Patent Publication Number: US-2023148362-A1

Title: Apparatus for diagnosing battery and method thereof

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0154216, filed on Nov. 10, 2021, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE 
     Field of the Present Disclosure 
     The present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for diagnosing a battery, and more particularly, relates to an apparatus and method for diagnosing a battery of an electric vehicle or a hydrogen electric vehicle. 
     Description of Related art 
     Because a vehicle battery is a consumable part, it needs to be replaced. It is advisable to replace the battery before a battery life is exhausted and reaches a non-functional condition. However, it is not easy to predict the battery life or occurrence of defects of the battery because the battery life varies depending on various external factors. 
     The conventional method for diagnosing a battery mounted in a vehicle of an internal combustion engine type is mainly performed based on a change in a battery impedance or an open circuit voltage (OCV). 
     However, because a battery mounted in an electric vehicle or a hydrogen electric vehicle has a very different usage environment from a battery mounted in an internal combustion engine vehicle, the cause of the failure is different from that of the battery mounted in the internal combustion engine vehicle. Therefore, the accuracy is very low for diagnosing the lifespan or the possibility of failure of a battery mounted in an electric vehicle or a hydrogen electric vehicle using the conventional battery diagnostic method. 
     Accordingly, a new method for diagnosing a battery mounted in an electric vehicle or a hydrogen electric vehicle is being sought. 
     The information included in this Background of the present disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the present disclosure and may not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     Various aspects of the present disclosure are directed to providing an apparatus and method for diagnosing a battery which is difficult to diagnose by a method for diagnosing a battery of an internal combustion engine vehicle. 
     Another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is to provide an apparatus and method for diagnosing a battery configured for determining not only the life of the battery, but also a battery having a high probability of occurrence of a defect. 
     The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to the aforementioned problems, and any other technical problems not mentioned herein will be clearly understood from the following description by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a battery diagnostic apparatus includes storage, a battery state manager, and a battery diagnostic device. The storage contains battery state history data including periodic battery charge state information. The battery state manager stores the battery state history data in the storage and retrieves the stored battery state history data. The battery diagnostic device is configured to determine a usage pattern depth of discharge in a state of charge based on the battery state history data, and predicts a remaining life of a battery based on the battery state history data and the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery state manager may manage the battery state history data to include information on distribution ratios for each section of the state of charge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may determine a sum of the distribution ratios for each section of the state of charge, may determine state of charge sections in which the sum of the distribution ratios is equal to or greater than a threshold ratio as usage patterns, may select the largest state of charge among the usage patterns as a maximum state of charge, selects a smallest state of charge among the usage patterns as a minimum state of charge, and may determine a difference between the maximum state of charge and the minimum state of charge to obtain the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may predict the remaining life of the battery to be longer in proportion to a size of the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may predict the remaining life of the battery to be longer in proportion to a size of the minimum state of charge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may determine the remaining life of the battery based on Equation 1 below, 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     remaining 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     life 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     of 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     battery 
                     ⁢ 
                        
                     
                       ( 
                       % 
                       ) 
                     
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           
                             
                               
                                 Turn 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 of 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 
                                   number 
                                        
                                   [ 
                                   TON 
                                   ] 
                                 
                               
                               - 
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               total 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               discharge 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               amount 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               of 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               
                                 battery 
                                   
                                 / 
                               
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               battery 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               capacity 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                       
                         Turn 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         of 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         
                           number 
                                
                           [ 
                           TON 
                           ] 
                         
                       
                     
                     × 
                     100 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   
                     Equation 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     1 
                   
