Method for determining an installation position of a battery module in a battery

Abstract

The battery (1) comprises a plurality of battery modules (20), a master BMS unit (10), and a slave BMS unit (30) for each battery module (20). The master BMS unit (10) and the slave BMS units (30) each comprise a radio transceiver. The master BMS unit (10) is designed to determine an installation position of a selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) as a function of a first matrix data set and a first set of provided first reference matrix data sets. The first matrix data set comprises, for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band, one or more signal transmission quality parameter values ​​for a wireless signal transmission between the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10).

Description

The present disclosure relates to a method for determining a mounting position of a battery module in a battery. Further, the present disclosure relates to a master battery management system (BMS) unit, a battery, a computer program, and a computer readable storage medium.Battery manufacturers in the field of electrically driven vehicles are attempting to achieve the highest possible energy density in the batteries, in particular in traction batteries, in order to enable a maximum range for the customer vehicles. As the energy density increases, the importance of battery management systems for monitoring, balancing and for defense against risks in conjunction with overvoltage and overtemperature increases.The traction batteries of electrically powered vehicles currently provide nominal voltages between 400V and 800V. The batteries are typically organized into battery modules, i.e., groups of cells, monitored and controlled by dedicated battery management circuits (BMIC). Typically, such a battery management circuit may currently monitor 16 to 24 cells connected in series.One of the main objectives of a battery management circuit is the periodic measurement of cell voltages, temperatures and other parameters transmitted to a central controller of the battery management system. The central control unit determines, inter alia, a state of charge (SOC) and / or a state of health (SoH) of the battery. In the context of the battery management system, the battery management circuits are relevant for functional safety.As system costs and flexibility in battery configuration enjoy high priority to manufacturers, systems are increasingly being developed in which safety-related battery data are transmitted wirelessly. By wireless data transfer, significant savings can be achieved in cabling, connectors and in particular also in the case of galvanic isolation of the components.During production of the batteries, the battery modules and battery management circuits are mounted by predetermined working steps and their assignment is thus determined, so that a position of the respective battery module in a battery pack and the MAC address of the associated battery management circuit are known to a battery control unit by means of list keeping. This position determination is complicated. In particular in the case of a defective battery module which is to be replaced, the determination of the installation position of the defective battery module is very complicated.EP 4 050 696 A1 discloses a method and a processor for determining the position of a battery cell within a battery system comprising a plurality of battery cells, each battery cell having a unique identifier (ID). Each battery cell is configured to emit a first signal when in a first state, the first signal enabling the battery cell in the first state to be distinct from the plurality of other battery cells included in the battery system.An object to be achieved is therefore to provide a method which enables an automated and reliable determination of an installation position of a battery module in a battery.The object is achieved by the features of the independent claims. Advantageous further developments of the invention are characterized in the dependent claims.According to a first aspect and second aspect, the object is achieved by a method and a corresponding master battery management system unit (master BMS unit) for determining an installation position of a battery module in a battery, in particular in a traction battery of an electrically driven vehicle.The battery includes a plurality of battery modules connected in series and / or in parallel, and a battery management system (BMS) having a master BMS unit and a slave BMS unit for each battery module. The master BMS unit and the slave BMS units each have a radio transceiver, i.e. a radio transmission unit and a radio reception unit. The radio transceiver uses, for example, a radio technology according to the Bluetooth standard or a modified form thereof. Alternatively, another radio technique, which is suitable in particular for short distances, can also be used. These radio techniques operate in particular according to the IEEE 802.15.1 to IEEE 802.15.7 standards.The battery modules each comprise a plurality of battery cells which are connected in series and / or in parallel. The battery modules in the battery are each arranged at predetermined installation positions. The slave BMS units are each arranged on one of the battery modules or on a section of a mounting frame of the battery which adjoins the respective battery module.The master BMS unit and the slave BMS units constitute a battery management system (BMS). The master BMS unit and the slave BMS units each form nodes of a communication radio network, in particular a pico-network.In order to determine the installation position, in particular the physical installation position, a wireless connection is initially established between a selected slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit.The master BMS unit determines a first matrix data set. The first matrix data set comprises, for a first plurality of frequencies or a first plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined first frequency band, one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between a selected slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit for the established wireless connection. In particular, the signals transmitted by the selected slave BMS unit are evaluated. The signal transmission quality parameter values are stored associated with their