Patent Description:
Meanwhile, since the capacity of the battery gradually decreases as the battery is repeatedly charged and discharged, there is a risk that an unexpected accident may occur due to the decrease of capacity of the battery. Therefore, various studies are being conducted to estimate the lifetime or DOD of the battery.

Conventionally, a battery life estimation method or apparatus for estimating the remaining life of a battery by estimating the state of charge (SOH) of the battery has been disclosed (Patent Literature <NUM>).

However, in Patent Literature <NUM>, since the SOH of the battery is estimated by measuring the amount of voltage increase when the battery is charged and the remaining life of the battery is calculated from the estimated SOH using a statistical technique (e.g., a particle filter), there is a problem that a considerable amount of time is taken to diagnose the remaining life or DOD.

Further prior art is described in <CIT>, <CIT>, <CIT>, and <CIT>.

The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and therefore the present disclosure is directed to providing a battery DOD diagnosing apparatus and method, which may quickly and accurately diagnose a DOD of a battery cell based on a measured voltage of the battery cell.

In one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a battery DOD (Degree Of Degradation) diagnosing apparatus, comprising: a measuring unit configured to measure a voltage of each of a plurality of battery cells in each of a plurality of cycles in which charging and discharging are performed, and output a plurality of voltage information for the plurality of measured voltages; and a control unit configured to receive the plurality of voltage information, calculate a voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell based on a reference voltage measured in an initial cycle of each of the plurality of battery cells, and diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells based on a voltage sum value according to the plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells.

The measuring unit may be configured to measure a voltage at a measurement point when a predetermined time passes after the discharging of the plurality of battery cells is terminated.

The control unit may be configured to set a voltage measured in the initial cycle of each battery cell as the reference voltage and calculate the voltage deviation by calculating a difference between a cell voltage of each battery cell measured in each cycle and the reference voltage.

The control unit may be configured to diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells by comparing the voltage sum value calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells with each other.

The control unit may be configured to diagnose that a battery DOD is greater as the voltage sum value is greater.

The control unit may be configured to divide the plurality of cycles into a plurality of unit sections, calculate a unit sum value for each of the plurality of divided unit sections based on at least one voltage deviation calculated corresponding to a cycle belonging to each of the plurality of divided unit sections, and diagnose a relative DOD in each of the plurality of unit sections for the plurality of battery cells based on a comparison result of unit sum values calculated corresponding to the same unit section.

The control unit may be configured to select a target cell among the plurality of battery cells, calculate a unit sum value corresponding to the target cell in each of the plurality of unit sections, and diagnose whether the degradation of the target cell is accelerated by comparing the plurality of calculated unit sum values corresponding to the target cell with each other.

The control unit may be configured to diagnose that the degradation of the target cell is accelerated, when the unit sum value increases as the cycle proceeds.

A battery pack according to another aspect of the present disclosure may comprise the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus according to an aspect of the present disclosure.

A battery DOD diagnosing method according to still another aspect of the present disclosure may comprise a voltage measuring step of measuring a voltage of each of a plurality of battery cells in each of a plurality of cycles in which charging and discharging is performed; a voltage deviation calculating step of calculating a voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell based on a reference voltage measured in an initial cycle of each of the plurality of battery cells; a voltage sum value calculating step of calculating a voltage sum value according to the plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells; and a DOD diagnosing step of diagnosing a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells based on the voltage sum value calculated in the voltage sum value calculating step.

According to an aspect of the present disclosure, since the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells may be diagnosed based on the measured voltage value, the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells may be accurately and quickly diagnosed.

In addition, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, even if the SOH of the battery is not estimated, there is an advantage in that the performance of a plurality of battery cells may be comparatively diagnosed within a short time.

In addition, according to an aspect of the present disclosure, since information necessary for estimating the cause of degradation of the battery cell is provided, there is an advantage of helping a user when determine the replacement timing of the battery cell or the charging and discharging condition of the battery cell.

Furthermore, 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.

<FIG> is a diagram schematically showing a battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram schematically showing a battery pack <NUM> including the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram showing an exemplary configuration of the battery pack <NUM> including the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the battery pack <NUM> may include a battery module <NUM> and a battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM>.