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may allow the battery to be discharged by driving an electric component receiving a voltage from the battery, may determine a discharge time for which the voltage of the battery reaches a threshold voltage due to the discharge of the battery, and may determine that as the discharge time is shorter, a possibility of battery failure is higher. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may allow the battery to be discharged by driving the electric component in a state in which an operation of a low voltage DC-DC converter reducing a high voltage and providing a voltage to the battery is stopped. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may allow the battery to be discharged by driving the electric component based on the state of charge of the battery of 50% or more than 50%. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device may notify a user of a recommendation to replace the battery based on a fact that the discharge time is less than a threshold time. 
     According to an aspect of the present disclosure, a battery diagnostic method includes retrieving battery state history data including periodic battery charge state information, determining a usage pattern depth of discharge of a state of charge based on the battery state history data, and predicting a remaining life of a battery based on the battery state history data and the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the retrieving of the battery state history data may include extracting distribution ratios of the state of charge for each section from the battery state history data. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining of the usage pattern depth of discharge may include determining a sum of the distribution ratios for each section of the state of charge, determining state of charge sections in which the sum of the distribution ratios is equal to or greater than a threshold ratio as usage patterns, selecting the largest state of charge among the usage patterns as a maximum state of charge, selecting a smallest state of charge among the usage patterns as a minimum state of charge, and determining a difference between the maximum state of charge and the minimum state of charge to obtain the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the predicting of the remaining life of the battery may include predicting the remaining life of the battery to be longer in proportion to a size of the usage pattern depth of discharge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the predicting of the remaining life of the battery may include predicting the remaining life of the battery to be longer in proportion to a size of the minimum state of charge. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the predicting of the remaining life of the battery includes determining the remaining life of the battery based on Equation 1 below, 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     remaining 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     life 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     of 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     battery 
                     ⁢ 
                        
                     
                       ( 
                       % 
                       ) 
                     
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           
                             
                               
                                 Turn 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 of 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 
                                   number 
                                        
                                   [ 
                                   TON 
                                   ] 
                                 
                               
                               - 
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               total 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               discharge 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               amount 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               of 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               
                                 battery 
                                   
                                 / 
                               
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               battery 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               capacity 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                       
                         Turn 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         of 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         
                           number 
                                
                           [ 
                           TON 
                           ] 
                         
                       
                     
                     × 
                     100 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   
                     Equation 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     1 
                   
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic method may further include, after the predicting of the remaining life of the battery, 
     allowing the battery to be discharged by driving an electric component receiving a voltage from the battery, determining a discharge time for which the voltage of the battery reaches a threshold voltage due to the discharge of the battery, and determining that as the discharge time is shorter, a possibility of battery failure is higher. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the allowing of the battery to be discharged by driving the electric component may further include stopping an operation of an LDC that reduces a high voltage and provides a voltage to the battery. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the allowing of the battery to be discharged by driving the electric component may be performed based on confirming that the state of charge of the battery is 50% or more than 50%. 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic method may further include notifying a user of a recommendation to replace the battery based on a fact that the discharge time is less than a threshold time. 
     The methods and apparatuses of the present disclosure have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or are set forth in more detail in the accompanying drawings, which are incorporated herein, and the following Detailed Description, which together serve to explain certain principles of the present disclosure. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG.  1    is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electric vehicle including a battery diagnostic apparatus of an electric vehicle, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  2    is a flowchart for describing a battery diagnostic method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  3    is a flowchart for describing an exemplary embodiment of determining a usage pattern depth of discharge according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; 
         FIG.  4    is a flowchart for describing an exemplary embodiment of predicting a remaining life of a battery; 
         FIG.  5    is a diagram illustrating experimental results of turn of number of battery obtained depending on an SOC; 
         FIG.  6    is a flowchart for describing a method of determining a battery discharge characteristic; 
         FIG.  7    is a diagram for describing a degree of voltage drop when a battery is discharged according to a degree of aging of a battery; 
         FIG.  8    is a flowchart for describing a battery diagnostic management method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and 
         FIG.  9    is a diagram illustrating a computing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     
    