frequencies or frequency channels for which they are determined. The first matrix data set thus represents one or more frequency responses for wireless signal transmission between a selected slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit.The carrier frequency channels are defined in particular by the selected radio standard.The master BMS unit determines a mounting position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery as a function of the first matrix data set and a first set of provided first reference matrix data sets. The first set of provided reference matrix data sets each have a first reference matrix data set for at least a part of the slave BMS units, and the respective first reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit and a master BMS unit for a second plurality of frequencies or a second plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined further frequency band.Alternatively, the master BMS unit sends the first matrix data set in conjunction with an instruction to a higher-level computing unit, as a result of which the higher-level computing unit determines the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery as a function of the first matrix data set and a first set of provided first reference matrix data sets, wherein the first set of provided reference matrix data sets for at least a part of the slave BMS units each has a first reference matrix data set and the respective first reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit and a master BMS unit of a reference battery for a second plurality of frequencies or a second plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined second frequency band.The BMS can additionally have the higher-order arithmetic logic unit. Alternatively, the higher-level computing unit can be assigned to the BMS.Preferably, the first predefined frequency band and the predefined second frequency band coincide at least in sections. In an advantageous embodiment, the frequencies or the frequency channels for which the signal transmission quality parameter values of the first matrix data set and of the first reference matrix data sets are determined are the same or at least largely the same.The reference battery preferably has the same structure as the battery. Here, the slave BMS units and the master BMS unit of the reference battery are arranged at the same installation positions and are constructed in the same manner as or very similar to the slave BMS units and the master BMS unit of the battery, so that they have the same or at least very similar same transmission properties as the slave BMS units and the master BMS unit of the battery.By means of the method described above, if a battery module is defective, its installation position in the battery can be determined automatically in a very reliable manner, whereby replacement is substantially simplified. Furthermore, with the method described above, for example in the event of repair, after a new slave BMS unit has been integrated into the communication network of the BMS, the position detection can be carried out and, for the configuration checking, can be matched to the "old" installation position stored in the master BMS unit.Due to the special installation situations of the battery modules, the wireless connections between the master BMS unit and the respective slave BMS units have a very characteristic course, more or less a unique fingerprint, depending on the installation position of the respective slave BMS unit.This unique fingerprint can be used to determine the physical installation position of the respective slave BMS unit.In this case, it is assumed that matrix data sets which correspond well are to be assigned to the same installation position with high probability.In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspects, the determination of the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery as a function of the first matrix data set and the first set of provided first reference matrix data sets comprises a respective determination of a similarity measure and / or a distance measure for the first matrix data set with respect to the respective first reference matrix data set. This allows simple arithmetic operations to be used to determine which reference matrix data set matches or is most similar to the first matrix data set.In at least one configuration according to the first and second aspects, the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery is determined with the aid of a pattern correlation algorithm. In English, such algorithms are also referred to as "pattern matching", in which correlation filters or correlation function are used for feature extraction. In the present case, it is checked which reference matrix data set, which quasi represents a reference frequency response, has the same specific patterns as the first matrix data set, which represents the frequency response for the selected slave BMS unit.In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspects, the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery is ascertained as a function of the first matrix data record and the first set of provided first reference matrix data records by the first matrix data record being supplied to a trained neural network, wherein the trained neural network has undergone a learning process in which the first reference matrix data records have been supplied to the neural network as input, in order to determine on the basis of a matrix data record, which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between one of the slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band and which is characteristic of an installation position of the one slave BMS unit to evaluate to which installation position the one slave BMS unit is arranged.The neural network preferably uses a supervised learning algorithm (supervised learning algorithm) which, on the basis of examples, learns the first reference matrix dataset, i.e. adjusts its model in order later to apply this model to a new input, the first matrix dataset. The model of the neural network is trained in such a way that it assigns the first matrix data set, which serves as input, to a category, i.e. to an installation position.The neural network is designed, for example, as a deep learning (DL) neural network or a convolutional neural network (CNN).For the calculation, the master