阅读说明：本技术 用于诊断电池状态的装置和方法 (Apparatus and method for diagnosing battery state ) 是由 李东春 金承焕 于 2020-11-26 设计创作，主要内容包括：根据本公开内容实施例的用于诊断电池状态的装置包括：充电和放电单元,被配置为对电池模块进行充电或放电；测量单元,被配置为在对电池模块充电或放电的循环期间的每个预定时间段测量电池模块的电流；以及控制单元,被配置为从测量单元接收电池模块的电流的测量值,基于接收的测量值估计在循环期间的电池模块的SOC(充电状态),计算所估计的SOC的变化率,并且基于所计算的SOC的变化率和预设的参考变化率之间的比较结果来确定电池模块中是否发生缺陷。(An apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: a charging and discharging unit configured to charge or discharge the battery module; a measurement unit configured to measure a current of the battery module at each predetermined period during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module; and a control unit configured to receive a measured value of a current of the battery module from the measuring unit, estimate an SOC (state of charge) of the battery module during a cycle based on the received measured value, calculate a rate of change of the estimated SOC, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the calculated rate of change of the SOC and a preset reference rate of change.)

1. An apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery, the apparatus diagnosing a state of a battery module having at least one battery cell, the apparatus comprising:

a charging and discharging unit configured to charge or discharge the battery module;

a measurement unit configured to measure a current of the battery module at each predetermined time period during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module; and

a control unit configured to receive a measured value of a current of the battery module from the measuring unit, estimate an SOC (state of charge) of the battery module during a cycle based on the received measured value, calculate a rate of change of the estimated SOC, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the calculated rate of change of the SOC and a preset reference rate of change.

2. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the estimated SOC, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the calculated instantaneous rate of change and a reference rate of change corresponding thereto at the same point of time.

3. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 2,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine that a defect occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery module when the calculated instantaneous rate of change is greater than the reference rate of change.

4. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 1,

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the estimated SOC, determine a plurality of peaks in the calculated instantaneous rate of change, select a peak closest to a middle time point of a cycle among the plurality of determined peaks as a target peak, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module by comparing the selected target peak with a reference peak of a reference rate of change.

5. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 4,

wherein a plurality of battery modules are provided, and

wherein the control unit is configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules, select a target peak value among the instantaneous rates of change of each of the plurality of battery modules, and determine a relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules by comparing sizes of the plurality of selected target peak values.

6. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 5,

wherein the plurality of target peaks are peaks closest to intermediate time points of charge and discharge cycles of the respective battery modules and located at different time points.

7. The apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 5,

wherein the control unit is configured to determine the more serious the defect occurrence degree of the corresponding battery module is as the size of a target peak value among the plurality of selected target peak values is larger.

8. A battery pack comprising the apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. A method for diagnosing a state of a battery, the method diagnosing a state of a battery module having at least one battery cell, the method comprising:

a charging and discharging step of charging or discharging the battery module;

a measuring step of measuring a current of the battery module at every predetermined period during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module;

an SOC estimating step of estimating an SOC of the battery module during a cycle based on the measurement value measured in the measuring step;

an SOC change rate calculation step of calculating a change rate of the SOC estimated in the SOC estimation step; and

a battery module defect determining step of determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the change rate calculated in the change rate calculating step and a preset reference change rate.

10. The method for diagnosing a state of a battery according to claim 9,

wherein a plurality of battery modules are provided, and

wherein the SOC change rate calculating step includes:

an instantaneous rate-of-change calculating step of calculating an instantaneous rate of change in SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules,

wherein the battery module defect determining step includes:

a target peak value selecting step of selecting a target peak value in the instantaneous change rate of each of the plurality of battery modules calculated in the change rate calculating step; and

a relative defect determining step of determining a relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules by comparing sizes of the plurality of selected target peaks.

Technical Field

This application claims priority to korean patent application No.10-2019-0153699, filed in korea at 26.11.2019, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for diagnosing a state of a battery, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for diagnosing a state of a battery, which can determine whether a defect occurs in a battery module.

Background

In recent years, the demand for portable electronic products such as notebook computers, video cameras, and cellular phones has increased dramatically, and electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites have been developed earnestly. Therefore, high-performance batteries that allow repeated charging and discharging are being actively studied.

Currently, commercially available batteries may include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, lithium batteries, and the like. Among them, lithium batteries are receiving attention because of having little memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries and also having a very low self-discharge rate and high energy density.

Meanwhile, if a plurality of batteries are provided in the apparatus, imbalance of the batteries causes deterioration in output performance of the batteries, and thus the performance of the apparatus may deteriorate. Therefore, in the related art, in the case where a plurality of batteries are provided, a technique for diagnosing whether or not a capacity unbalance occurs between the plurality of batteries and solving the problem has been developed.

