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

Abstract

Method for determining the installation position of a battery module (20) in a battery (1), wherein: - the battery (1) comprises a plurality of battery modules (20) connected in series and / or parallel, and a battery management system (BMS) comprising 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 battery modules (20) each comprise a plurality of battery cells connected in series and / or parallel; - the battery modules (20) are each arranged at predetermined installation positions in the battery; - the slave BMS units (30) are each arranged on one of the battery modules or on a section of a mounting frame (50) of the battery (1) adjacent to the respective battery module (20); - at least a portion of the slave BMS units are each configured as Auxiliary master BMS unit function,so that the BMS has a plurality of auxiliary master BMS units, and the method comprises the following steps: - Establishing a wireless connection between a selected slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10), - Determining an indicator of received signal strength for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10), - Determining, by means of a position detection module of the master BMS unit (10), an installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) depending on the indicator of received signal strength, or transmitting, by means of the master BMS unit (10), signal strength indicator information to a higher-level computing unit (40), wherein the signal strength indicator information includes the indicator of received signal strength and causes,that a position determination module of the higher-level computing unit (40) determines the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) depending on the indicator for the received signal strength,- providing, for the position determination module of the master BMS unit (10) or for the position determination module of the higher-level computing unit (40), at least one further indicator for a received signal strength for a respective wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit and the respective auxiliary master BMS units,- providing a reference position vector for each of the installation positions of the battery modules (20), wherein the reference position vector of the respective installation position contains a pre-determined indicator for a received signal strength for the wireless connection between the slave BMS unit located at the installation position,and the master BMS unit (10) and, at least for some of the auxiliary master BMS units of the battery, each includes a further indicator for the received signal strength for a wireless connection between the slave BMS unit located at the installation position and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit, and- determining the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) additionally depending on the reference position vectors and the further indicators provided for the wireless connections of the selected slave BMS unit.

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. The method may include: receiving a first signal associated with a battery cell in the first state; obtaining the unique ID associated with the battery cell in the first state; determining the location of the battery cell in the first state within the battery system based on the received first signal associated with the battery cell in the first state; and associating the determined location with the received unique ID of the battery cell in the first state.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 received signal strength indicator for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit depending on received signals from the slave BMS unit. For example, the indicator may comprise or be an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator).A position determination module of the master BMS unit determines a mounting position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery depending on the received signal strength indicator. Alternatively, the master BMS unit sends signal strength indicator information to a higher-order computing unit, wherein the signal strength indicator information comprises the indicator for the received signal strength and causes a position determination module of the higher-order computing unit to determine the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit in the battery depending on the indicator for the received signal strength.The BMS can additionally have the higher-order arithmetic logic unit. Alternatively, the higher-level computing unit can be assigned to the BMS.The position determination module can be a software module which is executed by a processor of the master BMS unit or of the higher-level computing unit.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.At least a part of the slave BMS units is configured to function as an auxiliary master BMS unit. The respective auxiliary master BMS unit is thus designed to carry out the functions of a slave BMS unit and at least some of the functions of a master BMS unit. This makes it possible to carry out a multiplicity of signal strength measurements and thus to increase the reliability of the position determination.For the position determination module of the master BMS unit or for the position determination of the higher-level computing unit, at least one further indicator for a received signal strength is provided for a respective wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit. Preferably, such further indicators are provided for at least a part of the plurality of auxiliary master BMS units of the battery module and the position determination module determines the installation position as a function of these further indicators. This has the advantage that the installation position can be determined with higher reliability. In the case of battery concepts designed in a very symmetrical manner, the problem of the left / right symmetry of the distance data arises. Possible countermeasures here are an asymmetric installation position of the master BMS unit with respect to the slave BMS units and / or the auxiliary or dual master