BMS units can comprise microcontrollers or microprocessors which additionally have vector processing modules.These vector processing modules are designed to be complex calculations, such as fast Fourier transformations or AI models. As a result, the arithmetic operations of the master BMS units can be carried out on which the actual data acquisition takes place.In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspects, the signal transmission quality parameter values determined for a respective frequency or a respective frequency channel differ in that they are calculated for signals transmitted with different transmission powers. The variation of the transmission power enables "amplifying" and / or improved quality of the characteristics of the respective matrix data set.In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspect, the signal transmission quality parameter value or values determined for a respective frequency channel each comprise a received field strength indicator value, RSSI value. This enables simple determination of the first matrix data sets, since used radio modules available on the market have units which are designed to determine RSSI values (received signal strength indicator values).In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspects, the RSSI values determined for a respective frequency channel differ in that, when calculating the RSSI values, the RSSI values for the respective frequency channel are determined in each case for a plurality of points in time and the RSSI value used is an average value of the RSSI values determined at the different points in time. The variation of the calculation enables "amplifying" and / or improved quality of the characteristics of the respective matrix data set. In this case, the duration within which the RSSI values are determined at different times can also be varied.In at least one configuration according to the first and second aspect, a part of the battery modules has a paint system which brings about a changed reflection of the signals, and / or absorption material is arranged in the battery at predetermined positions. This enables "amplifying" and / or improved quality of the characteristics of the respective matrix data set.In at least one configuration according to the first and second aspect, at least one second matrix data set is provided, which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between the selected slave BMS unit and an auxiliary master BMS unit for a third plurality of frequencies or a third plurality of predefined frequency channels of a predefined third frequency band. The installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery is additionally determined as a function of the second matrix data record and a second set of provided, second reference matrix data records. The second set of provided second reference matrix data sets has a second reference matrix data set for at least some of the slave BMS units, and the respective second reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between the respective slave BMS unit and the auxiliary master BMS unit of the reference battery for a fourth plurality of frequencies or a fourth plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined fourth frequency band.Preferably, the predefined third frequency band and the predefined fourth frequency band coincide at least in sections. In an advantageous embodiment, the frequencies or the frequency channels for the signal transmission quality parameter values of the second matrix data set and of the second reference matrix data sets are determined to be the same or at least largely the same.In order to increase the reliability of the determination of the installation position, in at least one embodiment the frequencies or the frequency channels for which signal transmission quality parameter values of the first matrix data set, of the second matrix data set and of the first reference matrix data sets and of the second reference matrix data sets are determined are the same.This makes it possible to ascertain a plurality of matrix data sets and thus to increase the reliability of the position determination.The second matrix data set is determined, for example, by the respective auxiliary master BMS unit and sent to the master BMS unit or to the higher-level computing unit.In at least one embodiment according to the first and second aspects, the trained neural network is additionally supplied with the at least one second matrix data record. The trained neural network has additionally passed through the learning process with the second reference matrix datasets as input, so that it is configured to additionally evaluate, on the basis of a second matrix dataset which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between one of the slave BMS unit and the auxiliary master BMS unit for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band and which installation position is characteristic of the one slave BMS unit, at which installation position the one slave BMS unit is arranged.In at least one configuration according to the first and second aspects, one or at least a part of the slave BMS units are configured to function as an auxiliary master BMS unit.According to a third aspect, the object is achieved by a battery comprising a master battery management system unit according to the second aspect and a plurality of battery modules, wherein the battery modules are connected in series and / or in parallel. In this case, the battery modules each comprise a plurality of battery cells which are connected in series and / or in parallel. The battery modules are arranged in the battery at predetermined installation positions. The battery modules each have a slave BMS unit with a radio transceiver. The respective slave BMS unit is arranged on the respective battery module or on a portion of a mounting frame of the battery which adjoins the respective battery module.Advantageous embodiments of the first and second aspect also apply here to the third aspect.According to a fourth aspect, the object is achieved by a computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a processor of a battery management unit, cause the battery management unit to execute the method according to the first aspect.For the purposes of this document, the denomination of such a computer program is synonymous with the term a program element or a computer