Method and device for determining the acid concentration of a battery in a motor vehicle and motor vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for determining the acid concentration of a battery (12) in a motor vehicle (1), the method comprising: - detecting the resting voltage of the battery (12); - detecting the state of charge of the battery (12); and - determining the acid concentration of the battery on the basis of the resting voltage and the state of charge.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for determining the acid concentration of a battery in a motor vehicle, and a motor vehicle having such apparatus. Background Technology

[0002] In batteries, especially lead-acid batteries, electrolyte stratification or layering can occur during use. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide an improved method and an improved apparatus for determining the acid concentration of batteries in motor vehicles.

[0004] The objective is achieved through the subject matter of the independent claims. Advantageous improvements are described in the dependent claims.

[0005] Based on the first aspect, a method for determining the acid concentration of a battery is proposed.

[0006] Hereinafter, the method according to the present invention includes the following steps: detecting the quiescent voltage of the battery, detecting the state of charge of the battery, and determining the acid concentration of the battery based on the quiescent voltage and the state of charge.

[0007] The method according to the invention is particularly useful for determining the acid concentration or acid distribution inside a battery, or at least estimating the acid concentration or acid distribution inside a battery, as further explained below.

[0008] Batteries, particularly motor vehicle batteries, which may also be referred to as automotive batteries or starter batteries, and which in particular have a rated voltage or output voltage of 12V. Batteries are especially designed to be rechargeable, for example, by means of a motor vehicle's alternator, and may also be referred to as storage batteries.

[0009] Batteries, especially lead-acid batteries, and / or wet-cell batteries, especially acid batteries. The acids used as electrolytes are particularly likely to be sulfuric acids, especially sulfuric acid.

[0010] As explained at the beginning, stratification, or layering, of one or more electrolytes can occur when using lead-acid batteries. In this stratification, a higher concentration of acid is found, particularly in the lower region of the battery, while a lower concentration is found in the upper region. This results in an uneven distribution of acid density. Consequently, battery performance deteriorates, potentially leading to battery failure.

[0011] The density distribution can be qualitatively and, in particular, quantitatively determined without opening the battery or placing sensors inside the battery, which is the objective achieved by the present invention.

[0012] Therefore, the battery's quiescent voltage is tested first.

[0013] Quiescent voltage is the voltage on or output by a battery, particularly when the battery is not under load and is in a static state. Quiescent voltage is also the voltage that occurs when no current flows out of the battery.

[0014] Here, the detection of static voltage is specifically performed when the motor vehicle is stationary, i.e., when the ignition is off and, in particular, when the motor vehicle is parked and / or locked.

[0015] Specifically, the quiescent voltage is detected after a predetermined time slice with no load or consumption in the quiescent state. This can be done, for example, after 1 min, 5 min, 15 min, 30 min, 60 min, 120 min, or 240 min.

[0016] Here, static voltage can be detected or read in particular by a voltage sensor or voltmeter.

[0017] In another step, the battery's state of charge is detected.

[0018] The state of charge, also known as the state of load and / or SoC (State of Charge), reflects the state of the battery. The state of charge specifically quantifies the remaining capacity available in the battery, particularly based on an idealized 100% remaining capacity, and is especially relevant to the battery's aging condition.

[0019] Here, the state of charge can be detected specifically based on voltage, particularly during operation, i.e., under load or with one or more consumers, by detecting the voltage and corresponding current once or multiple times. The temperature of the battery and / or the environment can also be taken into account. However, the state of charge can also be determined by other suitable methods, such as voltage balancing, charge balancing, pressure-related methods, or by measuring battery impedance.

[0020] Specifically, the state of charge detection is performed in response to or after the detection of the quiescent voltage. More specifically, the state of charge detection is first performed after a load or consumer is applied to the battery.

[0021] Subsequently, based on these two values, namely the quiescent voltage and the state of charge, the acid concentration of the battery is determined.

[0022] Specifically, it is first determined whether there are fundamentally unequal or uneven acid concentrations or distributions inside the battery, and the values ​​of such unequal or uneven acid concentrations or distributions are also determined.

[0023] This is based in particular on the understanding that conclusions about acid concentration can be drawn from both the static voltage and the charging state.

[0024] Specifically, the maximum acid concentration inside the battery, i.e., the acid concentration appearing at the bottom of the battery, is related to or proportional to the quiescent voltage. Specifically, the quiescent voltage is related to the acid concentration via addition to a first constant and division with a second constant. For example, this relationship can be described as U00 = (SD + K1) / K2, where U00 represents the quiescent voltage, SD represents the acid concentration or acid density, K1 represents the first constant, and K2 represents the second constant.

