Method, medium, and apparatus for state of charge calculation for industrial vehicle batteries

Abstract

The application aims to provide a method, medium and device for calculating the power of an industrial vehicle battery, which uses a temperature sensor built in a vehicle controller to obtain environmental temperature data, dynamically calculates the preheating time required by the battery according to the real-time temperature, and realizes accurate estimation of the power of a lithium battery without a BMS. Without increasing the cost of additional hardware, the problem of power misjudgment caused by the sudden drop of the battery voltage due to low temperature is effectively overcome. Not only the disadvantage of inaccurate measurement of voltage at low temperature is corrected, but also the accuracy is improved. Moreover, the cost increase caused by the additional temperature sensor is avoided, which is consistent with the positioning of economical vehicles.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of industrial vehicles, specifically to the accuracy optimization design of the power calculation and management process for industrial vehicles. Background Technology

[0002] Industrial vehicles are motor vehicles used in industrial production, warehousing and logistics, port terminals, and other scenarios to perform operations such as handling, loading and unloading, stacking, and towing. Examples include various forklifts, tractors, flatbed trucks, and large loading machinery. Industrial vehicles are typically powered not by fuel, but by lithium batteries, whose charge levels are displayed in real time on a control panel for the driver's reference.

[0003] In existing technologies, many economical industrial vehicles do not install a Battery Management System (BMS) to control costs. This means that battery power cannot be directly collected by the BMS, and their power estimation and display functions rely on the handle controller to directly collect the battery voltage and determine the remaining power based on a preset correspondence between voltage and power. The main drawback of this method is that the voltage characteristics of lithium batteries are significantly affected by temperature, especially in low-temperature environments, where the battery voltage experiences a rapid, non-linear drop in the initial stage. If the power level is directly determined based on this sudden voltage drop, the system will prematurely display a low power status, resulting in serious power misjudgment and greatly affecting the user's accurate assessment of the vehicle's actual range.

[0004] Therefore, as an improvement, existing technologies also address the aforementioned problem of misjudging battery levels by introducing temperature parameters. This is achieved by integrating a temperature sensor into the device responsible for battery level calculation, such as by adding this component inside the display handle or battery, to collect ambient or cell temperature data, and then using corresponding voltage-to-battery curves for compensation calculations based on different temperature ranges. However, this approach suffers from a core contradiction: adding an extra temperature sensor to achieve accurate battery level estimation directly increases costs. This fundamentally conflicts with the core positioning of economical industrial vehicles, which prioritize low cost; that is, accuracy and economy cannot be simultaneously achieved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide a method, medium, and device for calculating the battery capacity of industrial vehicle batteries. It reuses the temperature sensor built into the vehicle controller to acquire ambient temperature data and dynamically calculates the required preheating time for the battery based on real-time temperature, achieving accurate estimation of the battery capacity of lithium batteries without a BMS. Without increasing additional hardware costs, it effectively overcomes the problem of misjudgment of battery capacity caused by a sudden drop in battery voltage at low temperatures. It not only corrects the inaccuracy of relying solely on voltage at low temperatures, improving accuracy, but also avoids the increased cost of adding an external temperature sensor, aligning with the positioning of economical vehicles.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a method for calculating the battery capacity of industrial vehicles, comprising the following steps:

[0007] A method for calculating the battery capacity of industrial vehicles, characterized by comprising the following steps:

[0008] Read the real-time temperature value Tem from the controller that is used to reflect the ambient temperature, compare it with the preset standard temperature value TS, and calculate the temperature difference TD.

[0009] The preheating time t is obtained based on the temperature difference TD and the preset time schedule; the preset time schedule stores the mapping relationship between different temperature differences TD and the corresponding preheating time t.

[0010] After the preheating time t has elapsed, the current voltage value Up is collected again, and the current power value is calculated based on the current voltage value Up.

[0011] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, wherein the computer program, when executed by a processor, implements the method described above.

[0012] In a third aspect, the present invention provides an electronic device, including a processor and a memory; the processor is connected to the memory;

[0013] The memory is used to store executable program code; the processor reads the executable program code stored in the memory to run a program corresponding to the executable program code, so as to execute the method described above.