program product which contains instructions for controlling a computer system in order to coordinate the operation of a system or a method in a suitable manner in order to achieve the effects associated with the method according to the invention. The computer program may be implemented as computer readable instruction code in any suitable programming language such as JAVA, C++, etc. The instruction code may program a computer or other programmable devices to perform the desired functions.According to a fifth aspect, the object is achieved by a computer-readable storage medium on which the computer program according to the fourth aspect is stored.The computer program can be stored on a computer-readable storage medium (CD-ROM, DVD, Blu-ray Disk, removable drive) or in a volatile or non-volatile memory, a built-in memory / processor, a random access memory (RAM for short), a read-only memory (ROM for short), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM for short), etc. The computer readable storage medium is configured to store associated program instructions and associated data.Further, the computer program may be provided on a network such as the Internet from which it may be downloaded by a user as required.According to a sixth aspect, the object is achieved by an apparatus comprising a radio transceiver and a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is configured to store data and program commands called by the processor and the processor is configured to execute, together with the radio transceiver, the steps of the method according to the first aspect.Advantageous embodiments according to the first aspect also apply here to the fourth to sixth aspects.The processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), the processor may further be another general purpose processor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or another programmable logic device. The general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor or the like.The memory includes a computer readable storage medium described above.Further advantageous embodiments are disclosed in the appended claims and in the following description of exemplary embodiments with reference to the appended figures.The description of the subject matter provided herein is not limited to the particular specific embodiments. Features of different exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another-insofar as technically expedient-in order to form further exemplary embodiments. For example, variations or modifications described with respect to one of the embodiments may also be applicable to other embodiments unless otherwise stated.The following are shown: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery with a wireless battery management system, FIG. 2 shows an exemplary mechanical structure of a battery with battery housing, and FIG. 3 shows exemplary magnitude frequency responses of slave BMS units, and FIG. 4 shows an exemplary flow chart for a program for determining a installation position of a battery module in a battery.In the figures, like reference numerals are used for elements having substantially the same function, but these elements need not be identical in all details.FIG. 1 shows an exemplary schematic diagram of a battery 1 comprising a wireless battery management system (BMS) and a battery unit 5, referred to as a battery pack in English. The battery 1 may comprise one or more such battery units 5.The battery 1 shown in FIG. 1 has, by way of example, a battery unit 5. The battery 1 can be used for a plurality of electrically operated devices, such as an electrically driven vehicle in particular. The battery unit 5 includes a plurality of battery modules 20 connected in series and / or in parallel. Each battery module 20 may include a plurality of battery cells electrically connected in series and / or in parallel.The wireless BMS includes a master BMS unit 10 and a plurality of slave BMS units 30. the master BMS unit 10 is configured, for example, to assign different identification information to the plurality of slave BMS units 30 by cooperation with a higher-order arithmetic unit 40. The wireless BMS may include the higher-order computing unit 40 or the higher-order computing unit 40 may be associated with the wireless BMS.The master BMS unit 10 may include a memory, an antenna, a communication unit, and a control unit.The memory of the master BMS unit 10 is designed, in particular, to permanently or temporarily store at least some of the data transmitted by the higher-level computing unit 40, for example via a wired communication mode, or the data wirelessly transmitted by the respective slave BMS units 30.The memory may be physically separate from the control unit of the master BMS unit 10 or may be integrated on a chip with the control unit master BMS unit 10.The antenna of the master BMS unit 10 and the communication unit of the master BMS unit 10 are operatively connected to each other. The communication unit comprises a radio transceiver.The communication unit of the master BMS unit 10 includes a circuit for demodulating a wireless signal received from the antenna of the master BMS unit 10. The communication unit of the master BMS unit 10 is configured to modulate a signal to be transmitted to one or the slave BMS unit 30, and wirelessly transmit the modulated signal via the antenna of the master BMS unit 10.The control unit of the master BMS unit 10 comprises at least one processor and is connected to the memory and the communication unit of the master BMS unit 10. The control unit of the master BMS unit 10 is configured to control the overall operation of the master BMS unit 10. Furthermore, the control unit of the master BMS unit 10 is configured, for example, to determine a state of charge (SOC) and / or a state of health (SOH) of each of the battery modules 20 on the basis of the detection information received from the slave BMS units 30. In addition, the control unit of the master BMS unit 10 may be configured to provide information for controlling charging, discharging, and / or balancing of each of the battery modules 20 based on the calculated SOC and / or SOH, and cause the wireless transmission to at least one of the plurality of slave BMS modules 30 via the antenna and the communication unit of the master BMS unit 10.Each processor included in the control unit of the master BMS unit 10 may