    
     It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the present disclosure. The specific design features of the present disclosure as disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment. 
     In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent parts of the present disclosure throughout the several figures of the drawing. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present disclosure(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present disclosure(s) to those exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. On the other hand, the present disclosure(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims. 
     Hereinafter, various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In adding the reference numerals to the components of each drawing, it should be noted that the identical or equivalent component is designated by the identical numeral even when they are displayed on other drawings. Furthermore, in describing the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a detailed description of the related known configuration or function will be omitted when it is determined that it interferes with the understanding of the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     In describing the components of the exemplary embodiment according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), and the like may be used. These terms are merely intended to distinguish the components from other components, and the terms do not limit the nature, order or sequence of the components. Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as including a meaning which is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein. 
     Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to  FIG.  1   ,  FIG.  2   ,  FIG.  3   ,  FIG.  4   ,  FIG.  5   ,  FIG.  6   ,  FIG.  7   ,  FIG.  8    and  FIG.  9   . 
       FIG.  1    is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of an electric vehicle including a battery diagnostic apparatus of an electric vehicle, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  1   , an electric vehicle including a battery diagnostic apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include an on-board charger  10 , a high voltage source  20 , an inverter  30 , a motor  40 , and a low voltage DC-DC converter  50 , a load  60 , the low voltage battery  90 , and a battery diagnostic apparatus  100 . 
     The on-board charger (hereinafter referred to as OBC)  10  may boost AC power from an external power source and may convert it into direct current power DC. 
     The high voltage source  20  is charged by the OBC  10 , and may provide power for driving the motor  40 . 
     The inverter  30  may convert a DC voltage provided from the high voltage source  20  into an AC voltage, and may provide the converted AC voltage to the motor  40 . 
     The low voltage DC-DC converter (LDC)  50  may charge the low voltage battery  90  by reducing the high voltage provided from the high voltage source  20 . Furthermore, the low-voltage DC-DC converter  50  may provide a voltage for driving the loads  60  for the vehicle. 
     The loads  60  refer to a use of an electric component for the vehicle, and the exemplary embodiment of the present specification will be mainly described with reference to an exemplary embodiment in which the electric component of the vehicle utilizes 12V and a maximum charging voltage of the low voltage DC-DC converter  50  is 12V. 
     The low voltage battery  90  may provide power to electronic devices that are driven at 12V in the vehicle. Hereinafter, a battery referred to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure refers to the low voltage battery  90 . 
     The battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may predict the remaining life of the battery based on battery state history data. Also, the battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may diagnose the possibility of a battery failure based on the battery state history data. To the present end, the battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may include a battery state manager  110 , a battery diagnostic device  120 , and storage  130 . 
     The battery state manager  110  may include a detector that measures battery information such as a voltage, a current, an internal resistance, and a state of charge (SOC) value of the battery  90 . The battery state manager  110  may store the distribution of the SOC in the storage  130  in units of a preset period. That is, the battery state manager  110  may store the SOC distribution rate for each section in units of the preset period in the storage  130 , and the information stored in the storage  130  may be referred to as the battery state history data. Also, the battery state manager  110  may retrieve the battery state history data stored in the storage  130 . 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining life of the battery  90  based on the battery state history data. To the present end, the battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may determine the depth of discharge for each section of the state of charge, based on the battery state history data. Furthermore, the battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may predict the remaining life of the battery  90  based on the battery state history data and the depth of discharge for each section. 
     Also, after operation of predicting the remaining life the battery, the battery diagnostic device  120  may diagnose the possibility that the battery  90  may be defective. To the present end, the battery diagnostic device  120  may discharge the battery  90  and determine a discharge time until the voltage of the battery  90  reaches a threshold voltage. Furthermore, the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine that as the discharge time is shorter, there is a high probability that a failure of the battery  90  will occur, and may recommend replacing the battery  90  based on the fact that the discharge time is less than a threshold time. 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may be a separate component, or may be included in the processor  1100  illustrated in  FIG.  9    to be described later. 
       FIG.  2    is a flowchart illustrating a battery diagnostic method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  2   , a battery diagnostic method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described as follows. 
     In a first step (S 210 ), the battery state manager  110  may retrieve the battery state history data stored in the storage  130 . [Table 1] and [Table 2] below are tables illustrating examples of the battery state history data provided in different vehicles. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 1 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Holding time for each SOC section (0.5 minutes) 
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 INDEX 
                 ~30% 
                 31~40% 
                 41~50% 
                 51~60% 
                 61~70% 
                 71~80% 
                 81~90% 
                 91~100% 
                   
               
               
                 (60 days) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 Total 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 1 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 47 
                 3946 
                 119038 
                 46524 
                 376 
                 169931 
               
               
                 2 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 96968 
                 112966 
                 14 
                 169948 
               
               
                 3 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 22618 
                 131070 
                 4514 
                 158202 
               
               
                 4 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 22876 
                 131070 
                 1320 
                 155266 
               
               
                 5 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 51842 
                 118126 
                 0 
                 169968 
               
               
                 6 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 2 
                 120798 
                 49176 
                 0 
                 169976 
               
               
                 Total 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 47 
                 3948 
                 384140 
                 588932 
                 6224 
                 993291 
               
               
                 Ratio 
                 0% 
                 0% 
                 0% 
                 0.0% 
                 0.4% 
                 39.7% 
                 59.3% 
                 0.6% 
                 100% 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     
       
