EV Battery Source Detection for Accurate State-of-Charge Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy electric vehicles designed for specific electrical energy sources experience functional losses when replaced with different types, such as lead-acid to lithium-ion batteries, due to mismatched discharge voltage profiles and inadequate communication with the vehicle system manager, leading to inaccurate state-of-charge indicators and malfunctioning vehicle functions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a vehicle controller with a multi-source capability that includes an electrical energy source type indicator and a status determining unit, which communicates with the vehicle controller to determine the type of energy source and implement appropriate monitoring profiles, ensuring accurate state-of-charge determination and proper function of vehicle systems regardless of the energy source type.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a legacy electric vehicle designed for lead-acid battery uses a different type of electrical energy source (e.g., lithium-ion battery), then the vehicle can utilize alternative energy sources, but the vehicle functions related to state-of-charge monitoring and control will not operate properly
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle controller dynamically adapts its monitoring and control functions based on the detected electrical energy source type. The system transitions from a static configuration designed for lead-acid batteries to a dynamic configuration that adjusts monitoring parameters, state-of-charge determination methods, and control strategies according to the specific battery chemistry being used, thereby maintaining reliable vehicle function operation across different energy source types
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes operational parameters including voltage thresholds, current limits, state-of-charge calculation methods, and monitoring frequencies based on the detected electrical energy source type. This allows the vehicle controller to optimize its behavior for each specific battery type (lead-acid, lithium-ion, nickel-metal hydride, etc.), ensuring proper function operation while accommodating different energy sources
2Device complexity
If the vehicle controller uses discharge voltage monitoring to determine state-of-charge, then the monitoring is simple, but the state-of-charge indication becomes inaccurate when using battery types with different discharge voltage profiles
Solution Approach 1:
The vehicle controller changes the monitoring parameters and state-of-charge determination methods based on the detected electrical energy source type. For lead-acid batteries, it uses discharge voltage monitoring with appropriate voltage thresholds. For lithium-ion batteries, it switches to alternative methods such as coulomb counting, impedance-based state-of-charge estimation, or communication with the battery management system, thereby maintaining accurate state-of-charge indication across different battery chemistries without excessive complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary detection and adaptation layer between the voltage monitoring hardware and the state-of-charge determination logic. This intermediary component detects the battery type and selects or adjusts the appropriate monitoring strategy, allowing the simple voltage sensing hardware to work accurately with different battery types through software-based parameter adjustment
3Loss of information
If additional components are added to communicate battery state-of-charge information, then the operator can be informed of battery status, but the vehicle functions that use state-of-charge as input will still not operate properly due to lack of communication with the vehicle system manager
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the battery monitoring function with the vehicle system manager by integrating the electrical energy source type detection and state-of-charge determination capabilities directly into the existing vehicle controller. This eliminates the need for separate additional communication components while ensuring that accurate state-of-charge information is available to all vehicle functions that require it as input, thereby reducing overall system complexity while improving information availability
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, systems, kits, methods and storage medium associated with using different electrical energy source types with an electric vehicle are disclosed herein.