Patent document 1 discloses a technique for diagnosing imbalance among a plurality of cell stacks by calculating the amount of impedance change of the plurality of cell stacks and analyzing the pattern of the calculated amount of impedance change. However, according to patent document 1, in order to calculate the amount of change in the impedance of the stack, it is necessary to measure the amount of change in the voltage and the current value of the stack. In addition, in order to determine whether the stack is unbalanced, it is necessary to analyze the pattern of the amount of change in impedance. Therefore, patent document 1 has a problem that the imbalance among the plurality of cell stacks cannot be diagnosed quickly.

(patent document 1) KR10-2014-0103753A

Disclosure of Invention

Technical problem

The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing an apparatus and method for diagnosing a state of a battery, which quickly and accurately determines whether a defect occurs in a battery module based on a rate of change in the SOC of the battery module.

These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be understood in light of the following detailed description, and will become more fully apparent in light of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure may be realized by means illustrated in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

Technical scheme

In an aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided an apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery, the apparatus diagnosing a state of a battery module having at least one battery cell, the apparatus including: a charging and discharging unit configured to charge or discharge the battery module; a measurement unit configured to measure a current of the battery module at each predetermined period during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module; and a control unit configured to receive a measured value of a current of the battery module from the measuring unit, estimate an SOC (state of charge) of the battery module during a cycle based on the received measured value, calculate a rate of change of the estimated SOC, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the calculated rate of change of the SOC and a preset reference rate of change.

The control unit may be configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the estimated SOC, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the calculated instantaneous rate of change and a reference rate of change corresponding thereto at the same point of time.

The control unit may be configured to determine that a defect occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery cells included in the battery module when the calculated instantaneous rate of change is greater than the reference rate of change.

The control unit may be configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the estimated SOC, determine a plurality of peaks in the calculated instantaneous rate of change, select a peak closest to a middle time point of a cycle among the plurality of determined peaks as a target peak, and determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module by comparing the selected target peak with a reference peak of a reference rate of change.

A plurality of battery modules may be provided.

The control unit may be configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules, select a target peak value among the instantaneous rates of change of each of the plurality of battery modules, and determine a relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules by comparing magnitudes of the plurality of selected target peak values.

The plurality of target peaks may be peaks closest to intermediate time points of charge and discharge cycles of the respective battery modules, and may be located at different time points.

The control unit may be configured to determine the more serious the defect occurrence degree of the corresponding battery module is, the larger the magnitude of the target peak among the plurality of selected target peaks is.

A battery pack according to another aspect of the present disclosure may include an apparatus for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, there is also provided a method for diagnosing a state of a battery, the method diagnosing a state of a battery module having at least one battery cell, the method including: a charging and discharging step of charging or discharging the battery module; a measuring step of measuring a current of the battery module at every predetermined period during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module; an SOC estimating step of estimating an SOC of the battery module during the cycle based on the measurement value measured in the measuring step; an SOC change rate calculation step of calculating a change rate of the SOC estimated in the SOC estimation step; and a battery module defect determining step of determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module based on a result of comparison between the change rate calculated in the change rate calculating step and a preset reference change rate.

The rate-of-change calculating step may include an instantaneous rate-of-change calculating step of calculating an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules.

The defect determining step may include: a target peak value selecting step of selecting a target peak value in the instantaneous change rate of each of the plurality of battery modules calculated in the change rate calculating step; and a relative defect determining step of determining a relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules by comparing magnitudes of the plurality of selected target peaks.

Advantageous effects

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery has an advantage of accurately diagnosing whether a defect occurs in a battery module based on only a capacity characteristic comparison SOC change rate of the battery module.

Further, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for diagnosing a state of a battery has an advantage of rapidly diagnosing whether a defect occurs in a battery module by calculating a rate of change of SOC when the battery module is charged or discharged.

Further, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, the apparatus for diagnosing the state of the battery has advantages in that whether a defect occurs in the battery module is determined using a relatively simple circuit configuration and a physical space required for the apparatus for diagnosing the state of the battery is minimized.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the appended claims.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the foregoing disclosure, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and therefore the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a battery pack including an apparatus for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a battery pack including a device for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 4 is a graph illustrating the SOC and the SOC change rate of the battery module in the reference module and the apparatus for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of another battery pack including a device for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Fig. 6 is a graph illustrating the SOC and the SOC variation rate of the first battery module and the second battery module in the apparatus for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the module.

Fig. 7 is a graph illustrating target peaks selected for each of the plurality of battery modules in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method for diagnosing a battery state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

Detailed Description

It should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be construed as limited to general and dictionary meanings, but interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to technical aspects of the present disclosure on the basis of the principle that the inventor is allowed to define terms appropriately for the best explanation.

