Battery diagnostic apparatus and battery diagnostic method

Abstract

A battery diagnostic apparatus according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document comprises: a memory for storing one or more instructions; and at least one processor for executing the one or more instructions, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: acquire battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle; acquire battery cell data of each of a plurality of battery cells included in the one or more battery packs; identify a defective battery pack among the one or more battery packs on the basis of the battery pack data; identify a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells on the basis of the battery cell data; and identify whether the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack.

Description

Battery diagnostic device and battery diagnostic method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] The present invention claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2025-0014507 filed on February 5, 2025 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2026-0013153 filed on January 22, 2026, and includes all contents disclosed in the documents of said Korean patent applications as part of this specification.

[0003] Technology field

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

[0005] For the safe use of batteries in electric vehicles, an algorithm capable of pre-diagnosing and identifying battery cell defects associated with ignition is essential. Selective battery cell replacement methods may include big data replacement based on vehicle diagnoses via diagnostic software, as well as methods utilizing collectible data (e.g., vehicle OTA data, data collected at the time of service center entry). This approach can be implemented by performing real-time diagnoses during driving using algorithms within the Battery Management System (BMS), displaying an alarm signal to warn the user when a battery issue occurs, and allowing the user to visit a service center to replace the faulty battery module. However, relying solely on the application of BMS software presents a problem in that it cannot collectively identify vehicles with potential for fire, making rapid corrective action difficult.

[0006] One objective of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method for identifying a problematic battery cell using battery cell data and cumulatively stored battery pack data.

[0007] One objective of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery diagnostic device and a battery diagnostic method for determining a type of defect in a battery cell using a value representing the characteristics of the battery cell.

[0008] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0009] A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document includes: a memory for storing one or more instructions; and at least one processor for executing said one or more instructions. The at least one processor may be configured to acquire battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle, acquire battery cell data of each of a plurality of battery cells included in said one or more battery packs, identify a defective battery pack among said one or more battery packs based on said battery pack data, identify a defective battery cell among said plurality of battery cells based on said battery cell data, and identify whether said defective battery cell is included in said defective battery pack.

[0010] For example, the above-mentioned at least one processor may be configured to use the battery cell data to extract a plurality of feature values ​​based on the defective type of the battery cell, identify at least one feature value among the plurality of feature values ​​that is outside a threshold range, and identify the battery cell corresponding to the at least one feature value as the defective battery cell.

[0011] For example, the at least one processor may be configured to determine the type of defect of the defective battery cell based on the at least one feature value.

[0012] For example, the battery pack data may be based on a histogram and may include vehicle information related to the vehicle.

[0013] For example, the battery cell data may include measurement data identified through a sensor and computational data obtained based on the measurement data, the measurement data may include the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, and the computational data may include the state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), balancing time, or any combination thereof of each of the plurality of battery cells.

[0014] For example, the at least one processor may be configured not to provide information indicating a battery module containing the defective battery cell when the defective battery pack does not contain the defective battery cell.

[0015] For example, the at least one processor may be configured to provide information indicating a battery module containing the defective battery cell when the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack.

[0016] For example, the at least one processor may be configured to use the battery pack data to identify usage history data related to the usage history of the battery pack, and to identify the defective battery pack among the one or more battery packs based on a differential profile representing the change in the value of the usage history data over time.

[0017] A battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include: acquiring battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle; acquiring battery cell data of each of a plurality of battery cells included in the one or more battery packs; identifying a defective battery pack among the one or more battery packs based on the battery pack data; identifying a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells based on the battery cell data; and identifying whether the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack.

[0018] For example, the operation of identifying a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells may include the operation of extracting a plurality of feature values ​​based on a defective type of the battery cell using the battery cell data, the operation of identifying at least one feature value that is outside a threshold range among the plurality of feature values, and the operation of identifying a battery cell corresponding to the at least one feature value as the defective battery cell.

[0019] For example, the operation of identifying a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value as the defective battery cell may further include the operation of determining the type of defect of the defective battery cell based on the at least one feature value.

[0020] For example, the battery pack data may be based on a histogram and may include vehicle information related to the vehicle.

[0021] For example, the battery cell data may include measurement data identified through a sensor and computational data obtained based on the measurement data, the measurement data may include the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, and the computational data may include the state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), balancing time, or any combination thereof of each of the plurality of battery cells.

