Servers and how they work

Abstract

A server according to one embodiment disclosed in the present specification includes a communication unit that receives first data including first identification information and physical property information of a battery cell from a first device used in a first step in a manufacturing process of the battery cell, and receives second data including second identification information of the battery cell from a second device used in a second step different from the first step, and a controller that identifies first data corresponding to the second data based on the first identification information and the second identification information, and transmits the first data to the second device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application Nos. 10-2023-0025410, filed February 24, 2023, and 10-2024-0013253, filed January 29, 2024, and all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent applications are incorporated herein by reference. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a server and a method of operating a server. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has increased dramatically, and as the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites has gained momentum, research into high-performance batteries that can be repeatedly charged and discharged is being actively conducted.

[0003] Generally, the battery manufacturing process includes an electrode process, an assembly process, an activation process, and a packing process. Because each process can be performed in a different location, a means is required to identify the battery cell during manufacturing and to transmit information about the battery cell. For this purpose, a two-dimensional (2D) barcode is printed on the surface of the battery cell, and the 2D barcode is then read in the next process to identify the battery cell and transmit information about the battery cell.

[0004] However, printing 2D barcodes on the surface of battery cells and rework due to defective 2D barcodes may incur additional costs and time, reducing productivity. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the embodiments disclosed in this specification is to provide a server and a method of operating the server that efficiently manages information about battery cells. The technical problems of the embodiments described in this specification are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A server according to one embodiment disclosed in this specification includes a communication unit that receives first data including first identification information and physical property information of a battery cell from a first device used in a first step in a manufacturing process of the battery cell, and receives second data including second identification information of the battery cell from a second device used in a second step different from the first step, and a controller that identifies the first data corresponding to the second data based on the first identification information and the second identification information, and transmits the first data to the second device.

[0007] According to an embodiment, the controller may determine that the second data and the first data correspond to each other if the second identification information and the first identification information are identical.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the second device can obtain the second identification information by recognizing an identification mark included in the battery cell. According to one embodiment, the identification mark may be a one-dimensional (1D) barcode. According to one embodiment, the second device can acquire the physical property information by receiving data from the communication unit.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the first identification information may include an identification number of the battery cell, and the physical property information may include an open-circuit voltage (OCV) and a capacity of the battery cell. According to an embodiment, the second identification information may include an identification number of the battery cell.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the controller forms a database including the first data, and if the database includes the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information, transmits the first data including the first identification information to the second device, and if the database does not include the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information, transmits a lost signal to the second device.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the first step may be an assembly step or an activation step, and the second step may be a packing step. According to an embodiment, the information processing device may further include a storage unit for storing the first data.

[0012] A method of operating a server according to one embodiment disclosed in this specification includes the steps of receiving first data including first identification information and physical property information of a battery cell from a first device used in a first step in a manufacturing process of the battery cell, receiving second data including second identification information of the battery cell from a second device used in a second step different from the first step, and transmitting the first data corresponding to the second data to the second device.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the method may further include identifying the first data that corresponds to the second data. According to one embodiment, the identifying step may be a step of determining that the second data corresponds to the first data if the second identification information and the first identification information are identical.

[0014] According to one embodiment, the second device can obtain the second identification information by recognizing an identification mark included in the battery cell. According to one embodiment, the identification mark may be a one-dimensional (1D) barcode.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the first identification information may include an identification number of the battery cell, and the physical property information may include an open-circuit voltage (OCV) and a capacity of the battery cell. According to an embodiment, the second identification information may include an identification number of the battery cell.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the first step may be an assembly step or an activation step, and the second step may be a packing step. Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] Servers and methods of operating the servers according to embodiments disclosed herein can reduce the time and costs associated with printing and maintaining 2D barcodes, and improve the efficiency of battery manufacturing.