[0014] In summary, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0015] 1. The system reuses the vehicle controller's existing temperature sensor to obtain the ambient temperature and dynamically determines the battery preheating time based on the temperature difference. During the preheating period, it temporarily suspends the reliance on voltage for power calculation. Thus, without increasing any hardware costs, it effectively eliminates the interference of sudden battery voltage drops caused by low temperatures on the power display, significantly improving the power estimation accuracy of industrial vehicles without a battery management system.

[0016] 2. By explicitly defining the preheating time as the effective usage time of industrial vehicles, the system avoids situations where the circuitry fails to generate sufficient heat to effectively preheat the battery when the vehicle is not in use. This enhances the reliability of the displayed results.

[0017] 3. By collecting real-time operating current to determine effective usage time, the measurement of preheating time becomes more accurate and reflects actual working conditions. This design can distinguish between vehicle standby and actual operating states, ensuring that the power retention strategy only takes effect during actual energy consumption, further optimizing the rationality of the power display strategy and its correlation with energy efficiency.

[0018] 4. When the ambient temperature is not lower than the standard temperature, the system can bypass the preheating calculation logic and directly perform voltage-to-electricity conversion. This simplifies the calculation process in non-low-temperature environments and reduces unnecessary logical judgments.

[0019] 5. Setting a maximum temperature difference limit avoids excessively long preheating times calculated in extreme low-temperature environments, which could lead to prolonged inaccurate power display. This ensures the stability of the display strategy and the user experience.

[0020] 6. A clear experimental method for determining the mapping relationship between preheating time and temperature difference was established. Based on a physical model of battery heating, the relationship was calibrated using parameters such as operating current and internal resistance. The timetable has a solid experimental basis. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 Flowcharts illustrating several embodiments of the present specification for methods of calculating the charge capacity of batteries suitable for industrial vehicles are shown.

[0022] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to some embodiments of this specification is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0024] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this specification will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0025] The terms "first," "second," "third," etc., in the description, claims, and accompanying drawings are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such processes, methods, products, or apparatus.

[0026] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the described elements without departing from the scope of this specification. Various processes or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to the examples. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described with respect to some examples may be combined into other examples.

[0027] Example 1

[0028] A method for calculating the battery capacity of industrial vehicles is proposed. This method is based on the existing onboard electronic system hardware architecture of industrial vehicles and does not require the addition of any additional physical sensors, which is in line with the positioning of economical vehicles.

[0029] In the application scenario corresponding to this invention, the hardware equipment required by method 100, for example, may include a handle controller on an industrial vehicle responsible for power calculation and display, and a vehicle main controller responsible for overall vehicle control, which work together.

[0030] The vehicle main controller is the core control unit of an industrial vehicle, typically located within the vehicle's electrical control cabinet. It includes at least a processor, memory, and necessary input / output interfaces. This controller integrates a temperature sensor, originally designed to monitor the controller's operating environment temperature to prevent operation in excessively high or low temperatures.

[0031] In this invention, the temperature sensor is reused to sense the ambient temperature of the vehicle. The vehicle's main controller periodically encapsulates the real-time temperature values ​​it reads into data frames and sends them out via its communication interface.

[0032] The handlebar controller is a driver interaction terminal, and exemplary, it may include a display module, such as LED indicators or a screen, operation buttons, and a processing unit. Its processor and memory can be used to execute the power calculation program of this invention.

[0033] The vehicle's main controller and the handle controller communicate via an onboard bus. For example, a controller area network (CLAN) bus can be used, which offers advantages such as high reliability and low cost. Temperature data is transmitted from the vehicle's main controller to the handle controller via this bus.

[0034] The execution entity of this method is the processor within the game controller, which reads and runs the corresponding program code from memory to achieve the following: Figure 1 The process shown has the following specific steps:

[0035] In box 101, the handle controller acquires ambient temperature data Tem via the vehicle bus and calculates the temperature difference TD.

[0036] The handle controller periodically parses the real-time temperature value Tem, which reflects the ambient temperature, from the data frames sent by the vehicle's main controller. The processor then compares Tem with a preset standard temperature value TS and calculates the temperature difference TD, where TD = TS - Tem.

[0037] The standard temperature value TS is a preset threshold, which can be set based on the critical temperature at which the voltage-charge characteristics of the lithium battery tend to stabilize, for example, 10°C. This step is the basis for all subsequent compensation logic. It reuses the temperature sensor on the vehicle's main controller that is used for other purposes, thereby obtaining the key temperature parameters at zero cost and solving the cost contradiction of having to add an external sensor for temperature compensation.

