Method for estimating SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery and monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery

Abstract

To suppress degradation of accuracy of estimating the SOC of a lead storage battery caused by reduction in electrolytic solution.SOLUTION: A method for estimating the charge state of a control valve type lead storage battery includes: an overcharge electricity amount identification step of identifying an overcharge electricity amount when the lead storage battery is overcharged on and after an arbitrary reference time; an open-circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring the open-circuit voltage of the lead storage battery sometime later than the reference time; and a charge state estimation step of estimating the charge state of the lead storage battery on the basis of the acquired open-circuit voltage and such a correlation between an open-circuit voltage and a charge stage that a change rate of the charge state with respect to the open-circuit voltage is smaller as the overcharge electricity amount from the reference time till the open-circuit voltage acquisition time is larger.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The technology disclosed in this specification relates to a method for estimating the state of charge of a valve regulated lead-acid battery. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a method of measuring the open circuit voltage (OCV) of a secondary battery and estimating the state of charge (SOC) of the secondary battery based on the measured open circuit voltage (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). For example, in a flooded lead-acid battery among secondary batteries, the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte, which is a reactant, changes due to charging and discharging, and the state of charge of the flooded lead-acid battery changes with the change in sulfuric acid concentration. There is a correlation between the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte and the open circuit voltage of the flooded lead-acid battery. Therefore, it is possible to estimate the state of charge of the flooded lead-acid battery based on the measurement result of the open circuit voltage of the flooded lead-acid battery. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-169281 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2019-45155 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] By the way, one type of lead-acid battery is known as a valve-regulated lead-acid battery (sealed lead-acid battery). Valve-regulated lead-acid batteries differ from flooded lead-acid batteries in that the electrolyte inside is less likely to flow, and the amount of electrolyte is relatively small, allowing for a high degree of freedom in the installation position. In addition, maintenance is easy because there is no need to check the electrolyte level or add water, and they are used, for example, as power sources for uninterruptible power supplies, communication base stations, motorcycles, etc.

[0005] In the above-mentioned conventional method for estimating the state of charge of a secondary battery, among lead-acid batteries, mainly flooded lead-acid batteries are targeted, and valve-regulated lead-acid batteries are not targeted, and have not been fully studied. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for estimating the state of charge of valve-regulated lead-acid batteries with high accuracy. Valve-regulated lead-acid batteries absorb gas generated from inside during use with the electrode plates, so the electrolyte is less likely to be reduced compared to flooded lead-acid batteries. However, since the amount of electrolyte in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery is small, even a small amount of electrolyte reduction (amount of water contained in the electrolyte) has a large effect on the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte in the casing. For this reason, for example, if the state of charge is estimated simply based on the measurement result of the open circuit voltage, as in the conventional method for estimating the state of charge of a secondary battery, the accuracy of estimating the state of charge may deteriorate in the course of using the battery. Therefore, the present inventor has studied advanced estimation of the state of charge, regardless of the period of use, and estimation of the amount of electrolyte reduction and sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte for valve-regulated lead-acid batteries.

[0006] This specification discloses a technique that is capable of at least one of accurately estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery and estimating the amount of electrolyte loss or the sulfuric acid concentration of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery disclosed in this specification is a method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, and includes an overcharge quantity of electricity specifying step of specifying an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time, an open circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring an open circuit voltage of the lead-acid battery after the reference time, and a state of charge estimation step of estimating the state of charge of the lead-acid battery based on an open circuit voltage-state of charge correlation in which the larger the overcharge quantity of electricity from the reference time to the time the open circuit voltage is acquired, the smaller the rate of change of the state of charge relative to the open circuit voltage, and the acquired open circuit voltage. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1]1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a golf cart 60 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the electrical configuration of the golf cart 60. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 400. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart showing a flow of a battery management process. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing changes over time in the charge / discharge electrical quantity and the correlation between the open circuit voltage and the state of charge of a VRLA (Valve-Regulated Lead-Acid battery) 100. [Figure 6] 1 is a graph showing the correlation between the amount of overcharge electricity and the amount of liquid loss. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in the following forms.

[0010] (1) A method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery disclosed in this specification includes an overcharge quantity of electricity identifying step of identifying an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time, an open circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring an open circuit voltage of the lead-acid battery after the reference time, and a state of charge estimating step of estimating the state of charge of the lead-acid battery based on an open circuit voltage-state of charge correlation in which the rate of change of the state of charge relative to the open circuit voltage is smaller as the overcharge quantity of electricity from the reference time to the time the open circuit voltage is acquired, and the acquired open circuit voltage.

[0011] In a lead-acid battery, when the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte fluctuates due to the loss of electrolyte, the correlation between the open circuit voltage (hereinafter also referred to as "OCV") and the state of charge (hereinafter also referred to as "SOC") (the rate of change of SOC relative to OCV) that should be used to estimate the state of charge of the lead-acid battery varies with the change in the sulfuric acid concentration. In a conventional configuration, even if the OCV could be accurately obtained, the SOC of the lead-acid battery is estimated using a common OCV-SOC correlation regardless of the amount of loss of electrolyte, so that the SOC cannot be accurately estimated.

