Battery Module Voltage Estimation After Cell Sensing Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
In electrically driven vehicles, when a cell voltage of a battery cell becomes unmeasurable due to a measuring line failure, the entire battery system shuts down for safety reasons, leading to reduced driving capability and potential safety risks, especially in autonomous vehicles where no human intervention is possible.
Innovation Solution
A method that estimates the cell voltage of unmeasurable battery cells by using previously measured values and average cell voltage calculations, allowing the battery module to continue operating by classifying cells as good, bad, or neutral and adjusting charging or discharging based on predefined threshold values, preventing overcharging or deep discharging.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the battery system shuts down when a cell voltage becomes unmeasurable, then safety is ensured, but driving capability is reduced and operational time is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a virtual copy of the unmeasurable cell voltage by estimating it based on the average voltage of other cells and historical data. This estimated voltage allows the battery management system to continue monitoring and controlling the battery module without shutting down, thus maintaining driving capability while ensuring safety through continued monitoring.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary estimation mechanism that mediates between the missing measurement and the safety requirements. By using average voltage calculations and historical patterns as intermediaries, the system can infer the unmeasurable cell's state without direct measurement, allowing continuous operation while maintaining safety standards.
2Duration of action of moving object
If the battery module continues operating with an unmeasurable cell, then driving capability is maintained, but measurement precision is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of accepting the loss of measurement precision, the patent creates an estimated copy of the unmeasurable cell voltage using mathematical models based on average cell voltages and historical data. This estimated value restores the precision needed for safe operation while allowing the system to continue functioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the estimated cell voltage is continuously updated based on the behavior of other cells and historical patterns. This feedback loop maintains measurement precision by adjusting the estimation as new data becomes available, ensuring the inferred voltage remains accurate throughout operation.
3Measurement precision
If additional hardware is added to monitor unmeasurable cells, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent eliminates the need for additional hardware by creating a virtual measurement through estimation algorithms. Instead of adding physical sensors or monitoring devices, the system uses software-based estimation to reconstruct the unmeasurable cell voltage, thereby maintaining measurement precision without increasing hardware complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical/hardware-based measurement system with a software-based estimation system. By substituting physical monitoring hardware with algorithmic estimation using existing sensor data, the patent maintains measurement capability while reducing device complexity and avoiding additional hardware requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
A method for operating a battery module, including multiple battery cells. The method includes: a) ascertaining cell voltages of the individual battery cells at a starting point in time; b) ascertaining at the starting point in time an average cell voltage from the cell voltages of the battery cells ascertained at the starting point in time; c) estimating the cell voltage of at least one battery cell at an operating point in time if the cell voltage of the battery cell is not measurable at the operating point in time, taking into account the cell voltage of the battery cell ascertained at the starting point in time, the average cell voltage ascertained at the starting point in time, and an average cell voltage ascertained at the operating point in time.