[0018] The server and method of operating the server according to embodiments disclosed herein can efficiently change data transferred between steps in the battery manufacturing process without changing the 2D barcode. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a battery manufacturing system according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates a server according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 illustrates a method for a server to match first data with second data according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a server according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 illustrates a computing system for performing an embodiment of a method of operating a server disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0020] Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed herein will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying 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 as long as possible when they appear in other drawings. 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.

[0021] When describing components of the embodiments disclosed herein, terms such as "first," "second," 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.

[0022] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a battery manufacturing system according to one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 1 , a battery manufacturing system according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a server 100 , a first device 200 , and a second device 300 .

[0023] The server 100 may receive data from the first device 200. The data that the server 100 receives from the first device 200 may be defined as first data (data1). The server 100 may receive the first data (data1) from the first device 200 and store the first data (data1).

[0024] The server 100 may receive data from the second device 300. The data that the server 100 receives from the second device 300 may be defined as second data (data2). The server 100 may transmit data to the second device 300. According to an embodiment, the server 100 may include, but is not limited to, a cloud server 100.

[0025] The first device 200 may include a battery manufacturing device. The battery manufacturing process may include an electrode process, an assembly process, an activation process, and a packing process. The electrode process may be a process of forming the positive and negative electrodes of the battery cell, the assembly process may be a process of forming the shape of the battery cell, the activation process may be a process of activating the electrical energy of the battery cell and checking its stability, and the packing process may be a process of modularizing the manufactured battery cell and placing it in a pack.

[0026] The activation process is a process of repeatedly aging and charging / discharging the battery cell. Generally, the activation process includes storing the battery cell at room temperature so that the electrolyte penetrates the positive and negative electrodes, and then partially charging / discharging the battery cell once the electrolyte is dispersed inside the battery cell and ions move smoothly between the positive and negative electrodes.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the first device 200 can be used in an activation process during a battery manufacturing process. That is, the first device 200 can be one of various devices that drive the activation process. According to an embodiment, the first device 200 can be a storage device or a charging / discharging device for battery cells, or can be a separate device that communicates with the server 100 during the activation process.

[0028] The first device 200 may transmit first data (data1) to the server 100. The first device 200 may transmit the first data (data1) including first identification information and physical property information of the battery cell to the server 100. Here, the first identification information may include an identification number of the battery cell. In addition, the physical property information may include, but is not limited to, the open-circuit voltage (OCV) and capacity of the battery cell. That is, the physical property information included in the first data (data1) may include not only the OCV and capacity but also various information related to the characteristics of the battery cell.

[0029] The first device 200 may manufacture a plurality of battery cells, generate first data (data1) corresponding to each battery cell, and continuously transmit the first data (data1) corresponding to each battery cell to the server 100. According to another embodiment, the first device 200 may also be used in an assembly process during the manufacturing process of the battery cells.

[0030] Meanwhile, the battery cells manufactured by the first device 200 may include an identification mark. That is, the battery cells may include an identification mark on their surfaces. Here, the identification mark may include a one-dimensional (1D) barcode. According to an embodiment, the identification mark may include information regarding the identification information of the battery cell. That is, the identification mark may indicate an identification number that is a unique number of the battery cell.

[0031] The packing process in the battery manufacturing process is a process of modularizing battery cells to fit the model of the intended use. Generally, the packing process includes the steps of manufacturing a battery pack by manufacturing a plurality of battery cells in a cell-to-cell format, fixing them in a module case, connecting the plurality of battery cells to assemble a module, and connecting them in a module-to-module format.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the second device 300 can be used in the packing process during the battery manufacturing process. That is, the second device 300 can be one of various devices that drive the packing process. Because the activation process and the packing process typically occur in different locations, the second device 300 can be located in a different location from the first device 200.

[0033] The second device 300 can identify the identification mark included in the battery cell. Because the second device 300 is included in the packing process, which is performed after the assembly process and the activation process, the battery cell identified by the second device 300 can include the identification mark. This allows the second device 300 to identify the identification mark placed on the surface of the battery cell and obtain information about the battery cell. That is, the second device 300 can identify the identification mark and obtain the identification information of the battery cell.

