Battery pack monitoring system, battery pack monitoring method and battery pack

Abstract

The invention discloses a battery pack monitoring system which comprises a monitoring module, a power supply module and a communication module, the monitoring module is provided with a monitoring sensor for monitoring displacement of a battery pack shell, a control unit and a storage unit, and the control unit is in signal connection with the monitoring sensor on one hand and in signal connection with the power supply module on the other hand. And a control unit which is in signal connection with the communication module directly or indirectly on the other hand, the control unit being arranged to periodically acquire the signal of the monitoring sensor and, when the signal indicates that the cover of the battery pack is displaced, to identify a disassembly event of the battery pack and to record and store the time and location at which the disassembly event occurs. According to the battery pack monitoring system and the battery pack monitoring method provided by the invention, the unauthorized disassembly event of the battery pack can be reliably identified, and the unauthorized disassembly time and place can be accurately determined. On one hand, unauthorized disassembly can be avoided to a great extent, so that the safety and reliability of the battery pack are improved, and on the other hand, corresponding basis can be provided for after-sales disposal under the condition that the battery pack is disassembled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of vehicle detection technology, and in particular to a battery pack monitoring system, a battery pack monitoring method, and a battery pack. Background Art

[0002] As a core component of new energy vehicles, the safety and integrity of battery packs are crucial to ensuring the proper operation of the vehicle and the safety of passengers. Unauthorized disassembly can pose a potential safety hazard to the battery pack. Consequently, major automakers and battery pack manufacturers have strict restrictions on unauthorized disassembly. For example, unauthorized disassembly can void the battery pack's warranty. Therefore, preventing or monitoring unauthorized disassembly of battery packs is crucial.

[0003] Currently, mechanical measures are primarily used to prevent or identify unauthorized battery pack disassembly. These include single-direction tightening of bolts, tamper-evident covers, snap-off tamper-evident bolts, plastic barbed rivets, VOID tamper-evident stickers, passive RFID anti-tear tags, and lead or plastic seals. However, existing mechanical anti-tampering measures are easily cracked and copied. Furthermore, even if they can identify unauthorized battery pack disassembly, they cannot pinpoint the time and location.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to further improve the existing battery pack monitoring system and the corresponding monitoring method. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present invention provides a battery pack monitoring system, a battery pack monitoring method and a battery pack, which can accurately identify unauthorized disassembly events of the battery pack and determine the time and location of the unauthorized disassembly events.

[0006] According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery pack monitoring system is proposed, which includes a monitoring module, a power supply module and a communication module, wherein the monitoring module has a monitoring sensor for monitoring the displacement of the battery pack shell, a control unit and a storage unit, and the control unit is connected to the monitoring sensor signal on the one hand and to the communication module signal on the other hand, wherein the control unit is configured to periodically obtain the signal of the monitoring sensor and, when the signal indicates that the battery pack cover is displaced, identify a battery pack disassembly event and record and store the time and place of the disassembly event.

[0007] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a battery pack monitoring method implemented with the aid of the aforementioned battery pack monitoring system, the method comprising the following steps: a control unit periodically acquires a signal from a monitoring sensor; when the signal indicates a battery pack disassembly event, the control unit is awakened; and the control unit stores the disassembly event and the time and / or location of the disassembly event in a storage unit.

[0008] The present invention also relates to a battery pack, which includes the above-mentioned battery pack monitoring system.

[0009] The battery pack monitoring system and battery pack monitoring method according to the present invention can not only reliably identify unauthorized disassembly of the battery pack, but also accurately determine the time and location of the unauthorized disassembly. On the one hand, this can largely avoid unauthorized disassembly, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the battery pack. On the other hand, it can provide a corresponding basis for after-sales disposal in the event that the battery pack is disassembled. In addition, the battery pack monitoring system according to the present invention has a simple structure and low cost. There is no need to change the structure of the battery pack, so it can also be installed in vehicles that have been sold after mass production. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] The above and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] Figure 1 is a first embodiment of the battery pack monitoring system according to the present invention;

[0012] Figure 2 Another embodiment of the battery pack monitoring system according to the present invention;

[0013] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a battery pack monitoring method according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that the disclosure is comprehensive and complete and fully convey the concepts of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. In the drawings, the dimensions of some elements may be exaggerated or distorted for clarity. Identical reference numerals in the drawings represent identical or similar structures, and thus their detailed descriptions will be omitted.

