Battery diagnostic device and method therefor

Abstract

A battery diagnosis device, according to one embodiment of the present document, comprises: a memory that stores at least one instruction; and at least one processor that executes the at least one instruction, wherein the at least one processor may identify a degradation index according to a charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit, identify a degradation index of a second battery cell on the basis of at least one of a value of a charge capacity of a second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, a degradation index according to a charge capacity of the first battery cell, or a combination thereof, and diagnose a state of the second battery cell on the basis of the degradation index of the second battery cell.

Description

Battery diagnostic device and method thereof

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2024-0089210, filed July 5, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a battery diagnostic device and method thereof.

[0005] Recently, research and development on secondary batteries has been actively underway. Here, secondary batteries are defined as rechargeable and dischargeable batteries, encompassing both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as more recent lithium-ion batteries. Recently, their use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0006] With the proliferation of various electronic devices driven by the Fourth Industrial Revolution, battery usage is rapidly increasing. Batteries are emerging as an essential energy source in various fields, including electric vehicles, portable electronic devices, and renewable energy storage systems. Consequently, the importance of battery condition diagnostic technology to improve battery performance and reliability is increasing.

[0007] In particular, technology is being developed to identify degradation indicators for each battery cell within a battery unit, indicating the degree of degradation within each cell. By identifying these degradation indicators, the battery health diagnostic performance of battery diagnostic devices can be improved. This can extend battery life and optimize performance, while also ensuring stability by detecting unexpected errors.

[0008] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, an object is to provide a battery diagnostic device and method for extending the life of battery cells by obtaining a degradation index of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0009] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, it is intended to provide a battery diagnostic device and method that contribute to improving the stability of battery cells by obtaining a degradation index of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0010] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, an object is to provide a battery diagnosis device and method that improve the accuracy of diagnosis of the state of battery cells by obtaining a degradation index of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0011] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, there is provided a battery diagnostic device and method for obtaining degradation indices of a plurality of battery cells by identifying the degradation indices of each battery cell based on the degradation indices of the battery unit and the charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0012] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, there is provided a battery diagnosis device and method that reduce time resources required for battery diagnosis by identifying the degradation indicator of each battery cell based on the degradation indicator of the battery unit and the charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0013] The technical challenges of this document are not limited to the technical challenges mentioned above, and other technical challenges not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the descriptions below.

[0014] A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment of the present document may include a memory storing at least one instruction, and one or more processors executing the at least one instruction.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the one or more processors can identify a degradation index of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit based on a charge capacity value of a second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, a degradation index of the first battery cell based on a charge capacity value, or a combination thereof, and can diagnose a state of the second battery cell based on the degradation index of the second battery cell.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the one or more processors can identify a value of a degradation index of the second battery cell based on a specific value of the degradation index of the first battery cell corresponding to a value of a charge capacity of the second battery cell in the degradation index of the charge capacity of the first battery cell.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the first battery cell may include a battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries can be identified for each battery cell included in the plurality of battery cells based on the number of times the battery unit has been charged and discharged.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries may include a charge capacity according to a state of health (SOH) of each of the plurality of battery cells identified based on the number of charge and discharge cycles of the battery unit.

[0020] According to one embodiment, the one or more processors can identify a degradation index for each charge capacity of the first battery cell based on a constant voltage (CV) charging time, which represents the duration of a period in which the voltage of the battery unit remains constant while being charged or discharged.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the battery unit is charged according to a constant current (CC) until the voltage of at least one battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit reaches a reference voltage value, and the one or more processors can identify a degradation index according to a charge capacity of the first battery cell based on the battery unit being charged according to a constant voltage until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value after the voltage reaches the reference voltage value.

[0022] According to another embodiment of the present document, a battery diagnosis method may include an operation of identifying a degradation index by charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit, an operation of identifying a degradation index of a second battery cell based on at least one of a value of a charge capacity of a second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, a degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, or a combination thereof, and an operation of diagnosing a state of the second battery cell based on the degradation index of the second battery cell.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the operation of identifying the degradation index of the second battery cell based on at least one of the value of the charge capacity of the second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, the degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, or any combination thereof may further include the operation of identifying the value of the degradation index of the second battery cell based on a specific value of the degradation index of the first battery cell corresponding to the value of the charge capacity of the second battery cell among the degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the first battery cell may include a battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells.