[0034] The second device 300 can generate second data (data2) based on the identification information acquired by identifying the battery cell. As a result, the second data (data2) can include identification information acquired by the second device 300 by identifying the identification mark of the battery cell. The identification information included in the second data (data2) can be defined as second identification information. That is, the second device 300 can generate second data (data2) including second identification information of the battery cell. Furthermore, the second device 300 can transmit the second data (data2) to the server 100.

[0035] The second device 300 may receive third data (data3) from the server 100. The third data (data3) may include identification information and physical property information of the battery cell. That is, the third data (data3) may include the identification information of the battery cell, and the OCV and capacity of the battery cell, or may include a loss signal. Here, the identification information included in the third data (data3) may be the same as the identification information included in the second data (data2). That is, the second device 300 may obtain the second identification information by recognizing the identification mark of the battery cell, and receive the third data (data3) from the server 100, thereby obtaining the physical property information of the battery cell. The third data (data3) will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 3.

[0036] The second device 300 can analyze the third data (data3). According to an embodiment, if the third data (data3) includes the identification information, OCV, and capacity of the battery cell, the second device 300 can extract the second identification information corresponding to the identification information included in the third data (data3) and match the third data (data3) with the battery cell that served as the basis for the second identification information. This allows the second device 300 to obtain information about the battery cell based on the third data (data3). That is, the second device 300 can consider the identification information, OCV, and capacity of the battery cell included in the third data (data3) as information about the battery cell that served as the basis for the second data (data2).

[0037] According to an embodiment, if the third data (data3) includes a loss signal, the second device 300 can record the loss of information of the battery cell and display the loss of information of the battery cell so that the user can confirm the loss of information of the battery cell.

[0038] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for matching first data with second data by a server according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0039] 2, the server 100 may include a communication unit 110, a controller 120, and a storage unit 130. The communication unit 110 may communicate with other devices not included in the server 100. According to an embodiment, the communication unit 110 may transmit and receive data to and from a first device 200 and a second device 300. Specifically, the communication unit 110 may receive first data (data1) from the first device 200. The communication unit 110 may transmit the first data (data1) received from the first device 200 to the controller 120. The communication unit 110 may also receive second data (data2) from the second device 300. The communication unit 110 may transmit the second data (data2) received from the second device 300 to the controller 120.

[0040] The communication unit 110 can transmit the third data (data3) to the second device 300. That is, the communication unit 110 receives the third data (data3) from the controller 120 and can transmit the third data (data3) to the second device 300.

[0041] 2 and 3, the controller 120 may form a database 400 based on the first data (data1). First, the controller 120 may receive a plurality of pieces of first data (data1) from the communication unit 110. The controller 120 may form the database 400 by classifying each of the plurality of pieces of first data (data1) received from the communication unit 110. That is, the database 400 may include a plurality of pieces of first data (data1) and may store identification information, OCV, and capacity included in each piece of first data (data1) separately. According to an embodiment, the database 400 may be a lookup table.

[0042] The controller 120 may receive second data (data2) from the communication unit 110. The controller 120 may compare the second data (data2) with the database 400. According to an embodiment, the controller 120 may determine whether or not there is first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2) among a plurality of first data (data1) included in the database 400. To this end, the controller 120 may compare the first identification information of each of the plurality of first data (data1) included in the database 400 with the second identification information included in the second data (data2). According to an embodiment, when the controller 120 extracts first identification information identical to the second identification information, the controller 120 may define the first data (data1) including the first identification information as third data (data3).

[0043] If the controller 120 cannot find the first identification information that is the same as the second identification information, the controller 120 can define the missing signal as third data (data3). The controller 120 may transmit third data (data3) to the second device 300. Specifically, the controller 120 may transmit the third data (data3) to the communication unit 110 and control the communication unit 110 to transmit the third data (data3) to the second device 300. Here, the third data (data3) may include identification information, an OCV, and a capacity, or a loss signal.

