Smart battery detection device and method

Abstract

To provide a method for immediately determining whether there is a welding error in a battery pack.SOLUTION: In a smart battery detection device, a battery pack comprises a microcontroller and at least one battery cell. The microcontroller includes: the battery pack that acquires an initial direct current internal resistance (DCIR) value corresponding to the battery pack in a charging mode, and detects a DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each relative state of charge (RSOC) check point; and a processor that is coupled to the battery pack and obtains the DCIR value. At least one of the microcontroller and the processor determines whether there are any errors in the battery pack.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 113119245, filed May 24, 2024, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a smart battery detection technique, and more particularly to a smart battery detection technique for detecting the presence or absence of welding errors. [Background technology]

[0003] Modern electronic products such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops are powered by batteries, which may include a battery pack made up of multiple battery cells.

[0004] Spot welding is a welding method typically used to connect battery cells to a battery pack. Battery cells are connected to each other by spot welding, which reduces resistance and ensures reliable electrical connections. However, in some situations, welding errors may not be detected in a battery pack when the battery is shipped from the factory (i.e., the battery cells in the battery pack are normal when the battery is shipped from the factory), but such welding errors may occur after the battery has been used for a long period of time. Therefore, in such situations, welding errors may not be easily detected. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Therefore, how to instantly determine whether a battery pack has a welding error is a topic worth discussing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A smart battery detection apparatus and method is provided that overcomes the above problems.

[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a smart battery detection device. The smart battery detection device may include a battery pack and a processor. The battery pack may include a microcontroller and at least one battery cell. In a charging mode, the microcontroller may obtain an initial direct current internal resistance (DCIR) value corresponding to the battery pack and detect a DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each relative state of charge (RSOC) checkpoint. The processor is connected to the battery pack and may obtain the DCIR value. At least one of the microcontroller and the processor may determine whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack.

[0008] In some embodiments of the present invention, after a predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles, the initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack may be increased by a predetermined rate.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, when a processor or microcontroller determines whether a battery pack is abnormal, the processor or microcontroller determines whether the DCIR value is higher than a first tolerance value and determines whether the DCIR value is lower than a second tolerance value, where the first tolerance value can be the initial DCIR value plus a predetermined value, and the second tolerance value can be the initial DCIR value minus the predetermined value.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the processor or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is not higher than the first tolerance value and determines that the DCIR value is not lower than the second tolerance value, the processor or microcontroller can determine that there is no abnormality in the battery pack.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the processor or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is higher than the first tolerance value or determines that the DCIR value is lower than the second tolerance value, the processor or microcontroller may further determine whether the battery pack has a voltage.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the processor or microcontroller determines that the battery pack has a voltage, the processor or microcontroller may further determine whether there is a battery cell imbalance in the battery pack.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, if the battery pack does not have a battery cell imbalance, the processor or microcontroller may determine that the battery pack has a weld mismatch.

[0014] One embodiment of the present invention provides a smart battery detection method. The smart battery detection method can be applied to a smart battery detection device. The smart battery detection method can include the following steps: In a charging mode, a microcontroller of a battery pack of the smart battery detection device can obtain an initial direct current internal resistance (DCIR) value corresponding to the battery pack. The microcontroller can then detect a DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each relative state of charge (RSOC) checkpoint. The processor of the smart detection device can then obtain the DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack. At least one of the microcontroller and the processor can then determine whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack.

[0015] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the following description of specific embodiments of the smart battery detection apparatus and method.

[0016] The present invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram of a smart battery detection device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a battery pack 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a smart battery detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating step S340 according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] The following description discloses the best mode of carrying out the invention. This description is intended to illustrate the general principles of the invention and is not to be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the invention is determined by reference to the appended claims.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a smart battery detection device 100 according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the smart battery detection device 100 may include an external power source 110, a charging circuit 120, a power source selection circuit 130, a main power source 140, a battery pack 150, a processor 160, a power management circuit 170, and a display device 180. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram showing only elements relevant to the present invention. However, the present invention should not be limited to what is shown in FIG. 1. The smart battery detection device 100 may also include other elements.

