Battery diagnostic device and operation method thereof

Abstract

A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first voltage value for each of a plurality of battery units; an identification unit that identifies second voltage values ​​for a plurality of different standby periods among the first voltage values; a determination unit that determines a voltage gradient indicating the degree of change in the second voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units over time, and determines a standard score (Z-score) of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units using an average and a standard deviation of a plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units; and a diagnosis unit that selects battery units from the plurality of battery units that have the standard score outside a first reference range and the voltage gradient outside a second reference range, and diagnoses at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0151069, filed November 11, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of this Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery diagnostic device and a method of operation thereof. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries has been actively pursued. Here, secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, and include both conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and the 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 batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and the like. 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 power sources for electric vehicles, and they are attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0003] Furthermore, the secondary battery can generally be used as a battery pack including a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are connected in series and / or parallel, and can also be used as a battery rack including a plurality of battery modules and a rack frame for accommodating such battery modules.

[0004] Such battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, or battery racks can be used in a variety of devices. For example, the batteries can be used in mobile devices such as mobile phones, laptop computers, smartphones, and smart pads, as well as in fields such as electrically powered automobiles (EVs, HEVs, and PHEVs) and large-capacity energy storage systems (ESS).

[0005] Such batteries may be managed and controlled in status and operation by a battery management system (BMS), which may be included with the batteries in a device, or which may manage and control the batteries remotely from the device containing the batteries. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] If a short circuit or other type of failure occurs within the battery, the likelihood of damage to the device (e.g., EV, ESS) containing the battery may increase. Therefore, there is a need for a method to detect abnormal battery conditions and reduce the possibility of damage to the device containing the battery.

[0007] 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]

[0008] A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document includes an acquisition unit that acquires a first voltage value for each of a plurality of battery units; an identification unit that identifies second voltage values ​​for a plurality of different standby periods among the first voltage values; a determination unit that determines a voltage gradient indicating the degree of change in the second voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units over time, and determines a standard score (Z-score) of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units using an average and a standard deviation of a plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units; and a diagnosis unit that selects battery units from the plurality of battery units that have the standard score outside a first reference range and the voltage gradient outside a second reference range, and diagnoses at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units.

[0009] In one embodiment of the battery diagnostic device disclosed in this document, the determination unit can determine an average voltage value of the different standby periods for each of the plurality of battery units based on the second voltage value, and determine the voltage gradient based on the average voltage value.

[0010] In one embodiment of the battery diagnostic device disclosed in this document, when the different standby periods are different post-charge standby periods, the diagnostic unit can select, from the multiple battery units, battery units that have the standard score greater than a first upper limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient greater than a second upper limit value of the second reference range, and diagnose at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units.

[0011] In one embodiment of the battery diagnostic device disclosed in this document, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after discharge, the diagnostic unit can select, from the multiple battery units, battery units that have the standard score smaller than a first lower limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient smaller than a second lower limit value of the second reference range, and diagnose at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units.

[0012] A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can diagnose, among the selected battery units, a battery unit in which the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of the second voltage values ​​is greater than a specified difference value as an abnormal battery unit.

[0013] In one embodiment of the battery diagnostic device disclosed in this document, the identification unit can set the different standby intervals to intervals having a specified range of voltage value, current value, charge amount, and / or discharge amount.

[0014] The battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed herein may further include an abnormality processing unit that performs an abnormality processing function based on the abnormality diagnosis results of each of the plurality of battery units, and the abnormality processing function may include a notification function or a short-circuit function.

[0015] A battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment disclosed herein includes the steps of: acquiring a first voltage value for each of a plurality of battery units; identifying second voltage values ​​for different standby periods among the first voltage values; determining a voltage gradient indicating the degree of change in the second voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units over time; determining a standard score (Z-score) of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units using the average and standard deviation of a plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units; selecting, from the plurality of battery units, battery units that have the standard score outside a first reference range and the voltage gradient outside a second reference range; and diagnosing at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units.

