Battery management device and method of operation thereof

Abstract

A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include at least one capacitor connected to at least one battery, and a controller that applies a current to the at least one capacitor to precharge it, measures the voltage of each of the at least one capacitor, and controls impedance measurement of the at least one battery based on whether the voltage of the at least one capacitor is within a threshold range.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0135174, filed on October 19, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery management device and method of operation. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries has been actively pursued. Secondary batteries are rechargeable and dischargeable batteries, and include both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of having a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, because lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be compact and lightweight, they are used as power sources for mobile devices. In recent years, their range of use has expanded to include electric vehicles, and they are attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0003] Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (ECP) can be used to measure the impedance of such lithium-ion batteries. ECP can accurately calculate impedance, which is a factor that interferes with electrical conduction during chemical reactions at the battery electrodes. One method for measuring impedance is to connect a precision shunt resistor in series with the battery, generate an AC current, and measure the voltage across the shunt resistor, which then measures the voltage across the battery to measure the battery's impedance. To measure the voltage across the battery, the positive and negative terminals can be clamped to a constant DC voltage, and a pre-charging capacitor can be connected to measure the voltage. However, conventional ECP does not monitor the voltage of the pre-charging capacitor connected to the battery, but instead measures the impedance based on the passage of a certain period of time, resulting in a problem of reduced accuracy in the impedance value. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] An object of the embodiments disclosed herein is to provide a battery management device and an operating method thereof that can monitor the voltage value of a capacitor connected to a battery and improve the accuracy of the impedance value of the battery measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

[0005] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include at least one capacitor connected to at least one battery, and a controller that applies a current to the at least one capacitor to precharge it, measures the voltage of each of the at least one capacitor, and controls impedance measurement of the at least one battery based on whether the voltage of the at least one capacitor is within a threshold range.

[0007] In one embodiment, the battery further includes at least one measuring unit that measures the impedance of the battery, and the at least one measuring unit measures the impedance of the battery based on a control signal from the controller, and the controller can generate a control signal for measuring the impedance of the battery and transmit it to the at least one measuring unit when the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range.

[0008] In one embodiment, the controller may determine whether a precharge time for precharging the at least one capacitor is equal to or greater than a threshold time when the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside a threshold range.

[0009] In one embodiment, the controller may determine whether the precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or greater than a threshold time when the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside a threshold range.

[0010] In one embodiment, the controller may re-determine whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range if the precharge time is equal to or greater than the threshold time.

[0011] In one embodiment, the controller may generate an abnormality signal for the battery if it re-determines whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range a threshold number of times.

[0012] In one embodiment, the controller can precharge the capacitor if the precharge time is less than the threshold time.

[0013] An operating method of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include the steps of applying a current to a capacitor connected to a battery to pre-charge the capacitor, measuring the voltage of each of the capacitors, and measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range.

[0014] In one embodiment, the step of measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range can generate and transmit a control signal to the at least one capacitor to measure the impedance of the battery if the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range.

[0015] In one embodiment, the step of measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range can determine whether the precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or greater than a threshold time if the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside the threshold range.

[0016] In one embodiment, the method may further include determining whether a precharge time for which the capacitor is precharged is equal to or greater than a threshold time.

[0017] In one embodiment, the step of determining whether the precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or greater than a threshold time can re-determine whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range if the precharge time is equal to or greater than the threshold time.

[0018] In one embodiment, the step of determining whether the precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or greater than a threshold time can generate an abnormality signal for the battery if the step of determining whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range is repeated a threshold number of times.

[0019] In one embodiment, the step of determining whether a precharge time for precharging the capacitor is equal to or greater than a threshold time may include generating a control signal for precharging the capacitor and transmitting the control signal to the at least one capacitor if the precharge time is less than the threshold time. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] A battery management device and its operating method according to an embodiment disclosed herein can monitor the voltage value of a capacitor connected to a battery and improve the accuracy of the impedance value of the battery measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

[0021] Furthermore, the battery management device and its operating method according to an embodiment disclosed herein can stably manage the life of a battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates a battery exchange station according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 2] FIG. 10 conceptually illustrates a battery exchange station according to another embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates a battery pack according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 5] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 6]10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a battery management device according to another embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system that implements an operation method of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components when they appear in other drawings as much as possible. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments disclosed herein, if a detailed description of related known structures or functions is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments disclosed herein, such detailed description will be omitted.