[0020] The external power source 110 may be an alternating current / direct current (AC / DC) power adapter or a universal serial bus (USB) charger. When the external power source 110 is electrically connected to the smart battery detection device 100, the external power source 110 may charge the battery pack 150. Specifically, when the external power source is electrically connected to the smart battery detection device 100, the power source selection circuit 130 may detect the connection of the external power source 110. Accordingly, the power source selection circuit 130 may send an instruction signal to the charging circuit 120. After the charging circuit 120 receives the instruction signal from the power source selection circuit 130, the charging circuit 120 may send an instruction signal to the battery pack 150 to charge the battery pack 150. Furthermore, when the power source selection circuit 130 detects that the external power source 110 is connected to the smart battery detection device 100, the power source selection circuit 130 may transfer power from the external power source 110 to the main power source 140. The main power supply 140 may then transmit power to the power management circuitry 170 , which may then power the processor 160 .

[0021] Also, when the external power source 110 is not connected to the smart battery detection device 100, the power source selection circuit 130 does not detect the external power source 110, and the power source selection circuit can transmit power from the battery pack 150 to the main power source 140. The main power source 140 can then transmit power to the power management circuit 170, which can then power the processor 160 via the power management circuit 170.

[0022] The display device 180 may be a monitor or a light-emitting diode (LED) device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The display device 180 can display a warning signal or warning information in response to an instruction from the processor 160 to notify the battery pack 150 that a welding error may occur.

[0023] According to one embodiment of the present invention, the smart battery detection device 100 may also include a storage device (not shown). The storage device may be a volatile memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM)) or a non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, read-only memory (ROM)), a hard disk, or a combination of the above storage devices. The storage device may be configured to store files and data related to the smart battery detection method and associated software program code required by the processor 160 when the processor 160 performs the operations and calculations for smart battery detection.

[0024] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a battery pack 200 according to one embodiment of the present invention. The battery pack 200 may be applied to the battery pack 150. As shown in FIG. 2, the battery pack 200 may include at least one battery cell 211, a protection circuit 212, a discharge switch 213, a charge switch 214, a microcontroller 215, a temperature detection circuit 216, a current detection circuit 217, and a protection chip 218. It should be noted that FIG. 2 is a simplified block diagram showing only elements relevant to the present invention. However, the present invention should not be limited to those shown in FIG. 2. The battery pack 200 may also include other elements.

[0025] The battery cell 211 can convert received electrical energy into chemical energy and store the chemical energy, or can convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy and output the electrical energy. Furthermore, the battery cell 211 can output the electrical energy to the protection circuit 212. The protection circuit 212 can control the electrical energy from the battery cell 211 to be output via the positive electrode BATT+ and to be re-introduced into the battery cell 211 via the negative electrode BATT-. Furthermore, the protection circuit 212 can control an external power source (not shown in FIG. 2 ) of the battery pack 200 to charge the battery cell 211. The discharge switch 213 can be electrically connected to the protection circuit 212 and the charge switch 214. The charge switch 214 is electrically connected to the positive electrode BATT+ and the discharge switch 213. The discharge switch 213 can be enabled or disabled according to a signal from the protection circuit 212.

[0026] The protection chip 218 is electrically connected to the battery cell 211 and can determine whether to enable a protection mechanism according to the state (e.g., charging voltage, charging current, or discharging current) of the battery cell 211. In some embodiments, the protection mechanism can include overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), overtemperature protection (OTP), undervoltage protection (UVP), undertemperature protection (UTP), reverse current protection, short circuit protection, etc.