optionally include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), chipsets, logic circuitry, a register, a communication modem, and a computing device known in the art for executing various control logic.In the case of the battery 1 shown in FIG. 1, for reasons of simplification, the battery unit 5 comprises, by way of example, four battery modules 20 and the wireless BMS comprises four slave BMS units 30. The number of slave BMS units 30 preferably corresponds to the number of battery modules 20 in the battery unit 5. For example, the first slave BMS module 30_ 1 is electrically coupled to the first battery module 20_ 1, the second slave BMS module 30_ 2 is electrically coupled to the second battery module 20_ 2, the third slave BMS module 30_ 3 is electrically coupled to the third battery module 20_ 3, and the fourth slave BMS module 30_ 4 is electrically coupled to the fourth battery module 20_ 4.Each slave BMS unit 30 is configured to detect or monitor a plurality of operation quantities, e.g., a voltage, a current, and a temperature of the battery module 20 to which the slave BMS unit 30 is electrically connected, and to perform a plurality of control functions (e.g., charging, discharging, balancing) for adjusting the operation quantities of the battery module 20. For example, each control function may be performed directly by each slave BMS unit 30 based on the detected operation amounts of the battery module 20 or according to a command of the master BMS unit 10.Each slave BMS unit 30 includes a control unit, a memory, a communication unit, and an antenna. The memory may be physically separate from the control unit or may be integrated together with the control unit on a chip.The communication unit comprises a radio transceiver and is configured to transmit data to or receive data from the master BMS unit 10 via the radio transceiver and the antenna. Optionally, the communication unit is designed to transmit data to further slave BMS units 30 via the radio transceiver and the antenna and to receive data from these.The communication unit of the respective slave BMS unit 30 comprises a circuit for demodulating a radio signal received from the antenna of the respective slave BMS unit 30. In addition, the communication unit of the respective slave BMS unit 30 may modulate a signal to be transmitted to the master BMS unit 10 via the antenna of the respective slave BMS unit 30, and relay it to the antenna of the slave BMS unit 30 for transmission.The control unit of the respective slave BMS unit 30 comprises at least one processor and is operatively connected to the memory and the communication unit of the slave BMS unit 30. The control unit of each slave BMS unit 30 is configured to manage the overall operation of the slave BMS unit 30 including the control unit of the slave BMS unit 30.The control unit of each slave BMS unit 30 may include a detection unit configured to detect the state of the battery module 20. For example, the detection unit may include at least a voltage measurement circuit for detecting the voltage of the battery module 20, a current measurement circuit for detecting the current of the battery module 20, and a temperature detection circuit for detecting the temperature of the battery module 20.The control unit of each slave BMS unit 30 supplies the communication unit of the slave BMS unit 30 with detection information indicating the state of the battery module 20 detected by the detection unit. Accordingly, the communication unit of each slave BMS unit 30 can transmit a wireless signal representing the detection information to the master BMS unit 10 using the antenna of the slave BMS unit 30.The radio technology of the BMS can advantageously be used, in addition to the exchange of data and control information, for ascertaining an installation position, in particular a physical installation position, of the respective battery modules 20.For this purpose, the master BMS unit 10 is designed to establish a wireless connection, preferably a unicast connection, with a selected slave BMS unit 30_m by means of its transmission unit of its radio transceiver. In FIG. 1, the third slave BMS unit 30_ 3 is exemplarily characterized as the selected slave BMS unit 30_m, i.e., the installation position of the third battery module 20_ 3 is to be determined in this example. Similarly, the installation position of each other battery module 20 may be determined.The master BMS unit 10 is configured to determine a first matrix data set which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the master BMS unit 10 for a plurality of carrier frequency channels of a predefined frequency band of the radio technology used. The master BMS unit 10 is designed, for example, to determine an RSSI value (RSSI, Received Signal Strength Indicator) for each of the carrier frequency channels and to store the respective RSSI assigned to the carrier frequency channel for which the RSSI value was determined.For example, when determining the RSSI values, the signal level of the transmission signal can be varied and a plurality of RSSI values for a carrier frequency channel can be determined.Instead of the RSSI values, other signal quality parameters can also be used, for example a signal-to-noise ratio can be used.Furthermore, the master BMS unit 10 is designed to determine an installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 as a function of the first matrix data record and a first set of provided first reference matrix data records. In this case, the first set of provided reference matrix data sets for at least some of the slave BMS units 30 each has a first reference matrix data set and the respective first reference matrix data set comprises, analogously to the first matrix data set for the plurality of frequencies or the plurality of predetermined frequency channels of the predetermined frequency band, one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit 30 and a master BMS unit 10 of a reference battery. The first reference matrix data sets are determined, for example, in a concept phase. In this case, the first reference matrix data sets are preferably determined for the same frequencies or frequency channels as the first matrix data set later.In order to increase the reliability of the determination of the installation position, for example, one or at least a part of the slave BMS units 30 is configured to function