Current-based cell modeling

• US 20150094972A1
• Filed: 12/09/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sensata Technologies Incorporated (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Original Assignee: Sendyne Corp. (Sensata Technologies Holding Plc)
• Inventors: Tsividis, Yannis
• Granted Patent: US 10,234,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/63
• 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 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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: G01R 19/16542 for batteries charge condition monitoring in G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/2848 using simulation
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/367 Software therefor, e.g. for battery testing using modelling or look-up tables
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 30/367 Design verification, e.g. using simulation, simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis [SPICE], direct methods or relaxation methods
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

An arrangement provides simulation of important battery factors such as state of charge or state of health, and the estimates are provided to the human user in ways that permit the human user to make better use of the battery, for example in an electric car. The arrangement is made up in part of nodes, each individually simulated, and at least some of the nodes communicate with each other by means of values which within the domain of the simulator are understood as currents but which may have real-world significance for some value that is not a current at all. The currents are passed on a (simulated) analog bus. Some lines on the analog bus, while understood as “currents” in the domain of the simulator, are actually values that merely pass messages between modeling elements, the “current” values not necessarily representing any real-life measurable such as the aforementioned temperature value.

Claims

1. A method at arriving at an estimate of a state of a battery having first and second terminals, the battery connected with a load through a current sensor having an output, the battery further having a temperature sensor having an output, the method carried out with respect to a plurality of modeling elements within a battery simulator, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving the output of the current sensor at at least one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator;

receiving the output of the temperature sensor at at least one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator;

at a first one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sourcing a second current having a current value;

at a second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sinking the second current;

within the battery simulator, arriving at the estimate of the state of the battery based upon at least the output of the current sensor, the output of the temperature sensor, and the value of the second current, and communicating the estimate of the state of the battery externally from the battery simulator.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the battery and load further comprise an electric car, and wherein the estimate of the state of the battery comprises an estimated available driving distance, the method further comprising the step of communicating the estimated available driving distance to a human user.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a first one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within a circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is a physical circuit within the battery simulator.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein at least a first one of the modeling elements is a physical circuit within the battery simulator.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within a circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is also a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein every one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

at a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sourcing a voltage having a voltage value;

at a fourth one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sensing the voltage;

wherein the step of arriving at the estimate of the state of the battery is further based upon the value of the voltage.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

at a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, receiving the second current prior to its arrival at the second modeling element, within the third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, measuring its value, and passing the second current along to the second modeling elements where it is sinked.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

at a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sourcing a third current;

at a node between the current source of the first one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator and the current sink of the second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, summing the third current and the second current;

whereby the current sinked at the current sink of the second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator is the sum of the third current and the second current.

12. Battery simulator apparatus for arriving at an estimate of a state of a battery having first and second terminals, the battery connected with a load through a current sensor having an output, the battery further having a temperature sensor having an output, the battery simulator apparatus comprising:

a plurality of modeling elements within the battery simulator apparatus;

at least one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator receiving the output of the current sensor;

at least one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator receiving the output of the temperature sensor;

a current source within a first one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sourcing a second current having a current value;

a current sink within a second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator;

a conductor connecting the current source with the current sink, whereby the current sink sinks the second current;

an output from the battery simulator indicative of an estimate of the state of the battery based upon at least the output of the current sensor, the output of the temperature sensor, and the value of the second current, the output communicated externally from the battery simulator.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the battery and load further comprise an electric car, and wherein the estimate of the state of the battery comprises an estimated available driving distance, the apparatus further comprising a display communicating the estimated available driving distance to a human user.

14. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the battery simulator further comprises a circuit simulator, and wherein at least a first one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

15. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is a physical circuit within the battery simulator.

16. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein at least a first one of the modeling elements is a physical circuit within the battery simulator.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the battery simulator further comprises a circuit simulator, and wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

18. The apparatus of claim 14 wherein at least a second one of the modeling elements is also a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

19. The apparatus of claim 18 wherein every one of the modeling elements is a simulated circuit within the circuit simulator within the battery simulator.

20. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a voltage source within a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sourcing a voltage having a voltage value;

a voltage sensor within a fourth one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, sensing the voltage;

wherein the output from the battery simulator indicative of an estimate of the state of the battery is further based upon the value of the voltage.

21. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a second current sensor within a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, the second current sensor receiving the second current prior to its arrival at the second modeling element, the second current being passed along to the second modeling elements where it is sinked.

22. The apparatus of claim 12 further comprising:

a third current source within a third one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator; and

a node between the current source of the first one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator and the current sink of the second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator, said node summing the third current and the second current;

whereby the current sinked at the current sink of the second one of the modeling elements within the battery simulator is the sum of the third current and the second current.