[0012] The present inventors have newly found, through extensive research, that in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the amount of electrolyte loss (sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte) can be estimated from the overcharge quantity of electricity. That is, in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, unlike a liquid-type lead-acid battery, the main cause of electrolyte loss is the loss due to electrolysis of water. In addition, this water electrolysis occurs as a side reaction of the charging reaction, and becomes the main reaction when the lead-acid battery is overcharged, and this overcharge quantity of electricity is mainly used for the electrolysis of water. This means that a correlation is established between the overcharge quantity of electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss due to the electrolysis of water. From these facts, in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the amount of electrolyte loss and further the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte can be estimated from the overcharge quantity of electricity. Then, by using the obtained OCV-SOC correlation of the change rate according to the amount of electrolyte loss (the amount of change in the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte), the SOC of the lead-acid battery can be measured with high accuracy. In this method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the SOC of the lead-acid battery is estimated based on the acquired OCV and the OCV-SOC correlation, in which the larger the overcharged amount of electricity acquired from a predetermined reference time until the acquisition of the open circuit voltage, the smaller the rate of change of SOC relative to the OCV. This makes it possible to suppress a decrease in the estimation accuracy of the SOC of the lead-acid battery caused by a decrease in the electrolyte.

[0013] (2) The above-mentioned method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery may further include a step of estimating an amount of electrolyte loss in the lead-acid battery based on the overcharged quantity of electricity, and the step of estimating the state of charge of the lead-acid battery may include estimating the state of charge of the lead-acid battery using the correlation between the open circuit voltage and the state of charge of the rate of change according to the estimated amount of electrolyte loss. According to this method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the SOC of the lead-acid battery can be more accurately estimated using an appropriate OCV-SOC correlation based on the amount of electrolyte loss estimated from the overcharged quantity of electricity.

[0014] (3) In the above-described method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, in the step of estimating the amount of electrolyte loss, for an amount of electrolyte loss that is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the amount of electrolyte loss may be estimated based on a first conversion relationship between an amount of overcharging electricity and an amount of electrolyte loss, and for an amount of electrolyte loss that exceeds the predetermined value, the amount of electrolyte loss may be estimated based on a second conversion relationship in which a conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharging electricity is smaller than the first conversion relationship.

[0015] The inventors of the present invention have found through extensive research that as the electrolyte is reduced, the gas absorption reaction in the negative electrode becomes more likely to occur, and thus the reduction in electrolyte due to electrolysis of water is suppressed accordingly. This means that, regardless of whether the electrolyte reduction amount (overcharge electricity amount) is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, if a common conversion relationship between the overcharge electricity amount and the electrolyte reduction amount is used, the accuracy of estimating the electrolyte reduction amount may decrease, and as a result, the accuracy of estimating the SOC of the lead-acid battery may decrease. In contrast, the present method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery can suppress the accuracy of estimating the SOC of the lead-acid battery from decreasing due to the electrolyte reduction amount.

[0016] (4) The above-mentioned method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery may include a temperature acquisition step of acquiring the temperature of the lead-acid battery, and the step of estimating the amount of electrolyte loss may estimate the amount of electrolyte loss based on a conversion relationship in which the lower the acquired temperature, the smaller the conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharge electricity. The present inventors have newly found through extensive research that, in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the lower the temperature of the lead-acid battery, the smaller the conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharge electricity (hereinafter also referred to as "liquid loss conversion rate"). According to this method for estimating the state of charge of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, the amount of electrolyte loss is estimated based on a conversion relationship in which the lower the temperature of the lead-acid battery, the smaller the liquid loss conversion rate, so that the amount of electrolyte loss can be estimated more accurately.

[0017] (5) A monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery disclosed in this specification is a monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, and includes an overcharge quantity of electricity identifying unit that identifies an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time, an open circuit voltage acquisition unit that acquires an open circuit voltage of the lead-acid battery after the reference time, and a state of charge estimation unit that estimates the state of charge of the lead-acid battery based on the acquired open circuit voltage and an open circuit voltage-state of charge correlation in which the larger the overcharge quantity of electricity from the reference time to the time the open circuit voltage is acquired, the smaller the rate of change of the state of charge relative to the open circuit voltage.

[0018] (6) The method for estimating the amount of electrolyte loss in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery disclosed in this specification includes an overcharge quantity of electricity specification step of specifying an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged, and a quantity of electrolyte loss estimation step of estimating the amount of electrolyte loss based on the overcharge quantity of electricity. According to this estimation method, the amount of electrolyte loss in the valve-regulated lead-acid battery can be estimated.

[0019] (7) A method for estimating the sulfuric acid concentration of an electrolyte in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery disclosed in this specification includes an overcharge quantity of electricity specification step of specifying an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged, and a sulfuric acid concentration estimation step of estimating the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte based on the overcharge quantity of electricity. According to this estimation method, the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte in the valve-regulated lead-acid battery can be estimated.

[0020] The present invention can be used, for example, in the following manner. Specifically, the following applies: (a) A power storage system including a valve regulated lead-acid battery, an electric motor operated by power from the lead-acid battery, a notification unit, and a battery monitoring unit, The battery monitoring unit an overcharged quantity of electricity specifying step of specifying an overcharged quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time; an open circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring an open circuit voltage of the lead storage battery after the reference time; a state of charge estimation step of estimating the state of charge of the lead-acid battery based on an open circuit voltage-state of charge correlation in which the rate of change of the state of charge relative to the open circuit voltage is smaller as the overcharged quantity of electricity from the reference time to the time when the open circuit voltage is acquired, and the acquired open circuit voltage; The notification unit is A reporting operation is executed according to the state of charge of the lead-acid battery estimated by the battery monitoring unit. (b) A power storage system including a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, an electric motor operated by power from the lead-acid battery, a notification unit, and a battery monitoring unit, The battery monitoring unit an overcharged quantity of electricity specifying step of specifying an overcharged quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged; an estimation step of estimating at least one of a reduction amount of the electrolyte and a sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte based on the overcharged quantity of electricity; Implemented the following: The notification unit is A notification operation is executed according to the result of the estimation by the battery monitoring unit.

