Diagnostic program, diagnostic device, and diagnostic system

Abstract

A diagnostic program (P) for diagnosing a battery pack (2) that includes a plurality of battery modules (2a) causes a processor (10) to: acquire module identification information (B), module arrangement information (C), and usage history information (D) of the plurality of battery modules (2a) included in the battery pack (2); diagnose the plurality of battery modules (2a) on the basis of the usage history information (D); and associate the diagnosis results from the diagnosis with the module identification information (B) on the basis of the module arrangement information (C).

Description

Diagnostic program, diagnostic device, diagnostic system CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Japanese Application No. 2024-53162, filed on March 28, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to techniques for diagnosing batteries.

[0003] Conventionally, when reusing used battery packs, a method has been known in which the collected battery packs are disassembled, wired for each battery module, and the battery characteristics are measured individually. This method has the problem of increasing the number of steps required for wiring and other work. Therefore, Patent Document 1 listed below proposes a method for measuring the battery characteristics of multiple battery modules all at once before disassembling the battery pack. This makes it possible to reduce the number of steps required for wiring and other work.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2022-11803

[0005] The method of Patent Document 1 requires disassembling the battery pack while recording the correspondence between the identification information of each battery module and the battery characteristics. If the association between each battery module and its battery characteristics is incorrect during this process, it becomes difficult to accurately determine the battery characteristics of each battery module.

[0006] The present disclosure aims to provide a technique that is effective for accurately determining the battery characteristics of a battery module included in a battery pack while reducing the number of work steps.

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a diagnostic program for diagnosing a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules, the diagnostic program causing a processor to acquire module identification information, module layout information, and usage history information of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery pack, diagnose the plurality of battery modules based on the usage history information, and link the diagnostic results to the module identification information based on the module layout information.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is a diagnostic device that diagnoses a battery pack including a plurality of battery modules, the diagnostic device comprising: an information acquisition unit that acquires module identification information, module layout information, and usage history information of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery pack; a diagnostic unit that diagnoses the plurality of battery modules based on the usage history information; and a linking unit that links the diagnosis result by the diagnostic unit to the module identification information based on the module layout information.

[0009] According to the above-described aspects, it is possible to accurately determine the battery characteristics of a plurality of battery modules included in a battery pack while reducing the number of work steps.

[0010] Note that the symbols in parentheses in the claims indicate the correspondence with the specific means described in the embodiments described below, and do not limit the technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0011] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a flowchart of diagnostic processing by the diagnostic system according to the first embodiment, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining a battery diagnostic model used in the diagnostic processing of Fig. 2, Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a second embodiment, Fig. 5 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a third embodiment, Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a fourth embodiment, Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a fifth embodiment, Fig. 8 is a flowchart of diagnostic processing by the diagnostic system according to the fifth embodiment, Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a specific example of the simplified diagnosis in Fig. 8, Fig. 10 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a diagnostic system according to a sixth embodiment, and Fig. 11 is a flowchart of diagnostic processing by the diagnostic system according to the sixth embodiment.

[0012] The battery diagnostic techniques according to the above-described aspects will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] 1 shows a diagnostic system 101 according to a first embodiment. The diagnostic system 101 is a system for diagnosing a battery pack 2 mounted on a vehicle 1 such as an electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. For example, a user U brings the vehicle 1 equipped with the battery pack 2 to a dealer V. The dealer V then sends the battery pack 2 to a repair shop 20, where the battery pack 2 is diagnosed.

[0014] In response to the receipt of the battery pack 2, the repair shop 20 sends a rebuilt product to the dealer V. The rebuilt product may be a repaired version of the battery pack 2 sent from the dealer V, or may be a different battery pack from the battery pack 2 sent from the dealer V.

[0015] The functions of the diagnostic system 101 are executed by a processor 10. The term "processor 10" as used herein broadly encompasses computer components that perform operations such as data calculations and conversions, program execution, and control of other devices. The processor 10 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) that controls the entire computer, or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit) that integrates some of the functions of the CPU.

[0016] 1. Configuration of Battery Pack 2 As shown in Fig. 1, the battery pack 2 includes a plurality of battery modules 2a and a main battery management unit 3 (hereinafter referred to as "main BMU 3"). Each of the plurality of battery modules 2a includes a battery pack formed by combining a plurality of battery cells, and a satellite battery management unit 4 (hereinafter referred to as "satellite BMU 4"). The battery cells are secondary batteries that can be recharged and reused.

