Abstract:
A rechargeable battery pack is discontinuously charged in multiple discrete charging intervals. Reductions in battery pack voltage that occur during non-charging intervals, each transpiring between a respective pair of the discrete charging intervals, are measured. Multiple resistance values that characterize the internal resistance (DC resistance) of the battery pack are generated based on the reductions in battery pack voltage that occur during the non-charging intervals.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    The present invention relates to rechargeable energy storage systems, including battery systems. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    The state-of-heath (SOH) of a rechargeable battery is a metric relating to the battery&#39;s power and energy delivery capability, as well as the efficiency with which the battery is charged from dynamic and static charging sources, all characteristics which tend to decay over the battery&#39;s useful life. Accordingly, in the context of an electrically powered vehicle, accurate determination of the battery SOH tends to be critical in accurately predicting or determining driving range, acceleration, charging time, ability to recover energy from regenerative breaking, and, ultimately, end of useful life. 
         [0003]    Despite the critical importance of obtaining accurate SOH metrics, conventional techniques rely on individual determinations of DC resistance (DCR) taken under varying conditions, which has the disadvantage of resulting in varying determinations of DCR for a battery with a particular SOH and consequently less accurate determinations of SOH. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    The present invention is illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings and in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements and in which: 
           [0005]      FIG. 1A  illustrates one embodiment of a battery pack charging station capable of determining the change in DCR over time of a battery pack in an electric vehicle coupled to the charging station; 
           [0006]      FIG. 1B  illustrates one embodiment of circuitry capable of determining the change in DCR over time of a battery pack; 
           [0007]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary sequence of operations for determining the change in DCR over time of a battery pack and for performing a charging cycle during the determination of the change in DCR over time of a battery pack; 
           [0008]      FIG. 3  shows an exemplary chart showing the change in battery pack voltages and charging currents that result from the DCR determination techniques resulting from the various embodiments described herein; and 
           [0009]      FIG. 4  shows exemplary tables for storing the change in DCR over time. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0010]    In various embodiments disclosed herein determinations of a rechargeable battery&#39;s DC resistance or “DCR” are obtained through discontinuous (interrupted) battery charging, with the DCR being leveraged in determining yet other operational characteristics of the rechargeable battery, including state-of-health (SOH). More specifically, state-of-health tends to be highly correlated to the DCR of a rechargeable battery, as the battery&#39;s DCR (or internal resistance) determines the capacity of the battery and the amount of power that can be delivered to a load. For example, in an electric vehicle, including any vehicle which contains an electrochemical energy storage system to provide power (wholly or in part) to the vehicle propulsion system, increased DCR may result in reduced propulsion power and thus reduced vehicle acceleration, as more of the total energy production is consumed by internal losses. Increased DCR reduces the vehicle driving range for the same reasons. 
         [0011]    In one embodiment, the DCR of a battery pack (i.e., pack containing rechargeable batteries) is determined in a repeatable manner by periodically interrupting the battery pack charging process. During each interruption of the charging process, the reduction or “relaxation” of the battery pack voltage after the charging current temporarily stops flowing is measured and used the determine the DCR. As discussed below, other characteristics of the battery pack (e.g., temperature, state-of-charge, etc.) may be factored into the DCR determination and/or recorded to enable tabulation or other organization of the DCR determination. The relatively brief interruption intervals (i.e., periods when no current is flowing to the battery pack) add negligibly to the overall battery charging time, thus enabling an improved DCR determination (yielding a predictor/determinant of state-of-health and/or other battery characteristics), without significantly extending the charging process. This benefit is particularly significant in vehicles powered exclusively by a rechargeable battery pack (i.e., in contrast to a hybrid electric vehicle) as such electric-only vehicles that typically require frequent at-rest charging (e.g., daily), so that any significant extension of battery charging time cuts directly into vehicle availability. Additionally, by making DCR determination part of the regular charging process, alternative DCR determination techniques that impede normal (driving) operation of the vehicle are avoided. 
