System and method for direct data storage for measuring instruments

Abstract

A system and method for writing data collected from measurement instrumentation, including establishing a direct data connection between test equipment and a network storage drive, generating test data from a sample under test, and writing the test data to the network storage drive without the assistance of a computerized controller configured to control the test equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0004] , ,

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 594,708, filed Oct. 7, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The overall inventive concept of the present invention relates to a system and method for writing data to a network drive, and more particularly, to a system and method for directly writing data collected from a measuring device to a network drive without requiring a computer or a control device to assist in data storage.

Background Art

[0003] Conventional instrumentation systems use a computer that executes a data collection program as a background task to collect test data from measuring devices via various interfaces including USB, Ethernet®, serial, and GPIB. The computer data collection task collects data blocks from the device at pre-defined intervals, holds them in its memory, and then copies the data either to an internal computer disk or to a network disk drive located on a connected network. In the areas of battery cycling, electrochemical testing, and material electrical testing, data is typically collected from many instrument channels, and data loss in this environment is highly undesirable. Unfortunately, the aforementioned computer-based data collection system is vulnerable to data loss due to high workloads resulting from high channel count data collection and subsequent data storage, as well as other potential computer problems including crashes and operating system lock-ups.

[0004] A typical system may have hundreds or thousands of data sources or measurement channels, and data is collected from this series of measuring instruments by one or more computers. Data loss in this environment is extremely serious because samples and batteries age during testing and therefore cannot be retested, often making it impossible to repeat the test. A single computer failure could render a test invalid for days, weeks, or months, or at least result in data loss and delays in test completion, all of which are highly undesirable for customers in these applications. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0005] An exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention provides a system and method for directly writing data collected from an instrumentation system to an external network drive without using program tasks running on a local computer or local control device to collect data and then write it to a network or other data storage device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] An exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention can be realized by providing a method for writing test data directly to a storage device without the assistance of a computerized control device configured to control a test device, which includes establishing a direct data connection between the test device and a network storage drive, selecting a location on the network storage drive to store the test data, using a computerized control device to instruct the test device to generate test data for the sample under test, and writing the test data directly to the network storage drive when the test data becomes available, without using the resources of the computerized control device.

[0007] An exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention can also be realized by providing a system for writing data to a storage device, which includes a test apparatus comprising a control module configured to establish a data connection between the test apparatus and a storage device, and a computerized controller device configured to instruct the test apparatus to begin generating test data of a sample under test, wherein the control module of the test apparatus is configured to instruct the test apparatus to write the test data to the storage device without using the resources of the computerized controller device.

[0008] Exemplary embodiments of the general concept of the present invention can also be realized by providing a method for writing data generated from a battery test instrument, which includes establishing a direct data connection between a battery test instrument and a network disk drive, generating DC cycle and electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) data of a battery module, writing the DC cycle and EIS data to a network disk drive, fitting the EIS data to an equivalent circuit model to establish equivalent circuit fit parameters, and writing the circuit fit parameters to a network disk drive. Furthermore, the system provides a method for measuring the open-circuit voltage and temperature of a battery module, writing the open-circuit voltage and temperature data to a network disk drive, determining weighting parameters for an equivalent circuit model by combining the circuit fit parameters with the open-circuit voltage and temperature data, writing the weighting parameters for the equivalent circuit model to a network disk drive, applying the weighting parameters to the equivalent circuit fit parameters to generate weighted equivalent circuit fit parameters, writing the weighted equivalent circuit fit parameters to a network disk drive, generating state-of-health (SoH) measurement data of the battery module based on the weighted equivalent circuit fit parameters, and writing the SoH measurement data to a network disk drive. In this embodiment, the data storage described above is performed without the assistance of a PC or local controller device.