[0022] For example, the operation of identifying whether the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack may further include, if the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack, an operation of providing information indicating a battery module including the defective battery cell.

[0023] The battery diagnostic device and battery diagnostic method disclosed in this document can identify a battery cell with a problem by using data from a battery cell and accumulated battery pack data.

[0024] The battery diagnostic device and battery diagnostic method disclosed in this document can determine the type of defect in a battery cell by using a value representing the characteristics of the battery cell.

[0025] In addition, various effects that can be identified directly or indirectly through this document may be provided.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a vehicle related to a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0027] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a vehicle related to a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a battery pack according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0029] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flowchart showing the operation performed by a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0031] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a flowchart showing the operation performed by a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0032] FIG. 7 shows a computing system that executes a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0033] Some embodiments disclosed herein are described below with reference to the various embodiments of the accompanying drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the technology to specific embodiments and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to embodiments of the technology.

[0034] It should be noted that when assigning reference numerals to the components of each drawing, the same components are assigned the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they are shown in different drawings. Furthermore, in describing the various embodiments disclosed in this document, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known configurations or functions would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the present invention, such detailed description is omitted. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] 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 intended merely to distinguish the components from other components and do not limit the essence, order, or sequence of the components. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0036] Additionally, in this disclosure, expressions of "greater than" or "less than" may be used to determine whether a specific condition is satisfied or fulfilled; however, this is merely for the purpose of expressing an example and does not exclude descriptions of "greater than" or "less than." Conditions described as "greater than" may be replaced with "greater than," conditions described as "less than" may be replaced with "less than," and conditions described as "greater than and less than" may be replaced with "greater than and less than." Furthermore, "A" to "B" below refer to at least one of the elements from A (including A) to B (including B).

[0037] In this document, each of the phrases such as "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 the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0038] In this document, where it is stated that any (e.g., 1) component is "connected," "coupled," or "joined" to another (e.g., 2) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicationly," or where it is stated that the component is "coupled" or "connected," it means that the component may be connected to the other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0039] The term “module” as used in the various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0040] Various embodiments of this document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) comprising one or more instructions stored on a storage medium readable by a machine. For example, the processor of the machine may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by a machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal, and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the method according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., download or upload) 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 created on a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0042] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the described components may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the aforementioned components or operations may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as they were performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration.

[0043] According to various embodiments, 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.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a vehicle related to a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0045] According to one embodiment, a battery diagnostic device (e.g., the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4) may include at least some of the components included in a vehicle (110) according to the SDV architecture. The battery diagnostic device may manage power and / or data transmitted and received between the components of the vehicle (110), for example.

[0046] For example, the vehicle (110) may include at least one of a first zone controller (121), a second zone controller (122), a third zone controller (123), a fourth zone controller (124), a first terminal device (131), a second terminal device (132), a third terminal device (133), a fourth terminal device (134), a first actuator (141), a second actuator (142), a high performance computer (HPC) (150), a transmission and reception path (160), an additional element (170), or any combination thereof. A battery diagnostic device associated with the vehicle (110) may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle (110).

[0047] For example, components according to the SDV architecture may include a hierarchical structure of HPC (150), zone controller, and end device order.

[0048] For example, the HPC (150) is connected to the first zone controller (121), the second zone controller (122), the third zone controller (123), and the fourth zone controller (124), and can transmit and receive various types of data with each zone controller.

[0049] For example, the first zone controller (121), the second zone controller (122), the third zone controller (123), and the fourth zone controller (124) can each control the first end device (131), the second end device (132), the third end device (133), and the fourth end device (134).

[0050] For example, the end device may include at least one of a sensor for controlling the vehicle (110), a battery (or BMS) for driving the vehicle (110), or any combination thereof. For example, if one of the second end devices (132) is a battery management system (BMS), the additional element (170) may be defined as a battery pack.

[0051] For example, the first zone controller (121) and the second zone controller (122) can each control the first actuator (141) and the second actuator (142).

[0052] For example, the actuator may include at least one driving device for driving the vehicle (110).

[0053] For example, the components described above can perform communication based on a designated path (e.g., a transmission / reception path (160)) via automotive Ethernet.

[0054] A battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment of the present document can control and manage the communication process of power and / or data transmitted and received between the components described above.

