The present application claims the benefit of priority to Chinese Patent Application Serial No. 201210223441.9 filed Jun. 29, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
The disclosure relates generally to a method and system for regulating battery operation.
Rechargeable batteries (secondary batteries), such as lead-acid batteries, are widely used for supplying electric energy to an automobile, e.g., an electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle, an electric motorcycle and scooter, an electric bicycle, a battery-electric locomotive, an electric rail trolley, an electric wheelchair, a golf cart, etc. When the lead-acid batteries are charged or discharged at a high current level, the temperature at the electrodes becomes high, which may cause the generation of acid gas. Therefore, a gas valve is disposed on the lead-acid batteries for safety concerns. The gas valve is automatically opened to release the extra acid gas when the internal gas pressure of the battery cells exceeds a normal range. In addition to the acid gas, the charging and discharging operations cause hydrogen and oxygen gases to be generated at the cathode and anode of the lead-acid battery cells. The hydrogen and oxygen gases may be also released from the gas valve when the internal gas pressure becomes too high.
However, the above-mentioned factors may result in reduction of the electrolyte solution in the lead-acid battery cells, thereby impacting the battery performance. Especially, when the battery is used in high-altitude regions, such as plateau regions, where the atmospheric pressure is low, the battery performance degrades significantly due to the higher internal and external pressure difference.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved solution for regulating battery operation to solve the above-mentioned problems.
The embodiments will be more readily understood in view of the following description when accompanied by the below figures and wherein like reference numerals represent like elements, wherein:
The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and programming for regulating battery operation.
In one example, a method for regulating battery operation is provided. A signal indicative of an atmospheric pressure outside a battery is first obtained. Based on the obtained signal, one or more parameters to be used for controlling an operation of the battery are then determined. Eventually, the operation of the battery is adjusted based on the determined one or more parameters.
In another example, a system for regulating battery operation is provided. The system includes a battery monitoring module and a battery controlling module. The battery monitoring module is configured to obtain a signal indicative of an atmospheric pressure outside a battery. The battery monitoring module is also configured to determine one or more parameters to be used for controlling an operation of the battery based on the obtained signal. The battery controlling module is configured to adjust the operation of the battery based on the determined one or more parameters.
In still another example, an apparatus including a navigation receiver, a battery management system, a battery, and an engine is provided. The navigation receiver is configured to receive a navigation message from a navigation satellite. The battery management system is operatively coupled to the navigation receiver through a bus and comprising a processor. The processor is configured to obtain the navigation message indicative of an atmospheric pressure outside a battery and determine one or more parameters to be used for controlling an operation of the battery based on the atmospheric pressure. The processor is also configured to adjust the operation of the battery based on the determined one or more parameters. The battery is operatively coupled to the battery management system and controlled by the battery management system. The engine is operatively coupled to the battery and is configured to drive the apparatus using power provided by the battery.
Other concepts relate to software for regulating battery operation. A software product, in accord with this concept, includes at least one machine-readable non-transitory medium and information carried by the medium. The information carried by the medium may be executable program code data regarding parameters in association with a request or operational parameters, such as information related to a user, a request, or a social group, etc.
In yet another example, a machine readable and non-transitory medium having information recorded thereon for regulating battery operation, wherein the information, when read by the machine, causes the machine to perform a series of steps. A signal indicative of an atmospheric pressure outside a battery is first obtained. Based on the obtained signal, one or more parameters to be used for controlling an operation of the battery are then determined. Eventually, the operation of the battery is adjusted based on the determined one or more parameters.
Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the present disclosure will be described in conjunction with the embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the present disclosure to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present disclosure is intended to cover alternatives, modifications, and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
Furthermore, in the following detailed description of embodiments of the present disclosure, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it will be recognized by one of ordinary skill in the art that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail as not to unnecessarily obscure aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure.
Embodiments in accordance with the present disclosure provide a method and system for regulating battery operation, such as charging and/or discharging of the battery, by taking the atmospheric pressure outside the battery into consideration. The charging and/or discharging schemes are optimized in view of the atmospheric pressure change, due to, for example, altitude change, thereby promoting battery performance and prolonging battery life. Moreover, in one example, the atmospheric pressure, represented by altitude information, may be easily obtained from a navigation receiver, such as a global positioning system (GPS) receiver or a Compass receiver, installed on an electric vehicle and seamlessly provided to the battery management system (BMS) in the electric vehicle through the existing CAN bus to optimize the battery charging and/or discharging schemes without adding additional hardware components.
Additional advantages and novel features will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following and the accompanying drawings or may be learned by production or operation of the examples.