[0025] According to one embodiment, the charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries can be identified for each battery cell included in the plurality of battery cells based on the number of times the battery unit has been charged and discharged.

[0026] According to one embodiment, the charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries may include a charge capacity according to a state of health (SOH) of each of the plurality of battery cells identified based on the number of charge and discharge cycles of the battery unit.

[0027] According to one embodiment, the battery diagnosis method may further include an operation of identifying a degradation index for each charge capacity of the first battery cell based on a constant voltage (CV) charging time representing a duration of a period in which the voltage of the battery unit is maintained constant during the charging or discharging.

[0028] According to one embodiment, the operation of identifying a degradation index according to a charge capacity of a first battery cell among the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit after the battery unit is charged according to a constant current (CC) until the voltage of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches a reference voltage value may include the operation of identifying a degradation index according to a charge capacity of the first battery cell based on the battery unit being charged according to a constant current until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value after the voltage reaches the reference voltage value.

[0029] The present technology can extend the life of battery cells by obtaining degradation indicators of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0030] In addition, the present technology can contribute to improving the stability of battery cells by obtaining a degradation index of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0031] In addition, the present technology seeks to provide a battery diagnosis device and method that improve the accuracy of diagnosis of the status of battery cells by obtaining a degradation index of each battery cell included in a battery unit.

[0032] In addition, the present technology can obtain degradation indices of multiple battery cells by identifying the degradation indices of each battery cell based on the degradation indices of the battery unit and the charge capacity of each of the multiple battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0033] In addition, the present technology can reduce the time resources required for battery diagnosis by identifying the degradation indicator of each battery cell based on the degradation indicator of the battery unit and the charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0034] In addition, various effects may be provided, either directly or indirectly, through this document.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a battery pack in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0036] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0037] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a graph showing a charge capacity and a degradation index in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a table showing a degradation index by charging capacity in a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0039] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flow of operations of a battery diagnostic device for diagnosing a state of a second battery cell in a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0040] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system that performs a battery diagnosis method in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to an embodiment of the present document.

[0041] Hereinafter, some embodiments disclosed in this document are described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate various embodiments of this document. However, this is not intended to limit the present technology to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments of this technology are included.

[0042] When assigning reference numerals to components in each drawing, it should be noted that identical components are assigned the same numerals whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing various embodiments disclosed in this document, if a detailed description of a related known configuration or function is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0043] In describing the components of the embodiments of this document, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of the components may not be limited by the terms. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0044] In addition, in the present disclosure, expressions such as "more than" or "less than" may be used to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or fulfilled. However, this is merely a description for expressing an example and does not exclude descriptions such as "more than" or "less than." Conditions described as "more than" may be replaced with "more than," conditions described as "less than," and conditions described as "more than and less than" may be replaced with "more than and less than." In addition, hereinafter, "A" to "B" mean at least one of the elements from A (including A) to B (including B).

[0045] In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" may include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0046] In this document, when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected,” with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” or is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0047] According to one embodiment, the method according to the various embodiments disclosed in the present document may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) through an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0048] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0049] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present document will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6.

[0050] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a battery pack in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 1, a battery pack (1) may include a battery unit (12), a sensor unit (14), a switching unit (16), and a battery management system (BMS) (20). At this time, the battery pack (1) may be equipped with a plurality of battery units (12), sensor units (14), switching units (16), and battery management systems (20).

[0052] According to one embodiment, the battery unit (12) can supply power to a target device (not shown). To this end, the battery unit (12) can be electrically connected to the target device. Here, the target device can include an electrical, electronic, or mechanical device that operates by receiving power from the battery pack (1). For example, the target device can be, but is not limited to, an electric vehicle (EV) or an energy storage system (ESS).

[0053] According to one embodiment, the battery unit (12) may include at least one battery cell (10) that can be charged and discharged. Here, the battery cell (10) may be a basic unit of a battery cell that can charge and discharge electric energy and use it. For example, the battery cell (10) may be a lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) battery, a nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery, etc., but may not be limited thereto.

[0054] According to one embodiment, a plurality of battery units (12) may be connected in series or parallel. For example, the battery unit (12) may be a battery module, a battery bank, or a collection of battery cells (cell-to-pack structure).