as an auxiliary master BMS unit. The auxiliary master BMS units are in particular designed to ascertain a second matrix data record and to transmit it to the master BMS unit 10. The second matrix data set comprises, for the predetermined carrier frequency channels, one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the auxiliary master BMS unit.The master BMS unit 10 is thus further configured to determine the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 additionally as a function of the second matrix data record and a second set of provided second reference matrix data records. In this case, the second set of provided second reference matrix data sets for at least some of the slave BMS units 30 respectively has a second reference matrix data set and the respective second reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between the respective slave BMS unit 30 and the auxiliary master BMS unit of the reference battery for the plurality of frequencies or the plurality of predetermined frequency channels of the predetermined frequency band.For determining the installation position, the master BMS unit 10 comprises, for example, a trained neural network. The trained neural network has undergone a learning process in which the first reference matrix datasets and optionally the second reference matrix datasets of the respective auxiliary master BMS units have been supplied to the neural network as input. The neural network is thus designed to assess, on the basis of a matrix data record which comprises, for example, for the plurality of predefined carrier frequency channels of the predefined frequency band one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between one of the slave BMS unit 30 and the master BMS unit 10 and / or for a wireless signal transmission between the one slave BMS unit 30 and one of the auxiliary master BMS units and which is characteristic of an installation position of the one slave BMS unit 30, to which installation position the one slave BMS unit 30 is arranged.The battery 1 can have a plurality of auxiliary master BMS units, with reference to which a second matrix data record and a set of reference matrix data records are respectively determined. Thus, the plurality of second matrix datasets may be supplied to the neural network for ascertaining the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m, and the neural network may be / have been trained with a plurality of second sets of second reference matrix datasets.The respective second matrix data set is determined, for example, by the respective auxiliary master BMS unit and sent to the master BMS unit 10 or directly or indirectly via, for example, the master BMS unit 10 to the higher-level computing unit 40.Alternatively, it is possible for the master BMS unit 10 to be designed to determine a similarity measure and / or a distance measure for the first matrix data set and / or second matrix data set in each case with respect to the respective first reference matrix data set or the respective second reference matrix data set and to decide on the basis of the determined similarity measures or the distance measures which installation position is to be assigned to the first matrix data set or the second matrix data set.A further alternative possibility is that the master BMS unit 10 is configured to determine the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 with the aid of a pattern correlation algorithm.In an alternative embodiment, the master BMS unit 10 is configured to transmit the first matrix data set and optionally the at least one second matrix data set in conjunction with an instruction to a superordinate processing unit 40, as a result of which the superordinate processing unit 40 is caused to determine the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1. The installation position can be determined in the higher-order computing unit 40 analogously to the above-described determination of the installation position by the master BMS unit 10.In order to reinforce a characteristic of the first matrix data set and / or of the at least one second matrix data set, some of the battery modules 20 may have a paint system and / or absorption material may be arranged in the battery 1, such that the reflection properties change.In order to solve problems of left / right symmetry, an asymmetric mounting position of the master BMS unit 10 and / or the auxiliary or dual master concept may be used.FIG. 2 shows a mechanical construction of a battery 1 with its battery housing. The battery 1 is, for example, a high-voltage battery for an electrically driven vehicle. The battery 1 includes a battery case having an installation frame 50, a battery case lid 60, and a battery case bottom 70. Further, the battery 1 includes the battery modules 20 accommodated by the installation frame 50. The battery housing base 70 connected to the installation frame 50 receives the battery modules 20 completely in this example. The battery case is closed with the battery case lid 60. In FIG. 2, eight battery modules 20 accommodated by the installation frame 50 are shown by way of example.The slave BMS units 30 (not shown in FIG. 2 ) of the battery modules 20 are preferably arranged on the respective battery modules 20. These battery modules 20 are preferably of identical design. The master BMS unit 10 is preferably also arranged in the battery housing. The battery housing comprises a metal or consists of a metal.In such a symmetrical arrangement, different battery modules 20 may have equal distances from the master BMS unit 10, depending on the position of the master BMS unit 10. In order to avoid problems of left / right symmetry, an asymmetric mounting position of the master BMS unit 10 and / or the auxiliary or dual master concept can be used.FIG. 3 shows four exemplary magnitude frequency responses H 1( f) to H 8( f) of eight slave BMS units 30 at selected installation positions with respect to the master BMS unit 10. The magnitude frequency responses are thus characteristic of the respective installation position.FIG. 4 shows an exemplary flow chart for a program for determining a installation position of a battery module 20 in a battery 1, in which only the connection between a selected slave BMS unit 30_m and a master BMS unit 10 is taken into account.The program can be executed by a processor, in particular a microprocessor or microcontroller