[0024] In describing components of the embodiments disclosed herein, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the component from other components and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a battery exchange station according to one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 1 , a battery swapping station (BSS) 1000 can provide general battery management services such as battery analysis, evaluation, charging, and replacement. This disclosure will describe the functions of the battery swapping station 1000, focusing on the battery swapping service. Here, the battery swapping service may refer to a service that analyzes the status of multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 to be serviced and replaces the batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 with other batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 based on the analysis results. This replacement can be performed automatically based on administrator and / or user settings. For example, the battery swapping station 1000 can collect batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 returned by users and provide them with other, already-charged batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40, thereby providing the user with a battery swapping service.

[0026] Here, the batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 are attached to a target device (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), an electric scooter, an electric bicycle, or other electric mobility device) and supply power to drive the target device. The batteries may be implemented in the form of a battery pack. The battery pack may include a battery for storing power and a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the operation of the battery. The battery may include at least one battery cell for storing power under the control of the battery management system. The battery cell is a basic unit of a battery that can be used by charging and discharging electrical energy, and may be, but is not limited to, a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) battery, a nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery, or the like. The battery management system may control the charging and discharging of the battery, and according to one embodiment, may collect and transmit data serving as a basis for analyzing the state of the battery to an external device in response to an external request.

[0027] In the following description, it is assumed that the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 are implemented in the form of a battery pack. While FIG. 1 shows four batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40, the number of batteries is not limited to four, and the batteries may be configured as n batteries (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2).

[0028] According to an embodiment, the battery exchange station 1000 can be located in a service station where a battery exchange service is provided, or in a space separate from the service station.

[0029] The battery exchange station 1000 performs a status analysis on the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 connected thereto, and can replace the batteries 10, 20, 30 with other batteries 10, 20, 30 or reuse them (i.e., not replace them) depending on the results of the status analysis. The battery exchange station 1000 may analyze the status of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 and / or determine whether the batteries 10, 20, 30 need to be replaced by itself, but in other embodiments, at least some of the operations may be performed in cooperation with a server (e.g., a cloud server) connected via a network. For example, the battery exchange station 1000 may transmit information on which to determine whether a battery replacement is necessary to the cloud server, and the cloud server may determine whether a battery replacement is necessary based on the received information and transmit information regarding whether a battery replacement is necessary to the battery exchange station 1000.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram of a battery exchange station according to another embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 2, the battery exchange station 1000 may include a battery slot unit 100 , a battery management unit 200 , and a charger 300 .

[0031] The battery slot unit 100 can accommodate a plurality of connected batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. The battery slot unit 100 can include a plurality of battery slots, each accommodating a respective one of the connected batteries. The battery slot unit 100 can be connected to a battery management unit 200. The plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 accommodated in the battery slot unit 100 can be physically controlled based on a control signal from the battery management unit 200.

[0032] The battery management unit 200 can manage and / or control the status and / or operation of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40. The battery management unit 200 can manage the charging and / or discharging of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40.

[0033] The battery management unit 200 can also monitor the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of each of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. The battery management unit 200 can calculate parameters that indicate the state of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 based on the measured values ​​of the monitored voltage, current, temperature, etc.

[0034] The battery management unit 200 can manage the SOC (State of Charge) and / or SOH (State of Health) of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 used to provide services. The battery management unit 200 can receive SOC (State of Charge) information for each of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 from the batteries 10, 20, and 30. Here, the SOC information indicates the current SOC of the battery, and the SOC may refer to the state of charge of the battery included in the battery, i.e., the remaining capacity rate.

[0035] The battery management unit of the battery may calculate the remaining capacity rate by dividing the currently usable capacity of the battery by the total capacity of the battery. For example, the remaining capacity rate may be calculated as a percentage. In another embodiment, the battery management unit 200 may directly obtain the SOC information of the battery by calculating the remaining capacity rate of the battery without receiving the SOC information from the battery management unit of the battery.

[0036] Charger 300 can charge each of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 under the control of battery management unit 200. Charger 300 receives power from an external commercial power source, converts it into a form of power that can be received by the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40, and supplies power to the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. According to one embodiment, charger 300 supplies power until the SOC of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 reaches 100%, thereby fully charging the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40.