[0015] In addition, the described features, structures or characteristics may be combined in one or more embodiments in any suitable manner. In the following description, many specific details are provided to provide a full understanding of the embodiments of the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that it is possible to practice the technical solution of the present invention without one or more of the specific details, or to adopt other methods, elements, etc. In other cases, known structures, methods or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid blurring various aspects of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 1This is a possible implementation of a battery pack monitoring system 100 according to the present invention. The battery pack 10 has a housing housing multiple cell modules. Each cell module is equipped with a cell monitoring unit 70, such as CSC1-CSCx shown in the figure. The housing also houses a battery management unit (BMU) 50. The BMU is a key component of a battery management system (BMS), responsible for managing the cell modules and monitoring their status, such as voltage and temperature. It also provides a communication interface for the modules.

[0017] The battery pack monitoring system 100 includes a monitoring module 20, a communication module 30, and a power supply module 40. The monitoring module 20 includes a monitoring sensor for detecting displacement of the battery pack housing, a control unit, and a storage unit. The control unit is designed as a microcontroller (MCU). A MCU, also known as a single-chip microcomputer, can be considered a scaled-down version of a CPU, with reduced frequency and specifications. Circuit elements such as RAM, ROM, clock, A / D converter, timer / counter, UART, DMA, and even USB interface and LCD driver circuits are integrated into a single chip, forming a chip-level computing device that provides integrated control for various applications. For example, the NXP S32K11 chip can be used as the MCU, with a sleep current of 25μA. The MCU is preferably woken up every 100ms, resulting in significant power savings. The storage unit is formed by the memory cells of the MCU.

[0018] The sensor can be, for example, a micro switch or a Hall effect sensor. An infrared sensor or a self-generating transducer can also be considered. The sensor dimensions are preferably no larger than 20 x 20 x 20 mm. The sensor power consumption is preferably less than 1 W.

[0019] The battery management unit 50 is signal-connected to a communication module 30, such as a vehicle-mounted communication terminal T-Box, via, for example, a CAN bus. The vehicle-mounted communication terminal can be used to connect the vehicle to a cloud platform 60 or a remote server. This means that the vehicle or its components can send and receive data to and from the cloud platform. For example, disassembly events detected by the monitoring module 20, along with the corresponding time and location, can be sent to the cloud platform 60.

[0020] The control unit is signal-connected to the monitoring sensor on the one hand and to the communication module 30 on the other, preferably via a CAN bus or LIN bus. Communication module 30 is designed, for example, as an on-board communication terminal T-Box. The control unit is configured to periodically acquire the monitoring sensor signals and, when the signals indicate that the battery pack cover has been removed, detect a battery pack disassembly event and record and store the time and location of the disassembly event.

[0021] The monitoring module 20 has a module box, and the control unit and the storage unit are arranged on a printed circuit board (PCB board) located inside the module box. The module box can be a plastic shell. The size of the printed circuit board is preferably 2cmx3cm. The battery management unit 50 and the monitoring module 20 are both powered by the power supply module 40. Therefore, the battery management unit 50 and the monitoring module 20 are electrically connected to the power supply module 40 respectively. The power supply module 40 is, for example, a battery designed independently of the battery pack 1, such as a 12V lead-acid battery. Here, the monitoring module 20 is installed as a whole on the outside of the shell of the battery pack 10. Therefore, it is advantageous that the design of the battery pack itself does not need to be changed. It can be installed during the production of the battery pack or it can be installed afterwards to cover existing vehicles that have already been sold.