Here, at least one battery cell may be connected in series and/or in parallel in the battery module <NUM>. In addition, the battery cell refers to one independent cell that has a negative electrode terminal and a positive electrode terminal and is physically separable. For example, one pouch-type lithium polymer cell may be regarded as the battery cell. Hereinafter, as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, it will be described that the battery module <NUM> includes a first battery cell B1, a second battery cell B2, a third battery cell B3, and a fourth battery cell B4. However, it should be noted that at least one battery cell may be provided in the battery module <NUM>, and there is no limit to the number of provided battery cells.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> may include a measuring unit <NUM> and a control unit <NUM>.

The measuring unit <NUM> may be configured to measure a voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in each of a plurality of cycles in which discharging and charging are performed.

Specifically, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of at least one of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the measuring unit <NUM> may be connected to the battery module <NUM> through a first sensing line SL1, a second sensing line SL2, a third sensing line SL3, a fourth sensing line SL4, and a fifth sensing line SL5. In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of the first battery cell B1 through the first sensing line SL1 and the second sensing line SL2. In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of the second battery cell B2 through the second sensing line SL2 and the third sensing line SL3. In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of the third battery cell B3 through the third sensing line SL3 and the fourth sensing line SL4. In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of the fourth battery cell B4 through the fourth sensing line SL4 and the fifth sensing line SL5.

In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in every cycle.

For example, it is assumed that charging and discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 are performed for a total of <NUM> cycles. The measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in each of a <NUM>st cycle to a <NUM>th cycle.

In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may be configured to output a plurality of voltage information for a plurality of measured voltages.

The measuring unit <NUM> may convert the voltage of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured using a plurality of sensing lines SL1 to SL5 into a digital signal. In addition, the measuring unit <NUM> may output the measured voltage information by outputting the converted digital signal.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to receive the plurality of voltage information.

That is, the control unit <NUM> may obtain voltage information on the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured by the measuring unit <NUM> by reading the digital signal received from the measuring unit <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the measuring unit <NUM> and the control unit <NUM> may be connected to each other through a wired line. That is, the measuring unit <NUM> and the control unit <NUM> may be configured to transmit and receive signals to and from each other through a wired line.

For example, it is assumed that the measuring unit <NUM> transmits voltage information of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured in each of the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle to the control unit <NUM>. In this case, the control unit <NUM> may obtain all of the voltage information in the <NUM>st cycle to the voltage information in the <NUM>th cycle for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to calculate a voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell based on a reference voltage measured in an initial cycle of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

Specifically, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell using the following equation.

Here, ΔV is a calculated voltage deviation [mV], Vn is a voltage [mV] measured in the nth cycle, Vref is a reference voltage [mV] measured in a reference cycle, and n is a positive integer.

For example, if the reference cycle is the <NUM>st cycle, Vref may be a voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle. That is, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage deviation (ΔV) between the reference voltage (Vref) measured in the <NUM>st cycle and the voltage (Vn) measured in the nth cycle, based on the voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle. In this case, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose a DOD (Degree Of Degradation) of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in the <NUM>st cycle to the nth cycle.

As another example, if the reference cycle is the <NUM>st cycle, Vref may be a voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle. That is, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage deviation (ΔV) between the reference voltage (Vref) measured in the <NUM>st cycle and the voltage (Vn) measured in the nth cycle, based on the voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle. In this case, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in the <NUM>st cycle to nth cycle.

Hereinafter, in the embodiment of <FIG>, an example of the voltage deviation calculated by the control unit <NUM> for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 will be described with reference to <FIG>.

<FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation [mV] calculated for a first battery cell B1 by the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation [mV] calculated for a second battery cell B2 by the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation [mV] calculated for a third battery cell B3 by the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation [mV] calculated for a fourth battery cell B4 by the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Specifically, <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation of the first battery cell B1 calculated in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation of the second battery cell B2 calculated in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation of the third battery cell B3 calculated in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. <FIG> is a diagram showing a voltage deviation of the fourth battery cell B4 calculated in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle.

Referring to <FIG>, the voltage deviation may be calculated as <NUM>, positive or negative according to the voltage of the battery cell measured in the nth cycle. Preferably, in the embodiments of <FIG>, the reference cycle may be <NUM>st cycle. That is, when calculating the voltage deviation, since the voltage of the battery cell measured in the reference cycle is used as a reference, the voltage deviation in the <NUM>st cycle may be equal to <NUM> in <FIG>.