[0016] In one embodiment of the battery diagnosis method disclosed herein, the operation of determining the voltage gradient may include an operation of determining an average voltage value of the different standby periods of each of the plurality of battery units based on the second voltage value, and an operation of determining the voltage gradient based on the average voltage value.

[0017] In one embodiment of the battery diagnosis method disclosed in this document, the operation of selecting the battery unit may include, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after charging, selecting the battery unit from the plurality of battery units that has the standard score greater than a first upper limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient greater than a second upper limit value of the second reference range.

[0018] In one embodiment of the battery diagnosis method disclosed in this document, the operation of selecting the battery unit may include, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after discharge, selecting the battery unit from the plurality of battery units that has the standard score smaller than a first lower limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient smaller than a second lower limit value of the second reference range.

[0019] In one embodiment of the battery diagnosis method disclosed in this document, the operation of diagnosing at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units may include an operation of diagnosing, among the selected battery units, battery units in which the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the second voltage value is greater than a specified difference value as abnormal battery units.

[0020] The battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment disclosed herein may further include an operation of setting the different standby periods to periods having voltage values, current values, charge amounts, and / or discharge amounts within specified ranges.

[0021] The battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment disclosed herein may further include an operation of performing an abnormality processing function based on the abnormality diagnosis results of each of the plurality of battery units, and the abnormality processing function may include a notification function or a short-circuit function. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] The battery diagnostic device and method of operation according to various embodiments disclosed herein can detect the occurrence of short circuits or other types of faults within a battery.

[0023] The battery diagnostic device and method of operation according to various embodiments disclosed herein can handle detected short circuits or other types of faults within the battery.

[0024] The effects of the battery abnormality diagnosis device and its operating method disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of this document. In addition, this document can provide various other benefits that can be perceived directly or indirectly. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0025] [Figure 1] 10 is a graph showing the difference in the degree of voltage change between a normal battery unit and an abnormal battery unit during a standby period. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram of a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment; [Figure 3a] 10 is a graph illustrating an example of setting a standby period after charging of a battery unit according to an embodiment; [Figure 3b] 10 is a graph illustrating an example of setting a standby period after discharging a battery unit according to an embodiment; [Figure 4] 10 is a graph illustrating an example of diagnosing an abnormality based on a standard score of a battery unit according to an embodiment. [Figure 5] 4 is an operation flowchart of the battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is an operation flowchart of the battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0026] Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, although it should be understood that this is not intended to limit the invention to the particular embodiments, but rather to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments of the present invention.

[0027] The various embodiments and terms used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, like reference numerals may be used for like or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the said item unless the relevant context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0028] In this document, each phrase such as "A or B," "at least one of A and B," "at least one of A or B," "A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed with that phrase. Terms such as "first," "second," "first," "second," "A," "B," "(a)," or "(b)" may be used simply to distinguish that element from other elements and do not limit that element in other respects (e.g., importance or order) unless specifically stated to the contrary.

[0029] In this document, when a (e.g., first) component is referred to as being "coupled," "coupled," or "connected" to another (e.g., second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," or when a reference is made to "coupled" or "connected," this means that the component may be coupled to the other component directly (e.g., by wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0030] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a commodity. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)) or distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily generated on a machine-readable storage medium such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store server, or an intermediary server.