[0037] The configuration and operation of the battery management unit 200 will be described in more detail below with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 3, the battery management device 200 may include a plurality of capacitors (C), a plurality of measuring units 210, and a controller 220. The battery management device 200 can measure the AC impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. For example, the battery management device 200 can measure the AC impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Here, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy can detect impedance, which is a factor that interferes with electrical transmission when a chemical reaction occurs at the electrodes of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. The battery management device 200 can measure the AC impedance spectra of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40 using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy as a non-destructive testing method.

[0039] When measuring the AC impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40, the battery management unit 200 may connect a capacitor C to the batteries to generate a direct current voltage DC in order to prevent an inrush current, which is an overcurrent that may occur at the initial stage of operation of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. Here, the battery management unit 200 connecting the capacitor C to the batteries and generating a direct current voltage DC in the capacitor C may be defined as pre-charging, and the voltage charged to the capacitor C may be defined as a pre-charge voltage.

[0040] Each of the plurality of capacitors (C) may be electrically connected to both ends of at least one of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. Each of the plurality of capacitors (C) may be charged by receiving a current from the charger 300. The time during which a current is supplied to the plurality of capacitors (C) to generate a DC voltage may be referred to as a precharge time.

[0041] The plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 to which the plurality of capacitors (C) are electrically connected, respectively.

[0042] For example, if the battery exchange station 1000 has eight battery slots, the multiple measuring units 210 can be realized by one measuring unit 210, and the measuring unit 210 can measure the impedance of eight batteries inserted into the eight battery slots, respectively.

[0043] Also, for example, if the battery exchange station 1000 has eight battery slots, the multiple measuring units 210 can be realized by two measuring units 210, and each of the two measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of four batteries inserted into each of the four battery slots.

[0044] Each of the plurality of measuring units 210 may be electrically connected to one of the plurality of capacitors (C). For example, if the battery exchange station 1000 has eight battery slots, the multiple measuring units 210 can be realized with one measuring unit 210, and the measuring unit 210 can be electrically connected to eight capacitors (C) connected to the eight batteries.

[0045] Also, for example, if the battery exchange station 1000 is provided with eight battery slots, the multiple measuring units 210 can be realized by two measuring units 210, and each of the two measuring units 210 can be electrically connected to four capacitors (C) connected to four batteries.

[0046] Each of the plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 based on a control signal from the controller 220. The plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 using, for example, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

[0047] The multiple measuring units 210 can calculate the AC impedance spectra of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 based on changes in the amplitude and phase of the signals detected from the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 by changing the frequency of the alternating current (AC) power supply applied to the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40.

[0048] The controller 220 can apply an AC current to precharge the plurality of capacitors (C) and can measure the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C).

[0049] For example, the controller 220 can obtain the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) from an analog-digital converter (ADC) that converts the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) into digital signals.

[0050] The controller 220 can determine whether the voltages of the multiple capacitors (C) are within a threshold range. The controller 220 can control the impedance measurement of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 by the multiple measuring units 210 based on whether the voltages of the multiple capacitors (C) are within the threshold range. For example, the controller 220 can determine whether the voltage of each of the multiple capacitors (C) is within the threshold range of 1.8 V ±5%.

[0051] The controller 220 can generate and transmit to the measuring units 210 a control signal for measuring the impedance of the batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 when the voltage of each of the capacitors C is within a threshold range.

[0052] When the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is outside the threshold range, the controller 220 can determine whether the precharge time for precharging the plurality of capacitors (C) is equal to or greater than the threshold time. For example, when the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is outside the threshold range of 1.8 V±5%, the controller 220 can determine whether the precharge time for the plurality of capacitors (C) is equal to or greater than the threshold time of 4000 ms.

[0053] If the precharge time is equal to or longer than the threshold time, the controller 220 can re-determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range after a certain time has elapsed. The controller 220 can re-determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range up to a threshold number of times.

[0054] When the controller 220 has re-determined whether the voltage of each of the capacitors (C) is within the threshold range a threshold number of times, it can generate an abnormality signal for the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40. For example, the controller 220 can generate an error signal when the controller 220 has re-determined whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range a threshold number of times, i.e., three times.

[0055] The controller 220 may continue to precharge the capacitors C if the precharge time is less than the threshold time. For example, the controller 220 may continue to precharge the capacitors C for a remaining time T_remain if the precharge time is less than the threshold time. Here, the remaining time T_remain is explained with reference to the following Equation 1.