[0027] The microcontroller 215 can receive external signals from the battery pack 200 via a communication bus (e.g., a system management bus (SMBUS), which may include SMBUS_DATA (SMD) and SMBUS_CLOCK (SMC)). In other words, the battery pack 200 can communicate with a processor (e.g., the processor 160) of a smart battery detection device including the battery pack 200. The microcontroller 215 can detect the direct current internal resistance (DCIR) and relative state of charge (RSOC) of the battery cell 211 according to the charging current, discharging current, charging voltage, and discharging voltage of the battery cell 211.

[0028] The temperature sensing circuit 216 may be configured to detect the temperature of the battery pack 200 and transmit the detected temperature information to the protection chip 218. In some embodiments, the temperature sensing circuit 216 may be a temperature sensing chip. In some embodiments, the temperature sensing circuit 216 includes a thermistor, the resistance value of which may be changed based on the temperature. In some embodiments, the microcontroller 215 may measure the cross voltage across the current sensing circuit 217 to calculate the charging current in the charging mode.

[0029] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when a battery pack (e.g., battery pack 150 and battery pack 200) of a smart battery detection device is in a charging mode, a microcontroller (e.g., microcontroller 215) of the battery pack can obtain an initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack. Battery degradation may occur when the battery is used for a long period of time. Therefore, when the microcontroller determines the initial DCIR value, the microcontroller can further consider an aging factor corresponding to the battery. Specifically, after a predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles (e.g., 100), the microcontroller can increase the initial DCIR value by a specified ratio (e.g., 10% increase) to adjust the initial DCIR value to an appropriate value. For example, after the battery has been charged / discharged 100 times, the microcontroller can increase the initial DCIR value by 10%. Therefore, after the battery has been charged / discharged 200 times, the microcontroller can increase the initial DCIR value by 10% again.

[0030] After obtaining the initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack, the microcontroller can detect the DCIR value currently corresponding to the detected battery pack at each RSOC checkpoint. For example, the microcontroller can detect the DCIR value currently corresponding to the detected battery pack at each point when the RSOC increases by 20% (e.g., when the RSOC increases by 20%, 40%, 60%, and 80%).

[0031] According to one embodiment of the present invention, when the microcontroller detects the current DCIR value of the battery pack, the microcontroller can determine whether an abnormality has occurred in the battery pack according to the current DCIR value of the battery pack. In one embodiment, the microcontroller can determine whether the current DCIR value of the battery pack is higher than a first tolerance value and determine whether the current DCIR value of the battery pack is lower than a second tolerance value. The first tolerance value can be a value obtained by adding a predetermined value to the initial DCIR value (e.g., the initial DCIR value + 3% of the initial DCIR value), and the second tolerance value can be a value obtained by subtracting the predetermined value from the initial DCIR value (e.g., the initial DCIR value - 3% of the initial DCIR value).

[0032] If the current DCIR value of the battery pack is not higher than the first tolerance value and the current DCIR value of the battery pack is not lower than the second tolerance value, the microcontroller can determine that there is no abnormality in the battery pack, and therefore the battery pack is continuously charged in the charging mode.

[0033] If the current DCIR value of the battery pack is higher than the first tolerance value, or if the current DCIR value of the battery pack is lower than the second tolerance value, the microcontroller can first determine whether the battery pack has voltage. If the microcontroller determines that the battery pack does not have voltage, the microcontroller can determine whether the battery pack is in a charging mode. If the battery pack is in a charging mode, the microcontroller can perform the above-described DCIR value manipulation and calculation again.

[0034] If the microcontroller determines that the battery pack has a voltage, the microcontroller can determine whether a battery cell imbalance has occurred. The battery cell balancing mechanism is a protection mechanism when the difference in voltage values ​​between battery cells in the battery pack is higher than a predetermined value (e.g., 0.5 volts (V)). If a battery cell imbalance has occurred, a cell imbalance (CIM) flag can be triggered (e.g., the value of the CIM flag is set to 1) to indicate that a battery cell imbalance has occurred. Therefore, if the microcontroller determines that there is no battery cell imbalance (i.e., the CIM flag is not triggered), the microcontroller can determine that the battery pack has a weld error, and the microcontroller can notify a processor (e.g., processor 160) of the smart battery detection device of the weld error information. In one embodiment, if the microcontroller determines that the battery pack has a weld error, a battery connection issue (BCI) flag can be triggered, for example, the value of the BCI flag can be set to 1.

