Battery Pack Discharge Protection Using Usage-Based Damage Counters
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Solution Overview
Problem
Battery packs with accumulated damage are not properly protected by existing systems, as they do not account for varying levels of damage, leading to inconsistent discharge prohibition thresholds.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack system that calculates an addition or subtraction value based on the total number of uses, updating a counter value to prohibit discharge when it reaches a protection threshold, with adjustable thresholds and rates to match the level of damage, ensuring proper protection based on usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed protection threshold is used for discharge prohibition, then the protection system is simple to implement, but battery packs with accumulated damage are not properly protected
Solution Approach 1:
The protection threshold is made dynamic by adjusting it according to the total number of uses of the battery pack. The controller calculates an addition value based on usage count and adds it to the base protection threshold, creating a customized threshold for each battery pack that evolves with its usage history. This resolves the contradiction by making the threshold adaptive rather than fixed, improving protection accuracy without requiring a completely new system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by calculating and storing the total number of uses before determining the protection threshold. The controller pre-calculates the addition value based on usage history and applies it to set the appropriate threshold before discharge operations begin. This ensures that the protection system is properly configured in advance, improving reliability without adding complex real-time decision-making requirements.
2Reliability
If the protection threshold is adjusted according to total number of uses, then battery packs are properly protected according to accumulated damage, but the calculation and update process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The system changes the parameter of the protection threshold based on the total number of uses. The controller modifies the threshold parameter dynamically by adding a calculated value derived from usage history. This allows the same basic protection mechanism to adapt to different battery conditions, improving protection accuracy while maintaining a relatively simple calculation process that only requires tracking usage count and applying a proportional adjustment.
3Reliability
If discharge is prohibited when counter value reaches protection threshold, then battery is protected from over-discharge, but damage accumulated during operation is not accounted for
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring and counting the total number of uses of the battery pack. This usage information is fed back to the controller, which then adjusts the protection threshold accordingly. The feedback loop ensures that accumulated damage information is captured and used to modify future protection behavior, resolving the issue of ignoring damage history while maintaining reliable protection.
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery pack (40) in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a battery (50) and a controller (60) provided with a counter value. During discharge of the battery pack, the controller calculates an addition value in accordance with a total number of use of the battery pack under a specified condition. The controller updates the counter value by adding the addition value. The controller prohibits the discharge of the battery pack in response to the counter value reaching a protection threshold.