         [0012]    Monitoring the change in DCR over time as the battery ages may indicate several conditions, including when the battery pack needs to be replaced or if maintenance of the battery pack is required. In one embodiment, described in greater detail below, the state-of-charge (SOC) of the battery pack is also determined at the same time the DCR is determined. As the determined DCR for a battery pack may vary with the SOC of the battery pack, the DCR can be adjusted to compensate for the variations in SOC to provide improved accuracy and consistency of the determination of how DCR changes over time, which allows for improved information regarding how the battery is “wearing” or “aging”. 
         [0013]    In another embodiment, the interrupted-charging DCR determination may be leveraged to achieve improved capacity, power delivery and life expectancy characteristics over the life of the battery pack. If the battery pack is used in a battery powered apparatus or vehicle (including passenger-conveying vehicles, powered at least in part by the battery pack, such as hybrid electric or electric vehicles), an improved estimation of the range or endurance of the apparatus or vehicle, and an improved estimate of when the battery pack will need to be replaced, may be presented to the operator of the apparatus or vehicle. 
         [0014]      FIG. 1A  illustrates one embodiment of a charging station capable of determining the change in DCR over time of a battery system  150  in a vehicle  145  coupled to the charging station  105 . The embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 1A  shows an electric vehicle coupled to the charging station. Other embodiments may include other types of battery powered apparatus or vehicle, including hybrid-electric or entirely-electric vehicles, trains, busses or aircraft, as well as any other battery-powered systems or products. In the embodiment shown, the charging station  105  comprises charging management circuitry  120  and a charging source  130 . The charging management circuitry, which includes state-of-health determination circuitry  125 , controls the charging process, for example, by determining the electrical output of the charging source throughout the charging processes and adjusting the voltage and/or the current output of the charging source. As explained below, state-of-health determination circuitry  125  may periodically cause the charging management circuitry to interrupt the charging process to allow voltage deltas (i.e., differences between two or more voltage measurements) to be measured, measurements used in turn to determine the battery DCR, SOC and/or SOH. 
         [0015]    Still referring to  FIG. 1A , charging station  105  is coupled to the battery system  150  within electric vehicle  145  via a control coupling  135  and a charging coupling  140 . The control coupling permits the bidirectional flow of both control information and data between the electric vehicle and the charging station including, without limitation, charging current measurements, battery pack voltages, battery pack temperatures, battery pack DCR information, electric vehicle range estimates, and electric vehicle battery system cooling controls. The charging coupling  140  comprises two electrical conductors (positive and negative) that carry the electrical current that is used to charge the battery system in the electric vehicle. Other embodiments may utilize only one coupling, or alternatively, more than two couplings for control and charging functions. Further embodiments may have control couplings that only permit a unidirectional (one-way) flow of information and/or have charging couplings that permit electrical power to flow from the battery system in the electric vehicle to the charging station. Also, as shown, a display  146  within the vehicle may be used to present information to the vehicle operator (or service technician) regarding the performance and status of the battery system. 
         [0016]      FIG. 1B  illustrates the state-of-health determination circuitry  125 , charging source  130  and battery system  150  of  FIG. 1A  in greater detail. The state-of-health determination circuitry may be used to implement the interrupted-charging, DCR determination and state-of-health operations discussed below in reference to  FIG. 2  and comprises memory  126  (to store information generated from the charging process, including an historical record of the battery pack temperature, SOC and DCR determinations from multiple charges at different times and software code and data associated with executing the sequence of operations in  FIGS. 2A and 2B ) and DCR determination circuitry  127 , which may be implemented at least in part by a programmed processor. The state-of-health determination circuitry is electrically coupled to the battery system  150  via the control coupling  135  and the charging source switch  160  via the switch control  161 . The charging source  130  provides the energy necessary to charge the battery pack  156  in the battery system  150  and is electrically coupled to the battery system via the charging coupling  140 . The battery system  150  comprises battery management circuitry  151  (to monitor and control the charging of the battery pack to prevent events including, but not limited to, excessive battery pack temperatures and overcharging of the battery pack), a battery pack  156 , a current measuring device  153 , a voltage measuring device  154 , and a temperature measuring device  155 . The temperature measuring device may be thermally coupled to the battery pack to provide more accurate information regarding the temperature of the battery pack. The control network  152  electrically couples components of the battery system to provide control and data transmission functions. The control network is electrically coupled to the control coupling  135 . 