Accordingly, the description proposed herein is just a preferable example for the purpose of illustrations only, not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure, so it should be understood that other equivalent changes and modifications could be made thereto without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

In addition, in describing the present disclosure, when a detailed description of related known elements or functions is considered to make the key subject matter of the present disclosure unclear, the detailed description is omitted herein.

Terms including ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to distinguish one element from another element among the various elements, but are not intended to limit the elements by the terms.

Throughout the specification, when a portion is referred to as "comprising" or "includes" any element, it means that the portion may additionally include other elements, but does not exclude other elements, unless explicitly stated otherwise.

Further, the term "control unit" described in the specification refers to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, and may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

In addition, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part throughout the specification, it is not limited to the case where they are "directly connected", but also includes the case where they are "indirectly connected" with another element interposed therebetween.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Fig. 1 is a diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 1, an apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a charging and discharging unit 110, a measuring unit 120, and a control unit 130.

The apparatus 100 for diagnosing the state of a battery according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may diagnose the state of the battery module 10 having at least one battery cell.

Here, the battery module 10 may include at least one battery cell. If the battery module 10 includes a plurality of battery cells, the plurality of battery cells may be connected in series and/or parallel. Preferably, a plurality of battery cells included in the battery module 10 may be connected in parallel with each other. In addition, the battery cell means one independent unit having a negative electrode terminal and a positive electrode terminal and being physically separable. For example, a pouch type lithium polymer battery may be considered as a battery cell.

Fig. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a battery pack 1 including an apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of the battery pack 1 including the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 2 and 3, the battery module 10 may be connected to the battery pack 1. That is, the positive electrode of the battery module 10 may be electrically connected to the positive electrode terminal P + of the battery pack 1. In addition, the negative electrode of the battery module 10 may be electrically connected to the negative electrode terminal P-of the battery pack 1.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, the battery pack 1 may include one battery module 10, and the battery module 10 may include a first battery cell B1, a second battery cell B2, a third battery cell B3, and a fourth battery cell B4 connected in parallel.

If the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is included in the battery pack 1, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state may be connected to the battery module 10 included in the battery pack 1 and the main charging and discharging path of the battery pack 1. Here, the main charging and discharging path is a path connecting the positive electrode terminal P + of the battery pack 1, the battery module 10, and the negative electrode terminal P-of the battery pack 1, and refers to a high current path through which current flows in the battery pack 1.

The charging and discharging unit 110 may be configured to charge or discharge the battery module 10.

The charging and discharging unit 110 may be connected to the control unit 130 to receive a charging command signal or a discharging command signal from the control unit 130. In addition, the charging and discharging unit 110 may be operated to correspond to the charging command signal or the discharging command signal received from the control unit 130. Here, the charge command signal is a signal for charging the battery module 10, and the discharge command signal is a signal for discharging the battery module 10.

For example, if the charging and discharging unit 110 receives a charging command signal from the control unit 130, the charging and discharging unit 110 may output a current to the main charging and discharging path. The current output from the charging and discharging unit 110 may flow through the primary charging and discharging path to charge the battery module 10. Specifically, the current output from the charging and discharging unit 110 may charge at least one battery cell provided in the battery module 10.

As another example, if the charging and discharging unit 110 receives the discharging command signal from the control unit 130, the charging and discharging unit 110 may receive current from the battery module 10 via the primary charging and discharging path to charge the charging and discharging unit 110.

In the embodiment of fig. 3, one end of the charging and discharging unit 110 may be connected between the positive electrode terminal P + of the battery pack 1 and the positive electrode of the battery module 10. In addition, the other end of the charging and discharging unit 110 may be connected between the negative electrode terminal P-of the battery pack 1 and the negative electrode of the battery module 10. Accordingly, if the charging and discharging unit 110 receives the charge command signal from the control unit 130, the current output from the charging and discharging unit 110 may flow through the primary charging and discharging path to charge the battery module 10.

However, even though the embodiment of fig. 3 shows an example in which both ends of the charging and discharging unit 110 are directly connected to the main charging and discharging path, unlike fig. 3, one end of the charging and discharging unit 110 may be connected to the positive electrode terminal P + of the battery pack 1 and the other end of the charging and discharging unit 110 is connected to the negative electrode terminal P-of the battery pack 1. That is, both ends of the charging and discharging unit 110 may be connected to electrodes of the battery pack 1 to charge or discharge the battery module 10.

The measurement unit 120 may be configured to measure the current of the battery module 10 every predetermined period of time during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module 10.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, an ammeter a and/or a sense resistor for measuring the current of the battery module 10 may be further provided on the primary charging and discharging path. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, it will be described that the ammeter a is provided on the primary charging and discharging path. Further, the measurement unit 120 may be connected to the ammeter a through a sensing line SL to measure a current flowing through the main charging and discharging path.