[0021] The technology disclosed in this specification can be realized in various forms, such as a monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, a method for estimating at least one of the state of charge, amount of electrolyte loss, and sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, a computer program for realizing the functions of such a device or method, a non-transitory recording medium on which the computer program is recorded, etc.

[0022] A. Principle of the method for estimating electrolyte loss in valve-regulated lead-acid batteries: Through extensive research, the present inventors have newly discovered that in a valve-regulated lead-acid battery (hereinafter also referred to as "VRLA"), a correlation is established between the overcharge quantity of electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss, and that the amount of electrolyte loss (or the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte) can be estimated from the overcharge quantity of electricity. The overcharge quantity of electricity refers to the quantity of electricity during overcharging when the charging quantity of electricity exceeds the discharging quantity of electricity, and the electrolyte loss refers to a decrease in the moisture in the electrolyte inside the casing of the lead-acid battery. This will be described in detail below.

[0023] A-1. Correlation between the amount of overcharged electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss: As described above, in the case of VRLA lead-acid batteries, a correlation is established between the amount of overcharge electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss.

[0024] First, a lead-acid battery generally includes a housing having an accommodation space, a plate group including a positive electrode plate, a negative electrode plate, and a separator, and an electrolyte (e.g., dilute sulfuric acid) contained in the accommodation space. In such a lead-acid battery, for example, at the end of charging, water contained in the electrolyte may be electrolyzed in the accommodation space of the housing, generating oxygen gas from the positive electrode plate and hydrogen gas from the negative electrode plate. Therefore, in the case of a lead-acid battery, at least the electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte causes a reduction in electrolyte.

[0025] Here, in the VRLA, the reduction in the electrolyte is mainly caused by electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte. That is, in the VRLA, there is almost no electrolyte flowing in the housing space, and the housing space is sealed in the normal state when the pressure in the housing space is less than a predetermined value. Specifically, in the VRLA, the separator is made of, for example, glass fiber, and the separator is impregnated with the electrolyte. Therefore, there is almost no electrolyte flowing in the housing space. In addition, in the VRLA, a control valve is provided in the housing instead of an exhaust hole. In the normal state, the control valve is in a closed state so as not to discharge gas generated in the housing space to the outside of the housing, and the housing space is sealed. Therefore, in the VRLA, there is almost no reduction in the electrolyte due to evaporation of water contained in the electrolyte.

[0026] In addition, the electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte occurs as a side reaction of the charging reaction during normal charging, but becomes the main reaction during overcharging of a lead-acid battery, and the amount of overcharging electricity at this time is mainly used for the electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte. This means that a correlation is established between the amount of overcharging electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss due to the electrolysis of water.

[0027] As described above, in the VRLA, the electrolyte is reduced mainly by electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte, and a correlation is established between the amount of electrolyte reduced by electrolysis of water and the amount of electricity in overcharging. This means that in the VRLA, a correlation is established between the amount of electrolyte reduced and the amount of electricity in overcharging. Therefore, in the VRLA, the amount of electrolyte reduced and further the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte can be estimated from the amount of electricity in overcharging. Note that in the VRLA, since the amount of electrolyte contained in the housing is small, even if the amount of electrolyte reduced (the amount of water contained in the electrolyte reduced) is small, it has a large effect on the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte in the housing. For this reason, in the VRLA, it is preferable to accurately estimate the amount of electrolyte reduced (the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte).

[0028] In addition, in a flooded lead-acid battery, there is no correlation between the amount of electrolyte loss and the amount of overcharge electricity. That is, in a flooded lead-acid battery, an exhaust hole that is always open is formed in the housing, and oxygen gas and hydrogen gas (hereinafter collectively referred to as "gas") generated in the housing space can be constantly discharged to the outside of the housing. Therefore, in a flooded lead-acid battery, in addition to electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte, the electrolyte loss occurs due to evaporation of water contained in the electrolyte. In addition, in a flooded lead-acid battery, the moisture in the electrolyte decreases due to the discharge of gas, so that purified water is replenished in the housing space during the use of the battery, and the amount of electrolyte fluctuates. For these reasons, in a flooded lead-acid battery, there is no correlation between the amount of electrolyte loss and the amount of overcharge electricity.

[0029] A-2. Conversion rate of electrolyte loss to overcharged electricity: As described above, in VRLA, a correlation is established between the amount of electrolyte loss and the amount of overcharge electricity. Therefore, the amount of electrolyte loss can be estimated from the amount of overcharge electricity using a conversion rate according to this correlation (the conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharge electricity, hereinafter also referred to as the "liquid loss conversion rate"). However, the present inventors have newly found, through extensive research, that this liquid loss conversion rate changes as the electrolyte loss progresses.