[0022] As Figure 1 As a variation of the illustrated solution, it is possible to place the monitoring module 20 inside the battery pack 10. In this case, the monitoring module 20 can be powered by a single cell monitoring unit 70. In other words, the power supply unit is formed by the single cell monitoring unit 70. Furthermore, the control unit in the monitoring module 20, such as the microcontroller unit (MCU), is signal-connected to the battery management unit (BMU), which in turn is signal-connected to the communication module 30 via a CAN / LIN bus. Therefore, the control unit in the monitoring module 20 can be indirectly signal-connected to the communication module 30 via the battery management unit (BMU).

[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows another embodiment of the battery pack monitoring system according to the present invention. Figure 2 As shown, the design of the battery pack 10 is similar to Figure 1 The illustrated scheme is identical. The only difference is that, in this embodiment, the monitoring module's control unit is formed by one of the cell monitoring units 70 . The storage unit is formed by a specially designed data storage board 80 . This data storage board 80 is signal-connected to the cell monitoring unit (CSC) forming the control unit, and to the battery monitoring unit (BMU). The battery management unit (BMU) is signal-connected to the communication module 30 via a CAN / LIN bus. Therefore, the cell monitoring unit (CSC) forming the control unit is indirectly signal-connected to the communication module via the BMU. Advantageously, instead of the various relatively expensive sensors mentioned above, a connecting wire between the battery cover and the battery pack housing is used to monitor the movement of the battery cover. That is, when the battery cover is displaced, the connecting wire between the battery cover and the battery pack housing is severed, triggering a corresponding disassembly signal. In this embodiment, by using the existing cell monitoring unit (CSC) as the control unit, the corresponding functionality can be achieved by simply adding a data storage board, resulting in significant cost advantages.

[0024] As Figure 2 A variation of the illustrated solution utilizes a battery management unit (BMU) as the control unit. A BMU typically includes a memory cell, so the memory cell in the BMU can also be used as the memory cell for the monitoring module. Here, instead of the various relatively expensive sensors mentioned above, a connecting line between the battery cover and the battery pack housing can be used to monitor the movement of the battery cover. The BMU is preferably powered by the cell module via a DC-DC converter. This allows the complete elimination of additional batteries.

[0025] Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a flow chart of a battery pack monitoring method according to the present invention. The battery pack monitoring method is preferably implemented by means of one of the aforementioned embodiments of the battery pack monitoring system. Figure 3 As shown, the battery pack monitoring method includes the following steps:

[0026] S1: The control unit periodically obtains the signal of the monitoring sensor;

[0027] S2: When the signal indicates that a battery pack disassembly event has occurred, waking up the control unit;

[0028] S3: The control unit stores the disassembly event and the time and / or location of the disassembly event in the storage unit.

[0029] The monitoring sensor signal acquisition cycle is preferably 100ms. That is, the control unit acquires a signal from the monitoring sensor every 100ms, detecting possible voltage jump signals through, for example, the I / O interface of the microcontroller unit (MCU). Displacement of the battery pack cover relative to the battery pack housing can cause a voltage jump signal to appear.

[0030] Since the battery pack is usually removed from the vehicle before being disassembled, it is in a power-off state (disconnected from the 12V battery). Therefore, the monitoring module needs to work in a low-power state, that is, it relies on the small battery of the monitoring module or draws power from the module in the high-voltage battery pack. Therefore, after receiving the voltage jump signal, the monitoring module of the control unit is awakened. The control unit that wakes up the monitoring module is activated by the I / O voltage jump. After the control unit of the monitoring module is awakened, it immediately stores the voltage jump event in a data storage unit, such as the flash memory area of ​​the microcontroller unit (MCU). The data stored at the same time can also include time and location information. The location information can be obtained from the vehicle's navigation system or other positioning device via the CAN bus, for example.

[0031] After being restored, the disassembled battery pack is typically reinstalled in the vehicle. Once the vehicle is powered on, the battery pack monitoring system 100 immediately uploads the disassembly event and related data, such as the time and location, to a cloud platform or remote server, such as the big data center of the battery pack manufacturer or vehicle manufacturer, via the communication module 30 of the vehicle-mounted communication terminal T-Box.

