] Among the contact resistance values ​​for multiple times included in the log table, the contact resistance value of connector assembly 210 may include the contact resistance component of battery connector 21 and the contact resistance component of system connector 22. Among the contact resistance values ​​for multiple times included in the log table, the contact resistance value of connector assembly 230 may include the contact resistance component of battery connector 21 and the contact resistance component of vehicle connector 23. Considering the contact resistance components included in each contact resistance value and the fact that the time points corresponding to the contact resistance value of connector assembly 210 and the time points corresponding to the contact resistance value of connector assembly 230 appear alternately, processor 530 can determine the status of battery connector 21, system connector 22, and vehicle connector 23 based on the generated log table.

[0146] Figure 11 、 Figure 12 and Figure 13 is an example of a graph represented by a log table according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0147] Reference Figure 1 and Figures 11 to 13 , T1 to T10 may represent a time point at which the battery pack 10 is coupled to each of the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and each of the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 .

[0148] Assume that T1 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_1, T3 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_2, T5 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_3, T7 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_1, and T9 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_1. In addition, the description is provided assuming that T2 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle 40_1, T4 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle 40_2, T6 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle 40_2, T8 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle 40_1, and T10 is the time point when the battery pack 10 is connected to the vehicle 40_2.

[0149] The log table may include a plurality of contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly corresponding to time points T1 to T10.

[0150] The processor 530 can determine the status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 based on whether there is a contact resistance value exceeding the predetermined upper limit threshold Rth among the multiple contact resistance values ​​included in the log table, the number of contact resistance values ​​that continuously exceed the predetermined upper limit threshold Rth, the slope of the continuous contact resistance values, the trend line of the continuous contact resistance values, etc. For example, the processor 530 can determine the status based on the latest predetermined number of contact resistance values ​​among the multiple contact resistance values.

[0151] In an exemplary embodiment, the processor 530 can determine the status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22 and the vehicle connector 23 based on whether the second resistance value immediately following the first resistance value exceeding the predetermined upper limit threshold Rth among the multiple contact resistance values ​​included in the log table is less than the first resistance value.

[0152] When a first resistance value exceeding the upper limit threshold Rth exists among the plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table and a second resistance value immediately following the first resistance value is less than the first resistance value, the processor 530 may determine, based on the identification information corresponding to the first resistance value, whether the first resistance value is a contact resistance corresponding to one of the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2. The processor 530 may determine that the state of the BSS or the state of the vehicle corresponding to the contact resistance value exceeding the upper limit threshold Rth among the plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table is an abnormal state.

[0153] exist Figure 11 In the example shown in FIG1 , among the plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table, a contact resistance value exceeding the upper limit threshold Rth exists at time T7. The processor 530 determines that the state of the BSS 30_1 is abnormal because a first resistance value at time T7 exceeds the upper limit threshold Rth, a second resistance value at time T8 immediately following the first resistance value is less than the first resistance value, and time T7 is the time when the battery pack 10 is connected to the BSS 30_1.

[0154] In some exemplary embodiments, the processor 530 may determine the status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 based on whether the number of contact resistance values ​​that continuously exceed the upper limit threshold Rth among the plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table is a predetermined number or more. Here, the predetermined number may be two or more.

[0155] When there are a predetermined number (eg, three) or more contact resistance values ​​continuously exceeding the upper limit threshold Rth among the plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table, the processor 530 may determine the state of the battery connector 21 as an abnormal state.

[0156] exist Figure 12In the example shown in FIG1 , among the multiple contact resistance values ​​included in the log table, three or more contact resistance values ​​continuously exceed the first upper limit threshold value Rth1 at time points T9 and T10. Since three or more contact resistance values ​​continuously exceed the first upper limit threshold value Rth1 at time points T9 and T10, the processor 530 may determine that the state of the battery connector 21 is an abnormal state at time point T10 or T9.

[0157] In addition, among the plurality of contact resistance values, a predetermined number or more of the contact resistance values ​​continuously exceed the first upper limit threshold value Rth1, and for the predetermined number or more of the contact resistance values ​​exceeding the first upper limit threshold value Rth1 (hereinafter referred to as "target contact resistance values"), a representative value of the contact resistance value for each of the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 can be obtained. Here, the representative value can be, for example, at least one of an average value, a median value, a maximum value, a minimum value, a slope, etc. When the representative value of the contact resistance values ​​among the plurality of BSSs 30_1 to 30_3 and the plurality of vehicles 40_1 and 40_2 exceeds a predetermined second upper limit threshold value Rth2, the processor 530 can determine that the state of the BSS corresponding to the representative value or the state of the corresponding vehicle is abnormal.