[0031] According to various embodiments, each of the aforementioned components (e.g., modules or programs) may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be located separately in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the aforementioned components or operations may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the respective components of the multiple components before the integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other components may be performed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0032] FIG. 1 is a graph showing the difference in the degree of voltage change between a normal battery unit and an abnormal battery unit during the standby period. Referring to FIG. 1 , a graph 10 showing the voltage 11 of a normal battery unit and the voltage 13 of an abnormal battery unit can be seen. In graph 10, it can be seen that the voltage 11 of the normal battery unit has a relatively small difference in voltage value during each standby period where the voltage value is maintained constant (e.g., a standby period after charging or a standby period after discharging). In contrast, it can be seen that the voltage 13 of the abnormal battery unit has a relatively large difference in voltage value during each standby period. For example, the voltage 13 of the abnormal battery unit may increase significantly as the standby period after charging is repeated. Furthermore, the voltage 13 of the abnormal battery unit may decrease significantly as the standby period after discharging is repeated. If a short circuit or other type of failure occurs inside the battery unit, abnormal behavior such as the voltage 13 of the abnormal battery unit may be exhibited.

[0033] In this way, damage to electronic devices can occur due to a battery unit exhibiting abnormal behavior such as abnormal battery unit voltage 13. For this reason, it is necessary to detect battery units exhibiting abnormal behavior among battery units and take appropriate measures.

[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment. Referring to FIG. 2, the battery diagnostic device 101 may be connected to the electronic device 103 and the user terminal 105 via wire and / or wireless.

[0035] In one embodiment, the connection (104) between the battery diagnostic device 101 and the electronic device 103 may be a communication connection via a wired and / or wireless network. In one embodiment, the wired network may be based on a local area network (LAN) communication or a power line communication. In one embodiment, the wireless network may be based on a local area network (e.g., Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity), or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a wide area network (e.g., a cellular network, a 4G network, a 5G network).

[0036] In another embodiment, the connection (104) between the battery diagnostic device 101 and the electronic device 103 may be a connection via an inter-device communication method (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input and output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)).

[0037] In one embodiment, the connection (106) between the battery diagnostic device 101 and the user terminal 105 may be a communication connection via a wired and / or wireless network.

[0038] In one embodiment, the electronic device 103 may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smartphone, a smart pad), an electric vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid EV (HEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), or a fuel cell EV (FCEV)), an energy storage system (ESS), or a battery swapping system (BSS).

[0039] In one embodiment, the electronic device 103 may include one or more battery units 111, 113, 115. Each of the one or more battery units 111, 113, 115 may be a battery cell, a battery module, a battery pack, or a battery rack.

[0040] In one embodiment, the user terminal 105 may be a mobile device (eg, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a smart pad) or a personal computer (PC).

[0041] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 may include a communication circuit 120, a sensor 130, a memory 140, and a processor 150. According to an embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 shown in Fig. 2 may further include at least one component (e.g., a display, an input device, or an output device) other than the components shown in Fig. 2.

[0042] In one embodiment, the communication circuit 120 can establish a wired communication channel and / or a wireless communication channel between the battery diagnostic device 101 and the electronic device 103 and / or the user terminal 105, and can transmit and receive data to and from the electronic device 103 and / or the user terminal 105 via the established communication channel.

[0043] In one embodiment, the sensor 130 may obtain a value related to the status of the battery units 111, 113, 115 of the electronic device 103. In one embodiment, the value related to the status may indicate one or more values ​​related to the voltage, current, resistance, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), temperature, or a combination thereof, of the battery units 111, 113, 115. Hereinafter, the value related to the status may be referred to as a "status value."

[0044] In one embodiment, memory 140 may include volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. In one embodiment, the memory 140 can store data used by at least one component (e.g., the processor 150) of the battery diagnostic device 101. For example, the data can include software (or associated instructions), input data, or output data. In one embodiment, the instructions, when executed by the processor 150, can cause the battery diagnostic device 101 to perform the operation defined by the instructions.

[0045] In one embodiment, memory 140 may include one or more pieces of software (eg, an acquisition unit 141, an identification unit 143, a determination unit 145, a diagnosis unit 147, and an anomaly handler 149).

[0046] In one embodiment, processor 150 may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

[0047] In one embodiment, the processor 150 can execute software (e.g., the acquisition unit 141, the identification unit 143, the determination unit 145, the diagnosis unit 147, and the abnormality processing unit 149), control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the battery diagnosis device 101 coupled to the processor 150, and perform various data processing or calculations.