[0055] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram showing the structure of a vehicle related to a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0056] In FIG. 2, the description of components defined by the same names as in FIG. 1 may be replaced by the description of FIG. 1 described above.

[0057] For example, the vehicle (210) may include at least one of a first terminal device (231), a second terminal device (232), a third terminal device (233), a fourth terminal device (234), a first actuator (241), a second actuator (242), a high performance computer (HPC) (250), a transmission and reception path (260), an additional element (270), or any combination thereof. A battery diagnostic device for power management of the vehicle (210) may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle (210).

[0058] For example, the vehicle (210) according to FIG. 2 does not include a zone controller compared to FIG. 1. That is, even if an SDV architecture is adopted, the vehicle (210) may be implemented in a structure in which the HPC (250) directly controls at least one terminal device as in FIG. 2.

[0059] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a battery pack according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 3, a battery control system including a battery pack (1) and a higher controller (2) included in a higher system according to one embodiment disclosed in this document is schematically shown.

[0061] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the battery pack (1) may include one or more battery cells (11) (or a plurality of battery cells), a switching unit (14) connected in series to the first terminal side and / or second terminal side of one or more battery cells (11) to control the charge / discharge current flow of one or more battery cells (11), and a battery management system (20) that monitors the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery pack (1) to prevent overcharging and over-discharging.

[0062] In this case, the battery pack (1) may be equipped with one or more battery cells (11), a sensor (12), a switching unit (14), and / or a battery management system (20).

[0063] For example, the first terminal may be the (+) terminal of one or more battery cells (11), and the second terminal may be the (-) terminal.

[0064] Here, the switching unit (14) is a device for controlling the current flow for charging or discharging one or more battery cells (11), and, for example, depending on the specifications of the battery pack (1), at least one relay, magnetic contactor, etc. may be used.

[0065] In one embodiment, the battery management system (20) may include a plurality of terminals as an interface for receiving values ​​of various parameters measured above, and a circuit connected to these terminals to perform processing of the received values. Additionally, the battery management system (20) may control the ON / OFF of a switching unit (14), such as a relay or contactor, and may be connected to one or more battery cells (11) to monitor the status of each of the one or more battery cells (11).

[0066] For example, the upper controller (2) can transmit a control signal for one or more battery cells (11) to the battery management system (20). Accordingly, the operation of the battery management system (20) may be controlled based on the signal applied from the upper controller (2).

[0067] According to one embodiment, the battery management system (20) may include the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4. According to another embodiment, the battery management system (20) may be a different system from the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4. That is, the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4 may be included in the battery pack (1) or may be composed of another device outside the battery pack (1).

[0068] For the convenience of explanation, the battery diagnostic device (400) is described on the premise that it is composed of a different device outside the battery pack (1).

[0069] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document. According to one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify power and / or data between components for controlling a vehicle. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify information about a battery for driving a vehicle.

[0070] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device (300) can transmit and receive at least one of power, data (e.g., wake-up packet), control signals, or any combination thereof to components included in the electronic device.

[0071] In one embodiment, the electronic device may include a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone, laptop computer, smartphone, smart pad), an electric vehicle (e.g., EV (electric vehicle), HEV (hybrid EV), PHEV (plug-in HEV), FCEV (fuel cell EV)), an energy storage system (ESS), or a battery swapping system (BSS).

[0072] In one embodiment, the electronic device may include a vehicle (e.g., electric vehicle, hybrid vehicle, etc.) and a mobile body driven based on electrical energy.

[0073] The operation of the battery diagnostic device (300) below can be performed by a battery management system (BMS) in a vehicle, a battery BMS provided in a battery pack (e.g., battery pack (1) of FIG. 3), and can also be performed by various devices such as a server, cloud, charger, or charger / discharger.

[0074] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment may include at least one of a processor (410), a memory (420), or an interface (430). The processor (410), the memory (420), and the interface (430) may be electrically and / or operably coupled with each other by an electronic component including a communication bus. Hereinafter, operably coupled hardware may mean that a direct connection or an indirect connection between the hardware is established via wired or wireless means so that a second hardware is controlled by a first hardware among the hardware. Although illustrated based on different blocks, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and some of the hardware of FIG. 4 (e.g., at least a portion of the processor (410), the memory (420), and the communication circuit (not shown)) may be included in a single integrated circuit such as a system on a chip (SoC). Communication methods between components may include buses, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), MIPI (mobile industry processor interface), etc.