[0056] [Formula 1]

number

[0057] Here, a represents an environmental variable, i.e., the characteristic value of the capacitor (C). V_max represents the maximum charging voltage value of the capacitor (C), which can be, for example, 1.8V. V_adc represents the voltage value of each capacitor (C) obtained from the analog-to-digital converter. Also, here, T_adc represents the precharge time for precharging multiple capacitors (C). V_init represents the voltage value of multiple capacitors (C) at the start of precharging.

[0058] The controller 220 can calculate the remaining time (T_remain) based on [Equation 1], and can continue to precharge the plurality of capacitors (C) during the remaining time (T_remain).

[0059] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a battery pack of a vehicle battery system according to one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 4, a battery pack 2000 of a vehicle battery system according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4), a battery management device 200, and a relay (R).

[0060] According to an embodiment, the battery management unit 200 can be realized in a battery management unit of a vehicle battery system. The plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) of the vehicle battery system may include a plurality of battery cells. Although Fig. 4 shows four battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4), the present invention is not limited to this and the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) may include n (n is a natural number equal to or greater than 2) battery cells.

[0061] The battery management unit 200 of the vehicle battery system can manage and / or control the state and / or operation of the multiple battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4). For example, the battery management unit 200 can manage and / or control the state and / or operation of the multiple battery cells included in the multiple battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4). The battery management unit 200 can manage the charging and / or discharging of the multiple battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4).

[0062] In addition, the battery management unit 200 can monitor the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of each of the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) and / or the plurality of battery cells included in the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4). For monitoring via the battery management unit 200, sensors and various measurement modules (not shown) can be further provided at any position in the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4), charge / discharge paths, or the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4).

[0063] The battery management unit 200 can control the operation of the relay R. For example, the battery management unit 200 can short-circuit the relay R to supply power to a target device. In addition, the battery management unit 200 can short-circuit the relay R when a charging device is connected to the battery pack 1000.

[0064] The AC impedance of the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) can be measured. For example, the battery management device 200 can measure the AC impedance of the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

[0065] Each of the plurality of capacitors (C) may be electrically connected to both ends of at least one battery module among the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4). The plurality of measuring units 210 may measure the impedance of the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) to which the plurality of capacitors (C) are electrically connected, respectively. Each of the plurality of measuring units 210 may be electrically connected to any one of the plurality of capacitors (C), and each of the plurality of measuring units 210 may measure the impedance of the plurality of battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) based on a control signal from the controller 220.

[0066] The controller 220 can apply an AC current to the plurality of capacitors (C) to precharge them. The controller 220 can measure the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C). For example, the controller 220 can obtain the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) from an analog-digital converter (ADC) that converts the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) into a digital signal.

[0067] The controller 220 can determine whether the voltages of the capacitors (C) are within a threshold range. The controller 220 can control the impedance measurement of the battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) of the measuring units 210 based on whether the voltages of the capacitors (C) are within a threshold range.

[0068] According to an embodiment, the battery management device 200 is connected to the outside of a battery management device of a conventional vehicle battery system and can measure the impedance of multiple battery modules (M1, M2, M3, M4) through communication with the battery management device of the vehicle battery system.

[0069] As described above, the battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein can monitor the voltage value of a capacitor connected to a battery and improve the accuracy of the impedance value of the battery measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

[0070] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 5, an operating method of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a step (S101) of applying a current to a plurality of capacitors connected to a plurality of batteries to pre-charge the plurality of capacitors, a step (S102) of measuring the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors, and a step (S103) of measuring the impedance of the plurality of batteries based on whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors is within a threshold range.

[0071] Steps S101 to S103 will be specifically described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The battery management device 200 is substantially similar to the battery management device 200 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, and therefore will be described briefly below to avoid duplication of description.

[0072] In step S101, each of the plurality of capacitors (C) may be electrically connected to both ends of at least one of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. In step S101, the controller 220 can apply an AC current to a plurality of capacitors (C) to precharge them.

[0073] In step S102, the controller 220 can measure the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C). In step S102, for example, the controller 220 can acquire the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) from an analog-digital converter (ADC) that converts the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) into a digital signal.

[0074] In step S103, the controller 220 can determine whether the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) are within a threshold range. In step S103, the controller 220 can control the impedance measurement of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 by the plurality of measuring units 210 based on whether the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) are within the threshold range. In step S103, for example, the controller 220 can determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range of 1.8 V ±5%.