[0030] First, in VRLA, a gas absorption reaction may occur during charging, and this gas absorption reaction suppresses the amount of electrolyte loss caused by electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte. The gas absorption reaction is a reaction in which oxygen gas generated in the positive electrode plate by electrolysis of water contained in the electrolyte during charging is absorbed by the negative electrode plate. At the end of charging, the oxygen gas generated in the positive electrode plate reacts with lead, which is the negative electrode active material, to generate lead sulfate and water. In other words, the water lost by the generation of oxygen gas in the positive electrode plate is regenerated. In addition, the negative electrode plate is in a discharged state due to the generation of lead sulfate, and the electric energy of charging is used to reduce this lead sulfate, so the amount of hydrogen gas generated from the negative electrode plate is also less than that of a flooded lead-acid battery. Here, the gas absorption reaction occurs when oxygen gas generated in the positive electrode plate comes into contact with the surface of the negative electrode plate that is exposed and not covered by the electrolyte (also called the "exposed surface of the negative electrode plate"). Therefore, in the early stage when there is a sufficient amount of electrolyte remaining and there is almost no exposed surface of the negative electrode plate, the gas absorption reaction is unlikely to occur. On the other hand, the more the electrolyte is reduced and the larger the exposed surface of the negative plate becomes, the more likely the gas absorption reaction will occur. When the gas absorption reaction occurs more easily, the amount of electrolyte reduced per unit amount of overcharge electricity decreases, and the electrolyte reduction conversion rate decreases.

[0031] Therefore, by correcting the electrolyte loss conversion rate to be smaller as the electrolyte loss increases, the electrolyte loss (sulfuric acid concentration in the electrolyte) can be estimated more accurately from the overcharge electricity quantity.

[0032] B. Implementation: B-1.Configuration: Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a golf cart 60 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the golf cart 60 includes a VRLA 100 as a battery, a drive motor 300 as an electric motor, a BMU (Battery Management Unit) 400 that manages the state of the VRLA 100, and an operation unit 62. The golf cart 60 is a mobile body that runs on the power of the drive motor 300 that is operated by electric power from the VRLA 100, and is capable of running automatically on predetermined roads on a golf course.

[0033] The operation unit 62 is disposed, for example, near the handle of the golf cart 60. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 1, the operation unit 62 is provided with a display unit 64, which is configured, for example, by a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various images and information. The display unit 64 displays a display pattern 66 according to the state of charge (State of Charge (hereinafter also referred to as "SOC")) of the VRLA 100. The SOC is the ratio (%) of the current capacity (remaining capacity) to the battery capacity of the VRLA 100 (the rated capacity of the VRLA 100, the maximum dischargeable capacity, or the capacity when fully charged). Specifically, "F" on the screen of the display unit 64 means that the VRLA 100 is in a fully charged state (for example, a state in which the voltage of the VRLA 100 is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper voltage limit), and "E" on the screen of the display unit 64 means that the VRLA 100 is in an undercharged state (for example, a state in which the voltage of the VRLA 100 is equal to or lower than a predetermined lower voltage limit). The multiple bars of different lengths on the screen of the display unit 64 are displayed in different patterns according to the SOC of the VRLA 100. For example, as the SOC of the VRLA 100 decreases and approaches an undercharged state, only the bars near "E" light up, and as the SOC of the VRLA 100 increases and approaches a fully charged state, the bars from near "E" to near "F" light up.

[0034] This allows the user of the golf cart 60 to intuitively grasp the remaining battery level of the VRLA 100 by looking at the display pattern 66 displayed on the display unit 64. The VRLA 100 provided on the golf cart 60 can be charged by a charger (not shown). Therefore, if the user of the golf cart 60 looks at the display pattern 66 displayed on the display unit 64 and determines that the VRLA 100 is approaching a low charge state, the user can charge the VRLA 100 by the charger. In particular, in a moving body that requires frequent charging such as the golf cart 60, high accuracy is required for the estimation of the SOC. In addition, since the VRLA 100 is heavy compared to other secondary batteries, it is often installed in a moving body such as the golf cart 60 for stable running. The BMU 400 corresponds to a monitoring device in the claims.

[0035] Fig. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic electrical configuration of the golf cart 60. As shown in Fig. 2, in addition to the above-mentioned VRLA 100, drive motor 300, and BMU 400, the golf cart 60 includes a voltage detection unit 450, a current detection unit 460, and a temperature detection unit 470. The VRLA 100 is a battery pack in which a plurality of cells CE are connected in series.

[0036] (Configuration of each detection unit) Voltage detection unit 450 is connected in parallel to VRLA 100, and outputs a detection result corresponding to the overall voltage value of VRLA 100. Current detection unit 460 is connected in series to VRLA 100, and outputs a detection result corresponding to the value of the current (charge / discharge current) flowing through VRLA 100. Temperature detection unit 470 is disposed near VRLA 100, and outputs a detection result corresponding to the temperature of VRLA 100.

[0037] (BMU400 configuration) 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of the BMU 400. The BMU 400 includes a control unit 410, a storage unit 420, an input unit 430, and an interface unit 440. These units are connected to each other via a bus so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0038] The input unit 430 receives inputs of detection results from the voltage detection unit 450, the current detection unit 460, and the temperature detection unit 470. The interface unit 440 is configured, for example, with a LAN interface or a USB interface, and communicates with other devices (for example, the operation unit 62) in a wired or wireless manner.

