System and method for assessing ADC operation and voltage of a battery pack

• US 9,160,190 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Original Assignee: A123 Systems Incorporated
• Inventors: Moorhead, Brian C., Firehammer, Paul W.
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US13/636,327
• Publication Number:
  US 20130119941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: 320/136, 320/162, 324/434
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3648 comprising digital calculation means, e.g. for performing an algorithm
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3835 involving only voltage measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 35/00 Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/209 adapted for prismatic or rectangular cells H01M50/216 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

Systems and methods for assessing operation of analog digital converters (ADCs) of a battery pack supplying power to a vehicle are disclosed. One example system comprises, a first ADC for determining a voltage of at least one battery cell; a second ADC for determining a voltage of a plurality of battery cells; and a controller performing an action in response to comparing an output of said first ADC to an output of said second ADC.

Claims

1. A system for assessing analog to digital converter (ADC) operation and voltage of a battery, comprising:

a first ADC for determining a voltage of at least one battery cell;

a second ADC for determining a voltage of a plurality of battery cells; and

a controller including instructions for performing an action in response to comparing an output of said first ADC to an output of said second ADC.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said first ADC is external to said controller and is configured to monitor individual battery cell voltages of a battery cell stack, and wherein said second ADC is integrated in said controller and is configured to monitor a voltage of a plurality of battery cells.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller further includes instructions for comparing a sum of individual battery cell voltage measurements from said first ADC to a measurement of a single voltage from said second ADC, wherein said single voltage from said second ADC is provided via a plurality of battery cells.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said comparing includes determining a difference between said sum of said individual battery cell voltage measurements from said first ADC and a single output from said second ADC.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said controller further includes instructions for reporting a degradation of an ADC to a second controller when said controller determines a difference between said output of said first ADC and said output of said second ADC.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein said action includes adjusting a discharge limit of said battery.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one battery cell is included in said plurality of battery cells.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said action includes adjusting a charging limit of said battery.

9. A system for assessing analog to digital converter (ADC) operation and voltage of a battery, comprising:

a plurality of ADCs, each ADC of said plurality of ADCs configured to determine a voltage of a battery cell stack;

an ADC configured to determine a voltage produced by a plurality of battery cell stacks; and

a controller including instructions for performing an action in response to comparing an output from each of said plurality of ADCs to an output of said ADC configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein said battery cell stack is included in said plurality of battery cell stacks.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein each ADC of said plurality of ADCs are coupled to a battery cell stack.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein said controller further includes instructions for judging one or the other of said ADCs configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks, or said plurality of ADCs, to be degraded in response to said comparing said output from each of said plurality of ADCs to said output of said ADC configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks.

13. The system of claim 9 wherein said comparing said output from each of said plurality of ADCs to said output of said ADC configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks includes determining a difference between a sum of each of said output of said plurality of ADCs to said ADC configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks.

14. The system of claim 9 wherein said action includes selecting one or the other of said output from each of said plurality of ADCs, or said ADC configured to determine said voltage produced by said plurality of battery cell stacks, for adjusting battery voltage.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein said plurality of battery cell stacks are lithium-ion battery cell stacks.

16. A method for assessing analog to digital converter (ADC) operation and voltage of a battery, comprising:

measuring a plurality of voltages of the battery via a controller and a first ADC;

measuring a first single voltage of the battery via the controller and a second ADC; and

responding to a comparison between said plurality of voltages and said first single voltage via the controller.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said first single voltage includes said plurality of voltages.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein said plurality of voltages are added into a second single voltage and wherein said comparison is a difference between said first single voltage and said second single voltage.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein said responding includes determining a degradation of an ADC and reporting said degradation.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said responding includes adjusting a charging or discharging limit of said battery.