If the sense resistor is disposed on the main charging and discharging path, the measurement unit 120 may calculate a voltage drop reduced by the sense resistor by measuring a voltage across the sense resistor. In addition, the measurement unit 120 may measure the current flowing through the primary charging and discharging path based on the known resistance of the sense resistor and the calculated voltage drop.

The control unit 130 may be configured to receive the measured value of the current of the battery module 10 from the measurement unit 120.

In particular, the control unit 130 and the measurement unit 120 may be connected by wire and/or wirelessly. In addition, the measurement unit 120 may convert the measurement value of the measurement current of the battery module 10 into a digital signal and output the converted signal to the control unit 130. The control unit 130 may obtain the current value of the battery module 10 by reading the digital signal received from the measurement unit 120.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, the control unit 130 and the measurement unit 120 may be connected to each other by a wire line. In addition, the measurement unit 120 may convert the measured current value of the battery module 10 into a digital signal and output the converted digital signal through a wire line.

The control unit 130 may be configured to estimate the SOC (state of charge) of the battery module 10 during the cycle based on the received measurement values.

For example, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 by counting the current values of the battery module 10 measured by the measurement unit 120 during the cycle. That is, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 using an ampere-counting method.

In addition, the control unit 130 may be configured to calculate a rate of change of the estimated SOC.

Here, the rate of change of the SOC is a rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 during the cycle, and may include, for example, a total rate of change of the SOC during the cycle or an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC calculated every predetermined period.

For example, assume that a charge cycle for charging the battery module 10 has proceeded from 0 seconds to 9,000 seconds. The control unit 130 may calculate the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 when the rate of change in the SOC is changed from 0 seconds to 9,000 seconds. In addition, the control unit 130 may calculate the rate of change of the SOC as an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC at every predetermined period from 0 second to 9,000 seconds. Here, the predetermined period of time may preferably be the same as the period of time in which the measurement unit 120 measures the current of the battery module 10.

The control unit 130 may be configured to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 based on a result of comparison between the calculated rate of change of the SOC and a preset reference rate of change.

Specifically, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the rate of change of the SOC calculated for the battery module 10 with a preset reference rate of change.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, it is assumed that both the reference module Ref and the battery module 10 have four battery cells connected in parallel. It is assumed that the reference module Ref has a battery cell in a BOL (beginning of life) state, and the battery module 10 has a battery cell in an EOL (end of life) state. Since SOH (state of health) of the battery cell decreases with the deterioration of the battery cell, the BOL battery cell and the EOL battery cell may have different SOCs even if the same amount of current is applied to the BOL battery cell and the EOL battery cell. Therefore, the rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref and the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 may be different during the same charging cycle. Preferably, the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 during the cycle may be greater than the rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref.

In addition, even when the battery module 10 and the reference module Ref include different numbers of battery cells, the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 and the reference rate of change may be different from each other. For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, it is assumed that four battery cells are normally connected in parallel in the reference module Ref, but the connection of the fourth battery cell among the four battery cells included in the battery module 10 is disconnected. Even in this case, the SOH of the reference module Ref may be larger than the SOH of the battery module 10. Therefore, if the same amount of current is applied to the reference module Ref and the battery module 10, the SOC of the battery module 10 may be rapidly increased compared to the SOC of the reference module Ref.

Accordingly, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 with a reference rate of change. Specifically, the control unit 130 may determine whether the battery module 10 is deteriorated or whether a connection failure or the like occurs in the battery cells included in the battery module 10.

When determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 having the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may determine whether the battery module 10 has a defect based on a rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10, even if the state of each of the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3 is not individually diagnosed. Accordingly, the circuit configuration for determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 is relatively simple, and has an advantage in that the physical space required by the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state is minimized.

Further, since the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the state of the battery determines the defective state of the battery module 10 in consideration of the SOC of the battery module 10 itself, even though the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3 included in the battery module 10 are connected in parallel, there is an advantage in that it is not necessary to individually diagnose each battery cell when determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10.

Meanwhile, the control unit 130 included in the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state may optionally include a processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, a communication modem, and a data processing device, etc. known in the art to perform various control logics disclosed below. Furthermore, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control unit 130 may be implemented as a set of program modules. At this point, the program modules may be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. The memory may be provided inside or outside the control unit 130, and may be connected to the control unit 130 by various well-known means.