[0025] In particular, the constant K1 can be in the range between 0 and 1, more particularly in the range between 0.5 and 0.75, more particularly in the range between 0.6 and 0.7, more particularly at 0.66, and more particularly at 0.6619.

[0026] Similarly, in particular, the constant K2 can be in the range between 0 and 1, more particularly between 0 and 0.5, more particularly between 0 and 0.25, more particularly between 0.1 and 0.2, more particularly at 0.15, and more particularly at 0.1515.

[0027] In particular, the average acid concentration inside the battery, that is, the acid concentration that appears in the middle of the battery, is also related to the state of charge or the voltage derived therefrom.

[0028] For example, the acid concentration extends between 1 and 2 kg / l between 0% and 100% charge state, particularly between 1 and 1.5 kg / l, even more particularly between 1.1 and 1.3 kg / l, and even more particularly between 1.15 kg / l and 1.285 kg / l.

[0029] In order to determine or at least estimate the overall acid concentration or acid density trend inside the battery, the values ​​derived from the quiescent voltage and state of charge (which thus represent the trend from the bottom to the middle of the battery) can be extrapolated upwards or ideally linearized so as to also determine the acid concentration at the upper end of the battery.

[0030] From this, the maximum difference between the maximum value at the bottom of the battery and the minimum value at the top of the battery can be deduced, thereby determining or at least estimating the trend of acid concentration or acid density.

[0031] The method according to the invention is particularly feasible for qualitatively and, more importantly, quantitatively determining the density distribution of acid concentration without opening the battery or installing sensors inside the battery, thereby identifying potential battery degradation early.

[0032] According to an improved form, the state of charge is detected in response to the end of the stationary state of the vehicle or battery.

[0033] Therefore, the quiescent voltage is first measured or detected while the vehicle is stationary, and then the state of charge is determined after the quiescent state ends. In particular, the state of charge is determined immediately after the quiescent state ends, for example, simultaneously with unlocking and / or starting or operating the ignition system of the motor vehicle.

[0034] Specifically, the charging status is detected within a predefined time after the end of the static state, such as up to 5 min, 2 min, 1 min, 30 s or 15 s.

[0035] With the aforementioned improved form, it is feasible to determine the acid concentration with particular precision.

[0036] According to an improved form, the method further includes the step of performing a remedial action in response to the determined acid concentration.

[0037] Therefore, remedial measures are triggered based on the determined acid concentration and, in particular, the determined acid density distribution.

[0038] Here, remedies can be particularly effective in preventing or counteracting uneven distribution or uneven trend of acid concentration, or at least preventing or counteracting further deterioration. Examples of such remedies are further described below.

[0039] Additionally or alternatively, a user output can be provided based on the determined acid concentration. Here, the user output can also include, in particular, the determined acid concentration or acid density distribution, including both the presence of a non-uniform acid concentration or acid density distribution and a quantification of the acid concentration or acid density distribution, and / or a quantification of the degradation of battery performance, for example, expressed as a percentage, particularly as a percentage relative to 100% performance.

[0040] User output can be output on and / or through devices inside the vehicle, such as displays on infotainment systems. Here, user output can be both acoustically and visually generated.

[0041] The improvement described above is feasible in that it prevents or at least delays battery degradation.

[0042] According to an improved form, when the calculated acid concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold, remedial measures are implemented.

[0043] Specifically, remedial measures are only implemented when one or more predetermined thresholds for acid concentration are exceeded. For example, thresholds for acid concentration in the middle of the battery, acid concentration at the bottom of the battery, and / or acid concentration at the top of the battery can be stored and compared with one or more calculated values.

[0044] Here, the threshold can be either relative or absolute.

[0045] With the aforementioned improved form, it is feasible to implement a remedy that may restrict the use of motor vehicle users only when such remedy is deemed necessary.

[0046] According to one improved form, implementing remedial measures includes limiting the use of batteries in motor vehicles.

[0047] The use of a battery can be restricted, for example, when the vehicle's alternator is not running to charge the battery. This is, for instance, when the internal combustion engine is not running but the ignition is still on or off.

[0048] The improvement described above can be used to delay or further prevent the degradation of battery performance.

[0049] According to an improved version, remedial measures include applying an overvoltage to the battery.

[0050] Loading specifically includes providing overvoltage to the battery, which can also be referred to as charging or overcharging.