[0032] After receiving the corresponding disassembly event data, the cloud platform or remote server analyzes it and determines whether the disassembly event is unauthorized. For example, the cloud platform or remote server can compare the disassembly event data, such as time and location, with the maintenance records of authorized repair points, such as 4S stores. If the time and location of the disassembly event are consistent with the time and location recorded in the maintenance records, the disassembly event is determined to be an authorized disassembly event; otherwise, it is determined to be an unauthorized disassembly event. Therefore, before disassembly, the repair station needs to submit an application to the cloud platform or remote server; or upload the disassembly record to the cloud platform or remote server after disassembling the battery pack. It is also possible that the cloud platform or remote server stores a corresponding repair or maintenance plan, which can be pre-defined by the vehicle manufacturer or battery pack manufacturer.

[0033] Through the description of the above embodiments, it is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that the example embodiments described here can be implemented by software or by combining software with necessary hardware. Therefore, the technical solution according to the embodiment of the present application can be embodied in the form of a software product, which can be stored in a non-volatile storage medium (which can be a CD-ROM, a USB flash drive, a mobile hard disk, etc.) or on a network, and includes several instructions to enable a computing device (which can be a personal computer, a server, or a network device, etc.) to execute the battery pack monitoring method according to the embodiment of the present application.

[0034] Other embodiments of the present invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art after considering the specification and practicing the disclosure herein. The present invention is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the present invention that follow the general principles of the invention and include common knowledge or customary techniques in the art not disclosed herein. The description and examples are to be considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery pack monitoring system, comprising a monitoring module, a power supply module and a communication module, characterized in that: The monitoring module has a monitoring sensor for monitoring the displacement of the battery pack housing, a control unit and a storage unit. The control unit is connected to the monitoring sensor signal on the one hand, and is directly or indirectly connected to the communication module signal on the other hand. The control unit is configured to periodically obtain the signal of the monitoring sensor and, when the signal indicates that the battery pack cover is displaced, identify the battery pack disassembly event and record and store the time and place of the disassembly event.

2. The battery pack monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring sensor is a micro switch or a Hall sensor.

3. The battery pack monitoring system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit is designed as a micro control unit, and the storage unit is formed by a storage unit of the micro control unit.

4. The battery pack monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The monitoring module has a module box, and the control unit and the storage unit are arranged on a printed circuit board located inside the module box.

5. The battery pack monitoring system according to claim 4, characterized in that: The power supply module is formed by a 12V lead-acid battery independent of the battery pack, and the module box is arranged outside the battery pack; or the power supply module is formed by a battery cell module inside the battery pack, and the module box is arranged inside the battery pack.

6. The battery pack monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The communication module is formed by an on-vehicle communication terminal T-Box, by means of which the vehicle can be connected to a cloud platform or a remote server by signal.

7. The battery pack monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The control unit is formed by a cell monitoring unit CSC, and the monitoring sensor includes a connection line connected between the battery pack cover and the battery pack housing.

8. The battery pack monitoring system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The storage unit is a data storage board arranged inside the battery pack. The data storage board is signal-connected to the cell monitoring unit CSC on one hand and to the battery monitoring unit BMU on the other hand. The cell monitoring unit CSC is indirectly signal-connected to the communication module via the battery monitoring unit BMU.

9. The battery pack monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The control unit is formed by a battery monitoring unit BMU, wherein the battery monitoring unit is powered by a battery module by means of a DC-DC converter, and the monitoring sensor includes a connecting line connected between the battery pack cover and the battery pack housing.

10. A battery pack monitoring method implemented by the battery pack monitoring system according to any one of claims 1 to 9, the method comprising the following steps: The control unit periodically obtains the signal of the monitoring sensor; When the signal indicates that a battery pack disassembly event has occurred, waking up the control unit; The control unit stores the disassembly event and the time and / or location of the disassembly event in the storage unit.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that After the battery pack is installed on the vehicle again for operation, the disassembly event and the time and / or location of the disassembly event are sent to the cloud platform or remote server via the vehicle-mounted communication terminal T-Box.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that The cloud platform or remote server determines whether the disassembly event is unauthorized disassembly by analyzing the data sent by the vehicle-mounted communication terminal T-Box. 13 . A battery pack comprising the battery pack monitoring system according to claim 1 .

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