[0038] In box 102, the system queries a preset time schedule based on the temperature difference TD to determine the preheating time t.

[0039] The handle controller's memory stores a pre-set timetable. This table establishes a mapping relationship between different temperature differences TD and their corresponding preheating times t.

[0040] After the processor calculates TD, it uses TD as an index to query the time schedule and obtain the corresponding warm-up time t. This warm-up time t represents the approximate time required for the battery to recover its voltage characteristics and heat up due to internal operation under the current low-temperature environment.

[0041] For example, the mapping relationship is as follows: when TD=5°C, t=5 minutes; when TD=10°C, t=10 minutes; when TD=15°C, t=20 minutes. The effect of this step is to quantify the influencing factor of temperature into a specific and operable delay time, providing a precise time basis for the battery display retention strategy at low temperatures.

[0042] In box 103, the system waits for the preheating time t to end before collecting the battery voltage to calculate the power.

[0043] After the warm-up time t is obtained in box 102, the system starts a timer. During this warm-up time t, the handle controller pauses the usual process of calculating and updating the power level based on the real-time voltage, and instead keeps the power level display at a higher level than before entering the low-temperature state.

[0044] Once the timer confirms that the preheating time t has elapsed, the system collects the current battery voltage value Up, calculates the current battery level based on the preset voltage-battery level relationship, and displays it.

[0045] This step effectively eliminates false alarms caused by low temperatures. It prevents the battery level display from instantly jumping to a low battery state due to a sudden voltage drop after a cold start in cold weather, thus avoiding driver misjudgment of the battery level and accurately reflecting the true usable battery capacity after preheating.

[0046] In some embodiments, to ensure that the preheating time better reflects the actual usage of the vehicle, the preheating time t obtained in block 102 can be further defined as the effective usage time of the industrial vehicle. This means that the preheating time is only taken when the vehicle actually consumes electrical energy and the battery generates heat.

[0047] Specifically, an effective usage time measurement step is added between boxes 102 and 103. The handle controller continuously collects the real-time current value Ip of the battery and determines whether the vehicle is in an effective usage state. For example, when the real-time current value Ip is greater than or equal to 50% of the vehicle's preset maximum operating current Imax, the vehicle is determined to be in an effective usage state, and only then is the current time included in the accumulation of the warm-up time t. If the current value is lower than this threshold, the vehicle is considered to be in standby or no-load state, and the accumulation is paused. This optimization synchronizes the warm-up waiting time with the actual temperature rise of the battery, further improving the accuracy of the power display strategy.

[0048] For efficient processing in non-low temperature environments, a judgment can be added after box 101: if the real-time temperature value Tem is greater than or equal to the standard temperature value TS, then the subsequent preheating time query and waiting steps are skipped, and the process immediately proceeds to box 103 to calculate the power consumption based on the current voltage value Up. This simplifies the processing logic in both normal and high temperature environments and improves the overall operating efficiency of the system.

[0049] In some embodiments, to prevent unrealistically long preheating times from being calculated in extreme low-temperature environments, an upper limit can be set in the query logic of block 102. That is, a maximum temperature difference value TDmax is preset. When the calculated temperature difference TD is greater than TDmax, the actual TD is no longer used for the query; instead, TDmax is used as the query basis to obtain a reasonable, upper-limited preheating time t. For example, when an industrial vehicle is in a frigid northern environment, such as -20 degrees Celsius, using -20 degrees Celsius as the query input might result in a preheating time of 40 minutes. The industrial vehicle would then maintain its current high battery level without updating the display until 40 minutes have passed. However, in actual use, the total usage time of an industrial vehicle might only be a little over an hour, making such a long preheating time inconsistent with the vehicle's operational scenario. Therefore, setting a maximum TDmax as the input ensures both an upper limit for the preheating time and an upper limit for the battery level update display time.

[0050] The mapping relationship between TD and t in the preset time schedule can be established by engineers conducting experiments on industrial vehicles of this model and specification, and calibrated based on a physical experimental model of battery operating heat generation.

[0051] The experimental formula can be expressed as I² * R * t = k * TD, where I is the typical operating current of the vehicle, R is the battery internal resistance, and k is a coefficient related to the battery material and structure. I is obtained through real-time detection, while R and k are known values ​​for the vehicle and can be measured.