In addition, the reference voltage (e.g., the voltage of the battery cell measured in the <NUM>st cycle) serving as a reference may be measured differently for the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. That is, the reference voltages may be set differently according to the DODs of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 based on a voltage sum value according to a plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

First, the control unit <NUM> may sum up a plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. That is, the voltage sum value may be a sum of the plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

For example, in the embodiments of <FIG>, it is assumed that the control unit <NUM> sums up the voltage deviations from the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. The voltage sum value of the first battery cell B1 may be <NUM> [mV], the voltage sum value of the second battery cell B2 may be -<NUM> [mV], the voltage sum value of the third battery cell B3 may be -<NUM> [mV], and the voltage sum value of the fourth battery cell B4 may be -<NUM> [mV].

The control unit <NUM> may diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 by comparing the voltage sum values calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

Specifically, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that degeneration has progressed less as the voltage sum value is smaller, and may diagnose that degeneration has progressed further as the voltage sum value is greater.

For example, as in the former embodiment, it is assumed that the voltage sum value of the first battery cell B1 is <NUM> [mV], the voltage sum value of the second battery cell B2 is -<NUM> [mV], the voltage sum value of the third battery cell B3 is -<NUM> [mV] and the voltage sum value of the fourth battery cell B4 is -<NUM> [mV]. The control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the relative DOD of the first battery cell B1 having the greatest voltage sum value is highest, and that the relative DOD of the fourth battery cell B4 having the smallest voltage sum value is lowest. Preferably, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the first battery cell B1 is more degraded than the second battery cell B2, the third battery cell B3 and the fourth battery cell B4 in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle.

<FIG> is a diagram showing a cycle retention for a plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. Specifically, <FIG> is a diagram illustrating a change of capacity of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 as the charging and discharging cycle proceeds. Here, the cycle retention may correspond to a state of health (SOH) estimated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

Referring to <FIG>, it may be found that the capacity of the first battery cell B1 decreases most as the cycle proceeds from the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. In addition, it may be found that the capacity of the fourth battery cell B4 decreases smallest. However, the SOH of the battery cell shown in <FIG> cannot be measured directly, and is a value estimated based on battery state information such as current and/or voltage of the battery cell. That is, since the SOH of the battery cell is estimated by integrating the charging and/or discharging current of the battery cell or considering the change in internal resistance of the battery cell, there is a problem that a lot of time and system resources are required for the estimation.

Meanwhile, since the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 based on the measured voltage value, there is an advantage in that the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 may be diagnosed accurately and quickly.

That is, since the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> may diagnose the relative DOD between the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 without estimating the SOH of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4, there is an advantage in that the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 may be diagnosed accurately and quickly even in a situation where the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 must be diagnosed within a short time.

Meanwhile, the control unit <NUM> provided to the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> may selectively include processors known in the art, application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, communication modems, data processing devices, and the like to execute various control logic performed in the present disclosure. Also, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control unit <NUM> may be implemented as a set of program modules. At this time, the program module may be stored in a memory and executed by the control unit <NUM>. The memory may be located inside or out of the control unit <NUM> and may be connected to the control unit <NUM> by various well-known means.

In addition, referring to <FIG>, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> may further include a storage unit <NUM>. The storage unit <NUM> may store programs, data and the like required for the control unit <NUM> to diagnose the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. That is, the storage unit <NUM> may store data necessary for operation and function of each component of the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM>, data generated in the process of performing the operation or function, or the like.

For example, the storage unit <NUM> may store voltage information of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured in each cycle.

In addition, the storage unit <NUM> is not particularly limited in its kind as long as it is a known information storage means that can record, erase, update and read data. As an example, the information storage means may include RAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM, registers, and the like. In addition, the storage unit <NUM> may store program codes in which processes executable by the control unit <NUM> are defined.

The measuring unit <NUM> may be configured to measure a voltage at a measurement point when a predetermined time passes after discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is terminated.

Preferably, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure OCV (Open Circuit Voltage) of the battery cell. That is, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the OCV of the battery cell when a predetermined time passes after charging or discharging of the battery cell is terminated. For example, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the OCV when the battery cell is in an idle state after discharging of the battery cell is terminated.