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows an exemplary sequence of operations for determining the change in DCR over time of a battery pack. The sequence begins with the coupling of the battery pack to the charging station at  205 , for example, by plugging electrical cables containing the control coupling and charging coupling into a socket in the host vehicle (other interconnect methods/structures may be used). At  210 , after the vehicle battery pack is coupled to the charging station, the charging management circuitry (e.g., element  120  of  FIG. 1A ) determines if the battery pack is fully charged or if the charging process has been aborted (for example, the operator has decoupled the battery pack from the charging station). If the battery pack is not fully charged and the charging process has not been interrupted (i.e. negative determination at  210 ), a charging cycle is executed at  215 , an operation that yields a DCR determination as shown in expanded view  217  and discussed in greater detail below. At  220 , after a charging cycle is completed, the DCR value determined during the charging cycle is stored in memory  126 . The state-of-charge (SOC) may also be determined during or after the charging cycle and stored in memory (e.g., together with the battery pack temperature) as shown at  222 . In one embodiment, for example, the charging management circuitry and/or battery management circuitry may determine the battery pack SOC by accumulating the total amount of charge delivered to the battery (sometimes referred to as “coulomb counting”) during the charging cycle at  215 . Alternative or supplementary SOC determination techniques may be employed in other embodiments. 
         [0018]    Still referring to  FIG. 2 , following the operations at  215 ,  220  and  222 , control returns to decision block  210 , thus enabling the charging cycle at  215  (and associated storage operations at  220 ,  222 ) to be repeated until the battery pack is fully charged or charging has been interrupted. Upon determining that battery pack charging is complete or has been aborted (i.e. affirmative determination at  210 ), the state-of-health determination circuitry (i.e., element  125  of  FIGS. 1A and 1B ) determines the battery pack SOH from the DCR, SOC and temperature values stored in  220  and  222 . In one the state-of-health determination circuitry determines the SOH through a table lookup operation utilizing the DCR tables shown in  FIG. 4  (described in further detail below). The state-of-health determination circuitry may alternatively or additionally determine (or refine) the SOH algorithmically (e.g., executing algorithms and/or applying mathematical equations or heuristic techniques). 
         [0019]    At  230 , battery pack performance statistics are determined or updated based on the battery pack SOH and transmitted to the electric vehicle battery management system via the control coupling  135  and the control network  152  where they are stored to be subsequently presented to the operator of the vehicle using the display  146 . Information presented may include, without limitation, vehicle driving range, vehicle acceleration available, regenerative breaking performance and an estimate of when the battery pack will have to be replaced. After the vehicle battery management system  151  has been updated the electrical vehicle is decoupled from the charging station and the sequence completes. 