[0035] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the processor of the smart battery detection device can also perform the operation of determining whether the battery pack has an abnormality according to the current DCIR value of the battery pack, that is, the processor obtains the DCIR value from the battery pack, and then performs the above-mentioned operation to determine whether the battery pack has an abnormality.

[0036] According to another embodiment of the present invention, both the microcontroller and the processor of the smart battery detection device can perform the above-mentioned operations to determine whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack, and then the processor can evaluate the determination results of the microcontroller and the processor.

[0037] The specified values ​​of the present invention (for example, the value of the aging coefficient, the initial DCIR value of the charge / discharge cycle, etc.) can be set or updated by machine learning or deep learning methods.

[0038] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a smart battery detection method according to an embodiment of the present invention. The smart battery detection method can be applied to the smart battery detection device 100 and the battery pack 200. As shown in FIG. 3, in step S310, when the smart battery detection device 100 is in a charging mode, the microcontroller of the battery pack of the smart battery detection device 100 can obtain an initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack.

[0039] In step S320, the microcontroller of the battery pack of the smart battery detection device 100 can detect the DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each RSOC checkpoint.

[0040] In step S330, the processor of the smart battery detection device 100 can obtain the DCIR value.

[0041] In step S340, the processor and / or microcontroller can determine whether an abnormality occurs in the battery pack according to the DCIR value.

[0042] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating step S340 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The flow of FIG. 4 can be applied to the smart battery detection device 100 and the battery pack 200. As shown in FIG. 4, in step S410, the processor and / or microcontroller can determine whether the DCIR value is higher than a first tolerance value and determine whether the DCIR value is lower than a second tolerance value. The first tolerance value is an initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack plus a predetermined value, and the second tolerance value is an initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack minus the predetermined value. According to an embodiment of the present invention, after a predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles, the initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack can be increased by a predetermined ratio.

[0043] If the processor and / or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is not higher than the first tolerance value and that the DCIR value is not lower than the second tolerance value, step S420 is executed. In step S420, the processor and / or microcontroller may determine that there is no abnormality in the battery pack.

[0044] If the processor and / or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is higher than the first tolerance value or the DCIR value is lower than the second tolerance value, step S430 is executed. In step S430, the processor and / or microcontroller may determine whether the battery pack has a voltage.

[0045] If the processor and / or microcontroller determines that the battery pack does not have voltage, the flow returns to step S310. If the processor and / or microcontroller determines that the battery pack has voltage, step S440 is executed. In step S440, the processor and / or microcontroller determines whether there is a battery cell imbalance in the battery pack.

[0046] In step S450, the processor and / or microcontroller may determine that there is a battery cell imbalance in the battery pack.

[0047] In step S460, the processor and / or microcontroller may determine that the battery pack has a misweld (i.e., the battery pack does not have a battery cell imbalance).

[0048] According to the smart battery detection method provided by the present invention, the smart battery detection can instantly determine whether there is a welding error in the battery pack.

[0049] The use of ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," "third," etc. in this disclosure and claims is for descriptive purposes and does not imply any order or relationship per se.

[0050] The steps of a method described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. The software modules (e.g., including executable instructions and associated data) and other data may reside in a data memory, such as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of computer-readable storage medium known in the art. The sample storage medium may be coupled to a machine, such as a computer / processor (which may be conveniently referred to herein as a “processor”), such that the processor can read information (e.g., code) from and write information (e.g., code) to the storage medium. The sample storage medium may be integral to the processor. The processor and storage medium may reside in an ASIC. The ASIC may reside in user equipment. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may reside as discrete components in user equipment. Furthermore, in some aspects, any suitable computer program product may include a computer-readable medium comprising codes relating to one or more aspects of this disclosure. For certain aspects, the computer program product may comprise packaging materials.