[0017] The diagnostic system 101 includes a battery information acquisition device 21, a repair work terminal 24, a diagnostic device 40, a battery information management database 50, and a manufacturing information management database 61. The battery information acquisition device 21 is provided in a repair shop 20 together with the repair work terminal 24. The diagnostic device 40 and the battery information management database 50 are provided in the cloud 30 or a data server 31. The manufacturing information management database 61 is provided at a battery manufacturer 60.

[0018] 2. Configuration of the Battery Information Acquisition Device 21 The battery information acquisition device 21 acquires battery information about the battery pack 2 and transmits the battery information to the diagnostic device 40. This battery information includes pack identification information A, usage history information D, battery characteristics E, etc.

[0019] The pack identification information A is information that can identify the battery pack 2. This pack identification information A is registered in the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2, and is also stored in the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50, and in the manufacturing information storage unit 63 of the manufacturing information management database 61. The pack identification information A is registered when the main BMU 3 is manufactured. The pack identification information A may be attached to a label or printed on the surface of the package of the battery pack 2 in the form of a symbol, QR code (registered trademark), RFID, or the like.

[0020] The usage history information D is information indicating the usage history of each of the multiple battery modules 2a, and is information at the time of measurement of the battery characteristics E. This usage history information D includes, for example, history of the usage period, the mileage of the vehicle 1, the number of times the vehicle 1 has been started, the accumulated charge amount, the accumulated discharge amount, the temperature frequency distribution, the SOC (State of Charge) frequency distribution, the SOC fluctuation frequency, the current frequency, the current continuation frequency, and the multidimensional frequency of each feature (for example, the two-dimensional frequency of SOC-temperature), which are generated from sensing data such as the usage period, the mileage of the vehicle 1, the number of times the vehicle 1 has been started, the current, the voltage, and the temperature. This usage history information D is registered in the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2 and is also accumulated in the battery information accumulation unit 55 of the battery information management database 50. The usage history information D is continuously generated by the BMU 3 from the time the battery pack 2 is manufactured until the battery characteristics E are measured.

[0021] The battery characteristics E are information representing the characteristics of each of the plurality of battery modules 2a. Examples of the battery characteristics E include the resistance and section capacity of the battery module 2a. The battery characteristics E are stored in the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50. The battery characteristics E can be acquired by charging and discharging the battery using a charging / discharging device, and measuring the battery characteristics E from sensing data such as current, voltage, and temperature. The battery characteristics E include at least one of a charge voltage characteristic based on at least one of a voltage transition when the battery module 2a is charged to a predetermined charge target voltage and a voltage transition after the battery module 2a is charged to the charge target voltage and charging is stopped, or a discharge voltage characteristic based on at least one of a voltage transition when the secondary battery is discharged to a predetermined discharge target voltage and a voltage transition after the secondary battery is discharged to the discharge target voltage and discharging is stopped. Other examples of battery characteristics E include the ratio of the voltage change of the secondary battery to the capacity change of the secondary battery in the voltage range, the ratio of the voltage change of the secondary battery to the elapsed time in the voltage range, and the capacity ratio of the range capacity of the voltage range to the sum of the range capacities.

[0022] The battery information acquisition device 21 includes, as its components, a battery information acquisition unit 22 and a battery characteristics acquisition unit 23. The functions of these components are executed by a processor 10A. The processor 10A is included in the processor 10 together with processors 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E, which will be described later.

[0023] The battery information acquisition unit 22 acquires battery information about the battery pack 2 from the main BMU 3 and transmits the battery information to the diagnostic device 40. The battery characteristics acquisition unit 23 has a function of acquiring battery characteristics of the battery pack 2 and transmitting the battery characteristics to the diagnostic device 40.

[0024] 3. Configuration of Repair Work Terminal 24 The repair work terminal 24 is a terminal used in repair work of the battery module 2a included in the battery pack 2. The repair work terminal 24 includes, as its components, a module ID reader 25, a diagnostic result requester 26, a diagnostic result receiver 27, and a diagnostic result displayer 28. The functions of each of these components are executed by the processor 10B. The repair work terminal 24 is typically configured as a desktop or notebook personal computer (PC), a tablet terminal, a mobile terminal, or the like.

[0025] The module ID reading unit 25 reads the ID (e.g., identification number) of the battery module 2a and transmits the ID to the diagnostic result requesting unit 26. Based on the ID transmitted from the module ID reading unit 25, the diagnostic result requesting unit 26 requests the diagnostic result of the battery module 2a corresponding to the ID from the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50. The diagnostic result receiving unit 27 receives the diagnostic result of the battery module 2a from the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50 and transmits the diagnostic result to the diagnostic result display unit 28. The diagnostic result display unit 28 displays the diagnostic result transmitted from the diagnostic result receiving unit 27.

