Secondary Battery Uniformity Detection Without AFE Wiring

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current secondary battery management systems are costly due to reliance on AFE chips and complex wiring, which increases the risk of short circuits and fails to effectively balance State of Charge (SOC) across cells, leading to over-charging and over-discharging.

Innovation Solution

A management method and system that acquires real-time voltage and capacity parameters from both ends of a secondary battery, determines characteristic points during charging and discharging processes, and adjusts charging modes to maintain uniformity by calculating ratios and thresholds, reducing the need for AFE chips and simplifying the sampling process.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If AFE chip is used for battery sampling and balancing determination, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery sampling precisionVSAvoidwiring harness complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the battery management function by separating the sampling function (performed by simple voltage dividers and ADCs) from the balancing determination function (performed by the microcontroller analyzing voltage changes and capacity parameters). This eliminates the need for complex AFE chips while maintaining measurement precision through software-based uniformity assessment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the hardware-based AFE chip system with a software-based analysis system. The microcontroller executes algorithms that calculate voltage-capacity ratios and identify characteristic points to determine battery uniformity, substituting electronic hardware complexity with computational logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Measurement precision

If AFE chip is used for battery sampling, then measurement precision is improved, but cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebattery sampling precisionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent replaces expensive AFE chips with inexpensive voltage divider circuits and standard ADC components. These simpler components achieve sufficient measurement precision for battery management while dramatically reducing the bill of materials cost and making the system more economically viable.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent substitutes hardware-based AFE chip architecture with a software-based uniformity determination system using the microcontroller's existing ADC and processing capabilities. This eliminates the need for costly dedicated AFE hardware while maintaining adequate measurement precision through intelligent algorithms.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

3Measurement precision

If wiring harness connection is used for each battery cell to AFE, then measurement precision is improved, but reliability decreases due to short circuit risk

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoltage measurement precisionVSAvoidshort circuit resistance
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex wiring harness connections between each battery cell and the AFE chip. By using a simplified sampling circuit with fewer connection points and relying on software-based uniformity determination, the system reduces the number of physical connections, thereby minimizing potential failure points and short circuit risks while maintaining measurement accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

4Reliability

If complex safety design is implemented for wiring harness, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesafety design reliabilityVSAvoidoverall system complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent removes the need for complex safety design elements by eliminating the complex wiring harness architecture. The simplified sampling circuit requires fewer connections and less protective infrastructure, while reliability is maintained through software-based monitoring and control algorithms that detect and respond to battery anomalies.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces hardware-based safety mechanisms (complex wiring harness with protective design) with software-based safety monitoring. The microcontroller continuously analyzes voltage and capacity parameters to detect potential issues, providing reliable safety functionality without the physical complexity of heavily engineered wiring systems.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentEP4478067A1Management method and management system of secondary battery
Publication Date: 2024.12.18 REPT BATTERO ENERGY CO LTD
  • EP4478067A1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1B
  • EP4478067A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4478067A1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The present disclosure provides a management method and a management system of a secondary battery, the secondary battery comprises N battery cells connected in series, N being a positive integer greater than or equal to 2. The management method comprises: acquiring a voltage and a battery capacity parameter of both ends of the secondary battery in real time during at least one process of a charging process and a discharging process; determining a characteristic point of the voltage during its changing process, comprising: calculating a ratio of a change of the voltage relative to a change of the battery capacity parameter in real time when the voltage reaches a preset range, and determining that one characteristic point occurs during the changing process of the voltage when the ratio is greater than a characteristic threshold; and determining a uniformity of the secondary battery based on a number of the characteristic points. The management method and the management system of the present disclosure reduce the number of sampling lines, do not rely on the use of AFE chip, have strong practicality, and reduce the cost of the product.