of the master BMS unit 10. For this purpose, the processor has, for example, a program memory in which the program is stored. Alternatively, the memory may be associated with the processor.The program is started in a step S01. The program start takes place, for example, on the basis of an automatic or manual program call, for example, during manufacture after assembly of the battery 1, in order, for example, to assign a specific address, for example, MAC address or another identifier, of the respective battery module 20 to an installation position.In a step S 03, a connection establishment with a selected slave BMS unit 30_ mis initiated, so that a wireless connection is established with the selected slave BMS unit 30_ m.In a step S 05, a first matrix data set is determined. The first matrix data set comprises, for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band, in each case one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the master BMS unit 10.In a step S 07, the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 is determined as a function of the first matrix data record and a first set of provided first reference matrix data records. The first set of provided reference matrix data sets comprises a first reference matrix data set for at least a part of the slave BMS units 30, respectively, and the respective first reference matrix data set has, for example, analogously to the first matrix data set, one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit 30 and a master BMS unit 10 of a reference battery for the plurality of frequencies or the plurality of predetermined frequency channels of the predetermined frequency band.The signal transmission quality parameter values of the first matrix data set and of the first reference matrix data sets each comprise, for example, a reception field strength indicator value, RSSI value.The installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m is ascertained as a function of the first matrix data record and the first set of provided first reference matrix data records, for example, by the first matrix data record being fed to a trained neural network, wherein the trained neural network has undergone a learning process in which the first reference matrix data records have been fed to the neural network as input.In a step S 09, the program is ended. The program may be repeatedly executed for a determination of a mounting position of another selected slave BMS unit 30_m.The use of a neural network for determining the installation position has the advantage that the first set of first reference data sets does not have to be stored in the master BMS unit 10. This is particularly advantageous if additionally second matrix data sets for one or more auxiliary master BMS units are also used for ascertaining the installation position.It is to be understood that embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to various inventive subjects. In particular, some embodiments of the invention are described with method claims and other embodiments of the invention are described with apparatus claims. However, it will be immediately apparent to the person skilled in the art upon reading this application that, unless explicitly stated otherwise, in addition to a combination of features belonging to one type of subject matter of the invention, any combination of features belonging to different types of subject matter of the invention is also possible.List of reference characters1 Battery 5 Battery unit 10 Master BMS unit 20 Battery module 30 Slave BMS unit 40 Higher-level computing unit 50 Installation frame 60 Housing cover 70 Housing base S 01... S 09 Program Steps

Claims

Method for determining an installation position of a battery module (20) in a battery (1), wherein - the battery (1) has a plurality of battery modules (20) which are connected in series and / or in parallel, and a battery management system, BMS, wherein the BMS comprises a master BMS unit (10) and, for each battery module (20), a slave BMS unit (30), - the master BMS unit (10) and the slave BMS units (30) each have a radio transceiver, - the battery modules (20) each have a plurality of battery cells which are connected in series and / or in parallel, - the battery modules (20) are each arranged in the battery (1) at predefined installation positions, the slave BMS units (30) are each arranged on one of the battery modules (20) or on a section of a mounting frame (50) of the battery (1) adjoining the respective battery module (20), and the method comprises the following steps, - determining a first matrix data set which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for wireless signal transmission between a selected slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10) for a first plurality of frequencies or for a first plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined first frequency band, - determining a mounting position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) as a function of the first matrix data set and a first set of provided first reference matrix data sets, wherein the first set of provided reference matrix data sets for at least a part of the slave BMS units (30) each has a first reference matrix data set and the respective first reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit (30) and a master BMS unit (10) of a reference battery for a second plurality of frequencies or a second plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined second frequency band, or - sending the first matrix data set in conjunction with an instruction to a higher-level computing unit (40), whereby it is effected, the higher-level computing unit (40) determines the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) as a function of the first matrix data set and a first set of provided first reference matrix data sets, wherein the first set of provided reference matrix data sets each has a first reference matrix data set for at least a part of the slave BMS units (30), and the respective first reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between a respective slave BMS unit (30) and a master BMS unit (10) of a reference battery for a second plurality of frequencies or a second plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined second frequency band.Method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) as a function of the first matrix