[0039] The storage unit 420 is configured, for example, by a hard disk drive (HDD) or the like, and stores various programs and data. For example, the storage unit 420 stores a battery management program 421 for executing a battery management process, which will be described later. The battery management program 421 is provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium (not shown), such as a CD-ROM, a DVD-ROM, or a USB memory, and is stored in the storage unit 420 by installing the program in the BMU 400. The storage unit 420 also stores map data 422, which will be described later. Each map data 422 is input to the BMU 400 via the interface unit 440, and stored in the storage unit 420.

[0040] The control unit 410 is configured with, for example, a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, etc., and controls the operation of the BMU 400 by executing a computer program read from the storage unit 420. For example, the control unit 410 functions as a processing unit that executes a battery management process described later by reading and executing a battery management program 421. Specifically, the control unit 410 includes a condition determination unit 510, a display control unit 520, an overcharged electric quantity identification unit 530, a liquid loss estimation unit 540, an open circuit voltage (hereinafter also referred to as "OCV") acquisition unit 550, and an SOC estimation unit 560. The functions of each of these units will be described in the description of the battery management process described later.

[0041] When discharging the VRLA 100, a load (not shown) is connected to the VRLA 100, and power generated by a reaction at the positive plate of the VRLA 100 (a reaction in which lead sulfate is produced from lead dioxide) and a reaction at the negative plate (a reaction in which lead sulfate is produced from lead (spongy lead)) is supplied to the load. When charging the VRLA 100, a power source (not shown) is connected to the VRLA 100, and the power supplied from the power source causes a reaction at the positive plate (a reaction in which lead dioxide is produced from lead sulfate) and a reaction at the negative plate (a reaction in which lead sulfate is produced from lead (spongy lead)), thereby charging the VRLA 100.

[0042] B-2. Battery management process: Next, a description will be given of the battery management process executed by the BMU 400. The battery management process is a process for estimating the SOC of the VRLA 100 and causing the display unit 64 to display content corresponding to the estimated SOC.

[0043] FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of the battery management process. First, the condition determination unit 510 determines whether the estimation timing for estimating the SOC of the VRLA 100 has arrived (S110). The condition determination unit 510 determines that the estimation timing has arrived on the condition that a predetermined time has elapsed since the point at which the drive motor 300 of the golf cart 60 has stopped or the completion of charging the VRLA 100 by the charger. The condition determination unit 510 can recognize that the drive motor 300 has stopped when it is determined that the current flowing through the VRLA 100 has become equal to or less than the lower current limit based on the detection result from the current detection unit 460. The condition determination unit 510 can also recognize that charging of the VRLA 100 has been completed when it is determined that the voltage value of the VRLA 100 has become equal to or more than the upper voltage limit based on the detection result from the voltage detection unit 450 or when it receives the above-mentioned charging completion notification from the charger.

[0044] (Identifying the amount of overcharged electricity) When it is determined that the estimation timing has not arrived (S110: NO), the condition determination unit 510 repeats the determination of S110. On the other hand, when it is determined that the estimation timing has arrived (S110: YES), the overcharge quantity of electricity specification unit 530 specifies the overcharge quantity of electricity (hereinafter also referred to as "cycle overcharge quantity of electricity (Ah)") in the most recent charge / discharge cycle for the VRLA100 (S120). The cycle overcharge quantity of electricity is the charged quantity of electricity during a period in which the VRLA100 is overcharged in one charge / discharge cycle, and is a value obtained by subtracting the discharge quantity of electricity from the charged quantity of electricity in one charge / discharge cycle. The discharge quantity of electricity is the integrated value of the discharge current quantity flowing from the VRLA100 when the VRLA100 is discharged (when in use), and the charge quantity of electricity is the integrated value of the charge current quantity flowing to the VRLA100 when the VRLA100 is charged. The overcharge quantity of electricity specification unit 530 acquires the discharge quantity of electricity and the charge quantity of electricity based on the detection result from the current detection unit 460. When the charge quantity of electricity in a charge / discharge cycle is equal to or less than the discharge quantity of electricity, the cycle overcharge quantity of electricity is zero. Next, a specific example will be described.

[0045] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the change over time of the charge / discharge quantity of electricity of the VRLA100 and the correlation between OCV and SOC. The upper part of FIG. 5 shows a charge / discharge graph that shows the change over time of the charge / discharge quantity of electricity of the VRLA100. The vertical axis of the charge / discharge graph is the charge / discharge quantity of electricity (Ah) in the VRLA100, and the horizontal axis is the elapsed time (h) from the initial timing t0. The charge / discharge graph shows the change in the charge / discharge quantity of electricity of the VRLA100 when a charge / discharge cycle in which the VRLA100 is discharged and then charged is repeated multiple times (only three times are illustrated in FIG. 5). For example, when the estimated timing is the first timing t1, the most recent cycle overcharge quantity of electricity is the first cycle overcharge quantity of electricity ΔC1 (=charge quantity of electricity Cc1-discharge quantity of electricity Cd1). When the estimated timing is the second timing t2, the most recent cycle overcharge quantity of electricity is the second cycle overcharge quantity of electricity ΔC2 (= the charging quantity of electricity Cc2-the discharging quantity of electricity Cd2). Note that the step of S120 is an example of the overcharge quantity of electricity specification step in the claims.