[0009] Further features and examples of the general concept of the present invention may be described below or learned through practice of the general concept of the present invention. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] The following exemplary embodiments represent exemplary techniques and structures designed to accomplish the objectives of the general concept of the present invention, but the general concept of the present invention is not limited to these exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings and description, the sizes and relative sizes, shapes, and quantities of lines, entities, and areas may be exaggerated for clarity. A wide variety of further embodiments will be more readily understood and appreciated through the following detailed description of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings. [Figure 1] This is a flowchart of a conventional data storage method. [Figure 2] This is a flowchart of a direct data storage method, illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] Next, exemplary embodiments of the general concept of the present invention are referenced, and these examples are shown in the accompanying drawings and description. Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to the figures to illustrate the general concept of the present invention.

[0012] While the general concepts of the present invention can be applied to various technical fields, those skilled in the art will understand that exemplary embodiments can specifically find applications in instrumentation systems configured for battery cycling, electrochemical testing, and material electrochemical testing.

[0013] Both conventional and direct storage systems use a PC or other control device to configure the tests to be performed and assign which instrument channels will execute the tests. Instructions are typically downloaded from the control device to those channels via a network connection. The PC or control device usually starts the test, then monitors it, and provides system users with updated information on the screen as the test progresses. The test can be completed or stopped at any time via a command from the PC or control device. Although system control in both cases is from the control device, the methods for data storage are quite different.

[0014] In conventional systems, a PC or control unit is responsible for periodically requesting and collecting data from measurement channels. The PC must periodically send a "data request" command to each instrument, and if data is available, the PC begins transferring data from that instrument. Conventional methods introduce delays because they can only periodically request data, then acquire it, store it locally in memory, and then transfer it to disk. If for any reason the computer fails to read data from an instrument, the data is eventually lost or overwritten by new data. When this is required for multiple channels, the PC or control unit can become heavily loaded and is known to lock up on conventional systems.

[0015] In the direct data storage method, the instrument channel itself is responsible for writing data to the storage device. Specifically, firmware has been developed for the instrument that can communicate directly with the data storage device via an Ethernet® networking tool. In this case, whenever data is measured, it can be immediately stored from the measuring instrument without relying on background tasks running on the computer or control unit to perform that function. Data is stored as soon as it becomes available, and the transfer process is never interrupted, no matter how many channels are operating or how many analysis tasks are active on the PC. In this case, the computer is freed from intensive data processing tasks that could otherwise crash or lock up. The direct data storage method may also be implemented using standard network IP addressing to pass data to connected network storage devices, such as those manufactured by Synology Inc.

[0016] Figure 1 shows an example of a conventional data storage method 10. In Figure 1, the personal computer 30 sends a command to one or more control units of the measuring instrument 50 to configure and start the measurement at 40. Data from one or more measuring instruments must then be specifically requested at 43 to the instrument channel 50 by the PC or control device. After the instrument 50 receives the data request and operates, the computer can transfer the data from the data output port on the measuring instrument 50 to the data input port on the random access memory 32 of the personal computer device 30. From the data output port of the random access memory 32 of the personal computer device 30, the data is then written to the data storage disk 20. When the test is complete, the data storage process is complete. At any time before the test is complete, the user can determine that sufficient data has been received and send a command 40 to the instrument 50 to stop the test, at which point the final data output is requested from the instrument 50 and then written via PC memory using the same procedure.

[0017] Figure 2 shows an exemplary embodiment of the general concept 12 of the present invention. As previously stated, the personal computer 30 is configured to send commands to one or more control units of the measuring instruments 50 to start / stop measurements. In this embodiment, the commands include data folder location information 42. As shown in Figure 2, data from one or more measuring instruments 50 is instructed to flow directly from the data output ports on the measuring instruments 50 to the data storage disk 20, completely bypassing the personal computer 30. Once the test is complete, the instruments are configured to complete writing of their final data to the data storage disk 20. As previously stated, at any time before the test is complete, the user can determine that sufficient data has been received and send command 40 to stop the test, at which point the final data writing from the instruments 50 to the data storage disk 20 will occur. The concept of the present invention is immediately apparent in that its method is simpler, requires little PC intervention, and therefore achieves greater system integrity and reliability.