In addition, referring to fig. 1 to 3, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state may further include a storage unit 140. The storage unit 140 may store programs, data, and the like required for the control unit 130 to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 and to determine the degree of the defect. That is, the storage unit 140 may store data required for the operation and function of each component of the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state, data generated in the course of performing the operation or function, and the like. The kind of the storage unit 140 is not particularly limited as long as it is a known information storage device capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. By way of example, the information storage device may include RAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM, registers, and the like. In addition, the storage unit 140 may store program codes in which processes executable by the control unit 130 are defined.

Preferably, the control unit 130 may be configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the estimated SOC. Hereinafter, an example in which the control unit 130 calculates the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC will be described in detail with reference to fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a graph illustrating the SOC and the SOC variation rate of the battery module 10 in the reference module and the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Specifically, fig. 4 is a graph showing the SOC estimated by the control unit 130 and the calculated rate of change of the SOC during the charging cycle in which the reference module Ref and the battery module 10 are charged at the same charging C-rate for the same time. More specifically, battery module 10 is a module including one less battery cell than reference module Ref. In addition, the reference module and the battery module 10 are charged for the same time by receiving a charging current of 0.3C (C-rate) from the charging and discharging unit 110.

Referring to fig. 4, during the same charging time, the SOC of the reference module Ref and the SOC of the battery module 10 are shown. Further, the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref and the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 are shown.

Here, the instantaneous rate of change is a rate of change obtained by limiting the average rate of change of the SOC, and may represent, for example, the slope of the tangent line of the SOC shown in fig. 4.

In an embodiment, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 by counting the current values of the battery module 10 measured by the measurement unit 120 when the battery module 10 is charged or discharged. In addition, the control unit 130 may calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 while estimating the SOC of the battery module 10.

For example, it is assumed that the measurement unit 120 measures the current of the battery module 10 at a time period of 100 seconds, and the control unit 130 estimates the SOC of the battery module 10 at a time period of 100 seconds. The control unit 130 may calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 at the time point of 900 seconds while estimating the SOC of the battery module 10 at the time point of 1,000 seconds. That is, since the instantaneous rate of change is a limit value of the average rate of change (slope of a tangent line of the SOC), the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 and calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC together to quickly determine the defect.

In another embodiment, the control unit 130 may store the SOC in the storage unit 140 each time the SOC of the battery module 10 is estimated. That is, the storage unit 140 may store a plurality of SOCs estimated every predetermined period of time in the charge cycle of the battery module 10. In addition, the control unit 130 may calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the SOCs corresponding to a predetermined period of time with respect to the plurality of SOCs stored in the storage unit 140.

In addition, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the calculated instantaneous rate of change with its corresponding reference rate of change at the same point of time.

Here, the reference rate of change may be an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref. The reference change rate may be stored in the storage unit 140 in advance.

The control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the magnitudes of the instantaneous rates of change of the battery module 10 and the reference module Ref at the same time point.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, the control unit 130 may calculate the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 at one or more points in time during the charging cycle and then compare the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 with the rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref.

Preferably, the control unit 130 may select at least one time point after a predetermined time elapses from a time point at which the cycle starts.

For example, the control unit 130 may select a time point at which 1,500 seconds pass from a time point (0 seconds) at which the cycle starts. In addition, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the rate of change in the SOC of the reference module Ref with the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 at a selected time point (1,500 seconds).

As another example, the control unit 130 may select all time points at which 1,500 seconds, 3,000 seconds, 4,500 seconds, 6,000 seconds, and 7,500 seconds pass from the time point (0 seconds) at which the cycle starts. Further, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the rate of change in the SOC of the reference module Ref and the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 at a plurality of selected time points (1,500 seconds, 3,000 seconds, 4,500 seconds, 6,000 seconds, and 7,500 seconds). That is, if the control unit 130 determines whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 based only on the rate of change of the SOC at any one point in time, it may be erroneously determined whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 due to a measurement error of the measurement unit 120 or an SOC estimation error of the control unit 130. Accordingly, the control unit 130 may more accurately determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by selecting a plurality of time points and comparing the rate of change of the SOC at the plurality of selected time points.

The apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of accurately and rapidly diagnosing whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 based only on the capacity characteristics of the battery module 10 having the battery cells comparing the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC.

The control unit 130 may be configured to determine that a defect occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3 included in the battery module 10 if the calculated instantaneous rate of change is greater than the reference rate of change.

That is, as described above, if a defect occurs in at least one of the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3 included in the battery module 10, the SOH of the battery module 10 may be reduced. This means that the SOC of the battery module 10 with reduced SOH increases rapidly compared to the reference module Ref even if the same amount of current is applied.

Accordingly, if the calculated instantaneous rate of change is greater than the reference rate of change, the control unit 130 may determine that a defect occurs in the battery module 10.