[0075] A processor (410) of a battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment may include a hardware component for processing data based on one or more instructions. The hardware component for processing data may include, for example, an arithmetic and logic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller unit (MCU), and / or an application processor (AP). The number of processors (410) may be one or more. For example, the processor (410) may have the structure of a multi-core processor including a dual core, a quad core, a hexa core, or an octa core.

[0076] A memory (420) of a battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment may include a hardware component for storing data and / or instructions that are input and / or output to a processor (410). The memory (420) may include, for example, volatile memory such as random-access memory (RAM) and / or non-volatile memory such as read-only memory (ROM). For example, the volatile memory may include at least one of dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), cache RAM, and pseudo SRAM (PSRAM). For example, the non-volatile memory may include at least one of programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), flash memory, hard disk, compact disk, and embedded multi-media card (eMMC).

[0077] An interface (430) of a battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment may be configured to generate various battery measurement values ​​from the battery. To this end, the interface (430) may include a measurement means such as a voltmeter, ammeter, and thermometer, and a communication circuit for establishing a communication link with an external device.

[0078] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can acquire battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle. For example, the battery pack may include one or more battery modules and / or one or more battery cells.

[0079] For example, battery pack data may include data acquired at the time the vehicle is brought to the repair shop. Battery pack data may include information related to the battery pack identified cumulatively each time the vehicle is brought to the repair shop. Battery pack data may include information regarding the temperature of the battery pack and / or the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery pack. Battery pack data may be classified according to the type of battery pack and the type of defect. Battery pack data may include vehicle information related to the vehicle based on a histogram. Vehicle information may include the usage history of the battery pack, including mileage, charge energy, and / or discharge energy. For example, battery pack data may include information regarding vehicles that do not use an OTA (over the air) server (or cloud).

[0080] In one embodiment, the histogram data may include the voltage distribution, current data, and temperature data of the battery. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) may acquire a plurality of histogram data sets cumulatively over time.

[0081] For example, multiple histogram data sets may include information on the battery temperature, SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), number of fast charges, battery voltage, battery internal resistance, and / or cumulative balancing time.

[0082] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can transmit multiple histogram data sets to the server.

[0083] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can transmit a plurality of histogram data sets to an external device for servicing the vehicle when the vehicle is brought to a repair shop. In this case, the plurality of histogram data sets may include information about the time of transmission to the external device.

[0084] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can acquire a plurality of histogram data sets based on one dimension by vectorizing information based on three dimensions. The plurality of histogram data sets may be expressed based on hexadecimal and / or decimal numbers. However, it is not limited thereto. A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can identify first data related to the usage history of a battery pack using the plurality of histogram data sets.

[0085] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify a differential profile based on time corresponding to a specified period (e.g., 3 months).

[0086] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify the first data stored last among a plurality of histogram data sets stored cumulatively.

[0087] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can extract (or identify) a first histogram data set and a second histogram data set among a plurality of histogram data sets accumulated over time.

[0088] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify first data representing the difference between a first histogram data set and a second histogram data set.

[0089] For example, the first histogram data set may represent the maximum value among the capacities of each of the plurality of battery cells. The first histogram data set may be stored cumulatively over time. For example, the second histogram data set may represent the minimum value among the capacities of each of the plurality of battery cells. The second histogram data set may be stored cumulatively over time.

[0090] For example, the period during which the first histogram data set is stored may be substantially the same as the period during which the second histogram data set is stored.

[0091] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify first data representing the difference between the value of a histogram data set corresponding to a first time point and the value of a second histogram data set corresponding to a first time point for a specified period. In this case, the first data may represent the difference between the first histogram data set and the second histogram data set.

[0092] In one embodiment, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify the first data by comparing the first data set, which was last stored in the first histogram data set, with the second data set, which was last stored in the second histogram data set.

[0093] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can diagnose the state of the battery pack as abnormal if at least one value in the differential profile of the first data exceeds a threshold value. For example, the battery diagnostic device (100) can identify that an abnormality in the battery pack has occurred at a point in time corresponding to at least one value of the differential profile.

[0094] For example, the battery diagnostic device (100) may include a battery pack in which abnormalities have occurred, such as low voltage, initial low voltage, and / or capacity degradation.