[0051] Here, overvoltage is a voltage higher than the charging voltage. For example, the charging voltage is 14V, and the overvoltage is 14.5V. In particular, the overvoltage is absolutely or relatively higher than the charging voltage. For example, the overvoltage is 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, 6%, 7%, 8%, 9%, or 10% higher than the charging voltage. Or, for example, the overvoltage is 0.1V, 0.2V, 0.3V, 0.4V, 0.5V, 0.6V, 0.7V, 0.8V, 0.9V, or 1.0V higher than the charging voltage.

[0052] By applying overvoltage, it is possible to at least partially reverse or prevent uneven or heterogeneous acid concentrations, especially when this condition is identified at an early time point.

[0053] The feasible improvement method described above is to improve battery performance.

[0054] According to an improved form, overvoltage is applied to the battery via one or more of the following: a high-voltage battery of the motor vehicle (different from the battery), a power source external to the motor vehicle, and / or a generator of the motor vehicle.

[0055] Here, the overvoltage can be provided, for example, by a high-voltage battery included in the motor vehicle, and said high-voltage battery is used, for example, for the electric drive of the motor vehicle. The overvoltage can then be extracted from said high-voltage battery and supplied to the battery. This can be done particularly during the operation or travel of the motor vehicle.

[0056] Alternatively or additionally, the overvoltage can be supplied to the battery by a power source external to the vehicle, such as a plug interface for charging a high-voltage battery. This is particularly possible when the vehicle is stationary.

[0057] Alternatively or additionally, overvoltage can be supplied to the battery by the vehicle's generator. This generator (which can also be called a lighting motor) generates electrical energy through the rotation of an internal combustion engine, which is typically also provided for the regular charging of the battery in the absence of overvoltage.

[0058] Whether, in what magnitude, and from what source, an overvoltage is supplied to the battery can be determined, in particular, by power electronic devices, which are also specifically configured for battery management of high-voltage batteries in motor vehicles.

[0059] The improvement described above is feasible in that it improves battery performance using particularly simple means.

[0060] According to an improved form, the method further includes determining whether a user of the motor vehicle is in the motor vehicle, wherein an overvoltage is applied to the battery in response to the determination.

[0061] Determining whether a user, such as a driver or passenger, is present in a motor vehicle can be achieved, for example, by detecting the presence of interior space sensors and / or seat occupancy sensors. Alternatively or additionally, vehicle locking can indicate that a user is not in the motor vehicle.

[0062] This allows for the application of an overvoltage to the battery. Specifically, this application can only be performed when no user is inside the vehicle.

[0063] This results in a particularly safe performance improvement.

[0064] Alternatively or additionally, the method may also include determining whether the motor vehicle is stationary, wherein an overvoltage is applied to the battery in response to the determination, particularly only when the motor vehicle is stationary.

[0065] This also resulted in a particularly safe performance improvement.

[0066] Alternatively or additionally, the method may also include determining whether the motor vehicle is stationary, wherein an overvoltage is applied to the battery in response to the determination, particularly only when the motor vehicle is stationary.

[0067] This also resulted in a particularly safe performance improvement.

[0068] For application scenarios or situations that can be derived in this method but are not explicitly described herein, it can be specified that: error messages and / or prompts for user feedback are output according to this method, and / or standard settings and / or predetermined initial states are provided.

[0069] According to another aspect, an apparatus is proposed. This apparatus can have a data processing device or processor device designed to perform embodiments of the method according to the invention.

[0070] For this purpose, the processor device can have at least one microprocessor and / or at least one microcontroller and / or at least one FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) and / or at least one DSP (Digital Signal Processor). As a microprocessor, a CPU (Central Processing Unit), GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), or NPU (Neural Processing Unit) can be used, respectively. Furthermore, the processor device can have program code designed to execute embodiments of the method according to the invention when executed by the processor device. The program code can be stored in the data memory of the processor device. The processor device can, for example, be based on at least one circuit board and / or at least one SoC (System-on-Chip).

[0071] On the other hand, a motor vehicle incorporating such equipment is proposed.

[0072] The motor vehicle according to the invention is preferably designed as an automobile, particularly a passenger car or a freight vehicle, or as a bus or a motorcycle.