         [0020]    As mentioned above, detail view  217  illustrates an exemplary sequence of operations that may be executed by the DCR determination circuitry  127  to perform a charging cycle  215 . The charging cycle begins at  240  when the switch  161  is closed to enable a constant current to flow to the battery pack. The battery pack is charged with a constant current until a charging time interval T C  transpires, a delay reflected in block  245 . At the conclusion of charging interval T C , and while the battery is being charged, the DCR determination circuitry acquires an initial battery voltage measurement, shown at  250  as V 1 . After obtaining the initial battery voltage measurement, switch  161  is opened at  255  to decouple the charging source from the battery pack, interrupting flow of current into the battery pack and thus temporarily interrupting the battery pack charging operation (i.e., rending the charging operation “discontinuous” as compared to conventional approaches that enable charging current to flow without interruption until the battery pack is fully charged). The charging discontinuity (i.e., cessation of charging current) continues until a relaxation time interval T R  transpires, as shown in block  260 . After relaxation interval T R  elapses, a second, “post-interruption” voltage measurement, V 2 , is acquired at  265  while the battery is not under charge, and a voltage delta (or voltage change), ΔV, is determined by subtracting the initial voltage measurement from the post-interruption voltage measurement (i.e., ΔV=V 2 −V 1 ). Thereafter, at  270 , a DCR value for the battery pack is determined at  265  based on the voltage delta (ΔV) and the charging current. For example, in one embodiment, the DCR determination circuitry determines a DCR value (i.e., internal resistance value) for the battery pack according the formula: 
         [0000]    
       
      
       DCR=ΔV/I 
       C  
      
     
         [0000]    where I C  is the constant current applied to the battery during a given charging cycle and ΔV is the voltage delta determined based on initial and post-interruption voltage measurements acquired in connection with the charging cycle. Other formulas, expressions, heuristics, etc. may be used to determine a DCR value for the battery pack (or refine the DCR determination) in alternative embodiments. For example, multiple initial (pre-interruption) voltage measures and/or multiple post-interruption voltage measurements may be acquired and statistically combined to generate finalized measures of the initial and post-interruption voltages (i.e., V 1  and V 2 ). Further, in one embodiment, the one or more post-interruption voltage measurements are applied to determine an asymptotic voltage (i.e., open circuit voltage to which the battery pack voltage would decline if the relaxation interval was substantially extended). This may be done, for example, by applying the one or more post-interruption voltages to determine coefficients and/or other terms in a battery modeling expression (e.g., relaxation equation), and applying the modeling expression to estimate the asymptotic voltage. Also, while ΔV and DCR values are depicted as being iteratively determined in respective charging cycles, and stored at the conclusion of each charging cycle, those calculations may be deferred (along with others) until the battery pack is fully charged and an array of measurement values (e.g., V 1 , V 2  for each charging cycle  215 , and possibly the accumulated current totals and temperature measurements corresponding to each charging cycle) has been obtained. 
         [0021]      FIG. 3  is an exemplary illustration of the change in battery pack voltages and charging currents during the discontinuous charging operation of  FIG. 2 . As shown, the battery voltage progressively increases with each successive charging cycle  215 , each of which includes a discrete charging interval followed by a relaxation (non-charging) interval. While only four charging cycles are depicted, there may be any practicable number of charging cycles in actual practice. Also, the relative durations of charging interval T C  and relaxation interval T R  are depicted for purposes of example only—in actual practice each discrete charging interval will generally be substantially longer than the relaxation interval, thus rendering the combined relaxation time (i.e., sum of all intervals T R ) a relatively small fraction of the overall discontinuous charging interval (sum of all intervals T C  and all intervals T R ). In one embodiment, for example, T R  is less than 5% of T C  (or less than 1% of T C ), though higher or lower percentages may apply in alternative embodiments. Note that the discrete charging intervals need not be uniform and instead may vary in duration. Similarly, the relaxation intervals need not have uniform duration. 
         [0022]    Referring to  FIGS. 1B and 3 , during each discrete charging interval, T C , switch  160  is closed and a constant current I C  is delivered to the battery pack, thereby charging the battery pack and raising the battery pack voltage. At the end of a given discrete charging interval (or discrete charging period), switch  160  is opened and current stops flowing. Consequently, the battery voltage begins decreasing or “relaxing” down to the open circuit voltage (OCV) corresponding the SOC of the battery at that time. At the end of the relaxation interval, T R , the SOC of the battery may be determined and stored based on the post-interruption voltage measurement (V 2 ), and the voltage between the post-interruption voltage measurement and initial voltage measurement (i.e., reduction in voltage during the non-charging interval, which may be expressed as ΔV=V 2 −V 1 ) may be determined and stored. 
         [0023]    After one charging cycle completes the next charging cycle begins until the battery pack is fully charged or the charging process is aborted. As the charging process progresses, the state-of-charge (SOC) of the battery will increase, which may in turn change the ΔV measured at the end of each charging cycle. For example, the voltage delta for charging cycle 1 (ΔV 1 ) may differ from the voltage deltas for charging cycles 2 and 3 (i.e., ΔV 2  and ΔV 3 ). 