[0095] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can identify a defective battery pack among one or more battery packs based on battery pack data.

[0096] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can use battery pack data to identify usage history data related to the usage history of the battery pack. The usage history data may include the accumulated state of health (SOH) value of the battery pack over time, the accumulated number of rapid charges, and / or the number of times a temperature specified within a specified SOC range was identified.

[0097] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify a defective battery pack among one or more battery packs based on a differential profile representing a change in the value of usage history data over time.

[0098] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify the number of times the battery pack's SOC is included in a specified state of charge (SOC) range within a specified temperature range by using usage history data.

[0099] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify a differential profile indicating a change in the value of the usage history data. The battery diagnostic device (400) can diagnose that a defect in the battery pack has occurred within a specified temperature range if at least one value of the differential profile exceeds a threshold value. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can diagnose that the state of the battery pack is normal if at least one value of the differential profile does not exceed a threshold value (or if at least one value is less than a threshold value). However, it is not limited thereto.

[0100] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can set a threshold range including a threshold value. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can use the threshold range to diagnose that a defect has occurred in the battery pack. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can diagnose the state of the battery pack as normal within a specified temperature range if at least one value of the differential profile is included within the threshold range. The battery diagnostic device (400) can diagnose the state of the battery pack as defective within a specified temperature range if at least one value of the differential profile is outside the threshold range.

[0101] For example, at least one value may include a maximum value. For example, a threshold value may include a value set to identify that an abnormality has occurred in the battery cell. For example, a specified temperature range may represent a range of temperatures from the lowest temperature of the battery cell to the maximum temperature of the battery cell, divided according to a specified value (e.g., about 10 degrees).

[0102] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can acquire battery cell data for each of a plurality of battery cells included in one or more battery packs.

[0103] For example, battery cell data may include at least one of the SOC, voltage, SOH, resistance, cumulative balancing time, or any combination thereof for each of the plurality of battery cells.

[0104] For example, battery cell data may include measurement data identified through a sensor and computational data obtained based on said measurement data. The measurement data may represent the voltage, current, and / or resistance of each of the plurality of battery cells. The computational data may include the state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), balancing time, or any combination thereof of each of the plurality of battery cells.

[0105] Battery cell data may include data collected from the BMS. Battery cell data may be stored on an OTA server.

[0106] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can identify defective battery cells among a plurality of battery cells based on battery cell data.

[0107] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can use battery cell data to extract multiple feature values ​​based on the defect type of the battery cell. For example, the multiple feature values ​​may represent the deviation between specific parameters of each battery cell relative to the average of specific parameters of the battery cells included in the same battery module. The specific parameters may represent at least one of the voltage of the battery cell, the SOC of the battery cell, the temperature of the battery cell, or any combination thereof.

[0108] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify at least one feature value among a plurality of feature values ​​that exceeds a threshold value. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can identify at least one feature value among a plurality of feature values ​​that is outside a threshold range including the threshold value.

[0109] The battery diagnostic device (400) can identify a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value as a defective battery cell. For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) can determine the type of defect of the defective battery cell based on at least one feature value.

[0110] For example, the defect type may include at least one of low voltage, initial low voltage, abnormal capacity degradation, self-discharge, or any combination thereof.

[0111] That is, the battery diagnostic device (400) can extract multiple feature values ​​related to low voltage using battery cell data, and identify a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value among the extracted multiple feature values ​​that has an abnormality as a defective battery cell.

[0112] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to one embodiment can identify whether a defective battery cell is included in a defective battery pack.

[0113] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) may provide information indicating a battery module containing defective battery cells when defective battery cells are included in a defective battery pack. In this case, the battery diagnostic device (400) may provide information requesting the replacement of the battery module containing defective battery cells.

[0114] For example, the battery diagnostic device (400) may not provide information indicating a battery module containing a defective battery cell if the defective battery pack does not contain a defective battery cell. In this case, the battery diagnostic device (400) can prevent indiscriminate replacement of the battery module by not providing information about the defective battery cell.

[0115] A battery diagnostic device (400) according to an embodiment as described above can improve the accuracy of diagnosing defective battery cells by performing a diagnosis of battery cell data acquired while the vehicle is in operation and a diagnosis of battery pack data acquired when the vehicle is brought to a repair shop, respectively. In addition, the battery diagnostic device (400) can determine the type of defect in the battery cell according to the type of a specific value corresponding to the battery cell in which the problem occurred.