[0026] 4. Configuration of Diagnostic Device 40 The diagnostic device 40 has a function of diagnosing the battery pack 2. The diagnostic device 40 includes, as its components, a module information acquisition unit 41, a usage history information acquisition unit 42, a battery characteristics acquisition unit 43, a diagnosis unit 44, and a linking unit 45. The functions of these components are executed by the processor 10C.

[0027] The module information acquisition unit 41 acquires the pack identification information A of the battery pack 2 from the battery information acquisition unit 22 of the battery information acquisition device 21, and outputs an information request signal to the information request receiving unit 51 of the battery information management database 50 to request module information corresponding to the pack identification information A. In response to this request signal, the module information acquisition unit 41 acquires module information transmitted from the response information transmitting unit 54 of the battery information management database 50. The module information is module identification information B and module layout information C of the multiple battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. The module information acquisition unit 41 can acquire the module identification information B and module layout information C online at any time from the cloud 30 or data server 31 that collectively manages the pack identification information A of the battery packs 2.

[0028] The module identification information B is identification information that can identify each of the plurality of battery modules 2a. The module layout information C is information that indicates the layout of each of the plurality of battery modules 2a in the battery pack 2. The module identification information B and the module layout information C are stored in the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50, and also in the manufacturing information storage unit 63 of the manufacturing information management database 61.

[0029] The usage history information acquisition unit 42 acquires usage history information D from the battery information acquisition unit 22 of the battery information acquisition device 21. The battery characteristic acquisition unit 43 acquires battery characteristics E from the battery characteristic acquisition unit 23 of the battery information acquisition device 21. The diagnosis unit 44 diagnoses the plurality of battery modules 2a based on the usage history information D acquired from the battery information acquisition unit 22 and the battery characteristics E acquired from the battery characteristic acquisition unit 23. The linking unit 45 links the diagnosis result by the diagnosis unit 44 to the module identification information B based on the module layout information C. The diagnosis result by the diagnosis unit 44 and the linking result by the linking unit 45 are stored in the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50.

[0030] 5. Configuration of Battery Information Management Database 50 The battery information management database 50 is a database used to manage battery information related to the battery pack 2. The battery information management database 50 includes, as its components, an information request receiving unit 51, an information request transmitting unit 52, a response information receiving unit 53, a response information transmitting unit 54, and a battery information storage unit 55. The functions of these components are executed by the processor 10D.

[0031] The information request receiving unit 51 receives an information request signal from the module information acquiring unit 41 of the diagnostic device 40, and transmits the information request signal to the information request transmitting unit 52. The information request transmitting unit 52 transmits the information request signal transmitted from the information request receiving unit 51 to the information request receiving unit 62 of the manufacturing information management database 61. The response information receiving unit 53 receives response information (module identification information B and module placement information C) from the response information transmitting unit 64 of the manufacturing information management database 61. The response information transmitting unit 54 transmits the response information received by the response information receiving unit 53 to the module information acquiring unit 41 of the diagnostic device 40.

[0032] 6. Configuration of Manufacturing Information Management Database 61 The manufacturing information management database 61 is a database used to manage manufacturing information of the battery packs 2. This manufacturing information management database 61 includes, as its components, an information request receiving unit 62, a manufacturing information storage unit 63, and a response information transmitting unit 64. The information request receiving unit 62 receives an information request signal from the information request transmitting unit 52 of the battery information management database 50. The manufacturing information storage unit 63 stores in advance the manufacturing information of multiple battery packs 2. The response information transmitting unit 64 reads, from the manufacturing information storage unit 63, module identification information B and module layout information C of multiple battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2 corresponding to the information request signal received by the information request receiving unit 62, and transmits the module identification information B and module layout information C to the response information receiving unit 53 of the battery information management database 50.

[0033] The functions of each component of the diagnostic system 101 are realized by having the processor 10 execute a diagnostic program P for diagnosing the battery pack 2. Therefore, the diagnostic program P is a program that causes the processor 10 to realize the functions of each component. The processor 10 is composed of all or part of the aforementioned processors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10E. The diagnostic program P is stored in a non-transitory storage medium 11. The non-transitory storage medium 11 is depicted separately in the drawings to avoid clutter. However, the non-transitory storage medium 11 is included in the vehicle 1, the battery information acquisition device 21, the repair work terminal 24, the diagnostic device 40, the battery information management database 50, and the manufacturing information management database 61. At least a portion of the diagnostic program P is stored in the non-transitory storage medium 11 included in each of these components. Various types of non-transitory storage media 11, such as memory type, disk type, and tape type, can be used. The diagnostic program P may also be stored in the cloud 30 or the data server 31. A configuration can be adopted in which at least a portion of the diagnostic program P is downloaded from the cloud 30 or the data server 31 to the vehicle 1, the battery information acquisition device 21, the repair work terminal 24, the diagnostic device 40, the battery information management database 50, and the manufacturing information management database 61.