The battery management system 102 in this example includes at least one processor 108, storage 110, memory 112, and one or more sensors 114, which are connected to each other through an internal bus 116. The battery management system 102 in this example is configured to manage the battery 104 by, for example, monitoring its state, such as temperature, voltage, state of charge, state of health, coolant flow or current, through sensors 114 or any suitable sensing mechanisms. Based on the monitored battery condition, the battery management system 102 is also configured to calculate control parameters and control the operations of the battery 104, such as charging and discharging processes, based on the control parameters. In this example, the battery management system 102 may be further configured to balance battery cells through corresponding balancing circuits 118-1, 118-2, 118-3, . . . 118-4 and protect the battery 104 by preventing it from operating outside its safe operation area. The processor 108 in the battery management system 102 may be any suitable processing unit, such as but not limited to, a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a central processing unit, an electronic control unit, etc. The memory 112 may be, for example, a discrete memory or a unified memory integrated with the processor 108. The battery management system 102 may further include any other suitable component as known in the art.
The altitude/atmospheric pressure information source 106 in this example may be any suitable device that provides information about the current altitude and/or atmospheric pressure outside the battery 104, for example, a GPS or Compass receiver or a barometer. The altitude/atmospheric pressure information source 106 in this example is operatively coupled to the battery management system 102 through a bus, such as a CAN bus or a UART bus, or a direct connection. The information about the altitude and/or atmospheric pressure may be sent from the altitude/atmospheric pressure information source 106 to the battery management system 102 for regulating the operation of the battery 104.
The battery monitoring module 202 in this example includes an altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206, decision logic 208, and a pressure-based battery optimization model 210. The altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206 is configured to obtain a signal indicative of the atmospheric pressure outside the battery 104. In this example, the signal may be transmitted to the altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206 through a bus 212, such as a CAN bus or UART bus. In one embodiment, the signal may include a navigation message received by a GPS or Compass receiver, which includes information about the current altitude, for example, as part of the standard National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA) code. The altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206 may be responsible for extracting the altitude information from the navigation message per the standard NMEA code format. It is known that the atmospheric pressure can be calculated at a given altitude by the following Equation (1):
p=101325×(1−2.25577×10−5h)5.25588 (1)
where p is the atmospheric pressure (Pa) and h is the altitude above the sea level (m). In one example, the altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206 may be responsible for converting the altitude extracted from the navigation message to the atmospheric pressure using Equation (1). In another example, the altitude may be directed applied by the decision logic 208 and the pressure-based battery optimization model 210 without being converted to the atmospheric pressure. In another embodiment, the signal may be an output from a barometer having information about the current atmospheric pressure outside the battery 104. In this situation, the altitude/atmospheric pressure retrieving unit 206 may extract the value of the current atmospheric pressure and forward it to the decision logic 208.
The decision logic 208 in this example is configured to determine one or more parameters to be used for controlling the operation of the battery 104 based on the obtained signal using the pressure-based battery optimization model 210. The pressure-based battery optimization model 210 may include any predefined algorithms, schemes, parameters, variables, and constants for optimizing the battery operation based on the obtained altitude or atmospheric pressure outside the battery 104. For example, the pressure-based battery optimization model 210 may include one or more threshold values of atmospheric pressure or altitude to be compared with the actual atmospheric pressure or altitude in order to determine whether the battery operation needs to be adjusted to compensate for the influence of the air pressure change. The pressure-based battery optimization model 210 may also include which aspect(s) of the battery operation need to be adjusted and how the adjustments can be done. In this example, the first aspect of the operation may be the charging of the battery 104, which may be adjusted by changing the level of charging current or the length of charging time; the second aspect may be the discharging of the battery 104, which may be adjusted by changing the level of discharging current or the length of discharging time. Using the predefined pressure-based battery optimization model 210, the decision logic 208 is responsible for determining the control parameters for optimizing the battery operation based on the obtained actual atmospheric pressure or altitude.
The battery controlling module 204 in this example is configured to adjust the operation of the battery 104 based on the determined control parameters from the battery monitoring module 202. In this example, the battery controlling module 204 may include a charging controller 214 and discharging controller 216 for adjusting the charging and discharging processes of the battery 104, respectively. The decision logic 208 may provide a control parameter corresponding to a certain change in the level of charging current or a control parameter corresponding to a certain change in the length of charging time to the charging controller 214. Similarly, the decision logic 208 may provide a control parameter corresponding to a certain change in the level of discharging current or a control parameter corresponding to a certain change in the length of discharging time to the discharging controller 216. The charging controller 214 and discharging controller 216 then may be responsible for providing instructions to cause the desired changes in battery operation based on the control parameters. It is understood that any other suitable aspect of battery operation may be controlled and adjusted by the battery controlling module 204 based on the current outside atmospheric pressure to optimize the battery performance and prolong battery life.