[0052] This formula allows for the calculation of the approximate preheating time t required under different time limits (TDs), thus enabling the creation of a lookup table. This ensures the scientific validity and reliability of the time data, rather than relying on subjective speculation.

[0053] This invention, through the aforementioned specific implementation combining hardware and software, accurately overcomes the challenge of power display at low temperatures in lithium batteries without a BMS, without increasing hardware costs. On one hand, a preheating waiting mechanism corrects the inaccuracy of relying solely on voltage at low temperatures. On the other hand, it reuses existing controller temperature sensors, avoiding the cost increase caused by adding external sensors, thus achieving a balance between accuracy and economy.

[0054] Figure 2 A block diagram of an electronic device 300 that can implement various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. For example... Figure 2 As shown, device 300 includes a processor 301, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes based on computer program instructions loaded into random access memory (RAM) 303 according to computer program instructions stored in read-only memory (ROM) 302. RAM 303 may also store various programs and data required for the operation of device 300. The processor 301, ROM 302, and RAM 303 are interconnected via bus 304. Input / output (I / O) interface 305 is also connected to bus 304.

[0055] The various processes and procedures described above, such as method 100, can be executed by processor 301. For example, in some embodiments, method 100 may be implemented as a software program tangibly contained in a machine-readable medium. In some embodiments, part or all of the software program may be loaded and / or installed on device 300 via ROM 302. When the software program is loaded into RAM 303 and executed by processor 301, one or more actions of method 100 described above may be performed.

[0056] The program code used to implement the methods of this disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. This program code may be provided to a processor or controller of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that when executed by the processor or controller, the program code causes the functions / operations specified in the flowcharts and / or block diagrams to be implemented. The program code may be executed entirely on a machine, partially on a machine, as a standalone software package partially on a machine and partially on a remote machine, or entirely on a remote machine or server.

[0057] In the context of this disclosure, a machine-readable medium can be a tangible medium that may contain or store a program for use by or in conjunction with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. A machine-readable medium can be a machine-readable signal medium or a machine-readable storage medium. Machine-readable media can be, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor systems, apparatus, or devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of machine-readable storage media include electrical connections based on one or more wires, portable computer disks, hard disks, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage devices, magnetic storage devices, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Furthermore, although operations are depicted in a specific order, this should be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the specific order shown or in sequential order, or requiring that all illustrated operations be performed to achieve the desired result. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, while several specific implementation details are included in the foregoing discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. Certain features described in the context of individual embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single implementation. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single implementation may also be implemented individually or in any suitable sub-combination in multiple implementations.

[0058] Although the subject matter has been described using language specific to structural features and / or methodological logic, it should be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or actions described above. Rather, the specific features and actions described above are merely illustrative examples of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A method for calculating the charge capacity of batteries in industrial vehicles, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: Read the real-time temperature value Tem from the controller that is used to reflect the ambient temperature, compare it with the preset standard temperature value TS, and calculate the temperature difference TD. The preheating time t is obtained based on the temperature difference TD and the preset time schedule; the preset time schedule stores the mapping relationship between different temperature differences TD and the corresponding preheating time t. After the preheating time t has elapsed, the current voltage value Up is collected again, and the current power value is calculated based on the current voltage value Up.

2. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 1, characterized in that: The preheating time t is the effective usage time of the industrial vehicle.

3. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 2, characterized in that: The effective usage time is measured by collecting the real-time current value Ip of the industrial vehicle.

4. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 3, characterized in that: When Ip ≥ Imax * 50%, the industrial vehicle is considered to be in effective use, where Imax is the preset maximum current value of the industrial vehicle.

5. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the real-time temperature value Tem is greater than or equal to the standard temperature value TS, there is no preheating time, and the power value is directly calculated based on the current voltage value Up.

6. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 1, characterized in that: There exists a maximum preset difference TD max. When the temperature difference TD is greater than TD max, TD max is used as the basis for querying to obtain the preheating time t.

7. The method for calculating the charge capacity of industrial vehicle batteries according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mapping relationship in the preset timetable is experimentally derived using the operating current I, battery resistance R, and material coefficient k. The experimental formula is I. 2 *R*t=k*TD.

8. A computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, When the computer program is executed by a processor, it implements the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. An electronic device, comprising a processor and a memory; the processor being connected to the memory; The memory is used to store executable program code; the processor runs a program corresponding to the executable program code by reading the executable program code stored in the memory, so as to perform the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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