[0055] According to one embodiment, the sensor unit (14) can obtain information related to the battery unit (12). According to one embodiment, the sensor unit (14) can obtain values ​​(or information) related to the state of each of the battery unit (12) or battery cells (10). In one embodiment, the values ​​related to the state may include one or more values ​​for voltage, current, resistance, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), or temperature of the battery cell, or a combination thereof.

[0056] According to one embodiment, the sensor unit (14) can provide information on each of the plurality of battery units (12) to the battery management system (20).

[0057] According to one embodiment, the switching unit (16) may include a device for controlling the current flow for charging or discharging the battery unit (12). For example, the switching unit (16) may include at least one relay and / or magnetic contactor, etc., depending on the specifications of the battery pack (1).

[0058] According to one embodiment, a battery management system (BMS) (20) may monitor voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery pack (1) to control or manage the battery pack (1) to prevent overcharge, overdischarge, etc. For example, the battery management system (20) may include a plurality of terminals as an interface for receiving values ​​measured from the various parameters described above, and a circuit connected to these terminals to process the input values. In addition, the battery management system (20) may control the sensor unit (14) and / or the switching unit (16). For example, the battery management system (20) may be connected to a plurality of battery units (12) to monitor the status of each of the plurality of battery units (12) and control ON / OFF of a relay or a contactor, etc.

[0059] According to one embodiment, the operation of the battery management system (20) may be performed by a battery management system (BMS) in the vehicle, as well as by various devices such as a server, cloud, charger, or discharger.

[0060] The upper controller (2) can transmit control signals for multiple battery units (12) to the battery management system (20). Accordingly, the battery management system (20) can be controlled for operation based on signals received from the upper controller (2).

[0061] According to one embodiment, the battery management system (20) may include the battery diagnostic device (201) of FIG. 2. According to another embodiment, the battery management system (20) may be a different system from the battery diagnostic device (201) of FIG. 2. That is, the diagnostic device (201) of FIG. 2 may be included in the battery pack (1) or may be configured as another device external to the battery pack (1). For convenience of explanation, the following description will be made on the assumption that the battery diagnostic device (201) is configured as another device external to the battery pack (1). In addition, the operation of the battery diagnostic device (201) below may be performed by an in-vehicle BMS (battery management system), as well as by various devices such as a server, a cloud, a charger, or a discharger.

[0062] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0063] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a graph showing a charge capacity and a degradation index in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0064] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the battery diagnostic device (201) may include a memory (203) and one or more processors (205). The memory (203) may store at least one instruction. The one or more processors (205) may execute at least one instruction.

[0065] A first line (303) included in the graph (301) may represent a charge capacity according to the number of charge and discharge cycles of a first battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit. A second line (305) included in the graph (301) may represent a charge capacity according to the number of charge and discharge cycles of a second battery cell representing one of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit. A third line (307) included in the graph (301) may represent a charge capacity according to the number of charge and discharge cycles of a third battery cell representing another of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0066] The first point (300) may represent the charge capacity and the number of charge and discharge cycles of the first battery cell at a specific point in time. The second point (302) may represent the charge capacity and the number of charge and discharge cycles of the second battery cell at a specific point in time. The third point (304) may represent the charge capacity and the number of charge and discharge cycles of the third battery cell at a specific point in time.

[0067] According to one embodiment, one processor (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify a degradation indicator (e.g., constant voltage charge time) of a battery unit (e.g., battery module, battery pack, battery).

[0068] Hereinafter, FIG. 3 describes a constant voltage charging time as an example of a degradation indicator, but the embodiments of the present document may not be limited thereto. According to an example, a degradation indicator may represent a degradation indicator in a case where the degradation indicators of each of a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit are not identified, but only the overall degradation indicator of the battery unit is identified.

[0069] In one embodiment, if the degradation index of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit is not identified and only the overall degradation index of the battery unit is identified, the degradation index of the battery unit may not reflect the degree of degradation of each battery cell.

[0070] For example, if the degradation index is a constant voltage charging time, the degradation index of the battery unit can be determined based on the measured value of the battery cell corresponding to the smallest charging capacity among the charging capacities of the plurality of battery cells.

[0071] The charge capacity may represent the charge capacity according to the state of health (SOH) of each of the plurality of battery cells, which are identified based on the number of charge and discharge cycles of the battery unit. The battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells may represent the battery cell with the most deterioration among the plurality of battery cells.

