APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING OPEN CIRCUIT VOLTAGE OF BATTERY, APPARATUS FOR ESTIMATING STATE OF CHARGE OF BATTERY, AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20100174499A1
• Filed: 08/22/2008
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Jung, Do-Yang, Jung, Chang-Gi, Kim, Do-Youn, Kang, Jung-Soo
• Granted Patent: US 8,175,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables

Abstract

An apparatus for estimating an OCV of a battery includes a voltage sensing unit for measuring a battery output voltage; a temperature sensing unit for measuring a battery temperature; a data storing unit for periodically receiving the battery output voltage and temperature data from the sensing units and storing the data in a memory; an OCV variation estimating unit for calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured in the past and at the present, stored in the memory, by applying a mathematical model defining a correlation between the varying pattern and the OCV variation, and estimating an OCV at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation; and an OCV estimating unit for estimating an OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on the OCV estimated at a last stage.

Claims

1. An apparatus for estimating an OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) of a battery, comprising:

a voltage sensing unit for measuring an output voltage of a battery;

a temperature sensing unit for measuring a temperature of the battery;

a data storing unit for periodically receiving the battery output voltage and the temperature data from the voltage sensing unit and the temperature sensing unit and then storing the battery output voltage and the temperature data in a memory;

an OCV variation estimating unit for calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured in the past and at the present, stored in the memory, by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation, and then estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation; and

an OCV estimating unit for estimating an OCV of the battery at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on the OCV estimated at a last stage.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the OCV estimating unit corrects the OCV by adding a difference between a weight mean value for the battery output voltages of the past and the present and the OCV of the last stage to the estimated OCV of the current stage, the weight mean value being increased as a measurement point of the battery output voltage is earlier.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2,

wherein the battery output voltage of the past is a battery output voltage of the last stage.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the estimated OCV variation is calculated by multiplying the calculated OCV variation by the correction factor.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the battery output voltage of the variation pattern includes at least battery output voltages (V_n, V_n-1 and V_n-2) measured at a current stage, a last stage and the stage before last.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the mathematical model is defined by mathematical operation between a battery output voltage variation between the current stage and the last stage and a pattern function defined by each output voltage of the battery output voltage varying pattern.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein the correction factor is calculated by inputting the temperature of the battery into a mathematical model defining a battery temperature (T) as an input variable and a correction factor of the battery OCV variation as an output variable.

8. A method for estimating an OCV of a battery, comprising:

periodically obtaining output voltage and temperature data of a battery;

calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured at the present and in the past by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation, and estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation; and

estimating a battery OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on a battery OCV estimated at a last stage.

9. An apparatus for estimating SOC (State Of Charge) of a battery, comprising:

a voltage sensing unit for measuring an output voltage of a battery;

a temperature sensing unit for measuring a temperature of the battery;

a memory storing SOC of each temperature and each OCV;

a data storing unit for periodically receiving the battery output voltage and the temperature data from the voltage sensing unit and the temperature sensing unit and then storing the battery output voltage and the temperature data in the memory;

an OCV variation estimating unit for calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured in the past and at the present, stored in the memory, by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation, and then estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation;

an OCV estimating unit for estimating an OCV of the battery at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on the OCV estimated at a last stage; and

a SOC estimating unit for mapping SOC of the battery corresponding to the estimated OCV and the battery temperature from the SOC information of each temperature and each OCV and then outputting the SOC.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the OCV estimating unit corrects the OCV by adding a difference between a weight mean value for the battery output voltages of the past and the present and the OCV of the last stage to the estimated OCV of the current stage, the weight mean value being increased as a measurement point of the battery output voltage is earlier.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10,

wherein the battery output voltage of the past is a battery output voltage of the last stage.

12. The apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the estimated OCV variation is calculated by multiplying the calculated OCV variation by the correction factor.

13. The apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the battery output voltage of the variation pattern includes at least battery output voltages (V_n, V_n-1 and V_n-2) measured at a current stage, a last stage and the stage before last.

14. The apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the mathematical model is defined by mathematical operation between a battery output voltage variation between the current stage and the last stage and a pattern function defined by each output voltage of the battery output voltage varying pattern.

15. The apparatus according to claim 9,

wherein the correction factor is calculated by inputting the temperature of the battery into a mathematical model defining a battery temperature (T) as an input variable and a correction factor of the battery OCV variation as an output variable.

16. A method for estimating SOC of a battery, comprising:

storing SOC information of each temperature and each OCV;

periodically obtaining output voltage and temperature data of a battery;

calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured at the present and in the past by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation, and estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to the battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation;

estimating a battery OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on a battery OCV estimated at a last stage; and

mapping SOC of the battery corresponding to the estimated OCV and the battery temperature with reference to the SOC information of each temperature and each OCV and then outputting the SOC.

17. A hardware module for estimating an OCV of a battery, which executes:

a process of calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured at the present and in the past, stored in a memory, by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation;

a process of estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to a battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation; and

a process of estimating a battery OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on a battery OCV estimated at a last stage.

18. A hardware module for estimating SOC of a battery, which executes:

a process of calculating an OCV variation from a varying pattern of battery output voltages measured at the present and in the past, stored in a memory, by applying a mathematical model that defines a correlation between the varying pattern of battery output voltages and the OCV variation;

a process of estimating an OCV variation at a current stage by reflecting a correction factor corresponding to a battery temperature on the calculated OCV variation;

a process of estimating a battery OCV at the current stage by reflecting the estimated OCV variation on a battery OCV estimated at a last stage; and

a process of mapping SOC corresponding to the estimated OCV and the battery temperature from previously provided SOC information of each temperature and each OCV and then outputting the SOC.