[0046] (Estimation of electrolyte loss) Next, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 executes a liquid loss amount estimation process to estimate the amount of electrolyte loss (g) in the VRLA 100. Specifically, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 estimates the amount of electrolyte loss in the most recent charge / discharge cycle (hereinafter also referred to as the "cycle liquid loss amount") using the most recent cycle overcharge amount of electricity identified by the overcharge amount of electricity identification unit 530 and the correlation between the overcharge amount of electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss. As described above, in the VRLA 100, since a correlation is established between the amount of electrolyte loss and the overcharge amount of electricity, the cycle liquid loss amount can be estimated from the cycle overcharge amount of electricity using a liquid loss conversion rate according to this correlation.

[0047] Here, as described above, the greater the amount of electrolyte loss, the smaller the liquid loss conversion rate. Furthermore, the lower the temperature of the VRLA100, the smaller the liquid loss conversion rate. For this reason, in this embodiment, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 acquires the temperature of the VRLA100 based on the detection result from the temperature detection unit 470 (S130). Also, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 reads and acquires the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time from the storage unit 420 (S140). The total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time is the integrated value of the liquid loss amount from the state where the liquid loss amount of the VRLA100 is zero to the previous charge / discharge cycle. Then, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 estimates the cycle liquid loss amount from the cycle overcharge electricity amount using the liquid loss conversion rate (correlation between the amount of electrolyte loss and the overcharge electricity amount) corrected according to the acquired temperature of the VRLA100 and the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time (S150). A detailed description will be given below.

[0048] FIG. 6 is a graph showing the correlation between the amount of overcharge electricity and the amount of electrolyte loss. The vertical axis of FIG. 6 is the amount of electrolyte loss (g) in the VRLA100, and the horizontal axis is the amount of electrolyte loss (Ah) in the VRLA100. FIG. 6 shows a first graph G21 when the temperature of the VRLA100 is in the high temperature range (for example, a temperature range including 45° C.), a second graph G22 when the temperature of the VRLA100 is in the medium temperature range (for example, a temperature range including 25° C.), and a third graph G23 when the temperature of the VRLA100 is in the low temperature range (for example, a temperature range including 0° C.). As shown in FIG. 6, the electrolyte loss conversion rate, which is the slope of the graph, decreases in the order of the first graph G21, the second graph G22, and the third graph G23. In FIG. 6, the amount of reduction in the electrolyte is divided into three stages of reduction regions A to C, the first reduction region A being a region where the amount of reduction in the electrolyte is equal to or greater than zero and less than the first reduction amount V1, the second reduction region B being a region where the amount of reduction in the electrolyte is equal to or greater than the first reduction amount V1 and less than the second reduction amount V2, and the third reduction region C being a region where the amount of reduction in the electrolyte is equal to or greater than the second reduction amount V2. As shown in FIG. 6, for each of the graphs G21 to G23, the reduction conversion rate, which is the slope of the graph, decreases in the order of the first reduction region A, the second reduction region B, and the third reduction region C. The map data 422 stored in the storage unit 420 includes first map data (lookup table) showing the correlation between the overcharged amount of electricity and the amount of reduction shown in FIG. 6. The first map data can be acquired, for example, as follows. For VRLA100, discharge (e.g., discharge at 20A for 2.4 hours) and then charge (charge at 1.5A for 35 hours) were repeated several times in each temperature range, and the overcharged electricity was measured for each charge / discharge cycle, while the mass of the battery from the initial state was measured. The reduction in the mass of the battery was taken as the amount of electrolyte loss.

[0049] Based on the acquired temperature result of the VRLA 100, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 determines which of the first map data corresponds to the graph of the temperature region of the overcharged amount of electricity and the amount of liquid loss to use. Also, based on the acquired total amount of liquid loss in cycles up to the previous time, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 judges which of the first liquid loss region A, the second liquid loss region B, and the third liquid loss region C the amount of liquid loss of the electrolyte corresponding to the most recent cycle overcharged amount of electricity belongs to. For example, when the temperature of the VRLA 100 is 25°C, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 determines to use the correlation between the overcharged amount of electricity and the amount of liquid loss corresponding to the second graph G22 of the medium temperature region in the first map data. When the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time is equal to or less than the first liquid loss amount V1, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 refers to the correlation between the overcharge quantity of electricity and the liquid loss amount belonging to the first liquid loss region A in the second graph G22, extracts the electrolyte liquid loss amount corresponding to the most recent cycle overcharge quantity of electricity, and sets it as the most recent cycle liquid loss amount.Then, the liquid loss amount estimation unit 540 sets the sum of the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time and the most recent cycle liquid loss amount as the current total electrolyte liquid loss amount.

[0050] However, if the current total electrolyte loss exceeds the upper limit of the region to which the total cycle loss up to the previous time belongs, the excess amount is estimated using the correlation between the overcharge amount of electricity and the amount of loss that belongs to the region one level higher than the region to which the total cycle loss up to the previous time belongs. For example, if the total cycle loss up to the previous time belongs to the first liquid loss region A and the current total electrolyte loss exceeds the first liquid loss amount V1, the excess amount is estimated using the correlation between the overcharge amount of electricity and the amount of loss that belongs to the second liquid loss region B. As a result, the most recent cycle loss amount is the sum of the amount of loss due to the correlation between the overcharge amount of electricity and the amount of loss that belongs to the first liquid loss region A and the amount of loss due to the correlation between the overcharge amount of electricity and the amount of loss that belongs to the second liquid loss region B. The calculated current total electrolyte loss amount is stored in the storage unit 420 and is used as the total cycle loss amount up to the previous time in the next charge / discharge cycle. The processes from S130 to S150 are an example of a liquid reduction amount estimation step in the claims.