That is, when measuring the voltage of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4, the measuring unit <NUM> may be configured to measure the OCV of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in order to minimize the effect of the current. For example, in order to accurately measure the OCV of the battery cell, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the OCV of the battery cell when the discharging of the battery cell is terminated and a chemical relaxation state is reached.

In the embodiment of <FIG>, the measuring unit <NUM> may be configured to measure the OCV of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 after discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is terminated. Accordingly, in order to measure the OCV, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 at a point in time when a predetermined time passes after the discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is terminated.

That is, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 after the same time passes from a discharge end time at which the discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is terminated. For example, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 when <NUM> seconds pass after the discharging of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is terminated.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to set a voltage measured in the initial cycle of each battery cell as the reference voltage.

For example, referring to Equation <NUM>, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle by the measuring unit <NUM> as the reference voltage for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to calculate the voltage deviation by calculating a difference between the cell voltage measured in each cycle for each battery cell and the reference voltage.

As in the former embodiment, if the reference cycle is set to <NUM>st cycle, the voltage deviation may be calculated as a difference between the voltage measured in the nth cycle and the voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle. That is, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose the relative DOD for the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 from the <NUM>st cycle to the nth cycle.

Therefore, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of easily comparing the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 during a plurality of cycles. That is, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> has an advantage of being used more effectively in a situation where it is necessary to compare the performance of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 within a short time.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 by comparing the voltage sum value calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

Here, the voltage sum value may be an index for comparing the performance of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 with each other. For example, the plurality of calculated voltage deviations may be summed to calculate the voltage sum value.

In general, for reasons such as generation of internal gas, generation of lithium plating, decomposition of electrolyte and/or accumulation of by-products, the measured OCV may increase as the cycle of the battery cell proceeds. For example, if the battery cell is degraded due to the decrease of capacity of the positive electrode inside the battery cell, the OCV of the positive electrode may increase and the OCV of the negative electrode may decrease compared to the initial battery cell. That is, the OCV of the battery cell in an EOL (End Of Life) state may be greater than the OCV of the battery cell in a BOL (Beginning Of Life) state. Therefore, as the battery cell is degraded, the OCV of the battery cell may increase.

For example, referring to Equation <NUM>, since the voltage (Vn) measured in the nth cycle may increase as the cycle of the battery cell proceeds, the voltage sum value may increase as the battery cell is degraded. Preferably, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to diagnose that the battery DOD is greater as the voltage sum value is greater. Conversely, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to diagnose that the battery DOD is smaller as the voltage sum value is smaller.

Therefore, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of accurately and quickly diagnosing the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in consideration of the change of OCV according to the degradation of the battery cell.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure compares the relative DODs of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in a predetermined cycle period with each other will be described.

First, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to divide the plurality of cycles into a plurality of unit sections.

For example, in the embodiments of <FIG>, the control unit <NUM> may divide every <NUM> cycles into a unit section. That is, the control unit <NUM> may divide <NUM>st cycle to <NUM>th cycle into a first unit section, and may divide <NUM>th cycle to <NUM>th cycle into a second unit section. In addition, the control unit <NUM> may divide <NUM>st cycle to <NUM>th cycle into a third unit section, divide <NUM>st cycle to <NUM>th cycle into a fourth unit section, and divide <NUM>st cycle to <NUM>th cycle into a fifth unit section.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to calculate a unit sum value for each of the plurality of divided unit sections, based on at least one voltage deviation calculated corresponding to a cycle belonging to each of the plurality of divided unit sections.

Here, the unit sum value may mean a voltage sum value calculated for each unit section. That is, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage sum value for each of the plurality of divided unit sections.

Specifically, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the voltage deviation for each cycle belonging to the plurality of divided unit sections. For example, in the case of the first unit section as an example, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the voltage deviation for each of the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. In addition, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the unit sum value of the first unit section by summing the voltage deviation calculated in each of the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle.

Similarly, in the case of the second unit section as an example, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the voltage deviation for each of the <NUM>th cycle to the <NUM>th cycle. In addition, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the unit sum value of the second unit section by summing the voltage deviation calculated in each of the <NUM>th cycle to the <NUM>th cycle.

The control unit <NUM> may calculate unit sum values of the third unit section, the fourth unit section and the fifth unit section in the same manner as calculating the voltage sum value of the first unit section and the unit sum value of the second unit section.