[0044] 2 again, the storage unit 130 may store the first data (data1). The storage unit 130 may receive the first data (data1) from the communication unit 110 and store the first data (data1). According to an embodiment, the storage unit 130 may receive the database 400 from the controller 120 and store the database 400.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation of a server according to one embodiment disclosed herein. The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is just one embodiment, and the order of operations according to various embodiments of the present invention may differ from that shown in FIG. 4, and some steps shown in FIG. 4 may be omitted, the order between steps may be changed, or steps may be merged.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 4, the server operation method may include an operation of receiving first data from a first device included in a first step (S100), an operation of generating a database based on the first data (S200), an operation of receiving second data from a second device included in a second step (S300), an operation of determining whether first data corresponding to the second data exists (S400), an operation of transmitting the first data corresponding to the second data to the second device (S500), and an operation of transmitting a loss signal to the second device (S600).

[0047] The operations S100 to S600 will be specifically described below with reference to FIGS. In operation S100, the server 100 may receive first data (data1) from the first device 200 involved in the first process. The server 100 may receive the first data (data1) from the first device 200 and store the first data (data1). Here, the first device 200 may include a battery manufacturing device. The battery manufacturing process may include an electrode process, an assembly process, an activation process, and a packing process. According to an embodiment, the first device 200 may be used in the activation process during the battery manufacturing process. That is, the first device 200 may be one of various devices that drive the activation process. In addition, the first data (data1) may include identification information, an OCV (Open-Circuit Voltage), and a capacity of the battery cell.

[0048] In operation S200, the server 100 may generate the database 400 based on the first data (data1). The server 100 may classify the plurality of first data (data1) received from the first device 200 to form the database 400. That is, the database 400 may include the plurality of first data (data1) and store the identification information, OCV, and capacity included in each of the first data (data1) separately. According to an embodiment, the database 400 may be a lookup table.

[0049] In operation S300, the server 100 may receive second data (data2) from a second device 300 involved in a second process. Here, the second device 300 may include a battery manufacturing device. According to an embodiment, the second device 300 may be used in a packing process during a battery manufacturing process. That is, the second device 300 may be one of various devices that drive the packing process. Because the battery assembly process, activation process, and packing process are typically performed in different locations, the second device 300 may be located in a different location from the first device 200.

[0050] The server 100 can receive second data (data2) including the identification information of the battery cell that the second device 300 has acquired by identifying the identification mark disposed on the surface of the battery cell.

[0051] In operation S400, the server 100 can determine whether or not there is first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2). The server 100 can compare the database 400 with the second data (data2). According to an embodiment, the server 100 can determine whether or not there is first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2) among the plurality of first data (data1) included in the database 400. To this end, the server 100 can compare the first identification information of each of the plurality of first data (data1) included in the database 400 with the second identification information included in the second data (data2).

[0052] The server 100 can perform operation S500 when it determines that the first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2) exists in the database 400. The server 100 can perform operation S600 when it determines that the first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2) does not exist in the database 400.

[0053] In operation S500, the server 100 may transmit first data (data1) corresponding to the second data (data2) to the second device 300. According to an embodiment, when the server 100 finds first identification information identical to the second identification information, the server 100 may define the first data (data1) including the first identification information as third data (data3). The server 100 may transmit the third data (data3) to the second device 300. Here, the third data (data3) may include the first data (data1).

[0054] In operation S600, the server 100 may transmit a loss signal to the second device 300. According to an embodiment, if the server 100 cannot find the first identification information that is identical to the second identification information, the server 100 may define the loss signal as third data (data3). The server 100 may transmit the third data (data3) to the second device 300. Here, the third data (data3) may include the loss signal.