[0034] The allocation of the multiple components (functional components) of the diagnostic system 101 to the repair shop 20, the cloud 30 or the data server 31, and the battery manufacturer 60 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1 and can be changed as needed. Other devices and facilities may also be used as the allocation destinations for the components (functional components).

[0035] 7. Diagnostic Processing by Diagnostic System 101 The diagnostic processing by diagnostic system 101 will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 3. This diagnostic processing is executed sequentially in accordance with steps S101 to S108 in the flowchart shown in Figure 2. Note that one or more steps may be added to these steps as necessary, or multiple steps may be appropriately integrated.

[0036] In step S101, the receipt of the battery pack 2 is confirmed at the repair shop 20. In step S102, module identification information B and module layout information C of the multiple battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2 received in step S101 are acquired. In step S102, the pack identification information A of the battery pack 2 is transmitted from the battery information acquisition unit 22 of the battery information acquisition device 21 to the information request receiving unit 62 of the manufacturing information management database 61 via the module information acquisition unit 41 of the diagnostic device 40 and the information request receiving unit 51 of the battery information management database 50. As a result, the module identification information B and module layout information C that have been stored in advance in the manufacturing information accumulation unit 63 in correspondence with the pack identification information A are transmitted from the response information transmitting unit 64 to the module information acquisition unit 41 of the diagnostic device 40 via the response information receiving unit 53 and the response information transmitting unit 54 of the battery information management database 50.

[0037] Step S103 is a step of acquiring usage history information D of the battery pack 2. In step S103, the usage history information acquisition unit 42 of the diagnostic device 40 acquires the usage history information D from the battery information acquisition unit 22 of the battery information acquisition device 21. Step S104 is a step of evaluating the lumped module characteristic E1 of the battery pack 2 in its packed state (a state in which the plurality of battery modules 2a remain connected). The lumped module characteristic E1 is information that collectively represents the battery characteristics E of the plurality of battery modules 2a. In step S104, the battery characteristic acquisition unit 23 of the battery information acquisition device 21 can acquire, from the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2, sampling results (lumped module characteristic E1) of the battery characteristics E of each of the plurality of battery modules 2a in the packed state of the battery pack 2. To acquire the lumped module characteristic E1, a charging / discharging device is connected to the battery pack 2. By charging / discharging the battery using this charging / discharging device, the lumped module characteristic E1 can be measured from sensing data such as current, voltage, and temperature. As another modification, the main BMU 3 may acquire the sensing data. Then, the battery information acquisition device 21 or the diagnosis device 40 may calculate the battery characteristics E based on this sensing data.

[0038] Step S105 is a step in which the diagnosing unit 44 diagnoses the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. In step S105, a pre-constructed battery diagnostic model M is used, as shown in FIG. 3 . This battery diagnostic model M is constructed using a theoretical model, a machine learning model, or the like. This battery diagnostic model M receives both the usage history information D acquired in step S103 and the battery characteristics E acquired in step S104 as input information, and outputs the diagnosis result R of the battery module 2a (e.g., capacity, amount of capacity degradation, SOH (State of Health) as a degree of degradation, and amount of SOH change per unit period). The battery diagnostic model M uses, for example, a battery degradation model formula Ma expressed by the following formula (1):

[0039] Y = a １ ×X １ +a ２ ×X ２ +...+a ｎ ×X ｎ +Intercept...(1)

[0040] The battery degradation model formula Ma is a model formula obtained by linear regression analysis in which the battery characteristics E, which are characteristic data of the battery module 2a, are used as the objective variable X, and the usage history information D of the battery module 2a and the exponent of the usage history information D are used as the explanatory variable Y. This battery degradation model formula Ma is modeled by specifying the coefficient of each term of the explanatory variable Y as positive or negative in advance. This battery degradation model formula Ma includes a term for the usage history information D and a term (nonlinear term) that is the exponent of the usage history information D. For the linear regression analysis, an appropriate algorithm such as lasso regression, ridge regression, or elastic net can be used.

[0041] The battery degradation model formula Ma may be stored in the cloud 30 or the data server 31, or may be stored in the battery information acquisition device 21 or the repair work terminal 24 of the repair shop 20. The battery degradation model formula Ma may also be updated as appropriate.