[0075] In step S103, the controller 220 may generate and transmit to the measuring units 210 a control signal for measuring the impedance of the batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 if the voltages of the capacitors C are within the threshold range.

[0076] In step S103, the plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 based on a control signal from the controller 220. In step S103, the plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 using, for example, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

[0077] In step S103, the multiple measuring units 210 can calculate the AC impedance spectra of the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 based on changes in the amplitude and phase of the signals detected from the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 by changing the frequency of the alternating current (AC) power supply applied to the multiple batteries 10, 20, 30, 40.

[0078] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a battery management device according to another embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 6, an operating method of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include the steps of applying a current to a plurality of capacitors connected to a plurality of batteries to pre-charge the plurality of capacitors (S201), measuring the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (S202), determining whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors is within a threshold range (S203), determining whether the pre-charge time of the plurality of capacitors is equal to or greater than a threshold time (S204), continuing the pre-charge of the plurality of capacitors for the threshold time (S205), re-determining whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors is within the threshold range up to a threshold number of times (S206), outputting a battery abnormality signal (S207), and measuring the impedance of the battery (S208).

[0079] Steps S201 to S208 will be specifically described below with reference to Figures 1 to 4. The battery management device 200 is substantially similar to the battery management device 200 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4, and therefore will be described briefly below to avoid duplication.

[0080] In step S201, each of the plurality of capacitors (C) may be electrically connected to both ends of at least one of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, and 40. In step S201, the controller 220 can apply an AC current to a plurality of capacitors (C) to precharge them.

[0081] In step S202, the controller 220 can measure the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C). In step S102, for example, the controller 220 can obtain the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) from an analog-digital converter (ADC) that converts the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) into a digital signal.

[0082] In step S203, the controller 220 can determine whether the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) are within a threshold range. In step S203, the controller 220 can control the impedance measurement of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 by the plurality of measuring units 210 based on whether the voltages of the plurality of capacitors (C) are within the threshold range. In step S203, for example, the controller 220 can determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range of 1.8 V ±5%.

[0083] In step S204, when the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is outside the threshold range, the controller 220 can determine whether the precharge time for precharging the plurality of capacitors (C) is equal to or greater than the threshold time. For example, in step S204, when the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is outside the threshold range of 1.8 V±5%, the controller 220 can determine whether the precharge time for the plurality of capacitors (C) is equal to or greater than the threshold time of 4000 ms.

[0084] In step S205, if the precharge time is less than the threshold time, the controller 220 can continue to precharge the capacitors (C). In step S205, for example, if the precharge time is less than the threshold time, the controller 220 can continue to precharge the capacitors (C) for the remaining time (T remain ) where the remaining time (T remain ) will be explained with reference to the following [Equation 1].

[0085] [Formula 1]

number

[0086] Here, a represents an environmental variable, i.e., the characteristic value of the capacitor (C). V_max represents the maximum charging voltage value of the capacitor (C), which can be, for example, 1.8V. V_adc represents the voltage value of each capacitor (C) obtained from the analog-to-digital converter. Also, here, T_adc represents the precharge time for precharging multiple capacitors (C). V_init represents the voltage value of multiple capacitors (C) at the start of precharging.

[0087] In step S205, the controller 220 can calculate the remaining time (T_remain) based on [Equation 1], and can continue to precharge the plurality of capacitors (C) during the remaining time (T_remain).

[0088] In step S206, if the precharge time is equal to or greater than the threshold time, the controller 220 can re-determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range after a certain time has elapsed. In step S206, the controller 220 can re-determine whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range up to a threshold number of times.

[0089] In step S207, if the controller 220 has re-determined whether the voltage of each of the capacitors (C) is within the threshold range up to a threshold number of times, it can generate an abnormality signal for the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40. In step S207, for example, if the controller 220 has re-determined whether the voltage of each of the plurality of capacitors (C) is within the threshold range up to a threshold number of times, i.e., three times, it can generate an error signal.

[0090] In step S208, the controller 220 may generate and transmit to the measuring units 210 a control signal for measuring the impedance of the batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 if the voltages of the capacitors (C) are within the threshold range.

[0091] In step S208, the plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 based on a control signal from the controller 220. In step S208, the plurality of measuring units 210 can measure the impedance of the plurality of batteries 10, 20, 30, 40 using, for example, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).