[0072] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) cannot identify a degradation index of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit, but can identify a charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0073] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify a degradation index of each of the plurality of battery cells based on the charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells and the degradation index of the charge capacity of the first battery cell that has deteriorated the most among the plurality of battery cells. This is because the charge capacity of any one of the plurality of battery cells is correlated with the degradation index.

[0074] For example, if the degradation indicator is the constant voltage charging time, the charge capacity of the battery cell and the constant voltage charging time of the battery cell may have a relationship such that as the charge capacity of the battery cell decreases, the constant voltage charging time increases.

[0075] This is because the charge capacity of a battery cell may be related to the number of times the battery cell is charged and discharged, and as the number of times the battery cell is charged and discharged increases, the charge capacity of the battery cell may decrease, and the constant voltage charging time of a battery cell may be related to the number of times the battery cell is charged and discharged, and as the number of times the battery cell is charged and discharged increases, the charge capacity of the battery cell may increase.

[0076] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify a degradation indicator of a battery unit. The degradation indicator of the battery unit can be identified as a degradation indicator of a first battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among a plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0077] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify a charge capacity of a first battery cell at a specific point in time (e.g., a charge capacity at a first point (300), about 86%), a charge capacity of a second battery cell (e.g., a charge capacity at a second point (302), about 88%), and a charge capacity of a third battery cell (e.g., a charge capacity at a third point (304), about 90%).

[0078] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can directly identify the degradation index of each of the plurality of battery cells based on the degradation index of each charge capacity of the entire battery unit and the charge capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells (e.g., the first battery cell, the second battery cell, the third battery cell). However, in the following, in order to explain the relationship between the charge capacity and the constant voltage charging time, it is explained that the number of charge and discharge times is identified based on the charge capacity, and the constant voltage charging time is identified based on the number of charge and discharge times.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the charging process of the battery unit may include a constant current (CC) charging period and a constant voltage (CV) charging period. In the constant current charging period, the battery unit may be charged with a current having a constant value until the voltage of at least one battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit reaches a reference voltage value.

[0080] After the voltage of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches a reference voltage value, the battery unit can be charged with a voltage having a value of a constant magnitude until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit reaches the reference current value.

[0081] The time from the point in time when the voltage of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches a reference voltage to the point in time when the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches a reference current value may be referred to as a constant voltage charge time.

[0082] The constant voltage charge time can indicate the duration of the section in which the voltage of the battery unit remains constant during charging or discharging. Since the constant voltage charge time increases as the number of times the battery unit is charged and discharged increases, it can be used as a degradation indicator. This is because as the number of times the battery unit is charged and discharged increases, the resistance of the battery cells included in the battery unit increases, and as the resistance of the battery cells increases, the time until the reference current is reached increases.

[0083] For example, since the constant voltage charging time is the point in time until the current of at least one battery cell among a plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value, the constant voltage charging time can be identified based on whether the current of the battery cell that has undergone the most degradation among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value, which corresponds to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells.

[0084] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify the constant voltage charging time of the battery unit as the constant voltage charging time of the first battery cell (e.g., about 47 minutes). This is because the constant voltage charging time is identified based on the battery cell corresponding to the smallest charging capacity among the charging capacities of the battery cells included in the battery unit.

[0085] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify a constant voltage charging time corresponding to a charge capacity (e.g., a charge capacity corresponding to a second point (302), a charge capacity corresponding to a third point (304)) of a specific battery cell (e.g., a second battery cell, a third battery cell) at a specific point in time based on a constant voltage charging time according to a charge capacity of a first battery cell.

[0086] For example, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) can identify the number of charge and discharge cycles (e.g., the number of charge and discharge cycles corresponding to the second point (302)) corresponding to the charge capacity of the second battery cell at a specific point in time (e.g., the charge capacity corresponding to the second point (302)). One or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) can identify the constant voltage charging time corresponding to the number of charge and discharge cycles (e.g., the number of charge and discharge cycles corresponding to the second point (302)) of the second battery cell at a specific point in time based on the charge capacity (e.g., the content indicated by the first line (303)) according to the number of charge and discharge cycles of the first battery cell.

[0087] For example, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) can identify the number of charge and discharge cycles (e.g., the number of charge and discharge cycles corresponding to the third point (304)) corresponding to the charge capacity of the third battery cell at a specific point in time (e.g., the charge capacity corresponding to the third point (304)). One or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) can identify the constant voltage charging time corresponding to the number of charge and discharge cycles (e.g., the number of charge and discharge cycles corresponding to the third point (304)) of the third battery cell at a specific point in time based on the charge capacity (e.g., the content indicated by the first line (303)) according to the number of charge and discharge cycles of the first battery cell.

