EV Battery Charging Path Planning for Degradation and Tariff Cost
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for creating charging plans for secondary batteries in electric vehicles cannot simultaneously optimize current control, time control, and state of charge (SOC) control, leading to suboptimal battery degradation management.
Innovation Solution
A computation system that includes a path finder to set nodes in SOC zones and chargeable time periods, a charging plan creator based on the found path, and a cost assigner referencing degradation characteristics and electricity fees to minimize total costs, allowing for simultaneous optimization of current, time, and SOC control.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional current control, time control, and SOC control methods are used separately, then each control parameter can be managed individually, but they cannot be optimized simultaneously leading to suboptimal battery degradation management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines current control, time control, and SOC control into a unified charging plan optimization system. The path finder integrates all three control parameters simultaneously by finding optimal paths in a multi-dimensional state space that considers current, time, and SOC together, rather than managing them as separate independent controls.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimensional framework by representing the charging control problem as a path-finding problem in a state space that includes current, time, and SOC as simultaneous dimensions. This allows the system to optimize all three parameters together by finding the optimal path through this multi-dimensional space, rather than optimizing each parameter in isolation.
2Productivity
If fast charging control is implemented with upper limit current values, then charging speed is improved, but battery degradation increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic current control by adjusting the charging current along the optimal path in real-time based on the current state (time, SOC, current). Rather than using a fixed upper limit current value, the system dynamically determines the optimal current at each state point, allowing faster charging when conditions permit and reduced current when degradation risks are higher.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the control parameter from a fixed current limit to a dynamic current profile determined by path optimization. The optimal charging path specifies different current values at different states (time, SOC combinations), allowing the system to achieve fast charging overall while minimizing peak degradation effects through parameter variation along the charging trajectory.
3Ease of manufacture
If charging plans are created without considering degradation characteristics and electricity fees, then planning simplicity is maintained, but cost minimization is not achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The system automatically determines the optimal charging path by itself using the path finder algorithm, without requiring manual intervention or complex user input. The charging plan creator then automatically generates the charging plan from the found path, and the cost assigner automatically calculates the associated costs. This self-service approach maintains simplicity while achieving cost minimization through automated optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces manual charging plan creation with an automated computational system. Instead of manually planning charging schedules, the system uses path-finding algorithms to automatically determine optimal charging paths and generates charging plans, substituting mechanical/manual processes with computational automation that simultaneously achieves simplicity and cost optimization.
Data Source
AI summary
A path finder sets a plurality of nodes in a state of charge (SOC) zone that is between a target SOC, which is set when a secondary battery provided in an electric moving body is charged, and a present SOC, and sets a plurality of nodes in a chargeable time period that is between a charging start time and a charging end time. A cost assigner refers to at least one of storage degradation characteristics, charge cycle degradation characteristics, or a time-of-use electricity fee table to assign a cost of a degradation amount or an electricity fee to each path between nodes. The path finder finds the charging path that minimizes a total cost of the paths between the nodes. A charging plan creator creates a charging plan based on the charging path found.