Battery Power Control via Temperature Estimation
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Secondary batteries in vehicles face overheating issues due to heat generation during charging and discharging, leading to reduced lifespan, and existing solutions like separate cooling systems increase costs and system size.
Innovation Solution
A power control apparatus and method that estimates future battery temperature changes using sensors for temperature, air temperature, and load current, and adjusts power supply to prevent overheating without a separate cooling system, using an energy balance equation to determine derating factors and reduce power output when necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a separate cooling system is mounted to maintain battery temperature, then the battery temperature can be controlled, but the cost and system size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the temperature control function from a separate cooling system and integrates it into the power management system. The control unit monitors battery temperature and directly adjusts power output to prevent overheating, eliminating the need for dedicated cooling hardware while maintaining temperature control capability
Solution Approach 2:
The power management control unit is given multiple functions: it manages normal power distribution and simultaneously performs temperature monitoring and thermal protection. This multi-functional approach consolidates what would traditionally require separate cooling system components into the existing power management architecture
2Productivity
If power output is maintained at high levels, then productivity is improved, but the battery temperature rises and life reduces
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic power adjustment where the power output is continuously adapted based on real-time temperature monitoring. The control unit modifies power delivery levels in response to temperature conditions, allowing high power output when cool and reducing power when temperature rises, thus balancing productivity and battery life
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control where temperature sensors continuously monitor battery temperature and feed this information back to the power management control unit. The control unit uses this feedback to adjust power output levels, creating a closed-loop system that automatically balances power delivery with thermal management to protect battery life
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Effectively maintains battery temperature below a limit, preventing overheating and associated performance degradation, while eliminating the need for a separate cooling system, thus reducing costs and maintaining battery performance.
Implementation Method 1
a sensing unit configured to measure a temperature of a battery cell, an outside air temperature around the battery cell and a load current
Implementation Method 2
a secondary battery has characteristics that the temperature rises due to the generation of heat from the battery during charging or discharging
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A power control apparatus according to the present disclosure includes a sensing unit configured to measure a temperature of a battery cell, an outside air temperature around the battery cell and a load current, an adjusting unit configured to adjust power supplied from the battery cell to a load, and a control unit configured to estimate a future temperature change of the battery cell based on the temperature of the battery cell, the outside air temperature around the cell and the load current measured by the sensing unit, analyze the estimated future temperature change of the cell, and control the adjusting unit to reduce the power supplied from the battery cell to the load when the temperature of the battery cell is estimated to increase above a limit temperature for a preset reference time.