[0051] (Obtaining OCV) The OCV acquisition unit 550 acquires the OCV value of the VRLA 100 (S160). The SOC estimation process is executed on the condition that the above-mentioned estimation timing has arrived (S110: YES). For this reason, at this point, a predetermined time has already passed since the time when the driving motor 300 of the golf cart 60 stopped or the charging of the VRLA 100 was completed. In this embodiment, this predetermined time is considered to be sufficient time to measure the OCV, and the current voltage value of the VRLA 100 is set as the OCV value based on the detection result from the voltage detection unit 450 when the SOC estimation process is executed. Note that, when a dark current flows through the VRLA 100 at the time when the driving motor 300 stopped, etc., it is preferable to set the value obtained by performing a correction process according to the amount of the dark current on the current voltage value of the VRLA 100 as the OCV value. Note that various other known methods can be adopted as the method of acquiring the OCV. The process of S160 is an example of an open circuit voltage acquisition process in the scope of the claims.

[0052] (SOC Estimation) Next, the SOC estimation unit 560 executes an SOC estimation process to estimate the SOC (%) of the VRLA 100. Specifically, the SOC of the VRLA 100 is estimated based on the acquired OCV and the OCV-SOC correlation, in which the larger the overcharged amount of electricity from an arbitrary reference time to the time the OCV is acquired, the smaller the rate of change of the SOC relative to the OCV (S170). S170 is an example of a state of charge estimation process in the claims. This will be described in detail below.

[0053] The lower part of FIG. 5 shows graphs G11 to G13 showing the correlation of COV-SOC at each timing. The initial timing graph G10 is a graph showing the correlation of COV-SOC of the VRLA100 at the initial timing t0, the first timing graph G11 is a graph showing the correlation of COV-SOC of the VRLA100 at the first timing t1, and the second timing graph G12 is a graph showing the correlation of COV-SOC of the VRLA100 at the second timing t2. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 5, the rate of change of SOC relative to OCV, which is the slope (θ0 to θ2) of the graph, decreases in the order of the initial timing graph G10, the first timing graph G11, and the second timing graph G12. The slope of each graph (the rate of change of SOC relative to OCV) correlates with the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte in the VRLA100, and the sulfuric acid concentration of the electrolyte correlates with the amount of electrolyte loss in the VRLA100. As described above, in the VRLA 100, the amount of electrolyte loss correlates with the overcharged amount of electricity. Therefore, the rate of change of SOC relative to the OCV can be corrected based on the overcharged amount of electricity. In this embodiment, the SOC estimation unit 560 acquires the total amount of electrolyte loss currently stored in the storage unit 420, and corrects the rate of change of SOC relative to the OCV at the initial timing t0 to a smaller value according to the total amount of electrolyte loss currently. This correction value can be determined from the amount of electrolyte at the initial timing t0, the sulfuric acid concentration, and the total amount of electrolyte loss currently. The SOC estimation unit 560 estimates the SOC from the OCV using the COV-SOC correlation of the rate of change of SOC relative to the OCV corrected according to the total amount of electrolyte loss currently.

[0054] The display control unit 520 judges whether the estimated SOC of the VRLA 100 is less than the degradation threshold (S180). If it is judged that the SOC of the VRLA 100 is less than the degradation threshold (S180: YES), an error process is executed (S190). Specifically, the display control unit 520 causes the display unit 64 to display a display for prompting replacement of the VRLA 100. For example, the display control unit 520 causes the battery mark shown on the screen of the display unit 64 in FIG. 1 to blink. When the error process (S190) is executed, the process returns to S110. On the other hand, if it is judged that the SOC of the VRLA 100 is not less than the degradation threshold (S180: NO), the error process (S190) is skipped and the process returns to S110.

[0055] C. Variations: The technology disclosed in this specification is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be modified in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, the following modifications are also possible.

[0056] In the above embodiment, the golf cart 60 is exemplified as the power storage system, but the present invention is not limited to this, and may be, for example, a mobile object such as a go-cart that runs in an amusement park or a transport vehicle that runs in a factory, or may be a device fixedly installed at a predetermined location. In short, it is sufficient if it is equipped with a valve regulated lead-acid battery.

[0057] In the above embodiment, a BMU400 arranged outside VRLA100 was used as an example of a monitoring device, but this is not limited to this, and the monitoring device may be, for example, a control unit provided in VRLA100, or may be provided in a server or the like outside the mobile body, and may remotely manage the status of VRLA100 provided in the mobile body.