         
           
               
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 2 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 Holding time for each SOC section (0.5 minutes) 
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 INDEX 
                 ~30% 
                 31~40% 
                 41~50% 
                 51~60% 
                 61~70% 
                 71~80% 
                 81~90% 
                 91~100% 
                   
               
               
                 (60 days) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 (minute) 
                 Total 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 1 
                 38 
                 2696 
                 25902 
                 15844 
                 34838 
                 44086 
                 19158 
                 11482 
                 154044 
               
               
                 2 
                 0 
                 0 
                 5386 
                 3576 
                 31158 
                 101602 
                 24614 
                 0 
                 166336 
               
               
                 3 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 50 
                 28204 
                 95944 
                 38820 
                 6862 
                 169880 
               
               
                 4 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 3602 
                 93616 
                 71844 
                 776 
                 169838 
               
               
                 5 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 8453 
                 32994 
                 92694 
                 27384 
                 0 
                 161525 
               
               
                 6 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 59486 
                 99476 
                 10996 
                 0 
                 169958 
               
               
                 Total 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 0 
                 3264 
                 102602 
                 63212 
                 128 
                 991581 
               
               
                 Ratio 
                 0.0% 
                 0.3% 
                 3.2% 
                 2.8% 
                 19.2% 
                 53.2% 
                 19.4% 
                 1.9% 
                 100% 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Referring to [Table 1] and [Table 2], the battery state history data may include retention time information for each SOC section for each index. 
     The index may be a unit for storing retention time information for each SOC section, and may be counted, for example, in units of 60 days. 
     The retention time for each section may be set in units of 30 seconds, and when the index is 60, the sum of the retention times may be 60×24×60×2=172,800. However, due to a sensing error of the SOC value or an error occurring in a process of storing the SOC value in the storage  130 , the sum of the retention times stored in each index may be 172,800 or less. 
     The SOC may be measured in units of 1% and may be divided into a plurality of preset sections. For example, an SOC value of 31% or more may be divided into sections in units of 10%, and an SOC value of 30% or less may be set as one section. 
     In a second step (S 220 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the usage pattern depth of discharge based on the battery state history data provided from the battery state manager  110 . 
     The use pattern depth of discharge may be determined based on the distribution ratio. 
       FIG.  3    is a flowchart for describing an exemplary embodiment of determining a usage pattern depth of discharge according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  3   , the battery diagnostic device  120  may sum the distribution ratios of SOC for each section (S 310 ). For example, as illustrated in [Table 1], the distribution ratio of the SOC 61 to 70% section may correspond to 3946 in index 1, may correspond to 0 in index 2 to index 5, and may correspond to 2 in index 6. Accordingly, the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the 61 to 70% section may be determined as 3948, and the percentage for 993291, which is the total index, may be determined as 0.4%. As in the above description, the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the 71 to 80% section may be determined as 39.7%, and the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the 81 to 90% section may be determined as 59.3%. 
     In the case of battery history data for examples described in [Table 2], the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the 61 to 70% section may be determined as 19.2%, and the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the 71 to 80% section may be determined as 53.2%, and the sum of the SOC distribution ratios for the section 81 to 90% may be determined as 19.4%. 
     Next, the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the SOC section in which the sum of the distribution ratios is equal to or greater than the threshold ratio as the usage pattern (S 320 ). When the threshold ratio is set to 5%, the usage pattern in the cases described in [Table 1] may include a 71 to 80% SOC section and an 81 to 90% SOC section. Alternatively, the usage pattern in the cases described in [Table 2] may include a 61 to 70% SOC section, a 71 to 80% section, and an 81 to 90% SOC section. 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may select the maximum SOC from among the usage patterns (S 330 ). For example, in the cases described in [Table 1], the maximum SOC may be 90%, and in the cases described in [Table 2], the maximum SOC may be 90%. 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may select the minimum SOC from among the usage patterns (S 340 ). For example, in the cases described in [Table 1], the minimum SOC may be 71%, and in the cases described in [Table 2], the minimum SOC may be 61%. 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the difference between the maximum SOC and the minimum SOC to obtain the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p (S 350 ). For example, in the cases illustrated in [Table 1], the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p may be determined as 19, and in the cases illustrated in [Table 2], the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p may be determined as 29. 
     In the third step S 330 , the battery diagnostic apparatus  100  may predict the remaining life of the battery  90  based on the battery state history data and the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p. 
       FIG.  4    is a flowchart for describing an exemplary embodiment of predicting a remaining life of a battery. 
     Referring to  FIG.  4   , the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine a turn of number (TON) of the battery based on the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p and the minimum SOC (S 410 ). The turn of number (TON) of the battery may be obtained through a lookup table matching the usage pattern depth of discharge (DoD_p) and the minimum SOC as illustrated in [Table 3] below. As illustrated in  FIG.  5   , the lookup table of [Table 3] may be preset based on the test result of the turn of number (TON) of the battery obtained according to the SOC. 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
                 TABLE 3 
               