data set and the first set of provided first reference matrix data sets comprises a respective determination of a similarity measure and / or a distance measure for the first matrix data set with respect to the respective first reference matrix data set.Method according to claim 1, wherein the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) is determined with the aid of a pattern correlation algorithm.Method according to claim 1, wherein the determination of the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) is effected depending on the first matrix data set and the first set of provided first reference matrix data sets, in that the first matrix data set is supplied to a trained neural network, wherein the trained neural network has undergone a learning process in which the first reference matrix data sets were supplied to the neural network as input, in order to determine on the basis of a matrix data set, the signal transmission quality parameter value for a wireless signal transmission between one of the slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10) for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band and is characteristic of an installation position of the one slave BMS unit (30) to evaluate to which installation position the one slave BMS unit (30) is arranged.The method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the signal transmission quality parameter values determined for a respective frequency or frequency channel differ by calculating them for signals transmitted at different transmission powers.Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the signal transmission quality parameter value or values determined for a respective frequency channel each comprise a received field strength indicator value, RSSI value.Method according to Claim 6, wherein the RSSI values determined for a respective frequency channel differ in that, when calculating the RSSI values, the RSSI values for the respective frequency channel are respectively determined for a plurality of points in time and the RSSI value used is an average value of the RSSI values determined at the different points in time.Method according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a part of the battery modules (20) has a paint system which causes a changed reflection of the signals, and / or absorption material is arranged in the battery (1) at predetermined positions.Method according to one of the preceding claims, in which - a second matrix data set is provided, which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between the selected slave BMS unit 30) and an auxiliary master BMS unit for a third plurality of frequencies or a third plurality of predefined frequency channels of a predefined third frequency band, and - the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) is additionally determined as a function of the second matrix data set and a second set of provided second reference matrix data sets, wherein the second set of provided second reference matrix data sets for at least a part of the slave BMS units (30) each has a second reference matrix data set and the respective second reference matrix data set comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between the respective slave BMS unit (30) and the auxiliary master BMS unit of the reference battery for a fourth plurality of frequencies or a fourth plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined fourth frequency band.Method according to claim 9, wherein the second matrix data set is additionally supplied to the trained neural network, wherein the trained neural network has additionally undergone the learning process with the second reference matrix data sets as input in order to additionally evaluate, on the basis of a matrix data set which comprises one or more signal transmission quality parameter values for a wireless signal transmission between one of the slave BMS unit (30) and the auxiliary master BMS unit (30) for a plurality of frequencies or a plurality of predetermined frequency channels of a predetermined frequency band and which is characteristic of an installation position of the one slave BMS unit (30), to which installation position the one slave BMS unit (30) is arranged.Method according to one of claims 9 or 10, wherein one or at least a part of the slave BMS units (30) are configured to function as an auxiliary master BMS unit.Master battery management system unit, master BMS unit (10), for determining a installation position of a battery module (20) in a battery (1), wherein - the battery (1) comprises a plurality of battery modules (20) which are connected in series and / or in parallel, - the battery modules (20) each have a plurality of battery cells which are connected in series and / or in parallel, and - the battery modules (20) are each arranged in the battery (1) at predetermined installation positions, - each battery module (20) is assigned a slave BMS unit (30) of a battery management system of the battery (1) which is arranged on the respective battery module (20) or on a section of an installation frame of the battery (1) which adjoins the respective battery module (20), the respective slave BMS unit (30) has a radio transceiver, and the master BMS unit (10) comprises a radio transceiver and is designed to carry out the method according to one of Claims 1 to 11.A battery (1) comprising - a plurality of battery modules (20) connected in series and / or in parallel, wherein the battery modules (20) each comprise a plurality of battery cells connected in series and / or in parallel, and the battery modules (20) are each arranged in the battery (1) at predetermined installation positions, - a battery management system, BMS, comprising a master BMS unit (10) according to claim 12 and, for each battery module (20), a slave BMS unit (30), wherein the respective slave BMS unit (30) is arranged on the respective battery module (20) or on a portion of an installation frame of the battery (1) adjoining the respective battery module (20) and comprises a radio transceiver.A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a microprocessor or microcontroller of a battery management unit, cause the battery management unit to carry out the method of any one of claims 1 to 11.A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program of claim 14.

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