[0051] Although the above paragraphs describe many aspects, the present invention may be realized in many ways, and any specific structure or function described in the embodiments only indicates a representative condition. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that all aspects described in the present invention can be used individually or in combination.

[0052] While the present disclosure has been described by way of example and in terms of embodiments, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Those skilled in the art may make various modifications and changes without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the scope of the present invention is defined and protected by the following claims and their equivalents. [Explanation of symbols]

[0053] 100...Smart battery detection device 110…External power supply 120…Charging circuit 130...Power supply selection circuit 140…Main power supply 150, 200... battery pack 160...processor 170...Power management circuit 180...Display device 211...Battery cell 212…Protection circuit 213...Discharge switch 214...Charging switch 215...microcontroller 216...Temperature detection circuit 217...Current detection circuit 218...Protection chip BATT+…Positive electrode BATT-…Negative electrode SMBUS: System Management Bus S310~S340, S410~S460...Step

Claims

1. a battery pack including a microcontroller and at least one battery cell, wherein the microcontroller, in a charging mode, obtains an initial direct current internal resistance (DCIR) value corresponding to the battery pack and detects a DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each relative state of charge (RSOC) checkpoint; a processor connected to the battery pack and acquiring the DCIR value; At least one of the microcontroller and the processor determines whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack.

2. 2. The smart battery detection device of claim 1, wherein after a predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles, the initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack is increased by a predetermined ratio.

3. 2. The smart battery detection device of claim 1, wherein when the processor or microcontroller determines whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack, the processor or microcontroller determines whether the DCIR value is higher than a first tolerance value and determines whether the DCIR value is lower than a second tolerance value, the first tolerance value being the initial DCIR value plus a predetermined value, and the second tolerance value being the initial DCIR value minus the predetermined value.

4. 4. The smart battery detection device of claim 3, wherein the processor or microcontroller determines that there is no abnormality in the battery pack when the processor or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is not higher than the first tolerance value and determines that the DCIR value is not lower than the second tolerance value.

5. 4. The smart battery detection device of claim 3, wherein when the processor or microcontroller determines that the DCIR value is higher than the first tolerance value or determines that the DCIR value is lower than the second tolerance value, the processor or microcontroller further determines whether the battery pack has a voltage.

6. 6. The smart battery detection device of claim 5, wherein when the processor or the microcontroller determines that the battery pack has a voltage, the processor or the microcontroller further determines whether there is a battery cell imbalance in the battery pack.

7. 7. The smart battery detection device of claim 6, wherein the processor or the microcontroller determines that the battery pack has a weld error when the battery pack does not have an imbalance in the battery cells.

8. A smart battery detection method applied to a smart battery detection device, comprising: a microcontroller of a battery pack of the smart battery detection device obtaining an initial direct current internal resistance (DCIR) value corresponding to the battery pack in a charging mode; the microcontroller detecting a DCIR value currently corresponding to the battery pack at each relative state of charge (RSOC) checkpoint; a processor of the smart detection device obtaining the DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack; and at least one of the microcontroller and the processor determining whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack.

9. 9. The smart battery detection method of claim 8, further comprising the step of increasing the initial DCIR value corresponding to the battery pack by a specified ratio after the predetermined number of charge / discharge cycles.

10. When the processor or the microcontroller determines whether there is an abnormality in the battery pack, the method further comprises: the processor or microcontroller determining whether the DCIR value is higher than a first tolerance value and determining whether the DCIR value is lower than a second tolerance value; 9. The smart battery detection method of claim 8, wherein the first tolerance value is the initial DCIR value plus a predetermined value, and the second tolerance value is the initial DCIR value minus a predetermined value.

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