             
            
               
                   
                   
               
               
                   
                 DOD_p 
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 Index 
                 5% 
                 10% 
                 17.5% 
                 30% 
                 50% 
                 70% 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
           
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
               
            
               
                 minimum 
                 80% 
                 130 TON  
                 100 TON  
                 70 TON 
                 40 TON 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                 SOC 
                 70% 
                 90 TON 
                 70 TON 
                 52 TON 
                 30 TON 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 50% 
                 50 TON 
                 40 TON 
                 15 TON 
                  5 TON 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 30% 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
                 10% 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
                 . . . 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     Referring to  FIG.  5    and [Table 3], it may be seen that the turn of number (TON) of the battery decreases in proportion to the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p. A low value of the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p may mean that charging is frequently performed in a state in which voltage consumption of the battery  90  is not large. That is, when charging and discharging are performed the same number of times, a low value of the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p may mean that the total discharge amount is smaller. Accordingly, the turn of number (TON) of the battery may be largely determined in inverse proportion to the size of the usage pattern depth of discharge DoD_p. 
     Furthermore, it may be seen that the turn of number (TON) of the battery increases in proportion to the minimum SOC. As the size of the minimum SOC is large, it may mean that the maximum amount of charge is used in a large charged state, and the performance of the battery is maintained well. Accordingly, the turn of number (TON) of the battery may be largely determined in proportion to the size of the minimum SOC. 
     The battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining battery life based on the turn of number of the battery, the battery discharge amount, and the battery capacity (S 420 ). 
     In an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining battery life to be longer in proportion to the turn of number (TON) of the battery. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining battery life to be long in proportion to the size of the minimum SOC. The minimum SOC may be the SOC value of the smallest size among the usage patterns obtained based on step S 340  of  FIG.  3   . 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining battery life to be long in inverse proportion to the total discharge amount of the battery. The total discharge amount of the battery may be information stored in the storage  130  by the battery state manager  110 . The total discharge amount of the battery may be a value obtained by accumulating the amount of current discharged due to the use of the battery because the first use of the battery. 
     In another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device  120  may predict the remaining battery life to be long in inverse proportion to the battery capacity. The battery capacity is the amount of battery charge in the maximum charging state, and may be a value stored in the storage  130  by the battery state manager  110 . 
     As another exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the remaining battery life based on the following [Equation 1], 
     
       
         
           
             
               
                 
                   
                     remaining 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     life 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     of 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     battery 
                     ⁢ 
                        
                     
                       ( 
                       % 
                       ) 
                     
                   
                   = 
                   
                     
                       
                         
                           
                             
                               
                                 Turn 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 of 
                                 ⁢ 
                                     
                                 
                                   number 
                                        
                                   [ 
                                   TON 
                                   ] 
                                 
                               
                               - 
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               total 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               discharge 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               amount 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               of 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               
                                 battery 
                                   
                                 / 
                               
                             
                           
                         
                         
                           
                             
                               battery 
                               ⁢ 
                                   
                               capacity 
                             
                           
                         
                       
                       
                         Turn 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         of 
                         ⁢ 
                             
                         
                           number 
                                
                           [ 
                           TON 
                           ] 
                         
                       
                     
                     × 
                     100 
                   
                 
               
               
                 