[0073] As a further solution, the present invention also includes a computer-readable storage medium comprising program code that, when executed via a computer or computer network, causes to perform an embodiment of the method according to the invention. This storage medium can be provided at least partially as non-volatile data memory (e.g., as flash memory and / or as an SDD, solid-state drive) and / or at least partially as volatile data memory (e.g., as RAM, random access memory). This storage medium can be arranged in a computer or computer network. However, this storage medium can also operate on the Internet, for example, as a so-called app store server and / or cloud server. A processor circuit having, for example, at least one microprocessor can be provided via a computer or computer network. The program code can be provided as binary code and / or as assembly code and / or as source code in a programming language (e.g., C) and / or as a program script (e.g., Python).

[0074] This invention also includes feature combinations of the described embodiments. Therefore, this invention also includes implementations having multiple feature combinations of the described embodiments, provided that these embodiments are not described as mutually exclusive.

[0075] Regarding the implementation methods and advantages of the equipment, motor vehicles, and storage media, refer to the previously described implementation methods and related advantages.

[0076] This invention also includes feature combinations of the described embodiments. Therefore, this invention also includes implementations having multiple feature combinations of the described embodiments, provided that these embodiments are not described as mutually exclusive. Attached Figure Description

[0077] Embodiments of the invention are described below. Regarding this: Figure 1 A schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of a method and apparatus for determining the acid concentration of a battery in a motor vehicle is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0078] The embodiments described below relate to preferred embodiments of the invention. In the embodiments, the components described are respective features of the invention considered independently of each other, and each feature also independently improves the invention. Therefore, this disclosure should also include other combinations different from the combinations of features shown in the embodiments. Furthermore, the described embodiments can also be supplemented by other features of the invention already described.

[0079] In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote elements that have the same function.

[0080] Figure 1 A schematic diagram showing an embodiment of a method and apparatus 10 for determining the acid concentration of a battery in a motor vehicle 1 is provided.

[0081] Here, device 10 is included in motor vehicle 1 and is configured to perform the methods described below.

[0082] The device 10 is first configured to detect the quiescent voltage of the battery 12.

[0083] The device 10 is also configured to detect the state of charge of the battery 12. Here, the detection of the state of charge is performed in response to the end of the vehicle's stationary state.

[0084] The device 10 is also configured to determine the acid concentration of the battery based on the quiescent voltage and the state of charge.

[0085] The device 10 is also configured to perform remedial measures in response to the determined acid concentration.

[0086] Here, remedial measures are only implemented when the calculated acid concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold.

[0087] Here, implementing remedial measures may include restricting the use of the battery 12 in the motor vehicle 1.

[0088] Remedial measures may also include applying overvoltage to battery 12.

[0089] Here, the device is further configured to determine whether a user of the motor vehicle 1 is in the motor vehicle 1, and to apply an overvoltage to the battery 12 only when no user is in the motor vehicle 1.

[0090] Here, applying overvoltage to battery 12 can be done via generator 14 of motor vehicle 1.

[0091] This loading can also be performed using a high-voltage battery in the motor vehicle, different from battery 12. Figure 1 It is not shown in detail.

[0092] This loading can also be performed via a power source external to the vehicle. Figure 1 The details are not shown in the middle either.

[0093] In summary, the examples illustrate how acid stratification in lead-acid batteries can be determined and quantified.

Claims

1. A method for determining the acid concentration of a battery (12) in a motor vehicle (1), the method comprising: - Detect the static voltage of the battery (12); - Detect the charging status of the battery (12); and - The acid concentration of the battery is determined based on the resting voltage and the charging state.

2. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, in, The charging status is detected in response to the end of the stationary state of the motor vehicle (1).

3. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, Also includes: - Remedial measures are taken in response to the determined acid concentration.

4. The method according to claim 3, in, When the calculated acid concentration exceeds a predetermined threshold, remedial measures are implemented.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, in, Remedial measures include restricting the use of the battery (12) by the motor vehicle (1).

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, in, Remedial measures include applying an overvoltage to the battery (12).

7. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 6, in, Overvoltage is applied to the battery (12) by one or more of the following: a high-voltage battery of the motor vehicle other than the battery (12), a power source outside the motor vehicle, and / or a generator (14) of the motor vehicle (1).

8. The method according to claim 6 or 7, Also includes: - Determine whether the user of the motor vehicle (1) is inside the motor vehicle (1); In response to the determination, an overvoltage is applied to the battery (12).

9. An apparatus (10) for determining the acid concentration of a battery (12) in a motor vehicle (1), wherein, The device includes a mechanism for performing the method according to any one of the preceding claims.

10. A motor vehicle (1) comprising the device according to claim 9.

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