METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING CURRENT

• US 20160187427A1
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Published: 06/30/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: JEON, Jinyong
• Granted Patent: US 9,851,413 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method and apparatus for estimating current is disclosed. The current estimation apparatus may receive a voltage value of a battery pack and voltage values of cells included in the battery pack, and may estimate a current of the battery pack based on the voltage value of the battery pack, the voltage values of the cells included in the battery pack, and resistance components within the battery pack.

Claims

1. A method of estimating current, the method comprising:

receiving a voltage value of a battery pack and voltage values of cells comprised in the battery pack from a voltage sensor; and

estimating a current of the battery pack based on the voltage value of the battery pack, the voltage values of the cells comprised in the battery pack, and resistance components disposed within the battery pack.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resistance components comprise resistance values of elements comprised in the battery pack.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the elements comprised in the battery pack comprise:

a connection tab configured to connect the cells;

a busbar comprising a portion of the cells, and configured to connect battery modules constituting the battery pack;

a terminal of the battery pack; and

an inner wire of the battery pack.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the resistance values vary based on operating temperatures of the elements comprised in the battery pack and operating times of the elements comprised in the battery pack.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining malfunctioning of a current sensor to measure the current of the battery pack,

wherein the current of the battery pack is estimated in response to determining the malfunctioning of the current sensor.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the malfunctioning of the current sensor is determined in response to a current value received from the current sensor corresponding to one end of a range outputtable from the current sensor.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the malfunctioning of the current sensor is determined by comparing a decrease width of voltage predicted based on a current value received from the current sensor and a decrease width of voltage verified through the voltage sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein a result of estimating the current is utilized to estimate at least one of a state of charge (SOC), a state of health (SOH), and a state of function (SOF) of the battery pack.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

compensating for a current value received from a current sensor to measure the current of the battery pack, based on a result of estimating the current.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the current of the battery pack is estimated by further utilizing an inductance component generated by an inner wire of the battery pack.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a program comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the method of claim 1.

12. A current estimation apparatus comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a voltage value of a battery pack and voltage values of cells comprised in the battery pack from a voltage sensor; and

an estimator configured to estimate current of the battery pack based on the voltage value of the battery pack, the voltage values of the cells comprised in the battery pack, and resistance components within the battery pack.

13. The current estimation apparatus of claim 12, wherein the resistance components comprise resistance values of elements comprised in the battery pack.

14. The current estimation apparatus of claim 13, wherein the elements comprised in the battery pack comprise:

a connection tab configured to connect the cells;

a busbar comprising a portion of the cells, and configured to connect battery modules constituting the battery pack;

a terminal of the battery pack; and

an inner wire of the battery pack.

15. The current estimation apparatus of claim 13, wherein the resistance values vary based on operating temperatures of the elements comprised in the battery pack and operating times of the elements comprised in the battery pack.

16. The current estimation apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a determiner configured to determine malfunctioning of a current sensor to measure the current of the battery pack,

wherein the estimator is configured to estimate the current of the battery pack in response to determining the malfunctioning of the current sensor.

17. The current estimation apparatus of claim 16, wherein the determiner determines the malfunctioning of the current sensor in response to a current value received from the current sensor corresponding to one end of a range outputtable from the current sensor.

18. The current estimation apparatus of claim 16, wherein the determiner determines the malfunctioning of the current sensor based on a current value received from the current sensor and the voltage value of the battery pack.

19. The current estimation apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a compensator configured to compensate for a current value received from a current sensor to measure the current of the battery pack, based on a result of estimating the current.

20. A current estimation apparatus comprising:

a current sensor configured to output a current value;

a voltage sensor configured to output a voltage value; and

a verifier configured to determine whether the current sensor malfunctions by comparing a decrease width of voltage predicted based on the current value received from the current sensor and a decrease width of voltage verified through the voltage sensor.