[0048] Below, with reference to Figures 3a, 3b, and 4, we will explain how the battery diagnostic device 101 diagnoses abnormalities in the battery units 111, 113, and 115 via the acquisition unit 141, the identification unit 143, the determination unit 145, the diagnosis unit 147, and / or the abnormality processing unit 149.

[0049] 3a is a graph illustrating an example of setting a standby period after charging a battery unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 3b is a graph illustrating an example of setting a standby period after discharging a battery unit according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph illustrating an example of diagnosing an abnormality based on a standard score of a battery unit according to an embodiment. FIGS. 3a, 3b, and 4 will be described using the configuration of FIG. 2.

[0050] In one embodiment, the acquisition unit 141 can acquire a first voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the acquisition unit 141 can acquire a plurality of voltage profiles that indicate voltage changes over time for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. The acquisition unit 141 can acquire the first voltage value based on the acquired plurality of voltage profiles.

[0051] In one embodiment, the acquiring unit 141 may acquire the first voltage values ​​of the battery units 111, 113, and 115 via the electronic device 103 connected via a wired and / or wireless network.

[0052] In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can identify second voltage values ​​of different standby intervals from the first voltage value. In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can set the different standby intervals to intervals having a specified range of voltage value, current value, charge amount, and / or discharge amount. The identification unit 143 can extract the different standby intervals for each of the battery units 111, 113, and 115 from the acquired voltage profiles and identify the second voltage value in the interval for each of the battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the different standby periods may be different standby periods after charging or different standby periods after discharging.

[0053] For example, referring to FIG. 3A, a charging section (S1) and a post-charging standby section (S2) can be identified in graph 310. In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can identify the charging section (S1) having a specified charge amount from the plurality of SOC profiles of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. To this end, the acquisition unit 141 can acquire the plurality of SOC profiles of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 via the electronic device 103 connected via a wired and / or wireless network. In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can extract the post-charging standby section (S2) based on the voltage and / or current values ​​of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 after the charging section (S1). For example, the identification unit 143 can extract a section in which the current value of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is within a first current range (e.g., a range of 0 A to 1 A) as the post-charging standby section (S2).

[0054] 3b, a discharging section (S3) and a post-discharge standby section (S4) can be identified in graph 320. In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can identify a discharging section (S3) having a specified discharge amount from the multiple SOC profiles of each of the multiple battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can extract the post-discharge standby section (S4) based on the voltage value and / or current value of each of the multiple battery units 111, 113, and 115 after the discharging section (S3). For example, the identification unit 143 can extract a section in which the current value of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is within a second current range (e.g., a range of −1 A to 0 A) as the post-charge standby section (S2).

[0055] In one embodiment, the identification unit 143 can identify the second voltage values ​​of each of the multiple battery units 111, 113, 115 in the extracted different standby periods (e.g., different standby periods after charging or different standby periods after discharging).

[0056] In one embodiment, the determination unit 145 may determine a voltage gradient according to time of the second voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the determination unit 145 may determine an average voltage value for a plurality of different standby periods (e.g., a plurality of different standby periods after charging or a plurality of different standby periods after discharging) for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on the second voltage value. The determination unit 145 may determine the voltage gradient based on the average voltage value. For example, the determination unit 145 may determine an average voltage value for a plurality of different standby periods after charging for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 as shown in Table 1 below.

[0057] [Table 1]

[0058] Referring to Table 1, it can be seen that the average voltage of battery unit 111 remains constant at 4.0514, 4.0513, and 4.0513 even as the standby period after charging is repeated, whereas the average voltage of battery unit 113 increases relatively to 4.0502, 4.0528, and 4.0566 as the standby period after charging is repeated.

