Battery cell balancing method and system

• US 10,790,677 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2017
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Nam, Ho Chol, Yoon, Seog Jin, Kim, Dong Hyun, Kim, Hak In
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US15/764,463
• Publication Number:
  US 20180269694A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 320116, 320118, 320119
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• 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: G08B 21/18 Status alarms G08B21/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a method and system for stabilizing a battery through cell balancing of a battery pack, and more particularly, to a method and system for performing battery cell balancing and determining a control situation through a feedback for the cell balancing, thereby improving reliability for the battery cell balancing and enabling a proactive measure for a battery abnormality.

Claims

1. A battery cell balancing method for balancing voltages of battery cells forming at least two or more battery banks comprised in a battery pack, the battery cell balancing method comprising:

an entry condition checking operation of checking a cell balancing entry condition;

a battery bank detecting operation of detecting a battery bank requiring cell balancing;

a cell balancing start operation of starting the cell balancing;

a start time voltage deviation recording operation of recording a voltage deviation of battery cells comprised in the battery bank detected to require the cell balancing;

a cell balancing performing operation of performing the cell balancing; and

a cell balancing terminating operation of terminating the cell balancing,

wherein the cell balancing terminating operation comprises;

a termination time voltage deviation recording operation of recording a voltage deviation of the battery cells in the battery bank after the termination of the cell balancing;

a voltage deviation comparing operation of comparing the voltage deviation of the battery cells recorded in the start time voltage deviation recording operation and the voltage deviation of the battery cells after the termination of the cell balancing; and

a result checking operation of checking a result of the cell balancing, and

wherein the result checking operation is performed by determining that the cell balancing fails when the voltage deviation at the cell balancing start time is equal to or smaller than the voltage deviation at the termination time, and generating a notification and recording a robust multi-array average (RMA) value when the cell balancing is determined to fail.

2. The battery cell balancing method of claim 1, wherein the entry condition checking operation is performed such that when the battery cells are in a charge state, the entry condition is satisfied, and when the battery cells are not in the charge state, the entry condition is not satisfied.

3. The battery cell balancing method of claim 1, wherein the battery bank detecting operation is performed such that when the voltage deviation of the battery cells forming the battery bank is equal to or greater than a prescribed reference voltage deviation, it is determined that the cell balancing is necessary.

4. The battery cell balancing method of claim 1, wherein the cell balancing terminating operation is performed when the voltage deviation of the battery cells forming the battery bank is equal to or smaller than a prescribed reference voltage deviation.

5. The battery cell balancing method of claim 1, wherein the voltage deviation is a difference between a maximum voltage and a minimum voltage of the battery cells forming the battery bank.

6. A battery cell balancing system for balancing voltages of battery cells comprised in at least two or more battery banks comprised in a battery pack, the battery cell balancing system comprises:

the battery pack comprising the plurality of battery cells; and

a battery managing unit configured to manage battery cell balancing,

wherein the battery managing unit comprises;

an entry condition checking unit configured to check a cell balancing entry condition;

a detecting unit configured to detect a battery bank requiring cell balancing;

a memory unit in which a voltage deviation of battery cells in the battery bank at a start time of and after termination of the cell balancing are recorded and stored;

a comparing and determining unit configured to compare the voltage deviations stored in the memory unit to check a result of the cell balancing; and

a notifying unit configured to generate a notification according to the cell balancing result from the comparing and determining unit,

wherein the comparing and determining unit is configured to compare the voltage deviation at the cell balancing start time and the voltage deviation after the cell balancing termination is stored in the memory unit, and determine that the cell balancing fails, when the voltage deviation at the cell balancing start time is smaller or equal to the voltage deviation after the cell balancing termination, and

wherein the memory unit further records a robust multi-array average (RMA) value.

7. The battery cell balancing system of claim 6, wherein the notifying unit generates a notification when it is determined that the cell balancing fails by the comparing and determining unit.

8. The battery cell balancing system of claim 6, wherein the voltage deviation is a difference between a maximum voltage and a minimum voltage of the battery cells forming the battery bank.