[0058] In the above embodiment, the initial timing when the amount of electrolyte loss is zero and the initial timing of each charge / discharge cycle are exemplified as the arbitrary reference time, but other timings may be used. It is preferable that an accurate OCV-SOC correlation is grasped at the reference time. In the above embodiment, the amount of electrolyte loss is estimated based on the overcurrent electric quantity, and the SOC is estimated based on the estimated amount of electrolyte loss, but the SOC may be directly estimated based on the overcurrent electric quantity.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the liquid loss conversion rate is corrected according to the temperature of the VRLA 100 and the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time, but the liquid loss conversion rate may be corrected according to only one of the temperature of the VRLA 100 and the total cycle liquid loss amount up to the previous time, or the liquid loss conversion rate may not be corrected. Also, the order of the flow shown in FIG. 4 can be changed as appropriate. For example, the OCV value of the VRLA 100 (S160) may be obtained immediately before or immediately after the overcharged amount of electricity is specified (S120). [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 60: Golf cart 62: Operation unit 64: Display unit 66: Display pattern 100: VRLA 300: Drive motor 400: BMU 410: Control unit 420: Memory unit 421: Battery management program 422: Map data 430: Input unit 440: Interface unit 450: Voltage detection unit 460: Current detection unit 470: Temperature detection unit 510: Condition determination unit 520: Display control unit 530: Overcharge electricity amount specification unit 540: Liquid loss amount estimation unit 550: OCV acquisition unit 560: SOC estimation unit A to C: Liquid loss area CE: Cell V1: First liquid loss amount V2: Second liquid loss amount t0: Initial timing t1: First timing t2: Second timing

Claims

1. A method for estimating an SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, comprising: an overcharged quantity of electricity specifying step of specifying an overcharged quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time; an open circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring an open circuit voltage of the lead storage battery after the reference time; an SOC estimation step of estimating an SOC of the lead-acid battery based on an open circuit voltage-SOC correlation in which the larger the overcharged quantity of electricity from the reference time to the acquisition time of the open circuit voltage is, the smaller the rate of change of the SOC relative to the open circuit voltage is, and the acquired open circuit voltage; and estimating an amount of electrolyte loss in the lead-acid battery based on the overcharged quantity of electricity, In the SOC estimation step, the SOC of the lead-acid battery is estimated using a correlation between the open circuit voltage and the SOC of the rate of change according to the estimated amount of loss of electrolyte. A method for estimating the SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery.

2. A method for estimating an SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, comprising: an overcharge quantity of electricity specification step of specifying an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged for each charge / discharge cycle after an arbitrary reference time; an open circuit voltage acquisition step of acquiring an open circuit voltage of the lead storage battery after the reference time; an SOC estimation step of estimating an SOC of the lead-acid battery based on an open circuit voltage-SOC correlation in which the larger the overcharged quantity of electricity from the reference time to the acquisition time of the open circuit voltage is, the smaller the rate of change of the SOC relative to the open circuit voltage is, and the acquired open circuit voltage; and estimating an amount of electrolyte loss in the lead-acid battery based on the overcharged quantity of electricity, In the SOC estimation step, the SOC of the lead-acid battery is estimated using a correlation between the open circuit voltage and the SOC of the rate of change according to the estimated amount of loss of electrolyte. A method for estimating the SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery.

3. A method for estimating an SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery according to claim 1 or claim 2, comprising: In the step of estimating the amount of electrolyte loss, for an amount of electrolyte loss that is equal to or less than a predetermined value, the amount of electrolyte loss is estimated based on a first conversion relationship between an amount of overcharging electricity and an amount of electrolyte loss, and for an amount of electrolyte loss that exceeds the predetermined value, the amount of electrolyte loss is estimated based on a second conversion relationship in which a conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharging electricity is smaller than that of the first conversion relationship. A method for estimating the SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery.

4. A method for estimating an SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A temperature acquisition step of acquiring a temperature of the lead-acid battery, In the step of estimating the amount of electrolyte loss, the amount of electrolyte loss is estimated based on a conversion relationship in which the lower the acquired temperature, the smaller the conversion rate of the amount of electrolyte loss to the amount of overcharge electricity. A method for estimating the SOC of a valve-regulated lead-acid battery.

5. A monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, an overcharged amount of electricity specifying unit that specifies an overcharged amount of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged after an arbitrary reference time; an open circuit voltage acquisition unit that acquires an open circuit voltage of the lead storage battery after the reference time; an SOC estimation unit that estimates an SOC of the lead-acid battery based on a correlation between an open circuit voltage and an SOC, in which the larger the overcharged quantity of electricity from the reference time to the acquisition time of the open circuit voltage, the smaller the rate of change of the SOC relative to the open circuit voltage, and the acquired open circuit voltage; a loss amount estimation unit that estimates an amount of loss of an electrolyte in the lead-acid battery based on the overcharged quantity of electricity, The SOC estimation unit estimates the SOC of the lead-acid battery using a correlation between the open circuit voltage and the SOC of the rate of change according to the estimated amount of loss of electrolyte. A monitoring device for valve-regulated lead-acid batteries.

6. A monitoring device for a valve-regulated lead-acid battery, an overcharge quantity of electricity specification unit that specifies an overcharge quantity of electricity when the lead-acid battery is overcharged for each charge / discharge cycle after an arbitrary reference time; an open circuit voltage acquisition unit that acquires an open circuit voltage of the lead storage battery after the reference time; an SOC estimation unit that estimates an SOC of the lead-acid battery based on a correlation between an open circuit voltage and an SOC, in which the larger the overcharged quantity of electricity from the reference time to the acquisition time of the open circuit voltage, the smaller the rate of change of the SOC relative to the open circuit voltage, and the acquired open circuit voltage; a loss amount estimation unit that estimates an amount of loss of an electrolyte in the lead-acid battery based on the overcharged quantity of electricity, The SOC estimation unit estimates the SOC of the lead-acid battery using a correlation between the open circuit voltage and the SOC of the rate of change according to the estimated amount of loss of electrolyte. A monitoring device for valve-regulated lead-acid batteries.

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