[0059] As another example, the determination unit 145 may determine average voltage values ​​in a plurality of different standby periods after discharge for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0060] [Table 2]

[0061] Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that the average voltage of battery unit 111 remains constant at 3.5122, 3.5122, and 3.5122 even as the standby period after discharge is repeated, whereas the average voltage of battery unit 113 increases relatively to 3.5125, 3.5157, and 3.5191 as the standby period after discharge is repeated.

[0062] In one embodiment, the determination unit 145 may determine the voltage gradients based on a linear regression scheme. For example, the determination unit 145 may use the entire second voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 as an input factor and determine the plurality of voltage gradients for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on a linear regression scheme. As another example, the determination unit 145 may use the average voltage value in a plurality of different standby periods for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 as an input factor and determine the plurality of voltage gradients based on a linear regression scheme.

[0063] In one embodiment, the determination unit 145 may determine a standard score of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 by using the average and standard deviation of a plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. For example, the determination unit 145 may determine the standard score using the following [Equation 1].

[0064]

number

[0065] In [Equation 1], z means the standard score of the voltage gradient of battery unit 111, 113, or 115, x means the voltage gradient of battery unit 111, 113, or 115, μ means the average of multiple voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the multiple battery units 111, 113, and 115, and σ means the standard deviation.

[0066] In one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 147 may select a battery unit having the standard score outside the first reference range and the voltage gradient outside the second reference range from among the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. For example, referring to FIG. 4, the diagnosis unit 147 may diagnose all battery units having the standard score outside the first reference range in the graph 400 as abnormal battery units.

[0067] For example, if the different standby periods are different post-charging standby periods, the diagnosis unit 147 can select a battery unit from the multiple battery units 111, 113, 115 that has a standard score greater than the first upper limit value of the first reference range and a voltage gradient greater than the second upper limit value of the second reference range.

[0068] As another example, if the different standby periods are different standby periods after discharge, the diagnosis unit 147 can select a battery unit from the multiple battery units 111, 113, 115 that has a standard score smaller than the first lower limit value of the first reference range and a voltage gradient smaller than the second lower limit value of the second reference range.

[0069] In one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 147 can diagnose at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units. In one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 147 can diagnose, among the selected battery units, a battery unit in which the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value of the second voltage value is greater than a specified difference value as abnormal battery units.

[0070] In one embodiment, the diagnosis unit 147 can diagnose abnormalities in the battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on the voltage gradient, the standard score of the voltage gradient, and the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​for each of the multiple battery units 111, 113, and 115, as shown in Table 3 below.

[0071] [Table 3]

[0072] For example, if the different standby periods are standby periods after discharge, the first reference range is -3 to 3, the second reference range is -0.01 to 0.01, and the specified difference value is 0.04, the battery unit 113 in [Table 3] has a standard score of -3.6055 that is outside the first reference range, a voltage gradient of -0.003 that is outside the second reference range, and a difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​of 0.045 that is greater than the specified difference value, and therefore the diagnosis unit 147 can diagnose the battery unit 113 as an abnormal battery unit.

[0073] In one embodiment, the abnormality processing unit 149 can perform an abnormality processing function based on the abnormality diagnosis results of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115. In one embodiment, the abnormality processing function can include a notification function or a short circuit function.

[0074] For example, the abnormality processing unit 149 can transmit the abnormality diagnosis results of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115 to the user terminal 105 connected via a wired and / or wireless network.

[0075] As another example, the abnormality processing unit 149 can isolate an abnormal battery unit from the electronic device 103 based on the abnormality diagnosis result of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115. Here, the isolation may include electrical and / or mechanical isolation.

[0076] 5 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described using the configuration of FIG. The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is just one embodiment, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in FIG. 5, and some steps shown in FIG. 5 may be omitted, the order between steps may be changed, or steps may be merged.

[0077] 5, in operation 505, the battery diagnostic device 101 may acquire a first voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 may acquire a plurality of voltage profiles indicating voltage changes over time for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. The battery diagnostic device 101 may acquire the first voltage value based on the acquired plurality of voltage profiles.