[0088] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a table showing a degradation index by charging capacity in a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0089] Referring to FIG. 4, table (401) may include content corresponding to graph (301) of FIG. 3. Table (401) may indicate the charge capacity of the first battery cell corresponding to the number of charge and discharge cycles of the first battery cell, and the constant voltage charge time of the first battery cell corresponding to the number of charge and discharge cycles of the first battery cell. A first row (403) may indicate the number of charge and discharge cycles and the constant voltage charge time of the first battery cell when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 90%. A second row (405) may indicate the number of charge and discharge cycles and the constant voltage charge time of the first battery cell when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 88%. A third row (407) may indicate the number of charge and discharge cycles and the constant voltage charge time of the first battery cell when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 86%.

[0090] In one embodiment, the constant voltage charging time of a battery unit at a specific point in time may represent the constant voltage charging time of a first battery cell at a specific point in time (e.g., the constant voltage charging time of the third row (407)).

[0091] Since the constant voltage charging time is the point in time until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value, it corresponds to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells, and the constant voltage charging time can be identified based on whether the current of the battery cell with the most degradation among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value.

[0092] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) may store constant voltage charging times according to the charge capacity of the first battery cell, as shown in Table (401). For example, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnosis device (201) may store information about constant voltage charging times when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 88% and constant voltage charging times when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 90%.

[0093] According to one embodiment, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify the charge capacity of the second battery cell and the charge capacity of the third battery cell at a specific point in time.

[0094] For example, when the charge capacity of the second battery cell at a specific point in time is about 88%, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify the constant voltage charge time of the second battery cell at the specific point in time as the constant voltage charge time (e.g., about 43 minutes) when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 88%.

[0095] For example, when the charge capacity of the third battery cell at a specific point in time is about 90%, one or more processors (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) can identify the constant voltage charge time of the third battery cell at the specific point in time as the constant voltage charge time (e.g., about 40 minutes) when the charge capacity of the first battery cell is about 90%.

[0096] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flow of operations of a battery diagnostic device for diagnosing a state of a second battery cell in a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment of the present document.

[0097] Referring to FIG. 5, in the first operation (501), at least one processor (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) according to one embodiment can identify a degradation index according to a charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit.

[0098] In a second operation (503), at least one processor (205) of a battery diagnostic device (201) according to an embodiment may obtain a degradation index of a second battery cell based on at least one of a value of a charge capacity of a second battery cell among battery cells, a degradation index by charge capacity of a first battery cell, or any combination thereof.

[0099] In the third operation (505), at least one processor (205) of the battery diagnostic device (201) according to one embodiment can diagnose the state of the second battery cell according to the degradation indicator of the second battery cell.

[0100] FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system that performs a battery diagnosis method in a battery diagnosis device and a battery diagnosis method according to an embodiment of the present document.

[0101] Referring to FIG. 6, a computing system (600) according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may include an MCU (610), a memory (620), an input / output I / F (630), and a communication I / F (640).

[0102] The MCU (610) may be one or more processors that execute various programs (e.g., a battery cell data collection program, a graph generation program, a data analysis program, a data decomposition algorithm, a normalization program, a battery cell diagnosis program, etc.) stored in the memory (620), process various information including battery cell characteristic data, latent variables, etc. through these programs, and perform the functions of the battery diagnosis device (201) shown in the above-described FIGS. 2 to 5.

[0103] The memory (620) can store various programs such as a battery cell data collection program, a graph generation program, a data analysis program, a data decomposition algorithm, a normalization program, and a battery cell diagnosis program.

[0104] Such memories (620) may be provided in multiples as needed. The memories (620) may be volatile memories or non-volatile memories. As volatile memories (620), RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As non-volatile memories (620), ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memories, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories (620) listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0105] The input / output I / F (630) can provide an interface that enables data transmission and reception between an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and an output device (not shown) such as a display and the MCU (610).

[0106] The communication I / F (640) is a component capable of transmitting and receiving various data with the server, and may be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, the diagnostic device (201) can transmit and receive various information, including battery cell shape models, from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F (640).