[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates a computing system that may perform a method of operating a server according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 5, a computing system 500 according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) 510, a memory 520, an input / output I / F 530, and a communication I / F 540.

[0056] The MCU 510 may be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., a SOH (State of Health) calculation program, a cell balancing execution target determination program, etc.) stored in the memory 520, processes various data including the SOC (State of Charge), SOH, etc. of multiple battery cells through such programs, and performs the functions of the server 100 described with reference to Figures 1 to 4 above.

[0057] The memory 520 can store various programs related to calculating the SOH of the battery cells and determining which cells are to be subjected to cell balancing. The memory 520 can also store various data such as SOC and SOH data for each battery cell.

[0058] A plurality of such memories 520 may be provided as necessary. The memories 520 may be volatile memories or nonvolatile memories. As the volatile memories 520, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As the nonvolatile memories 520, ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories 520 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these examples.

[0059] The input / output I / F 530 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 510, enabling data to be sent and received.

[0060] The communication I / F 540 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 which cells are to be balanced can be sent and received from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F 540. In this manner, the method of operating the server according to one embodiment disclosed herein can be stored in the memory 520 and executed by the MCU 510 .

[0061] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification, and a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this specification belong may make various modifications and variations within the scope that does not deviate from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this specification.

[0062] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this specification are intended to illustrate, not limit, the technical ideas disclosed in this specification, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed in this specification should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this specification. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 servers 110 Communications Department 120 Controller 130 Storage area 200 1st device 300 2nd device 400 databases 500 Computing Systems 510 Microcontroller Unit (MCU) 520 memory data1 First data data2 Second data data3 Third data

Claims

1. a communication unit that receives first data including first identification information and physical property information of the battery cell from a first device used in a first step in a manufacturing process of the battery cell, and receives second data including second identification information of the battery cell from a second device used in a second step different from the first step; a controller that identifies the first data corresponding to the second data based on the first identification information and the second identification information, and transmits the first data to the second device; Including, the server.

2. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the controller determines that the second data corresponds to the first data when the second identification information and the first identification information are identical.

3. The server according to claim 1 , wherein the second device acquires the second identification information by recognizing an identification mark included in the battery cell.

4. The server of claim 3 , wherein the identification mark is a one-dimensional (1D) barcode.

5. The server according to claim 3 , wherein the second device acquires the physical property information by receiving data from the communication unit.

6. the first identification information includes an identification number of the battery cell, The server according to claim 1 , wherein the physical property information includes an open circuit voltage (OCV) and a capacity of the battery cell.

7. The server according to claim 6 , wherein the second identification information includes an identification number of the battery cell.

8. the controller forms a database containing the first data; If the database includes the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information, transmitting the first data including the first identification information to the second device; The server of claim 7, wherein if the database does not contain the first identification information corresponding to the second identification information, the server transmits a missing signal to the second device.

9. 3. The server according to claim 1, wherein the first step is an assembly step or an activation step, and the second step is a packing step.

10. The server according to claim 1 , further comprising a storage unit that stores the first data.

11. receiving first data including first identification information and physical property information of the battery cell from a first device used in a first step in a manufacturing process of the battery cell; receiving second data including second identification information of the battery cell from a second device used in a second process different from the first process; transmitting the first data corresponding to the second data to the second device; How the server operates, including

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising identifying the first data that corresponds to the second data.

13. The method for operating a server according to claim 12 , wherein the identifying step is a step of determining that the second data corresponds to the first data if the second identification information and the first identification information are identical.

14. The server operation method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the second device acquires the second identification information by recognizing an identification mark included in the battery cell.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the identification mark is a one-dimensional (1D) barcode.

16. the first identification information includes an identification number of the battery cell, The server operating method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the physical property information includes an open circuit voltage (OCV) and a capacity of the battery cell.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the second identification information includes an identification number of the battery cell.

18. 13. The method for operating a server according to claim 11, wherein the first step is an assembly step or an activation step, and the second step is a packing step.

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