[0042] The diagnostic model used in step S105 is not limited to the battery diagnostic model M. Instead of this battery diagnostic model M, for example, a battery diagnostic model using either the usage history information D or the battery characteristics E as input information may be used. Also, instead of an estimated determination based on the battery diagnostic model M, an actual measurement determination based on actual measured values ​​may be adopted. Also, if necessary, a step of determining whether the battery module 2a can be diagnosed may be provided before step S105.

[0043] Step S106 is a step of linking the diagnosis result R obtained in step S105 with the module identification information B based on the module layout information C. According to step S106, the module identification information B of each of the plurality of battery modules 2a can be automatically linked with the diagnosis result R while the battery pack 2 remains in its packed state. This makes it possible to accurately determine the battery characteristics of the plurality of battery modules 2a. In step S107, the battery pack 2 is actually disassembled by an operator.

[0044] 8. Effects According to the first embodiment, since the diagnostic result R is already automatically associated with each of the plurality of battery modules 2a in step S106, the worker does not need to record the wiring order, identification information, and layout information of each battery module 2a while disassembling the battery pack 2 in step S107. This reduces the work time and man-hours required. Furthermore, even if the plurality of battery modules 2a are separated, the diagnostic result R can be obtained by reading the module identification information B of any battery module 2a, eliminating human error by the worker. Then, in step S108, after the battery pack 2 is disassembled, the plurality of battery modules 2a are ranked according to the diagnostic result R.

[0045] Therefore, it is possible to accurately determine the battery characteristics of the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2 while reducing the number of work steps.

[0046] Other embodiments related to the first embodiment will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the other embodiments, the same elements as those in the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description of the same elements will be omitted.

[0047] Second Embodiment A diagnostic system 102 according to a second embodiment is shown in Fig. 4. This diagnostic system 102 differs from the diagnostic system 101 according to the first embodiment in the configurations of the battery information management database 50 and the manufacturing information management database 61. The other configurations and diagnostic processing are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0048] In diagnostic system 102, battery information management database 50 includes an information request receiving unit 51, a response information transmitting unit 54, a battery information storage unit 55, and a manufacturing information storage unit 56. Also in diagnostic system 102, manufacturing information management database 61 includes a manufacturing information storage unit 63 and a response information transmitting unit 64.

[0049] The manufacturing information accumulation unit 56 acquires and accumulates the response information from the response information transmission unit 64. In response to the information request signal transmitted from the information request reception unit 51, the response information transmission unit 54 reads out the response information (module identification information B and module placement information C) from the manufacturing information accumulation unit 56 and transmits it to the module information acquisition unit 41 of the diagnostic device 40.

[0050] According to the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to reduce the number of work steps and accurately determine the battery characteristics of the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0051] 5 shows a diagnostic system 103 of the third embodiment. This diagnostic system 103 differs from the diagnostic system 101 of the first embodiment in the configurations of the battery information management database 50 and the manufacturing information management database 61. The other configurations and diagnostic processing are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0052] In the diagnostic system 103, the battery information acquisition unit 22 of the battery information acquisition device 21 acquires from the main BMU 3 the pack identification information A, module identification information B, and module layout information C written in the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2 by the manufacturing information management database 61. Accordingly, the battery information management database 50 is provided with only a battery information storage unit 55.

[0053] The manufacturing information management database 61 includes a manufacturing information accumulation unit 63, an information registration unit 65, and an information writing unit 66. The information registration unit 65 registers manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 (pack identification information A of the battery pack 2, module identification information B and module layout information C of the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2) read from the manufacturing information accumulation unit 63. The information writing unit 66 writes the manufacturing information registered in the information registration unit 65 to the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2.

[0054] According to the third embodiment, the manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 is obtained from the main BMU 3 attached to the battery pack 2, so that correct manufacturing information can be obtained. Furthermore, the manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 can be obtained even in an offline state where the battery pack 2 is not connected to the cloud 30 or the data server 31. Furthermore, by adopting a structure in which the manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 is stored in the main BMU 3, the load on the battery information management database 50 can be reduced. In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0055] 6 shows a diagnostic system 104 according to a fourth embodiment. This diagnostic system 104 differs from the diagnostic system 103 according to the third embodiment in the configuration of the battery information management database 50. The other configurations and diagnostic processing are the same as those of the third embodiment.

[0056] The diagnostic system 104 is characterized in that the main BMU 3 of the battery pack 2 itself is equipped with the functions of the diagnostic device 40 in Fig. 5. Accordingly, the cloud 30 or the data server 31 is provided with only the battery information management database 50.