[0107] In this way, a computer program according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may be implemented as a module that performs each function illustrated in FIG. 2, for example, by being recorded in a memory (620) and processed by an MCU (610).

[0108] In the above, although all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all of the components may be selectively combined and operated one or more times.

[0109] In addition, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated to the contrary, should be interpreted to imply the inclusion of the corresponding component, and thus should not be interpreted to exclude other components, but rather to include other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0110] The foregoing disclosure outlines features of several embodiments to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the aspects of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present disclosure can be readily used as a basis for designing or modifying other structures to achieve the same purposes or advantages of the embodiments introduced herein. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that such equivalent structures do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made herein without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. Memory that stores at least one instruction; and comprising one or more processors executing at least one instruction; One or more of the above processors, Identifying a degradation index by charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit, Identifying the degradation index of the second battery cell based on at least one of the value of the charge capacity of the second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, the degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, or any combination thereof, Based on the degradation indicator of the second battery cell, configured to diagnose the condition of the second battery cell, Battery diagnostic device.

2. In claim 1, One or more of the above processors, In the degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, the value of the degradation index of the second battery cell is configured to be identified based on a specific value of the degradation index of the first battery cell corresponding to the value of the charge capacity of the second battery cell. Battery diagnostic device.

3. In claim 1, The above first battery cell, Including a battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells, Battery diagnostic device.

4. In claim 1, The charging capacity of each of the above plurality of batteries is Each battery cell included in the plurality of battery cells is identified based on the number of times the battery unit is charged and discharged. Battery diagnostic device.

5. In claim 4, The charging capacity of each of the above plurality of batteries is Including a charge capacity according to the state of health (SOH) of each of the plurality of battery cells identified based on the number of charge and discharge times of the battery unit, Battery diagnostic device.

6. In claim 1, One or more of the above processors, Based on the constant voltage (CV) charging time, which represents the duration of the section in which the voltage of the battery unit is maintained constant during charging or discharging, the degradation index of the first battery cell is configured to be identified according to the charge capacity. Battery diagnostic device.

7. In claim 1, The battery unit is charged according to a constant current (CC) until the voltage of at least one battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit reaches a reference voltage value, One or more of the above processors, After the voltage reaches the reference voltage value, the battery unit is charged according to the constant voltage until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value, and the degradation index according to the charge capacity of the first battery cell is identified. Battery diagnostic device.

8. An operation for identifying a degradation index according to a charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in a battery unit; An operation of identifying a degradation index of the second battery cell based on at least one of a value of a charge capacity of the second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, a degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, or any combination thereof; and An operation of diagnosing the condition of the second battery cell based on the degradation indicator of the second battery cell, How to diagnose a battery.

9. In claim 8, An operation of identifying a degradation index of the second battery cell based on at least one of a value of a charge capacity of the second battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, a degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, or any combination thereof, In the degradation index by charge capacity of the first battery cell, an operation of identifying a value of the degradation index of the second battery cell is further included based on a specific value of the degradation index of the first battery cell corresponding to the value of the charge capacity of the second battery cell. How to diagnose a battery.

10. In claim 8, The above first battery cell, Including a battery cell corresponding to the smallest charge capacity among the charge capacities of the plurality of battery cells, How to diagnose a battery.

11. In claim 8, The charging capacity of each of the above plurality of batteries is Each battery cell included in the plurality of battery cells is identified based on the number of times the battery unit is charged and discharged. How to diagnose a battery.

12. In claim 11, The charging capacity of each of the above plurality of batteries is Including a charge capacity according to the state of health (SOH) of each of the plurality of battery cells identified based on the number of charge and discharge times of the battery unit, How to diagnose a battery.

13. In claim 8, Further comprising an operation of identifying a degradation index for each charge capacity of the first battery cell based on a constant voltage (CV) charging time indicating the duration of a section in which the voltage of the battery unit is maintained constant during the charging or discharging. How to diagnose a battery.

14. In claim 8, After the battery unit is charged according to a constant current (CC) until the voltage of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells included in the battery unit reaches a reference voltage value, An operation of identifying a degradation index by charge capacity of a first battery cell among a plurality of battery cells included in the above battery unit is as follows: An operation of identifying a degradation index according to a charge capacity of the first battery cell based on the battery unit being charged according to a constant voltage until the current of at least one battery cell among the plurality of battery cells reaches the reference current value after the voltage reaches the reference voltage value, How to diagnose a battery.

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