[0158] exist Figure 12 In the example, since there are three or more contact resistance values ​​that continuously exceed the first upper limit threshold Rth1 at time points T9 and T10, and since among the contact resistance values ​​that continuously exceed the first upper limit threshold Rth1 (the contact resistance values ​​corresponding to each of T7 to T10), the average value (approximately 30 mΩ) of the contact resistance values ​​corresponding to T7 and T9 connected to the BSS 30_1 exceeds the second upper limit threshold Rth2, the processor 530 may also determine the BSS 30_1 as being in an abnormal state.

[0159] In some exemplary embodiments, the processor 530 can determine the status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22 and the vehicle connector 23 based on whether the slope between two contact resistance values ​​at two adjacent time points among the multiple contact resistance values ​​included in the log table is continuously greater than a predetermined critical slope.

[0160] When slopes of two contact resistance values ​​at adjacent time points among a plurality of contact resistance values ​​included in the log table are continuously greater than or equal to a predetermined critical slope, the processor 530 may determine the state of the battery connector 21 as an abnormal state.

[0161] exist Figure 13In the example, assuming that the first slope of the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T5 and the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T6 is greater than or equal to the critical slope, the second slope of the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T6 and the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T7 is greater than or equal to the critical slope, and the third slope of the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T7 and the contact resistance value corresponding to time point T8 is greater than or equal to the critical slope, at time point T8, processor 530 may determine that the state of battery connector 21 is an abnormal state because the slopes of the two contact resistance values ​​at adjacent time points are three or more consecutive values ​​greater than or equal to the predetermined critical slope.

[0162] The above reference Figures 11 to 13 The description is an example of the operation of the processor 530 determining the status of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The processor 530 can identify the connector determined to be in an abnormal state among the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 based on the multiple contact resistance values ​​included in the log table.

[0163] The processor 530 can enhance the diagnosis of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 by using machine learning. By using data of the status of each of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23, in which the user determines that an actual abnormality has occurred in the connector determined to be in an abnormal state, as training data, the accuracy of the diagnosis can be improved through feedback, and the diagnosis can be further refined.

[0164] For example, when the processor 530 sets Figure 1 When the state of the target system connector 30_1 among the plurality of system connectors 30_1 to 30_3 is determined to be an abnormal state and the communication unit 510 transmits the diagnosis result to the user terminal 60, the user can check the state of the target system connector 30_1 and input whether an actual abnormality has occurred to the user terminal 60. The user terminal 60 can transmit the data input by the user to the central server 50 through the application 61. The machine learning model can use the state of the target system connector 30_1 determined by the processor 530 and the data input by the user as training data to train a method for diagnosing the state of each of the battery connector 21, the system connector 22, and the vehicle connector 23 by using the log table.

[0165] Figure 14 is a flowchart of a contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0166] Hereinafter, in the description of the battery pack 10 , the BSS 30 , and the central server 50 , any portion of the description that overlaps with the previous description may be omitted.

[0167] Reference Figure 14 , the battery connector 21 can be connected to multiple system connectors ( Figure 1 22_1 to 22_3) are connected to form a connector assembly ( Figure 5 and Figure 6 210 in, the same below) (S110).

[0168] In step S110, when the battery connector 21 is connected to multiple system connectors ( Figure 1 22_1 to 22_3) are connected to form a connector assembly 210, the communication unit 510 can be connected from multiple BSSs ( Figure 1 30_1 to 30_3 ) receive a plurality of charging installation time points and a plurality of first contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 210 corresponding to the plurality of charging installation time points ( S120 ).

[0169] In addition, the battery connector 21 can be connected to multiple vehicle connectors ( Figure 1 23_1, 23_2) are connected to form a connector assembly ( Figure 8 and Figure 9 230 in, the same below) (S210).

[0170] In step S210, when the battery connector 21 is connected to the plurality of vehicle connectors ( Figure 1 When the connector assembly 230 is connected to the 23_1 and 23_2 of the vehicle, the communication unit 510 can be connected to the vehicle from multiple vehicles ( Figure 1 40_1, 40_2) receives a plurality of discharge installation time points and a plurality of second contact resistance values ​​of the connector assembly 230 corresponding to the plurality of discharge installation time points (S220).

[0171] The processor 530 may generate a log table by arranging the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​received in step S120 and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​received in step S220 in time order of corresponding points among the plurality of discharge installation time points and the plurality of charge installation time points ( S310 ).

[0172] The processor 530 stores the log table in the memory 520 , and the processor 530 may update the received charging contact resistance information or discharging contact resistance information in the log table and store the updated charging contact resistance information or discharging contact resistance information in the memory 520 .

[0173] The processor 530 may determine the states of the battery connector 21 , the system connector 22 , and the vehicle connector 23 based on the log table ( S320 ).