[0018] An exemplary embodiment of the general concept of the present invention achieves zero load on the system computer and other control devices because the local computer does not need to be directly involved in the process of collecting and writing data. Furthermore, whenever new data is available, the test equipment freely writes directly to the network disk drive, eliminating the need to buffer data within the equipment. The internal equipment data buffer is not susceptible to overload, and therefore there is no data loss. A computer crash does not affect the execution of the test and data collection. If the system control computer crashes, it can be restored at any time without affecting the execution of the test and data collection process. Since the equipment can write directly to disk as soon as data is measured, latency for collected and displayed data is significantly reduced. In the event of a system power outage, the latest data is written to disk before the system shuts down and is not lost in volatile computer memory.

[0019] The general concept of this invention is to provide an opportunity for operators to log in from different locations or homes and monitor tests that are not affected by disconnecting and reconnecting a computer. Since the computer does not need to write data, it can be added to or removed from the system at any time, even while the test is running. Network traffic is kept to a minimum, and each result is transferred directly to disk, requiring only one data transfer, unlike the PC method which requires two transfers: first to PC memory and then from memory to disk. Computer memory is not used in this system, thus eliminating another potential source of failure. The computer is not involved in data collection or storage, allowing more processing power to be concentrated on intensive operations such as providing channel summary information and data analysis.

[0020] In some battery testing applications, empirical models can be used to explain the measured temperature and state of charge (SOC) of the battery when determining the state of health (SOH) of the battery using equivalent circuit analysis. The analytical framework can be configured to predict capacity from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements for rating used battery modules for regeneration applications. During that process, the system can be configured to write data directly to a designated network disk drive without assistance from an instrumentation control computer. One method utilized a standard short-circuit-based potentiostat system, but the general concepts of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0021] The above battery test examples can use low-cost, highly reliable, space-saving, and high-precision measurement channels configured to test a large number of batteries over a wide range of currents. The systems and methods of the general concepts of the present invention are configured to effectively remove "noise factors" from single EIS measurement values, and thus account for variations in the state of charge and measurement temperature of the batteries in sorting facilities / inputs. Such techniques utilize multiple data writes from multiple channels and write this data directly to disk, reducing problems of computer overload and data loss.

[0022] The electrochemical impedance data is then fitted to an electrical equivalent circuit model configured such that various passive circuit elements represent the equivalent electrochemical reactions within the battery. The system can be configured to remove "noise factors" such as open circuit voltage (SoC: open circuit voltage) and temperature from single EIS measurement values of the test battery, and can account for variations in the state of charge and measurement temperature of the batteries in sorting facilities / inputs, among other parameters, to achieve predictive analysis within required tolerances.

[0023] Exemplary embodiments of the general concepts of the present invention utilize combinations of different techniques to achieve reliable measurements and reduce the test time of battery modules from about 3 hours to about 3 minutes or less without loss in grading resolution. After generating the data, the concepts of the present invention then write directly to a designated network disk drive without any assistance from a computer. The processes of the present invention thus remove multiple sources of error.

[0024] While the general concept of the present invention is described herein with respect to several exemplary embodiments configured to perform various operations, those skilled in the art will understand that the general concept of the present invention is not limited to any particular embodiment and can rather be implemented in a variety of different applications using various components and equipment in addition to electrochemistry, materials testing, and battery cycling. Accordingly, the system can be configured to instruct a controller module to receive and collect data from multiple channels without buffering the data in a separate computer in order to test a large number of batteries over a wide range of currents, including modeling data in an analytical framework to predict capacity from EIS measurements for rating used battery modules for regeneration applications, while removing noise factors from EIS measurements to address variations in battery charge states and temperature changes and achieve extended performance characteristics with a smaller and more reliable footprint.