[0078] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 can obtain the first voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115 via an electronic device 103 connected via a wired and / or wireless network.

[0079] In operation 510, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify second voltage values ​​of different standby periods from the first voltage values ​​acquired in operation 505. In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 can set the different standby periods to periods having a specified range of voltage values, current values, charge amounts, and / or discharge amounts. The battery diagnostic device 101 can extract the different standby periods for each of the battery units 111, 113, and 115 from the acquired voltage profiles, and identify the second voltage values ​​in the periods for each of the battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the different standby periods may be different standby periods after charging or different standby periods after discharging.

[0080] In operation 515, the battery diagnostic device 101 can determine a voltage gradient over time of the second voltage value for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 can determine an average voltage value for a plurality of different standby periods (e.g., a plurality of different standby periods after charging or a plurality of different standby periods after discharging) for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on the second voltage value. The battery diagnostic device 101 can determine the voltage gradient based on the average voltage value.

[0081] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 may determine the voltage gradients based on a linear regression scheme. For example, the battery diagnostic device 101 may use the entire second voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 as an input factor and determine the plurality of voltage gradients for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on a linear regression scheme. As another example, the battery diagnostic device 101 may use the average voltage value in a plurality of different standby periods for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 as an input factor and determine the plurality of voltage gradients based on a linear regression scheme.

[0082] In operation 520, the battery diagnostic device 101 can determine a standard score of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115 using the mean and standard deviation of the plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, 115.

[0083] In operation 525, the battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose an abnormality in each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115. In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose an abnormality in each of the plurality of battery units 111, 113, and 115 based on the voltage gradient determined in operation 515 and the standard score determined in operation 520.

[0084] Operation 525 in which battery diagnostic device 101 diagnoses abnormalities in each of multiple battery units 111, 113, 115 will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

[0085] 6 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which will be described using the configuration of FIG. The embodiment shown in Figure 6 is just one embodiment, and the order of steps according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in Figure 6, and some steps shown in Figure 6 may be omitted, the order between steps may be changed, or steps may be merged. For example, in Figure 6, operation 620 may be omitted.

[0086] In operation 605, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the standard score of the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 falls outside a first reference range. For example, if the different standby periods are standby periods after different charging periods, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the standard score of the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is greater than a first upper limit value of the first reference range. As another example, if the different standby periods are standby periods after different discharging periods, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the standard score of the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is lower than a first lower limit value of the first reference range.

[0087] If the standard score of the voltage gradient of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is identified to be within the first reference range in operation 605 (“NO”), then in operation 610, battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose battery unit 111, 113, or 115 as a normal battery unit.

[0088] If the standard score of the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is identified to be outside the first reference range in operation 605 (“YES”), then in operation 615, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is outside a second reference range. For example, if the different standby periods are standby periods after different charging periods, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is greater than a second upper limit value of the second reference range. As another example, if the different standby periods are standby periods after different discharging periods, the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the voltage gradient of the battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is lower than a second lower limit value of the second reference range.

[0089] If the voltage gradient of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is identified to be within the second reference range in operation 615 (“NO”), then in operation 610, battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose battery unit 111, 113, or 115 as a normal battery unit.

[0090] If in operation 615 it is identified that the voltage gradient of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 falls outside the second reference range (“YES”), in operation 620 the battery diagnostic device 101 can identify whether the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​among the second voltage values ​​of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 exceeds a specified difference value.

[0091] If it is determined in operation 620 that the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​among the second voltage values ​​of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 is less than or equal to the specified difference value ("NO"), then in operation 610, battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose battery unit 111, 113, or 115 as a normal battery unit.

[0092] If in operation 620 it is identified that the difference between the maximum and minimum values ​​among the second voltage values ​​of battery unit 111, 113, or 115 exceeds the specified difference value (“YES”), in operation 625 the battery diagnostic device 101 can diagnose battery unit 111, 113, or 115 as an abnormal battery unit.