Finally, the control unit <NUM> is configured to diagnose relative DOD in each of the plurality of unit sections for the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 based on the result of comparing the unit sum values calculated corresponding to the same unit section.

That is, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 for each of the plurality of unit sections.

For example, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in each of the first unit section, the second unit section, the third unit section, the fourth unit section and the fifth unit section.

Therefore, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of not only diagnosing the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 for the total period, but also diagnosing the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 for each unit section.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may obtain cycle information for each of the plurality of unit sections, such as cycle time (time required for one cycle to proceed), intensity of the charging current, intensity of the discharging current, or temperature of the battery cell, and store the cycle information in the storage unit <NUM>. In addition, the control unit <NUM> may provide the cycle information stored in the storage unit <NUM> together with the DOD of the plurality of battery cells diagnosed in each of the plurality of unit sections.

Accordingly, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> has an advantage of providing the cycle information to a user, thereby providing information necessary to estimate the cause of degradation of a battery cell.

In addition, since the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> provides the information necessary to estimate the cause of degradation of the battery cell, there is an advantage of helping the user to determine a replacement timing of the battery cell or a charging/discharging condition of the battery cell.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure diagnoses whether the degradation of each battery cell is accelerated will be described.

The control unit <NUM> may be configured to select a target cell among the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

That is, the control unit <NUM> may select a target cell for diagnosing whether or not the degradation is accelerated, among the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4. For example, the control unit <NUM> may select the first battery cell B1 as a target cell.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to calculate a unit sum value corresponding to the target cell in each of the plurality of unit sections.

First, the control unit <NUM> may divide the plurality of cycles into a plurality of unit sections.

For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the control unit <NUM> may divide the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle for every <NUM> cycles. That is, the control unit <NUM> may divide the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle into first to eighth unit sections.

Here, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage measured in the initial cycle among the plurality of cycles as a reference voltage (Vref) of Equation <NUM> in order to diagnose whether the DOD of the target cell is accelerated.

For example, when the control unit <NUM> is to calculate the unit sum value of the first to eighth unit sections for the target cell, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage measured in the initial cycle (<NUM>st cycle) of the first unit section as the reference voltage (Vref). That is, when diagnosing whether the DOD of the target cell is accelerated, the reference voltage for calculating the unit sum value of each of the plurality of unit sections should be the same. Therefore, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the unit sum value for the first to eighth unit sections based on the voltage measured in the <NUM>st cycle in order to diagnose whether the DOD of the target cell is accelerated.

As another example, when the control unit <NUM> is to calculate the unit sum value of the third to eighth unit sections for the target cell, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage measured in the initial cycle (<NUM>st cycle) of the third unit section as the reference voltage (Vref). In this case, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose whether the degradation of the target cell is accelerated in the third to eighth unit sections.

Finally, the control unit <NUM> may be configured to diagnose whether the degradation of the target cell is accelerated by comparing the plurality of unit sum values calculated to correspond to the target cell.

If the unit sum value increases as the cycle proceeds, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the DOD of the target cell is accelerated. Conversely, if the unit sum value decreases as the cycle proceeds, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the DOD of the target cell is decelerated.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the control unit <NUM> diagnoses whether the degradation of the first battery cell B1 is accelerated will be described with reference to <FIG>.

The control unit <NUM> may select the first battery cell B1 as a target cell and divide the <NUM>st to <NUM>th cycles into first to eighth unit sections.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage deviation corresponding to each of the <NUM>st to <NUM>th cycles based on the voltage of the target cell measured in the <NUM>st cycle.

In addition, the control unit <NUM> may calculate the unit sum value of each of the first to eighth unit sections based on the calculated voltage deviation for each cycle.

Referring to <FIG>, it may be found that the unit sum value of each of the first to eighth unit sections increases as the cycle proceeds. That is, in the graph of <FIG>, an area obtained by integrating the voltage deviation graph of the first battery cell B1 based on the voltage deviation "<NUM>" may correspond to the unit sum value of each unit section.

Specifically, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the unit sum values of the first unit section and the second unit section may be calculated as a negative number, and the unit sum values of the third to eighth unit sections may be calculated as a positive number. In addition, as the cycle proceeds from the first unit section to the eighth unit section, the unit sum values may show a gradually increasing pattern.