         [0024]      FIG. 4  shows multiple exemplary DCR tables  405 ,  415 ,  425  that may be generated and used to track changes in the DCR of a battery pack over time. Each table (three in this example, though there may be fewer or more DCR tables in other embodiments) stores the DCR values determined at specific battery pack SOC and temperature values at a particular point in time. In one embodiment, DCR values are loaded into one of the tables during the charging process just after the battery pack is manufactured (i.e. the battery pack is “new” and/or prior to sale of an electrically powered vehicle or other system containing the battery pack to an end-user) to provide the earliest possible reference information to determine the change in DCR over time. In this example, the table  405 ,  415  and  425  store DCR information determined on successive dates A, B and C respectively. In one embodiment, for example, the DCR determination circuitry may generate and store DCR information within a new DCR table every time the battery is charged. By contrast, in other embodiments, new tables may be created (and populated) only when changes in the DCR values exceed a threshold, thus reducing the amount of storage space in  126  required for the tables. Further embodiments may create a new table periodically (e.g. every week or every month) and/or overwrite tables (e.g., overwriting the oldest table when each new DCR table is generated so that a fixed number of tables remains available for metric generation). Note also that resistance values may be stored in any format that indicates the battery pack DCR. For example, any value or combination of values that indicate a ratio between a battery pack voltage reduction (ΔV) and charging current may be stored within the lookup table, including finalized resistance values or raw voltage and/or current measurements. Further, during a given charging operation, it may not be possible to determine DCR values for all combinations of battery pack SOC and temperature values (in this example, each table has 4 SOC values and 4 temperature values for a total of 16 DCR values). In that case, the missing DCR values may be determined using interpolation or other mathematical techniques. In other embodiments cooling systems or mechanisms may be engaged to adjust the battery pack temperature to a target value or range, potentially improving the accuracy of the DCR determinations. 
         [0025]    After sufficient data has been collected over several different charging operations, changes in DCR over time can be determined, for example, by comparing the DCR values obtained on different dates at the same SOC and temperature (i.e., the DCR values in the same table row/column of respective DCR tables corresponding to the same specific battery pack SOC and temperature). For example, DCR 2-4-A may be compared to DCR 2-4-B (arrow  410 ), and DCR 2-4-B may be compared to DCR 2-4-C (arrow  420 ). The change over time of these DCR values may be used to determine (or generate a value corresponding to) the state-of-health (SOH) of the battery and thus provide information regarding battery life and performance using a DCR/SOH lookup table or other mathematical or algorithmic technique. 
         [0026]    In the foregoing description and in the accompanying drawings, specific terminology and drawing symbols have been set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. In some instances, the terminology and symbols may imply specific details that are not required to practice the invention. For example, while disclosed embodiments refer primarily to rechargeable battery packs, the embodiments may be practiced with respect to virtually any rechargeable energy storage system in which the discontinuous charging approaches discussed above may be used to assess internal resistance or other system characteristics (e.g., capacitor-based energy storage systems). Also, the various techniques and embodiments relating to battery packs may additionally be applied/practiced with respect to unit batteries (i.e., a single cell, including a constituent cell of a battery module or pack, and/or a super cell) and battery modules. As another example, the term “coupled” is used herein to express a direct connection as well as a connection through one or more intervening circuits or structures. Device or system “programming” may include, for example and without limitation, loading a control value into a register, one-time programmable-circuit (e.g., blowing fuses within a configuration circuit during device production) or other storage circuit within an integrated circuit device of the host system (or host device) and thereby control an operational aspect of the host system or establish a host system configuration. The terms “exemplary” and “embodiment” are used to express an example, not a preference or requirement. Signal paths that appear as single conductors may include multiple conductors and vice-versa, and components shown as being included within or forming part of other components may instead be disposed separately from such other components. With regard to flow diagrams and the like, the order of operations may be different from those shown and, where practical, depicted operations may be omitted and/or further operations added. 
         [0027]    While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope. For example, features or aspects of any of the embodiments may be applied, at least where practicable, in combination with any other of the embodiments or in place of counterpart features or aspects thereof. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.