[0093] As used above, terms such as "comprise," "comprise," or "have" mean that the relevant element can be contained within the term, unless otherwise specified, and should be interpreted as meaning that other elements may be included, rather than excluding other elements. All terms, 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, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as dictionary-defined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

Claims

1. an acquisition unit that acquires a first voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units; an identification unit that identifies second voltage values ​​of different standby periods from among the first voltage values; a determination unit that determines a voltage gradient indicating a degree of change in the second voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units over time, and determines a standard score (Z-score) of the voltage gradient for each of the plurality of battery units using an average and a standard deviation of the plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units; a diagnosis unit that selects battery units from the plurality of battery units that have the standard score outside a first reference range and the voltage gradient outside a second reference range, and diagnoses at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units; A battery diagnostic device comprising:

2. The determination unit determining an average voltage value of the different standby periods for each of the battery units based on the second voltage value; The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage gradient is determined based on the average voltage value.

3. The diagnostic unit 2. The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after charging, the battery units having the standard score greater than a first upper limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient greater than a second upper limit value of the second reference range are selected from the plurality of battery units, and at least some of the selected battery units are diagnosed as abnormal battery units.

4. The diagnostic unit 2. The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after discharge, the battery units having the standard score smaller than a first lower limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient smaller than a second lower limit value of the second reference range are selected from the plurality of battery units, and at least some of the selected battery units are diagnosed as abnormal battery units.

5. The diagnostic unit 2. The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1, wherein a battery unit in which a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the second voltage values ​​is greater than a specified difference value is diagnosed as an abnormal battery unit.

6. The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the identifying unit sets the different standby periods to periods having a specified range of voltage value, current value, charge amount, and / or discharge amount.

7. further comprising an abnormality processing unit that performs an abnormality processing function based on the abnormality diagnosis results of each of the plurality of battery units; The battery diagnostic device according to claim 1 , wherein the abnormality processing function includes a notification function or a short-circuit function.

8. an operation of acquiring a first voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units; identifying second voltage values ​​of different standby periods from the first voltage values; determining a voltage gradient indicating a degree of change in the second voltage value of each of the plurality of battery units over time; determining a standard score (Z-score) of voltage gradients for each of the plurality of battery units using averages and standard deviations of a plurality of voltage gradients that correspond one-to-one to each of the plurality of battery units; selecting a battery unit from the plurality of battery units that has the standard score outside a first reference range and the voltage gradient outside a second reference range; an operation of diagnosing at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units; A battery diagnostic method comprising:

9. The operation of determining the voltage gradient includes: determining an average voltage value of the different standby periods for each of the battery units based on the second voltage value; and determining the voltage gradient based on the average voltage value.

10. 9. The battery diagnosis method according to claim 8, wherein the operation of selecting the battery unit includes, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after charging, selecting, from the plurality of battery units, the battery unit having the standard score greater than a first upper limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient greater than a second upper limit value of the second reference range.

11. 9. The battery diagnosis method of claim 8, wherein the operation of selecting the battery unit includes, when the different standby periods are different standby periods after discharge, selecting, from the plurality of battery units, the battery unit having the standard score smaller than a first lower limit value of the first reference range and the voltage gradient smaller than a second lower limit value of the second reference range.

12. 9. The battery diagnostic method according to claim 8, wherein the operation of diagnosing at least some of the selected battery units as abnormal battery units includes an operation of diagnosing, among the selected battery units, battery units for which a difference between a maximum value and a minimum value of the second voltage values ​​is greater than a specified difference value as abnormal battery units.

13. The battery diagnostic method according to claim 8 , further comprising an operation of setting the different standby periods to periods having voltage values, current values, charge amounts, and / or discharge amounts within designated ranges.

14. and performing an abnormality processing function based on the abnormality diagnosis results of each of the plurality of battery units. The battery diagnostic method according to claim 8 , wherein the abnormality processing function includes a notification function or a short-circuit function.

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