                   [ 
                   
                     Equation 
                     ⁢ 
                         
                     1 
                   
                   ] 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     That is, the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the remaining battery life based on Equation 1 in consideration of the turn of number (TON) of the battery, the battery capacity, and the total battery discharge amount. The battery diagnostic device  120  may determine the remaining battery life in a percentage method. The remaining life of ‘a’ (‘a’ is a number less than or equal to 100) % may refer to an expected lifespan that a period of ‘a’ % may be used compared to the remaining life of the initial battery. 
     The battery diagnostic apparatus  100  according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may determine the possibility of occurrence of a battery failure in addition to the remaining battery life. The step of determining the possibility of a battery failure is to determine a possibility of a battery failure occurring according to the degree of a voltage drop in a process of discharging the battery. Hereinafter, a battery discharge characteristic and a method of determining the possibility of occurrence of a battery failure based on the battery discharge characteristic will be referred to as follows. 
       FIG.  6    is a flowchart for describing a method of determining a battery discharge characteristic. The procedure for determining the battery discharge characteristic may correspond to a condition for determining the battery failure illustrated in  FIG.  8   , which will be described later. 
     Referring to  FIG.  6   , to determine the battery discharge characteristic, the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine whether the battery charge rate is equal to or greater than a threshold charge rate (S 610 ). The threshold charge rate may be set within a range in which the battery may stably operate even when the battery is discharged for a certain period in a subsequent procedure. For example, the threshold charge rate may be set within 50%. 
     Based on that the battery charge rate is equal to or greater than the threshold charge rate, the battery diagnostic device  120  may drive the load  60  for inducing a discharge current (S 620 ). To identify the battery discharge characteristics within a short time, the battery diagnostic device  120  may drive the load  60  driven by use of a high current. For example, the battery diagnostic device  120  may drive a blower motor of the air conditioning system to induce a discharge current of about 22.5 A. 
     After driving the load  60 , the battery diagnostic device  120  may measure the battery voltage and determine whether the battery voltage is equal to or less than the threshold voltage (S 630 ). 
     When the battery voltage is equal to or less than the threshold voltage, the battery diagnostic device  120  may measure the time at which the battery voltage reaches the threshold voltage (S 640 ). 
     When the battery voltage does not drop below the threshold voltage, the battery diagnostic device  120  may measure the final battery voltage and may notify the measured voltage (S 660 ). Maintaining a state in which the battery voltage exceeds the threshold voltage in a state in which the discharge current is induced is not a state of concern for the battery, so that the battery voltage due to discharge may be measured and managed. 
     In step S 610 , when the battery charge rate is less than the threshold charge rate, the battery diagnostic device  120  may inform the battery charging (S 650 ). That is, the battery diagnostic device  120  may not proceed with determining the battery discharge characteristics until the battery is charged. 
       FIG.  7    is a diagram for describing a degree of voltage drop when a battery is discharged according to a degree of aging of a battery. The experiment illustrated in  FIG.  7    illustrates that the voltage of the battery is measured while discharging the battery by driving a device connected to the battery. That is,  FIG.  7    is a diagram for describing the characteristics of the battery being discharged by the step S 620  of  FIG.  6   . 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , discharge characteristics of a battery A, a battery B, a battery C, and a battery D are illustrated. The experimental results are illustrated based on the aging state in an order of the battery A, the battery B, the battery C, and the battery D. 
     Referring to  FIG.  7   , it may be seen that as the batteries age, a large voltage drop tends to occur during the same time period during the discharging process. In detail, it may be seen that a voltage drop rapidly occurs in a battery with a high degree of aging such as the battery A within a short time. In a battery with a high degree of aging, such as battery A, when the load  60  consuming a large amount of current is used, the battery voltage may be sharply lowered to cause an operation error of the loads  60 . A battery diagnostic management method, which will be described later, may include a procedure of detecting a battery with a high degree of aging, such as the battery A, and determining the possibility of occurrence of a defect. 
       FIG.  8    is a flowchart for describing a battery diagnostic management method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  8   , the battery diagnostic management method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be referred to as follows. 
     In a first step (S 810 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may determine whether the battery charge rate is equal to or greater than a threshold charge rate. The first step (S 810 ) may be the same procedure as that of step S 610  illustrated in  FIG.  6   . 
     In the second step (S 820 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may drive the load  60  for inducing a discharge current based on that the battery charge rate is equal to or greater than the threshold charge rate. A second step (S 820 ) may be the same procedure as that of step S 620  illustrated in  FIG.  6   . 