concept.For each installation position in which one of the battery modules is or is installed, a reference position vector is provided. The reference position vector of the respective installation position comprises an indicator for a received signal strength for the wireless connection between the slave BMS unit which is located at the installation position and the master BMS unit and, for at least some of the auxiliary master BMS units of the battery, in each case a further indicator for the received signal strength for a wireless connection between the slave BMS unit which is located at the installation position and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit.The installation position of the selected slave BMS unit is additionally determined depending on the reference position vectors and the further indicators provided for the wireless connections of the selected slave BMS unit.For the calculation, the master BMS units can in particular comprise microcontrollers or microprocessors which additionally have vector processing modules. These vector processing modules are designed to perform complex calculations, such as fast Fourier transformations or optimizations, etc.The position vector of the respective installation position is characteristic of the installation position.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 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 received signal strength indicator for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the master BMS unit 10.Furthermore, the master BMS unit 10 is designed to determine, by means of a position determination module, an installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 as a function of the indicator for the received signal strength. Alternatively, the master BMS unit 10 is configured to transmit signal strength indicator information to a higher-order computing unit 40, wherein the signal strength indicator information comprises the indicator for the received signal strength and causes a position determination module of the higher-order computing unit 40 to determine the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 depending on the indicator for the received signal strength.The received signal strength indicator is, for example, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). The indicator for the received signal strength is, for example, in each case characteristic of a distance between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the master BMS unit 10.Preferably, one or at least a part of the slave BMS units of the battery 1 is configured to function as an auxiliary master BMS unitThis allows the position determination module to provide at least one other received signal strength indicator for a wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit 30 and an auxiliary master BMS unit. The position determination module is then designed to determine the installation position additionally as a function of the at least one further indicator.The at least one further indicator for the received signal strength is, for example, in each case an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator). The respective further indicator for the received signal strength is characteristic, for example, of a distance between the selected slave BMS units 30 and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit 10.It is advantageous if a reference position vector is provided for each installation position at which a battery module 20 is mountable and the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m is additionally determined as a function of the reference position vectors, wherein the reference position vector of the respective installation position comprises an indicator for a received signal strength for the wireless connection between the slave BMS unit 30 which is located at the installation position and the master BMS unit 10 and, at least for a part of the auxiliary master BMS units of the battery 1, in each case a further indicator for the received signal strength for a wireless connection between the slave BMS unit 30 which is located at the installation position and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit.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 depending on the position of the master BMS unit 10. In order to avoid problems of the left / right symmetry of the distances measured by means of the indicators "measured distances", an asymmetric installation position of the master BMS unit 10 and / or the auxiliary or dual master concept can be used.FIG. 3 shows an exemplary flow chart for a program for ascertaining an installation position of a battery module 20 in a battery 1.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, the received signal strength indicator for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit and the master BMS unit 10 is determined.In a step S 07, for example, a subroutine for determining the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit 30_m in the battery 1 is called.In a step S 09, the received signal strength indicator is provided for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and the master BMS unit 10 for the subroutine. Optionally, at least one further indicator for the received signal strength is provided for the wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit 30_m and one of the auxiliary master BMS units, and the subroutine determines the installation position of the selected battery module 20 depending on the indicator and the at least one further indicator.To enable this, the slave BMS units 20 of the battery are configured, for example, to function as auxiliary master BMS units. They are therefore designed, analogously to the master BMS unit 10, to determine by means of a signal strength measurement in each case the further indicator for the signal strength which is characteristic of a distance between the auxiliary BMS unit and the respective other slave BMS unit 30.For example, if the battery has n battery modules, the further indicator with respect to the selected slave BMS unit 30_m can be provided by n-1 further slave BMS units 30, respectively.In particular, it can be provided in step S 09 that for