[0174] The communication unit 510 may transmit the diagnosis result indicating the determined states of the battery connector 21 , the system connector 22 , and the vehicle connector 23 to the user terminal 60 ( S330 ).

[0175] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements made by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains belong to the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for diagnosing abnormal contact resistance, the method comprising causing a processor to execute a connector contact abnormality diagnosis program stored in a memory, the method comprising the following steps: When a battery connector of a battery pack is coupled to a plurality of system connectors of a plurality of battery swap systems (BSSs) through a first connector assembly at a plurality of first time points, a central server receives a plurality of first contact resistance values ​​of the first connector assembly corresponding to the plurality of first time points from the plurality of BSSs; When the battery connector is connected to a plurality of vehicle connectors of a plurality of vehicles through the second connector assembly at a plurality of second time points, the central server receives a plurality of second contact resistance values ​​of the second connector assembly corresponding to the plurality of second time points from the plurality of vehicles; Arranging, by the central server, the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​in a time sequence of the plurality of first time points and the plurality of second time points to generate a log table; as well as Status of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors are determined based on the log table.

2. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: A diagnosis result indicating the states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors is transmitted to a user terminal.

3. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​is a value obtained by the battery pack by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding system connector among the plurality of system connectors at each of the plurality of first time points by the charging current of the battery pack.

4. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is a value obtained by the battery pack by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding vehicle connector among the plurality of vehicle connectors at each of the plurality of second time points by the discharge current of the battery pack.

5. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: When a second resistance value immediately following a first resistance value exceeding a predetermined upper limit threshold value among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is smaller than the first resistance value, A state of a system connector corresponding to the first resistance value or a state of a vehicle connector corresponding to the first resistance value among the plurality of system connectors and the plurality of vehicle connectors is determined to be an abnormal state.

6. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: When the number of contact resistance values ​​exceeding the predetermined upper limit threshold value continuously exceeds a predetermined number or more among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values, The state of the battery connector is determined to be an abnormal state.

7. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis method according to claim 1, further comprising the following steps: When a slope between two contact resistance values ​​at two adjacent time points among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is continuously greater than or equal to a predetermined critical slope, The state of the battery connector is determined to be an abnormal state.

8. A contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system, comprising: a memory storing a connector contact abnormality diagnostic program for an interchangeable battery pack; a processor that executes the connector contact abnormality diagnostic program to determine states of a battery connector of the battery pack, a plurality of system connectors of a plurality of battery swap systems (BSSs), and a plurality of vehicle connectors of a plurality of vehicles; as well as a communication unit that receives, from the plurality of BSSs, a plurality of first contact resistance values ​​of the first connector assembly corresponding to a plurality of first time points when the battery connector is connected to the system connector of each of the plurality of BSSs via a first connector assembly at a plurality of first time points, and receives, from the plurality of vehicles, a plurality of second contact resistance values ​​of the second connector assembly corresponding to a plurality of second time points when the battery connector is connected to the vehicle connector of each of the plurality of vehicles via a second connector assembly at a plurality of second time points, The processor arranges the multiple first contact resistance values ​​and the multiple second contact resistance values ​​in time sequence of the multiple first time points and the multiple second time points to generate a log table, and determines the status of the battery connector, the multiple system connectors and the multiple vehicle connectors based on the log table.

9. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: The communication unit transmits a diagnosis result indicating the states of the battery connector, the plurality of system connectors, and the plurality of vehicle connectors to a user terminal.

10. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: The battery pack obtains a corresponding contact resistance value among the multiple first contact resistance values ​​by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding system connector among the multiple system connectors by the charging current of the battery pack at each of the multiple first time points.

11. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: The battery pack obtains a corresponding contact resistance value among the multiple second contact resistance values ​​by dividing the difference between the positive terminal voltage of the battery connector and the positive terminal voltage of the corresponding vehicle connector among the multiple vehicle connectors by the discharge current of the battery pack at each of the multiple second time points.

12. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: When a second resistance value immediately following a first resistance value exceeding a predetermined upper limit threshold value among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is smaller than the first resistance value, The processor determines a state of a system connector corresponding to the first resistance value or a state of a vehicle connector corresponding to the first resistance value among the plurality of system connectors and the plurality of vehicle connectors as an abnormal state.

13. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: When the number of contact resistance values ​​exceeding the predetermined upper limit threshold value continuously exceeds a predetermined number or more among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values, The processor determines the state of the battery connector as an abnormal state.

14. The contact resistance abnormality diagnosis system according to claim 8, wherein: When a slope between two contact resistance values ​​at two adjacent time points among the plurality of first contact resistance values ​​and the plurality of second contact resistance values ​​is continuously greater than or equal to a predetermined critical slope, The processor determines the state of the battery connector as an abnormal state.

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