     In a third step (S 830 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may count the time at which the battery voltage reaches the threshold voltage, and may determine whether the time at which the battery voltage reaches the threshold voltage is less than a threshold time. The threshold voltage may be the same voltage as the threshold voltage illustrated in  FIG.  6   . The threshold time may be determined based on the battery voltage drop due to the discharge current as illustrated in  FIG.  7   . The threshold time is for classifying a battery that needs to be replaced within a short time period due to severe aging, and may be set to, for example, 30 (s). 
     In a fourth step (S 840 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may provide a battery replacement guide based on the fact that the time to reach the threshold voltage is less than the threshold time. Accordingly, the battery A with a high degree of aging in  FIG.  7    may be a target of battery replacement guidance through the fourth step (S 840 ). 
     Based on that the time to reach the threshold voltage is equal to or greater than the threshold time, in a fifth step (S 850 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may identify the remaining battery life and determine whether the remaining battery life is equal to or greater than a first threshold value. The remaining life of the fifth step (S 850 ) may be obtained through the procedures of S 210  to S 230  illustrated in  FIG.  2   . The first threshold value is a criterion for determining the degree to which the remaining life of the battery is stable, and may be set to, for example, 50%. 
     Based on that the remaining battery life is equal to or greater than the first threshold, in a sixth step (S 860 ), the battery diagnostic device  120  may inform the remaining battery life. 
     Also, based on the fact that the remaining battery life is equal to or greater than a second threshold value in a seventh step (S 870 ) and an eighth step (S 880 ), the battery check may be guided. The second threshold value is the remaining life which may cause defects, and may be set to, for example, 20%. Accordingly, the procedure of guiding the battery check in the eighth step (S 880 ) may be a step of guiding information that the battery remaining life is not long enough although the occurrence of a defect is not a concern. 
     In the seventh step (S 870 ), when it is determined that the remaining battery life is less than the second threshold value, the battery replacement may be guided through the step S 840 . That is, in the seventh step (S 870 ), the possibility of occurrence of a battery failure may be determined based on the remaining battery life. 
       FIG.  9    is a diagram illustrating a computing system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 
     Referring to  FIG.  9   , a computing system  1000  may include at least one processor  1100 , a memory  1300 , a user interface input device  1400 , a user interface output device  1500 , a storage  1600 , and a network interface  1700 , which are connected to each other via a bus  1200 . 
     The processor  1100  may be a central processing unit (CPU) or a semiconductor device that processes instructions stored in the memory  1300  and/or the storage  1600 . Each of the memory  1300  and the storage  1600  may include various types of volatile or nonvolatile storage media. For example, the memory  1300  may include a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM). 
     Accordingly, the operations of the method or algorithm described in connection with the exemplary embodiments included in the specification may be directly implemented with a hardware module, a software module, or a combination of the hardware module and the software module, which is executed by the processor  1100 . The software module may reside on a storage medium (i.e., the memory  1300  and/or the storage  1600 ) such as a random access memory (RAM), a flash memory, a read only memory (ROM), an erasable and programmable ROM (EPROM), an electrically EPROM (EEPROM), a register, a hard disk drive, a removable disc, or a compact disc-ROM (CD-ROM). 
     The storage medium may be coupled to the processor  1100 . The processor  1100  may read out information from the storage medium and may write information in the storage medium. Alternatively, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor  1100 . The processor and storage medium may be implemented with an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The ASIC may be provided in a user terminal. Alternatively, the processor and storage medium may be implemented with separate components in the user terminal. 
     According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, by use of a method different from the conventional method for diagnosing a battery for an internal combustion engine vehicle, it is possible to effectively diagnose a vehicle battery whose battery characteristics are changed due to frequent charging and discharging. 
     Furthermore, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, because the battery is diagnosed based on the battery usage pattern, it is possible to effectively diagnose a battery including a defect due to the usage pattern, such as a battery of an electric vehicle or a hydrogen electric vehicle. 
     Furthermore, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, it is possible to warn of a risk of a battery having a high probability of occurrence of a defect as well as the expected life of the battery. 
     Furthermore, various effects directly or indirectly identified through the present specification may be provided. 
     The above description is merely illustrative of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. 
     For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms “upper”, “lower”, “inner”, “outer”, “up”, “down”, “upwards”, “downwards”, “front”, “rear”, “back”, “inside”, “outside”, “inwardly”, “outwardly”, “interior”, “exterior”, “internal”, “external”, “forwards”, and “backwards” are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term “connect” or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection. 
     The foregoing descriptions of predetermined exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described to explain certain principles of the present disclosure and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.