In contrast, if the calculated instantaneous rate of change is less than the reference rate of change, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine that no defect occurs in all of the plurality of battery cells B1, B2, and B3 included in the battery module 10.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, battery module 10 is a module having one less battery cell than reference module Ref. Thus, as shown in fig. 4, the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 may be greater than the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref. Therefore, the control unit 130 may determine that a defect occurs in the battery module 10 according to the result of comparison of the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC between the battery module 10 and the reference module Ref.

The control unit 130 may be configured to determine a plurality of peaks in the calculated instantaneous rate of change.

Specifically, the control unit 130 may determine, as the peak value, a point at which the rate of change in the SOC of the reference module Ref and the calculated rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 increase and then decrease.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, the control unit 130 may determine P1, P2, and P3 as the peaks of the rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10, and determine Pref1 and Pref2 as the peaks of the rate of change in the SOC of the reference module Ref.

In addition, the control unit 130 may be configured to select a peak closest to an intermediate time point of the charge and discharge cycles among the plurality of determined peaks as a target peak.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, the control unit 130 may select P2 as the target peak of the battery module 10 and Pref1 as the target peak of the reference module Ref.

Specifically, the battery cell has a characteristic in which a chemical reaction occurs during a charge or discharge process, and according to the characteristic, the SOC of the battery cell may be affected by a change in internal resistance of the battery cell. That is, the SOC of the battery cell and the OCV (open circuit voltage) of the battery cell have a one-to-one relationship, and the OCV of the battery cell is inversely proportional to the internal resistance of the battery cell. Therefore, in order to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 based on the SOC change rate of the battery module 10, the control unit 130 may select a peak, which is most sensitive to the internal resistance change response of the battery cell, among the plurality of selected peaks, as a target peak. In addition, the target peak may be a peak closest to an intermediate time point of the charge and discharge cycles.

That is, considering the characteristics of the battery cell as described above, since the target peak selected by the control unit 130 is the peak most sensitive to the change in internal resistance of the battery cell, the target peak is the peak that can be used for the most accurate comparison to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery cell based on the rate of change in SOC. Accordingly, in order to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 through comparison between the change rate of the SOC of the battery module 10 and the reference change rate, the control unit 130 may select a peak value closest to the middle time point of the charge and discharge cycle as a target peak value.

The control unit 130 may be configured to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the selected target peak value with a reference peak value of a reference change rate.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 4, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the sizes of P2 and Pref 1. Referring to fig. 4, since P2 is greater than Pref1, the control unit 130 may determine that a defect occurs in the battery module 10.

The apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may more accurately diagnose whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 with high reliability by comparing the magnitude of the selected target peak value in consideration of the characteristics of the battery cells.

Further, since the apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state may not only compare the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 with the reference rate of change at the same point in time but also compare the magnitude of the target peak value to determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10, there is an advantage in that whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 may be determined in various aspects.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of another battery pack 1 including the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to fig. 5, the battery pack 1 may include a plurality of battery modules 10.

For example, as shown in fig. 5, a first battery module 10a and a second battery module 10b may be included in the battery pack 1. Here, the first and second battery modules 10a and 10b may be connected in parallel with each other.

Further, a first ammeter a1 for measuring the current of the first battery module 10a may be provided at one end of the first battery module 10 a. In addition, a second ammeter a2 for measuring the current of the second battery module 10b may be provided at one end of the second battery module 10 b.

In addition, the measurement unit 120 may be connected to the first ammeter a1 through a first sensing line SL1 to measure the current of the first battery module 10 a. In addition, the measurement unit 120 may be connected to the second ammeter a2 through a second sensing line SL2 to measure the current of the second battery module 10 b.

The control unit 130 may be configured to calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 5, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the first battery module 10a based on the current value of the first battery module 10a measured by the measurement unit 120. Further, the control unit 130 may calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the first battery module 10a based on the estimated SOC of the first battery module 10 a.

In addition, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the second battery module 10b based on the current value of the second battery module 10b measured by the measurement unit 120. Further, the control unit 130 may calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the second battery module 10b based on the estimated SOC of the second battery module 10 b.

Fig. 6 is a graph showing the SOC and the rate of change of the SOC of the first battery module 10a and the second battery module 10b in the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure with reference to the module Ref. Fig. 7 is a graph showing target peaks selected for each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b in fig. 6.

Specifically, the first battery module 10a is a module having one less battery cell than the reference module Ref, and the second battery module 10b is a module having two less battery cells than the reference module Ref. Further, the reference module, the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10b are charged for the same time by receiving a charging current of 0.3C (C rate) from the charging and discharging unit 110.

Referring to fig. 6, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the reference module Ref, the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10b at the same time point, and calculate an instantaneous rate of change of the SOC. Here, the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref may be a reference rate of change. In addition, the SOC of the reference module Ref and the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC may be stored in the storage unit 140 in advance. In this case, the control unit 130 may obtain the SOC of the reference module Ref and the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC by referring to the storage unit 140.