each installation position Pos_i with i=1 to n, a reference position vector {(M-Si), (Sj-Si)} with i≠j determined in advance, for example during a concept configuration, is provided.For the reference position vectors, for a battery with eight battery modules 20, if all slave BMS units 30 are included, the following applies:Pos_1=(M-S1; S2-S1; S3-S1; S4-S1; S5-S1; S6-S1, S7-S1, S8-S1)Pos_2=(M-S2; S1-S2; S3-S2; S4-S2; S5-S2; S6-S2, S7-S2, S8-S2)Pos_8 = (M-S8; S1-S8; S2-S8; S3-S8; S4-S8; S5-S8; S6-S8, S7-S8) where M-Si is the indicator of the signal strength for the connection between the master BMS unit 10 and the slave BMS unit 30_i of the battery module 20_i located at the installation position position i, and Sj-Si is the further indicator of the signal strength for the connection between the slave BMS unit 30_j of the battery module 20_j located at the position j and the slave BMS unit 30_i of the battery module 20_i located at position i.For the battery module 20_m with the index m whose installation position is to be determined, the indicator and seven further indicators can thus be provided, for example.For the battery module 20_m with the index m, a position vector for the unknown position is thus obtainedPos_m=(M-Sm; Sa-Sm; Sb-Sm; Sc-Sm; Sd-Sm; Se-Sm, Sf-Sm, Sg-Sm)The slave positions a to g are potentially still indeterminate at the time of position vector determination. Therefore, all possible permutations must be taken into account. By comparison, for example by means of an LMS algorithm (least mean squares algorithm) of 8! Permutations of the position vector Pos_m with the reference position vectors Pos_ 1 to Pos_ 8 can be assigned the physical installation position of the battery module 20_m with the index m to one of the 8 reference positions. As the number of slave nodes increases, the computational effort becomes correspondingly more complicated.For example, if the battery pack shown in FIG. 2 is divided into two battery packs each having one BMS for four battery modules 20, the calculation amount per BMS is significantly reduced. In this case, only 4!=24 permutations have to be taken into account.The determined installation position is forwarded, for example, to the central processing unit 40 and / or stored in the memory of the master BMS unit 10. In a step S11, the program is ended.Alternatively, it is possible for the program to be executed distributed between the master BMS unit 10 and the higher-level computing unit 40. For example, steps S 07 to S 11 may be executed by superordinate processing unit 40.The master BMS unit 10 is configured to send the signal strength indicator information to the higher-level computing unit 40, for example. Furthermore, the auxiliary master BMS units are each designed, for example, to transmit the respectively determined further indicator to the master BMS unit 10 or to transmit it via the master BMS unit 10 to the higher-level computing unit 40.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 Central processing unit 50 Installation frame 60 Housing cover 70 Housing base S 01... S11 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, which 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 arranged in the battery in each case at predefined installation positions, the slave BMS units (30) are each arranged on one of the battery modules or on a section of a mounting frame (50) of the battery (1) adjoining the respective battery module (20), at least some of the slave BMS units each function as an auxiliary master BMS unit, such that the BMS has a plurality of auxiliary master BMS units, and the method comprises the following steps, establishing a wireless connection between a selected slave BMS unit (30_m) and the master BMS unit (10), determining, by a position determination module of the master BMS unit (10), a installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) depending on the received signal strength indicator or transmitting, by the master BMS unit (10), signal strength indicator information to a higher-level computing unit (40), wherein the signal strength indicator information comprises and causes the received signal strength indicator, a position determination module of the higher-level arithmetic unit (40) determines the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) in the battery (1) as a function of the indicator for the received signal strength, - providing, for the position determination module of the master BMS unit (10) or for the position determination module of the higher-level arithmetic unit (40), at least one further indicator for a received signal strength for a respective wireless connection between the selected slave BMS unit and the respective auxiliary master BMS units, - providing a reference position vector for each of the installation positions of the battery modules (20), wherein the reference position vector of the respective installation position provides a previously determined indicator for a received signal strength for the wireless connection between the slave BMS unit, which is located at the installation position and the master BMS unit (10) and at least some of the auxiliary master BMS units of the battery each comprise a further indicator for the received signal strength for a wireless connection between the slave BMS unit which is located at the installation position and the respective auxiliary master BMS unit, and - determining the installation position of the selected slave BMS unit (30_m) additionally as a function of the reference position vectors and the further indicators provided for the wireless connections of the selected slave BMS unit.Master battery management system unit, master BMS unit, (10) for determining a installation position of a battery module (20) in a battery, 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 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 steps according to claim 1.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 2 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 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 claim 1.A computer readable storage medium having stored thereon the computer program of claim 4.

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