Battery Pack Discharge Protection Using Damage-Tracking Thresholds
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Battery packs with accumulated damage are not properly protected by existing technologies, as they do not account for varying levels of damage during discharge, leading to potential battery damage or failure.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack with a controller that calculates an addition or subtraction value based on the total number of use, updating a counter value to prohibit discharge when a protection threshold is reached, ensuring proper protection by adjusting thresholds and rates according to the battery's accumulated damage and operational conditions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a fixed protection threshold is used for battery discharge, then the protection mechanism is simple to implement, but battery packs with accumulated damage are not properly protected
Solution Approach 1:
The protection threshold is transformed from a fixed value to a dynamic value that changes based on the battery's usage history. The counter value accumulates discharge current values over time, and the protection threshold is determined by comparing this accumulated value against a reference value, allowing the threshold to adapt to the battery's degradation state
Solution Approach 2:
A feedback mechanism is introduced where the discharge current is continuously monitored, accumulated in a counter, and compared against a dynamically determined protection threshold. The system uses the accumulated usage information to adjust the protection level, creating a closed-loop control that adapts to battery condition
2Reliability
If the protection threshold is lowered to protect damaged batteries, then battery safety is improved, but normal battery operation is unnecessarily restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The protection threshold dynamically adjusts based on the battery's actual condition rather than using a conservative fixed value. Newly activated batteries or well-maintained batteries can discharge at higher currents for longer durations, while degraded batteries receive appropriate protection, optimizing both safety and performance for each battery's state
Solution Approach 2:
The protection parameter (threshold) is changed based on the battery's usage history and degradation level. The counter value that represents accumulated usage serves as a parameter that modifies the protection threshold, allowing the system to transition from a fixed-parameter approach to a variable-parameter approach
Data Source
AI summary
A battery pack in one aspect of the present disclosure includes a battery and a controller 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.