In addition, the control unit 130 may be configured to select a target peak value in the instantaneous rate of change of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

First, the control unit 130 may determine a plurality of peaks of each instantaneous rate of change of the reference module Ref and the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 6, the control unit 130 may determine Pref1 and Pref2 as peaks in the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of the reference module Ref. Further, the control unit 130 may determine P11, P12, and P13 as the peaks of the instantaneous rate of change in the SOC of the first battery module 10 a. Finally, the control unit 130 may determine P21, P22, P23, and P24 as peaks of the instantaneous rate of change in SOC of the second battery module 10 b.

Further, the control unit 130 may select a target peak value for each of the reference module Ref, the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10b among the plurality of determined peak values.

As described above, the target peak may be selected as the peak closest to the middle time point of the cycle.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 6, the control unit 130 may select Pref1 as the target peak of the reference module Ref, P12 as the target peak of the first cell B1, and P23 as the target peak of the second cell B2. The target peak values selected by the control unit 130 for the reference module Ref, the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10b are shown in fig. 7.

In addition, the control unit 130 may be configured to determine the relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b by comparing the magnitudes of the plurality of selected target peaks.

Specifically, the control unit 130 may compare the magnitudes of the plurality of target peaks, and determine that the defect occurrence degree of the corresponding battery module 10 is relatively greater than the defect occurrence degrees of the other battery modules 10 when the magnitudes of the corresponding target peaks are greater.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the control unit 130 may compare the sizes of Pref1, P12, and P23. Assume that the size of Pref1 is about 100, the size of P12 is about 112, and the size of P23 is about 137. Since the size of P23 is greater than the sizes of Pref1 and P12, the control unit 130 may determine that the defect occurrence degree of the second battery module 10b is greater than the defect occurrence degrees of the first battery module 10a and the reference module Ref. Also, since the size of P12 is greater than that of Pref1, the control unit 130 may determine that the defect occurrence degree of the first battery module 10a is greater than that of the reference module Ref.

In the foregoing, the control unit 130 determines the relative defect occurrence degree between the reference module Ref, the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10b by comparing the magnitudes of the reference module Ref, the target peak value between the first battery module 10a, and the second battery module 10 b. However, the control unit 130 may determine only the relative defect occurrence degree between the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b (excluding the reference module Ref) included in the battery pack 1.

The apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to the embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of quickly and easily determining the relative defect occurrence degree between the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b by comparing target peak values sensitive to internal resistance variation of the battery modules 10 even though there is no process of estimating the internal resistance or SOH of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

That is, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state has an advantage in that the relative defect occurrence degree between the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b can be quickly determined based on the SOC change rate calculated during one charging process of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

The plurality of target peaks are peaks closest to intermediate time points of charge and discharge cycles of the respective battery modules 10, and may be located at different time points.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 7, the target peak value of the reference module Ref is Pref1, the target peak value of the first battery module 10a is P12, and the target peak value of the second battery module 10b is P23. That is, since the target peak is the peak most sensitive to the internal resistance variation of the battery module 10, the time point at which the peak occurs may be different.

However, even if the defect levels of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b are different from each other, the target peak values of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b may be peak values closest to the middle time point of the charge cycle or the discharge cycle.

Therefore, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of easily selecting a target peak in the SOC change rate in consideration of the above-described characteristics of the target peak. That is, even if the voltage-charge amount curve (Q-dV/dQ curve) of the battery module 10 is not obtained, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state has an advantage of easily and quickly selecting a target peak value using only the SOC change rate. As a result, since the target peak value can be selected quickly, the degree of occurrence of defects between the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b can be compared quickly and accurately.

The apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the present disclosure may be applied to a BMS (battery management system). That is, the BMS according to the present disclosure may include the above-described apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state. In this configuration, at least some of the components of the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state may be implemented by supplementing or adding the functions of the components included in the conventional BMS. For example, the charging and discharging unit 110, the measuring unit 120, the control unit 130, and the storage unit 140 of the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state may be implemented as components of the BMS.

In addition, the apparatus 100 for diagnosing the battery state according to the present disclosure may be provided to the battery pack 1. For example, referring to fig. 2 and 3, the battery pack 1 may include an apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a battery module 10 having at least one battery cell. In addition, the battery pack 1 may further include an electrical device (relay, fuse, etc.), a case, and the like.

Fig. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method for diagnosing a battery state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure.

A method for diagnosing a battery state according to another embodiment of the present disclosure is a method for diagnosing a state of a battery module 10 having at least one battery cell, and may be performed by the apparatus 100 for diagnosing a battery state.