[0057] The main BMU 3 has a battery information storage unit 3 a, into which manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 (pack identification information A of the battery pack 2, module identification information B and module layout information C of the multiple battery modules 2 a included in the battery pack 2) is written by an information writing unit 66 of the manufacturing information management database 61.

[0058] According to the fourth embodiment, by adopting a structure that gives the main BMU 3 both the function of storing manufacturing information of the battery pack 2 and the function of diagnosing the battery pack 2, it is possible to reduce the load on the battery information management database 50. In addition, the same effects as those of the third embodiment are achieved.

[0059] 7 shows a diagnostic system 105 of the fifth embodiment. This diagnostic system 105 differs from the diagnostic system 101 of the first embodiment in the configuration of the diagnostic device 40. The other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0060] In the diagnostic system 105, the diagnostic device 40 further includes a design information acquisition unit 46 and a usage history information creation unit 47. The diagnostic device 40 also includes a simple diagnostic unit 44a and a high-accuracy diagnostic unit 44b, both of which correspond to the diagnostic unit 44.

[0061] The design information acquisition unit 46 acquires design information F of the usage environment of the multiple battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2 from the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50. The usage history information creation unit 47 creates usage history information D for each of the multiple battery modules 2a based on the design information F acquired by the design information acquisition unit 46. The usage history information creation unit 47 is an information acquisition unit that acquires the usage history information D. The design information F at this time is individual information corresponding to each of the multiple battery modules 2a. Therefore, individual usage history information D is created.

[0062] The simple diagnosis unit 44a diagnoses each of the plurality of battery modules 2a using the usage history information D created by the usage history information creation unit 47. In contrast, the high-precision diagnosis unit 44b diagnoses the plurality of battery modules 2a based on the usage history information D created by the usage history information creation unit 47 and the battery characteristics E acquired from the battery characteristics acquisition unit 23. The high-precision diagnosis unit 44b can perform a more accurate diagnosis than the simple diagnosis unit 44a by using the battery characteristics E in addition to the usage history information D. The respective diagnosis results by the simple diagnosis unit 44a and the high-precision diagnosis unit 44b are displayed and output on the diagnosis result display unit 28 of the repair work terminal 24.

[0063] Next, the diagnostic processing by the diagnostic system 105 will be described with reference to Figures 7 to 9. This diagnostic processing is executed in sequence according to steps S201 to S212 in the flowchart shown in Figure 8. Note that one or more steps may be added to these steps as necessary, or multiple steps may be appropriately integrated.

[0064] Steps S201 to S203 are the same as steps S101 to S103 in the first embodiment. Step S204 is a step of acquiring design information F on the usage environment of the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. In step S204, the design information F stored in advance in the battery information storage unit 55 of the battery information management database 50 is transmitted to the design information acquisition unit 46. The design information F may include, for example, a design temperature.

[0065] Step S205 is a step in which the simplified diagnosis unit 44a performs a simplified diagnosis on the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. In this step S205, the individual usage history information D created based on the design information F acquired in step S204 is used, and a simplified diagnosis is performed using only the usage history information D. This allows each of the plurality of battery modules 2a to be diagnosed based on the individual usage history information D.

[0066] Here, a specific example of the diagnostic process in step S205 will be described.

[0067] As shown in FIG. 9 , for example, the number of battery modules 2 a included in the battery pack 2 is N, and the design information F is the design temperature T of the battery modules 2 a. In this case, the design temperature of the first battery module 2 a_1 is T_1, the design temperature of the second battery module 2 a_2 is T_2, and the design temperature of the Nth battery module 2 a_N is T_N, with each design temperature varying depending on the battery module's location. Meanwhile, a representative temperature Tr of the battery pack 2 is measured by a temperature sensor (not shown), but the representative temperature Tr is common to the N battery modules 2 a. As a result, when usage history information is generated based on the design temperature and the representative temperature Tr, the usage history information D_1 of the battery module 2 a_1, the usage history information D_2 of the battery module 2 a_2, and the usage history information D_N of the battery module 2 a_N are all different. In this diagnostic process, each battery module 2 a is judged as pass or fail based on the usage history information D_1, D_2, and D_N, respectively. As a result, step S205 enables accurate diagnosis based on differences in the arrangement of the battery modules 2a.

[0068] Step S206 is a step for determining whether the battery pack 2 is to be disposed of. If the battery pack 2 is not to be disposed of ("Yes" in step S206), the process proceeds to step S207. If not ("No" in step S206), the process proceeds to disposing of the battery pack 2. The determination in step S206 can be made based on the proportion of battery modules 2a that failed the simple diagnosis in step S205 among the multiple battery modules 2a. If the proportion of failed battery modules 2a is, for example, 90% or more, the battery pack 2 itself can be determined to be to be disposed of. According to step S206, by removing the battery packs 2 to be disposed of, the subsequent processes can be reduced.