[0092] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system that implements the method of operating a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0093] Referring to FIG. 7, a computing system 3000 according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include an MCU 3100, a memory 3200, an input / output I / F 3300, and a communication I / F 3400.

[0094] The MCU 3100 may be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., a capacitor voltage calculation program) stored in the memory 3200, processes various data including the SOC, SOH, etc. of multiple battery cells through such programs, and performs the functions of the battery management device 200 described with reference to FIG. 1, or a processor that executes the operating method of the battery management device described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0095] The memory 3200 can store various programs related to impedance calculation of multiple batteries, and can also store various data such as SOC and SOH data for each battery.

[0096] A plurality of such memories 3200 may be provided as necessary. The memories 3200 may be volatile memories or nonvolatile memories. As the volatile memories 3200, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As the nonvolatile memories 3200, ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories 3200 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these examples.

[0097] The input / output I / F 3300 can provide an interface that connects input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and output devices such as a display (not shown), to the MCU 3100, enabling data to be sent and received.

[0098] The communication I / F 3400 is configured to be able to send and receive various data to and from a server, and may be any device that supports wired or wireless communication. For example, programs and various data for calculating the SOH of battery cells and determining eligibility can be sent and received from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F 3300.

[0099] In this manner, the method of operating the battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein can be stored in the memory 3200 and executed by the MCU 3100.

[0100] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0101] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to illustrate, not limit, the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this document. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed in this document should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document. [Explanation of symbols]

[0102] 10, 20, 30, 40: Multiple batteries 1000: Battery exchange station 100: Battery slot 200:Battery management device C: Capacitor 210: Measuring part 220: Controller 300: Charger 2000: Battery pack R: Relay M1, M2, M3, M4: Battery modules 3000: Computing Systems 3100:MCU 3200:Memory 3300: Input / output interface 3400: Communication I / F

Claims

1. at least one capacitor coupled to each of the at least one battery; a controller that applies a current to the at least one capacitor to precharge it, measures a voltage of each of the at least one capacitor, and controls an impedance measurement of the at least one battery based on whether the voltage of the at least one capacitor is within a threshold range; A battery management device comprising:

2. further comprising at least one measuring unit for measuring the impedance of the battery; the at least one measurement unit measures the impedance of the battery based on a control signal from the controller; The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller generates a control signal for measuring the impedance of the battery and transmits the control signal to the at least one measuring unit when the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range.

3. The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines whether a precharge time for precharging the at least one capacitor is equal to or longer than a threshold time when the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside a threshold range.

4. The battery management device according to claim 3 , wherein the controller determines whether a precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or longer than a threshold time when the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside a threshold range.

5. The battery management device according to claim 4 , wherein the controller re-determines whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range when the precharge time is equal to or longer than the threshold time.

6. The battery management device according to claim 5 , wherein the controller generates an abnormality signal for the battery when it has re-determined whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range a threshold number of times.

7. The battery management device of claim 4 , wherein the controller precharges the capacitor if the precharge time is less than the threshold time.

8. applying a current to a capacitor connected to the battery to precharge the capacitor; measuring the voltage on each of said capacitors; measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range; A method of operating a battery management device, comprising:

9. measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range; The method of claim 8 , further comprising generating a control signal for measuring the impedance of the battery and transmitting the control signal to the capacitor when the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range.

10. measuring the impedance of the battery based on whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range; The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 8 , further comprising determining whether a precharge time for precharging the capacitors is equal to or longer than a threshold time when the voltage of each of the capacitors is outside a threshold range.

11. The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 10 , further comprising the step of determining whether a precharge time during which the capacitor is precharged is equal to or greater than a threshold time.

12. The step of determining whether a precharge time during which the capacitor is precharged is equal to or greater than a threshold time includes: The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 11 , further comprising the step of: determining again whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within a threshold range if the precharge time is equal to or greater than the threshold time.

13. The step of determining whether a precharge time during which the capacitor is precharged is equal to or greater than a threshold time includes: The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 12 , further comprising the step of generating an abnormality signal for the battery when it has been determined a threshold number of times whether the voltage of each of the capacitors is within the threshold range.

14. The step of determining whether a precharge time during which the capacitor is precharged is equal to or greater than a threshold time includes: The method of claim 11 , further comprising generating and transmitting to the capacitor a control signal for precharging the capacitor if the precharge time is less than the threshold time.

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