Referring to fig. 8, a method for diagnosing a state of a battery according to another embodiment of the present disclosure may include a charging and discharging step (S100), a measuring step (S200), an SOC estimating step (S300), an SOC change rate calculating step (S400), and a battery module defect determining step (S500).

The charging and discharging step (S100) is a step of charging or discharging the battery module 10, and may be performed by the charging and discharging unit 110.

For example, the charging and discharging unit 110 may receive a charging command signal or a discharging command signal from the control unit 130. If the charge command signal is received, the charge and discharge unit 110 may output a current to the main charge and discharge path of the battery pack 1 to charge the battery module 10. In contrast, when receiving the discharge command signal, the charging and discharging unit 110 may charge the charging and discharging unit 110 by receiving a current from the battery module 10.

The measuring step (S200) is a step of measuring the current of the battery module 10 every predetermined period of time during a cycle of charging or discharging the battery module 10, and may be performed by the measuring unit 120.

For example, in the embodiment of fig. 3, the measurement unit 120 may measure the current of the battery module 10 using the ammeter a connected through the sensing line SL while charging the battery module 10.

The SOC estimating step (S300) is a step of estimating the SOC of the battery module 10 during the cycle based on the measurement value measured in the measuring step (S200), and may be performed by the control unit 130.

For example, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 every predetermined period of time in which the measurement unit 120 measures the current of the battery module 10. For example, if the measurement unit 120 measures the current of the battery module 10 every 100 seconds, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 every 100 seconds when the measurement unit 120 measures the current of the battery module 10. Here, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 by accumulatively counting the current values measured by the measurement unit 120.

The SOC change rate calculating step (S400) is a step of calculating the change rate of the SOC estimated in the SOC estimating step (S300), and may be performed by the control unit 130.

The control unit 130 may calculate a rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 estimated during the cycle. Preferably, the control unit 130 may calculate a rate of change in the SOC of the battery module 10 every predetermined period.

For example, as in the previous embodiment, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of the battery module 10 every 100 seconds and calculate the rate of change of the SOC of the battery module 10 every 100 seconds.

The battery module defect determining step (S500) is a step of determining whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 based on a result of comparison between the rate of change calculated in the SOC rate of change calculating step (S400) and a preset reference rate of change, and may be performed by the control unit 130.

That is, the control unit 130 may quickly and accurately determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the calculated rate of change with the magnitude of the reference rate of change. Preferably, the control unit 130 may determine whether a defect occurs in the battery module 10 by comparing the magnitude of the rate of change calculated at the same time point with a reference rate of change.

As in the embodiment of fig. 6, a plurality of battery modules 10 may be provided.

In this case, the SOC change rate calculating step (S400) may include an instantaneous change rate calculating step (S400).

The instantaneous rate-of-change calculation step (S400) is a step of calculating the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b, and may be performed by the control unit 130.

That is, the control unit 130 may estimate the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b and calculate the instantaneous rate of change of the SOC of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b.

In order to more quickly calculate the rate of change of the SOC, the control unit 130 may calculate the rate of change of the SOC of a previous period while estimating the SOC of the battery module 10 at the current time point.

In addition, the battery module defect determining step (S500) may further include a target peak value selecting step and a battery module relative defect determining step (S500).

The target peak value selecting step is a step of selecting a target peak value in the instantaneous rate of change of each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b calculated in the SOC rate of change calculating step (S400), and may be performed by the control unit 130.

For example, as shown in fig. 6, the control unit 130 may determine a plurality of peak values for each of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10 b. Here, the peak value may be a point at which the SOC change rate increases and then decreases. In addition, as shown in fig. 7, the control unit 130 may select a target peak among the plurality of determined peaks.

The battery module relative defect determining step (S500) is a step of determining the relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b by comparing the magnitudes of the plurality of selected target peaks, and may be performed by the control unit 130.

That is, the control unit 130 may quickly determine the relative defect occurrence degree of the plurality of battery modules 10a, 10b by comparing the sizes of the target peaks.

The above-described embodiments of the present disclosure are not necessarily realized by an apparatus and a method, but may also be realized by a program for realizing functions corresponding to the configuration of the present disclosure or a recording medium having the program recorded thereon. Such implementation can be easily performed by those skilled in the art according to the description of the above embodiments.

The present disclosure has been described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the detailed description and the specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

In addition, many substitutions, modifications and changes may be made to the disclosure described above by those skilled in the art without departing from the technical aspects of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments and drawings, each of which may be selectively combined in part or in whole to allow various modifications.

(reference numerals)

1: battery pack

10: battery module

10 a: first battery module

10 b: second battery module

100: apparatus for diagnosing battery state

110: charging and discharging unit

120: measuring unit

130: control unit

140: memory cell

Ref: reference module