[0069] Step S207 is the same as step S104 in the first embodiment. Step S208 is a step for determining whether the battery module 2a is to be disposed of. This determination is made based on the diagnosis result of step S205. For example, a battery module 2a whose SOH (state of health) is below a threshold can be determined to be to be disposed of. For battery modules 2a that are not to be disposed of, the process proceeds to step S209, while for battery modules 2a that are to be disposed of, the process proceeds to disposal without proceeding to the diagnosis of step S209.

[0070] Step S209 is a step in which the battery modules 2a excluded from disposal in step S208, i.e., the battery modules 2a for which the diagnosis result in step S205 was determined to be acceptable, are re-diagnosed by the high-accuracy diagnosis unit 44b. In step S209, the battery diagnosis model M (see FIG. 3) is used, as in step S105 in embodiment 1. The battery diagnosis model M receives as input information both the usage history information D acquired in step S203 and the lumped module characteristic E1 acquired in step S207, and outputs as output information the re-diagnosis result R of the battery module 2a.

[0071] Step S210 is a step of linking the re-diagnosis result R obtained in step S209 with the module identification information B based on the module layout information C. Steps S211 and S212 are the same as steps S107 and S108 in the first embodiment.

[0072] According to the fifth embodiment, the battery modules 2a can be diagnosed with high accuracy by using the design information F. Also, it is possible to diagnose only the necessary battery modules 2a among the multiple battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2, thereby reducing the calculation load required for diagnosis. In addition, the same effects as those of the first embodiment are achieved.

[0073] 10 shows a diagnostic system 106 of the sixth embodiment. This diagnostic system 106 differs from the diagnostic system 105 of the fifth embodiment in the diagnostic processing in the diagnostic device 40. The rest is the same as the fifth embodiment.

[0074] The diagnostic process by the diagnostic system 106 is executed in sequence according to steps S301 to S312 in the flowchart shown in Fig. 11. Note that one or more steps may be added to these steps as necessary, or multiple steps may be appropriately integrated.

[0075] Steps S301 to S306 are the same as steps S201 to S206 in the fifth embodiment. Step S307 is a step in which the simplified diagnosis result R obtained in step S305 is linked to module identification information B based on module layout information C. Step S308 is the same as step S211 in the fifth embodiment. Step S309 is the same as step S208 in the fifth embodiment.

[0076] Step S310 is a step for evaluating the individual module characteristics E2 in a disassembled state in which the battery pack 2 is disassembled. The individual module characteristics E2 are information that individually represent the battery characteristics E of the multiple battery modules 2a. In step S310, the battery information acquisition device 21 can acquire sampling results (individual module characteristics E2) of the battery characteristics E of each of the multiple battery modules 2a. When acquiring the individual module characteristics E2, a charging / discharging device is connected to the battery pack 2. By charging and discharging the battery using this charging / discharging device, the individual module characteristics E2 can be measured from sensing data such as current, voltage, and temperature. As another modification, the battery information acquisition device 21 may acquire sensing data. Then, the battery information acquisition device 21 or the diagnostic device 40 may calculate the battery characteristics E based on this sensing data.

[0077] Step S311 is a step in which the high-accuracy diagnostic unit 44b re-diagnoses the battery modules 2a that were excluded from disposal in step S309, i.e., the battery modules 2a that passed the diagnosis in step S305. In step S311, the battery diagnostic model M (see FIG. 3) is used, as in step S105 in the first embodiment. However, the battery diagnostic model M uses both the usage history information D acquired in step S303 and the individual module characteristics E2 acquired in step S310 as input information, and outputs the re-diagnosis result R of the battery module 2a. Step S312 is the same as step S212 in the fifth embodiment.

[0078] According to the sixth embodiment, similarly to the fifth embodiment, the design information F is used to enable accurate diagnosis of the battery modules 2a. Also, since it is possible to diagnose only the necessary battery modules 2a among the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2, the calculation load required for diagnosis can be reduced. Furthermore, it is possible to evaluate only the individual module characteristics E2 of the necessary battery modules 2a among the plurality of battery modules 2a included in the battery pack 2. Therefore, the calculation load required for the work man-hours for evaluating the individual module characteristics E2 can be reduced. In addition, the same effects as those of the fifth embodiment are achieved.

[0079] Although the present disclosure has been described based on the above-described embodiments, it is understood that the present disclosure is not limited to these forms and structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and modifications within the scope of equivalents. In addition, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. For example, the following forms can be implemented by applying the above-described forms.