[0025] The general concept of the present invention can be embodied as computer-readable code configured to operate on a test device to instruct the test device to perform a data transfer operation. The computer-readable code can be embodied on a computer-readable medium for installation on the test device. The computer-readable medium can include a computer-readable recording medium and a computer-readable transmission medium. The computer-readable recording medium can be any data storage device capable of storing data as a program that can then be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer-readable recording medium include read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory (RAM), CD-ROM, DVD, jump drive, magnetic tape, floppy (registered trademark) disk, and other optical data storage devices or solid-state data storage devices. The computer-readable recording medium can also be distributed over a network-connected computer system, and as a result, the computer-readable code is stored and executed in a distributed manner. The computer-readable transmission medium can transmit a carrier wave or a signal (e.g., wired or wireless data transmission over a network). Also, functional programs, codes, and code segments for implementing embodiments of the general concept of the present invention can be easily interpreted by a programmer in the art suitable for the general concept of the present invention.

[0026] The simplified diagrams and drawings do not show all the various connections and assemblies of the various components, but those skilled in the art will understand how to implement such connections and assemblies based on the components, diagrams, and descriptions provided herein using reasonable engineering judgment.

[0027] Numerous variations, modifications, and additional embodiments are possible, and therefore all such variations, modifications, and embodiments should be considered to fall within the spirit and scope of the general concept of the present invention. For example, regardless of the content of any part of this application, unless otherwise clearly specified, there is no requirement to include any claim of this specification, or any particular described or illustrated activity or element, any particular order of such activity, or any particular interrelationship of such elements, in any application claiming priority over this specification. Furthermore, any activity can be repeated, any activity can be performed by multiple entities, and / or any elements can overlap.

[0028] While exemplary embodiments are illustrated and described, it will be understood that the general concept of the present invention is not limited to this disclosure, but rather encompasses all modifications and alternative apparatuses and methods that fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for writing test data directly from a test device to a network storage drive without the assistance of a computerized control device configured to control a test device as a plurality of measuring instruments that measure a plurality of battery modules, The steps include establishing a direct data connection between the test device and the network storage drive, The steps include selecting a location on the network storage drive to store test data, including health status measurement data of the plurality of battery modules, The steps include instructing the test device to generate the test data for the plurality of battery modules using the computerized control device, The steps include writing the test data directly to the network storage drive from multiple channels corresponding to each of the multiple measuring instruments, without using the resources of the computerized control device, and Methods that include...

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test data includes data on the open-circuit voltage and temperature of the plurality of battery modules, and the health status measurement data of the plurality of battery modules is generated based on the data on the open-circuit voltage and temperature.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test apparatus includes a control module configured to control the writing of the test data to the network storage drive.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the control module includes specifying a network IP address for writing the test data to the network storage drive.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test apparatus includes a data output port for transmitting the test data to the network storage drive.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of writing test data to the network storage drive is performed with zero resource load on the computerized control device.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the control module includes firmware for controlling the writing of the test data to the network storage drive.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the test apparatus is configured to measure the plurality of battery modules over a predetermined range of currents.

9. A system for writing data to a storage device, The test apparatus includes a test device as multiple measuring instruments for measuring multiple battery modules, and a control module configured to establish a data connection between the test device and a storage device, A computerized controller device configured to instruct the test apparatus to begin generating test data, including health status measurement data for the plurality of battery modules. Equipped with, The control module of the test apparatus is configured to instruct the test apparatus to write the test data to the storage device from multiple channels corresponding to each of the multiple measuring instruments, without using the resources of the computerized controller device. system.

10. A computer device comprising means for establishing a direct data connection between a test apparatus as a plurality of measuring instruments that measure a plurality of battery modules and a network storage drive, and for selecting a location on the network storage drive for storing test data, wherein the computer device further comprises means for instructing the test apparatus to generate test data including health status measurement data of the plurality of battery modules using a computerized control unit, and for writing the test data directly to the network storage drive from a plurality of channels corresponding to each of the plurality of measuring instruments without using the resources of the computerized control unit, wherein the computer device is configured to write the test data directly from the test apparatus to the network storage drive without the assistance of the computerized control unit.

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