[0116] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flowchart showing the operation performed by a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0117] In the following, it is assumed that the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4 performs the process of FIG. 5. Additionally, the operation described as being performed by the device can be understood as being controlled by the processor (410) of the battery diagnostic device (400). Each of the operations of FIG. 5 may be performed sequentially, but is not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of each of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, the operation of the battery diagnostic device (400) 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 charger / discharger.

[0118] In operation S510, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can acquire battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle.

[0119] In operation S520, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can acquire battery cell data for each of a plurality of battery cells included in one or more battery packs.

[0120] In operation S530, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can identify a defective battery pack among one or more battery packs based on battery pack data.

[0121] In operation S540, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can identify a defective battery cell among a plurality of battery cells based on battery cell data.

[0122] In operation S550, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can identify whether a defective battery cell is included in a defective battery pack.

[0123] If a defective battery cell is included in a defective battery pack (Operation S550-Yes), the battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment may provide information indicating a battery module including the defective battery cell in Operation S560.

[0124] If no defective battery cells are included in the defective battery pack (operation S550-No), the battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment may stop providing information indicating a battery module containing defective battery cells in operation S570.

[0125] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a flowchart showing the operation performed by a battery diagnostic device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document. Hereinafter, it is assumed that the battery diagnostic device (400) of FIG. 4 performs the process of FIG. 6. Additionally, the operation described as being performed by the device can be understood as being controlled by the processor (410) of the battery diagnostic device (400).

[0126] Each of the operations of FIG. 6 may be performed sequentially, but is not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of each of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. In addition, the operation of the battery diagnostic device (400) 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 charge / discharger. At least one of the operations of FIG. 6 may be related to at least one of the operations of FIG. 5.

[0127] In operation S610, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can acquire battery cell data. The battery cell data may include data stored in the BMS during the operation of the vehicle. The battery cell data may include information regarding each of a plurality of battery cells included in a battery pack.

[0128] In operation S620, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can extract a plurality of feature values ​​based on the defect type of a battery cell. The plurality of feature values ​​may represent at least one of the voltage, SOC, SOH, or any combination thereof of the battery cell.

[0129] In operation S630, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can identify at least one feature value among a plurality of feature values ​​that exceeds a threshold value. For example, the battery diagnostic device can identify at least one feature value among a plurality of feature values ​​that is outside the threshold range.

[0130] For example, the threshold value can be set based on the average value of multiple feature values.

[0131] For example, the operation of identifying at least one feature value that exceeds a threshold value among a plurality of feature values ​​may include the operation of identifying at least one feature value that is outside the threshold range among a plurality of feature values.

[0132] In operation S640, a battery diagnostic device according to one embodiment can identify a defective battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value.

[0133] For example, if at least one feature value is related to the voltage of the battery cell, the defective battery cell may include a battery cell having defects such as self-discharge abnormality, low voltage, or initial low voltage.

[0134] For example, if at least one feature value is related to the capacity of the battery cell, the defective battery cell may include a battery cell having a defect such as capacity degradation abnormality.

[0135] FIG. 7 shows a computing system that executes a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0136] Referring to FIG. 7, a computing system (1000) according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include an MCU (1010), a memory (1020), an input / output I / F (1030), and a communication I / F (1040).

[0137] The MCU (1010) may be a processor that executes various programs stored in memory (1020) (e.g., SOH calculation program, cell balancing target determination program, etc.), processes various data including SOC (state of charge), SOH (state of health), etc. of multiple battery cells through these programs, and performs the functions of the battery diagnostic device (400) described above. The MCU (1010) may be a BMS, a separate PC, or a cloud, but is not limited thereto.

[0138] The memory (1020) can store various programs regarding the calculation of the battery cell's SOH and the determination of the target for cell balancing. Additionally, the memory (1020) can store various data such as SOC data and SOH data for each battery cell.

[0139] These memories (1020) may be provided in multiple quantities as needed. The memories (1020) may be volatile memories or non-volatile memories. As volatile memories, the memory (1020) may use RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. As non-volatile memories, the memory (1020) may use ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. The examples of the memories (1020) listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0140] The input / output I / F (1030) can provide an interface that enables data transmission and reception between an input device (not shown), such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, an output device (not shown), and an MCU (1010).