[0080] In the above embodiment, an example is given of diagnosing a battery pack 2 mounted on a vehicle 1, but this diagnostic technique may also be applied to diagnosing a battery pack 2 mounted on consumer equipment or industrial equipment other than the vehicle 1.

Claims

1. A diagnostic program (P) for diagnosing a battery pack (2) including a plurality of battery modules (2a), the diagnostic program (P) causing a processor (10) to acquire module identification information (B), module layout information (C) and usage history information (D) of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery pack, diagnose the plurality of battery modules based on the usage history information, and link the diagnostic results to the module identification information based on the module layout information.

2. The diagnostic program according to claim 1, which causes the processor (10) to acquire the module identification information and the module placement information from a cloud (30) or a data server (31) that manages the pack identification information (A) of the battery pack.

3. The diagnostic program according to claim 1, which causes the processor (10) to acquire the module identification information and the module arrangement information from a main battery management unit (3) that manages the battery pack.

4. A diagnostic program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a processor (10) to diagnose the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information and a collective module characteristic (E1) which collectively represents the battery characteristics (E) of the plurality of battery modules in the pack state of the battery pack.

5. A diagnostic program as described in claim 4, which causes a processor (10) to acquire the usage history information based on design information (F) of the usage environment of the plurality of battery modules, diagnose the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information, re-diagnose the battery modules using the usage history information and the collective module characteristics, and link the results of the re-diagnosis to the module identification information.

6. The diagnostic program according to claim 5, which causes the processor (10) to re-diagnose the battery module for which the diagnostic result using the usage history information has been determined to be pass.

7. A diagnostic program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which causes a processor (10) to: acquire the usage history information based on design information (F) of the usage environment of the plurality of battery modules; diagnose the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information; link the diagnostic results to the module identification information; acquire individual module characteristics (E2) that individually represent the battery characteristics (E) of the plurality of battery modules in a pack disassembled state in which the battery pack is disassembled; and re-diagnose the battery modules using the usage history information and the individual module characteristics.

8. The diagnostic program according to claim 7, which causes the processor (10) to re-diagnose the battery module for which the diagnostic result using the usage history information has been determined to be pass.

9. A diagnostic device (40) for diagnosing a battery pack (2) including a plurality of battery modules (2a), comprising: an information acquisition unit (41, 42, 47) for acquiring module identification information (B), module layout information (C), and usage history information (D) of the plurality of battery modules included in the battery pack; a diagnostic unit (44, 44a, 44b) for diagnosing the plurality of battery modules based on the usage history information; and a linking unit (45) for linking the diagnosis result by the diagnostic unit to the module identification information based on the module layout information.

10. The diagnostic device described in claim 9, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the module identification information and the module placement information from a cloud (30) or a data server (31) that manages pack identification information (A) of the battery pack.

11. The diagnostic device according to claim 9, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the module identification information and the module layout information from a main battery management unit (3) that manages the battery pack.

12. A diagnostic device according to any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the diagnostic unit diagnoses the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information and a collective module characteristic (E1) that collectively represents the battery characteristics (E) of the plurality of battery modules in the pack state of the battery pack.

13. The diagnostic device described in claim 12, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the usage history information based on design information (F) of the usage environment of the plurality of battery modules, the diagnosis unit diagnoses the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information, and re-diagnoses the battery modules using the usage history information and the collective module characteristics, and the linking unit links the re-diagnosis results by the diagnosis unit to the module identification information.

14. The diagnostic device according to claim 13, wherein the diagnostic unit re-diagnoses the battery module for which the diagnostic result using the usage history information is found to be acceptable.

15. A diagnostic device as described in any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the information acquisition unit acquires the usage history information based on design information (F) of the usage environment of the plurality of battery modules, the diagnosis unit diagnoses the plurality of battery modules using the usage history information, the linking unit links the diagnosis results by the diagnosis unit to the module identification information, the information acquisition unit acquires individual module characteristics (E2) that individually represent the battery characteristics (E) of the plurality of battery modules in a pack disassembled state in which the battery pack is disassembled, and the diagnosis unit re-diagnoses the battery modules using the usage history information and the individual module characteristics.

16. The diagnostic device according to claim 15, wherein the diagnostic unit re-diagnoses the battery module for which the diagnostic result using the usage history information is found to be acceptable.

17. A diagnostic system (101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106) comprising: a diagnostic device according to any one of claims 9 to 11; a battery information acquisition device (21) that acquires battery information about the battery pack and transmits it to the diagnostic device; and a battery information management database (50) that manages the battery information.

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