Accordingly, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the DOD of the first battery cell B1, which is a target cell, is accelerated.

That is, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of not only diagnosing the relative DOD of the cells by comparing the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 with each other, but also determining whether the degradation is accelerated for any one battery cell.

Therefore, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> has an advantage of providing more accurate and reliable battery deterioration information based on whether the degradation of individual battery cells is accelerated and also based on the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

In addition, the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to the present disclosure may be provided to a battery pack <NUM>. That is, referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the battery pack <NUM> according to the present disclosure may include the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> described above and at least one battery cell. In addition, the battery pack <NUM> may further include electrical equipment (a relay, a fuse, etc.) and a case.

<FIG> is a diagram schematically showing a battery DOD diagnosing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Here, each step included in the battery DOD diagnosing method may be performed by the battery DOD diagnosing apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery DOD diagnosing method may include a voltage measuring step, a voltage deviation calculating step, a voltage sum value calculating step, and a DOD diagnosing step.

The voltage measuring step is a step of measuring a voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in each of a plurality of cycles in which discharge and charging are performed, and may be performed by the measuring unit <NUM>.

Preferably, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure an OCV of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in each cycle. For example, in the embodiment of <FIG>, the measuring unit <NUM> may measure the OCV of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 provided in the battery module <NUM> through the plurality of sensing lines SL1 to SL5.

The voltage deviation calculating step is a step of calculating a voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell based on a reference voltage measured in an initial cycle of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4, and may be performed by the control unit <NUM>.

For example, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage deviation of each cycle for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 with reference to Equation <NUM>.

Here, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage measured in the initial cycle to diagnose the DOD as a reference voltage.

For example, when diagnosing the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in the <NUM>st to <NUM>th cycles, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured in the <NUM>st cycle as the reference voltage to calculate the voltage deviation for the corresponding battery cell.

As another example, when diagnosing the DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 in the <NUM>st to <NUM>th cycles, the control unit <NUM> may set the voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 measured in the <NUM>st cycle as the reference voltage to calculate the voltage deviation for the corresponding battery cell.

The voltage sum value calculating step is a step of calculating a voltage sum value according to a plurality of voltage deviations calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4, and may be performed by the control unit <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> may calculate the voltage sum value by summing the voltage deviation calculated in each cycle for each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4.

Specifically, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage sum value for a cycle section in which the DOD is to be diagnosed.

For example, the control unit <NUM> may calculate a voltage sum value for the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle by summing all of the plurality of voltage deviations respectively calculated in the <NUM>st cycle to the <NUM>th cycle.

As another example, the control unit <NUM> may divide <NUM>st cycle to <NUM>th cycle into unit sections by <NUM> cycles, and calculate a voltage sum value for each of the divided unit sections. In this case, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 for each unit section, or diagnose whether the DOD of the target cell is accelerated.

The DOD diagnosing step is a step of diagnosing the relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 based on the voltage sum value calculated in the voltage sum value calculating step, and may be performed by the control unit <NUM>.

Preferably, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the degradation has progressed further as the calculated voltage sum value is greater. Conversely, the control unit <NUM> may diagnose that the degradation has progressed less as the calculated voltage sum value is smaller.

Therefore, the battery DOD diagnosing method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure has an advantage of quickly and accurately diagnosing the DOD based on the measured voltage, even if the SOH of each of the plurality of battery cells B1 to B4 is not estimated.

Accordingly, the battery DOD diagnosing method has an advantage of being applied very effectively in an environment where the DOD of a plurality of batteries must be diagnosed or estimated within a short time.

Claim 1:
A battery Degree of Degradation , DOD, diagnosing apparatus (<NUM>), comprising:
a measuring unit (<NUM>) configured to measure a voltage of each of a plurality of battery cells (B1, B2, B3, B4) in each of a plurality of cycles in which charging and discharging are performed, and output a plurality of voltage information for the plurality of measured voltages; and
a control unit (<NUM>) configured to receive the plurality of voltage information, calculate a voltage deviation of each cycle for each battery cell based on a reference voltage measured in an initial cycle of each of the plurality of battery cells, calculate a voltage sum value for each of the plurality of battery cells by summing the voltage deviation calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells in each cycle from the initial cycle, and diagnose a relative DOD of the plurality of battery cells based on the voltage sum value calculated for each of the plurality of battery cells.