Analyzing and controlling performance in a composite battery module

• US 9,851,412 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2011
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Haag, Michael, Krause, Rainer K., Muehge, Thorsten, Weyerhaeuser, Joerg
• Primary Examiner(s): Charioui, Mohamed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rastovski, Catherine
• Application Number:
  US13/270,614
• Publication Number:
  US 20120116699A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 702 63, 320120, 340635, 3406361, 34063612, 34063613, 34063615, 34063619, 3406362, 324522
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/44 by parameter estimation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/50 by future state prediction
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/52 drive range estimation, e.g. of estimation of available travel distance
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/14 Preventing excessive discharging
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/15 Preventing overcharging
• 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 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• 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: H01M 10/0445 Multimode batteries, e.g. containing auxiliary cells or electrodes switchable in parallel or series connections
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 : Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 : Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A method for performance analysis and use management of a battery module is disclosed, wherein the battery module includes a multitude of interconnected battery cells and a battery management system with a plurality of dedicated analysis/control units (ACUs) that analyze performance of the battery module, the ACUs being assigned to individual battery cells and/or battery blocks of battery module. The method includes measuring current and voltage of one or more of an individual battery cell and a battery block; calculating a charge removal from the one or more of the individual battery cell and the battery block; calculating a loading charge of the one or more of the individual battery cell and the battery block; determining the remaining charge of the one or more of the individual battery cell and the battery block; and failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cell and the battery block.

Claims

1. A method for performance analysis and use management of a battery module in an electric vehicle, wherein the battery module comprises a multitude of interconnected battery cells and a battery management system with a plurality of dedicated analysis/control units (ACUs) that analyze performance of the battery module, the ACUs being assigned to individual battery cells and the ACUs being assigned to battery blocks of the battery module, the method comprising:

measuring current and voltage of one or more of an individual battery cell and one or more of the battery blocks;

calculating a charge removal from the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks;

calculating a charge increase of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks;

determining a remaining charge of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks based on the charge removal and the charge increase;

performing failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks by comparing the remaining charge and the charge removal with references levels to determine if the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks has reached a predefined level of degradation;

based on a determination that the remaining charge of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks is below a threshold value, activating one or more of a spare battery cell and a spare battery block of the battery module to extend the range of the electric vehicle; and

transmitting a signal identifying the ACU of the battery block and the battery cell, wherein the signal is transmitted wirelessly, wherein the plurality of dedicated ACUs communicate over a same RF channel using a time domain multiple access scheme.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises issuing a warning if the one or more of the individual battery cells is found to have reached a predefined level of degradation.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the warning is issued to one of a vehicle control unit and a charger control unit.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises active switching of the one or more of the individual battery cells if the one or more of the individual battery cells is found to have reached the predefined level of degradation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises adding one or more of the spare battery cell and the spare battery block as a replacement for the degraded one or more of the individual battery cells.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the voltage measurement is performed through power contacts of the one or more of the individual battery cells.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the current measurement is performed using a Hall effect probe located in proximity of one of the power contacts of the one or more of the individual battery cells.

8. A non-transitory, computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computer, implement a method for performance analysis and use management of a battery module in an electric vehicle, wherein the battery module comprises a multitude of interconnected battery cells and a battery management system with a plurality of dedicated analysis/control units (ACUs) that analyze performance of the battery module, the ACUs being assigned to individual battery cells and the ACUs being assigned to battery blocks of the battery module, wherein the method comprises:

measuring current and voltage of one or more of an individual battery cells and one or more battery blocks;

calculating a charge removal from the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks;

calculating a charge increase of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks;

determining the remaining charge of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks based on the charge removal and the charge increase;

performing failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks by comparing the remaining charge and the charge removal with references levels to determine if the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks has reached a predefined level of degradation;

based on a determination that the remaining charge of the one or more of the individual battery cells and one or more of the battery blocks is below a threshold value, activating one or more of a spare battery cell and a spare battery block of the battery module to extend the range of the electric vehicle; and

transmitting a signal identifying the ACU of the battery block and the battery cell, wherein the signal is transmitted wirelessly, wherein the plurality of dedicated ACUs communicate over a same RF channel using a time domain multiple access scheme.

9. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises issuing a warning if the one or more of the individual battery cells is found to have reached a predefined level of degradation.

10. The computer readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the warning is issued to one of a vehicle control unit and a charger control unit.

11. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises active switching of the one or more of the individual battery cells if the one or more of the individual battery cells is found to have reached the predefined level of degradation.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein the failure monitoring of the one or more of the individual battery cells comprises adding one or more of the spare battery cell and the spare battery block as a replacement for the degraded one or more of the individual battery cells.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the voltage measurement is performed through power contacts of the one or more of the individual battery cells.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 8, wherein the current measurement is performed using a Hall effect probe located in proximity of one of the power contacts of the one or more of the individual battery cells.