[0141] The communication I / F (1040) is configured to transmit and receive various data to and from a server and may be various devices capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, through the communication I / F (1040), programs for calculating the SOH of a battery cell or determining a balancing target, or various data, can be transmitted and received from an external server provided separately.

[0142] As such, a battery diagnostic method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can be recorded in memory (1020) and executed by an MCU (1010).

[0143] As described above, even though all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document have been described as being combined or operating in combination, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purposes of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all components may be selectively combined in one or more ways to operate.

[0144] Furthermore, terms such as "include," "compose," or "have" as described above, unless specifically stated otherwise, mean that the relevant component may be inherent; thus, they should be interpreted as allowing for the inclusion of additional components rather than excluding them. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as those defined in advance, should be interpreted in accordance with their contextual meanings in the relevant technology and, unless explicitly defined in this document, should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense.

[0145] The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical concept disclosed in this document, and a person skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong may make various modifications and variations within the scope of the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to explain, not limit, the technical concept of the embodiments disclosed in this document, and the scope of the technical concept disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical concept disclosed in this document shall be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included within the scope of rights of this document.

Claims

Memory for storing one or more instructions; and It includes at least one processor for executing the above one or more instructions, and The above at least one processor Acquire battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle, and Obtaining battery cell data for each of the plurality of battery cells included in the above one or more battery packs, and Based on the battery pack data above, identify defective battery packs among the one or more battery packs, and Based on the battery cell data above, a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells is identified, and Configured to identify whether the defective battery cell is included within the defective battery pack, Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Using the above battery cell data, multiple feature values ​​based on the defective type of the battery cell are extracted, and Among the above plurality of feature values, at least one feature value outside the threshold range is identified, and Configured to identify a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value as the defective battery cell. Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 2, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Configured to determine the type of defect of the defective battery cell based on at least one feature value above, Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The above battery pack data is, Based on a histogram and including vehicle information related to the said vehicle, Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The battery cell data above includes measurement data identified through a sensor and computational data obtained based on the measurement data, and The above measurement data includes the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, and The above computational data includes the SoC (state of charge), SoH (state of health), balancing time, or any combination thereof of each of the plurality of battery cells. Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, If the defective battery cell is not included in the defective battery pack, configured not to provide information indicating a battery module including the defective battery cell, Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, When the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack, configured to provide information indicating a battery module including the defective battery cell, Battery diagnostic device. In paragraph 1, The above-mentioned at least one processor is, Using the above battery pack data, use history data related to the usage history of the battery pack is identified, and Configured to identify the defective battery pack among the one or more battery packs based on a differential profile representing the change in the value of the above usage history data over time. Battery diagnostic device. The operation of acquiring battery pack data of one or more battery packs included in a vehicle, The operation of acquiring battery cell data for each of the plurality of battery cells included in the above one or more battery packs, An operation to identify a defective battery pack among one or more battery packs based on the battery pack data above, An operation to identify a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells based on the battery cell data above, and The operation of identifying whether the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack, Battery diagnostic method. In Paragraph 9, The operation of identifying a defective battery cell among the plurality of battery cells above is, The operation of extracting multiple feature values ​​based on the defective type of the battery cell using the above battery cell data, An operation to identify at least one feature value outside a threshold range among the plurality of feature values ​​above, and The operation of identifying a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value as the defective battery cell, Battery diagnostic method. In Paragraph 10, The operation of identifying a battery cell corresponding to at least one feature value as the defective battery cell is, The method further includes the operation of determining the defect type of the defective battery cell based on at least one feature value. Battery diagnostic method. In Paragraph 9, The above battery pack data is, Based on a histogram and including vehicle information related to the said vehicle, Battery diagnostic method. In Paragraph 9, The above battery cell data is, It includes measurement data identified through a sensor and computational data obtained based on said measurement data, and The above measurement data includes the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, and A battery diagnostic method comprising the above-mentioned computational data including the state of charge (SoC), state of health (SoH), balancing time, or any combination thereof of each of the plurality of battery cells. In Paragraph 9, The operation of identifying whether the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack is, If the defective battery cell is included in the defective battery pack, the method further includes an operation of providing information indicating a battery module including the defective battery cell. Battery diagnostic method.

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