Moving to block 610, a first parameter for adjusting the charging process of the battery is determined based on the difference between the extracted altitude and the threshold altitude. The first parameter may correspond to a certain change in the level of charging current or a certain change in the length of charging time. For example, once the actual altitude is more than 1000 meters, a 5% reduction in charging current level or charging time length is applied as the first control parameter for adjusting the charging process to compensate for the air pressure change caused by the altitude increase. In one embodiment, the reduction in the charging current level or the charging time length is linearly increased with respect to the difference between the extracted altitude and the threshold altitude. In another embodiment, the reduction changes discretely. For example, the same amount of reduction, e.g., 5%, in charging current level or charging time length is maintained when the actual altitude is between 1000 and 2000 meters, and the reduction increases to 10% when the actual altitude is over the 2000-meter threshold. As described above, this may be performed by the decision logic 208 in conjunction with the pressure-based battery optimization model 210 of the battery management system 102. At block 612, the charging current level or the charging time length is adjusted based on the determined first parameter. As described above, this may be performed by the charging controller 214 of the battery management system 102.
Meanwhile, at block 614, a second parameter for adjusting the discharging process of the battery is determined based on the difference between the extracted altitude and the threshold altitude. The second parameter may correspond to a certain change in the level of discharging current or a certain change in the length of discharging time. For example, once the actual altitude is more than 1000 meters, a 5% reduction in discharging current level or discharging time length is applied as the second control parameter for adjusting the discharging process to compensate for the air pressure change caused by the altitude increase. It is understood that because the discharging current is utilized for providing electric power, a relatively stable discharging current may be necessary for a device driven by the battery to work properly. Thus, the first parameter and the second parameter may change differently with respect to the difference between the extracted altitude and the threshold altitude. For example, the discharging current may decrease less drastically compared with the charging current at the same altitude level. As described above, this may be performed by the decision logic 208 in conjunction with the pressure-based battery optimization model 210 of the battery management system 102. At block 616, the discharging current level or the discharging time length is adjusted based on the determined second parameter. As described above, this may be performed by the discharging controller 216 of the battery management system 102.
Aspects of the method for regulating battery operation, as outlined above, may be embodied in programming. Program aspects of the technology may be thought of as “products” or “articles of manufacture” typically in the form of executable code and/or associated data that is carried on or embodied in a type of machine readable medium. Tangible non-transitory “storage” type media include any or all of the memory or other storage for the computers, processors or the like, or associated modules thereof, such as various semiconductor memories, tape drives, disk drives and the like, which may provide storage at any time for the software programming.
All or portions of the software may at times be communicated through a network such as the Internet or various other telecommunication networks. Such communications, for example, may enable loading of the software from one computer or processor into another. Thus, another type of media that may bear the software elements includes optical, electrical, and electromagnetic waves, such as used across physical interfaces between local devices, through wired and optical landline networks and over various air-links. The physical elements that carry such waves, such as wired or wireless links, optical links or the like, also may be considered as media bearing the software. As used herein, unless restricted to tangible “storage” media, terms such as computer or machine “readable medium” refer to any medium that participates in providing instructions to a processor for execution.
Hence, a machine readable medium may take many forms, including but not limited to, a tangible storage medium, a carrier wave medium or physical transmission medium. Non-volatile storage media include, for example, optical or magnetic disks, such as any of the storage devices in any computer(s) or the like, which may be used to implement the system or any of its components as shown in the drawings. Volatile storage media include dynamic memory, such as a main memory of such a computer platform. Tangible transmission media include coaxial cables; copper wire and fiber optics, including the wires that form a bus within a computer system. Carrier-wave transmission media can take the form of electric or electromagnetic signals, or acoustic or light waves such as those generated during radio frequency (RF) and infrared (IR) data communications. Common forms of computer-readable media therefore include for example: a floppy disk, a flexible disk, hard disk, magnetic tape, any other magnetic medium, a CD-ROM, DVD or DVD-ROM, any other optical medium, punch cards paper tape, any other physical storage medium with patterns of holes, a RAM, a PROM and EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or cartridge, a carrier wave transporting data or instructions, cables or links transporting such a carrier wave, or any other medium from which a computer can read programming code and/or data. Many of these forms of computer readable media may be involved in carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions to a processor for execution.
Those skilled in the art will recognize that the present disclosure is amenable to a variety of modifications and/or enhancements. For example, although the implementation of various components described above may be embodied in a hardware device, it can also be implemented as a software only solution—e.g., an installation on an existing server. In addition, the “module,” “unit,” or “logic” as disclosed herein can be implemented as a firmware, firmware/software combination, firmware/hardware combination, or a hardware/firmware/software combination.
While the foregoing description and drawings represent embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that various additions, modifications, and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the principles of the present disclosure as defined in the accompanying claims. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure may be used with many modifications of form, structure, arrangement, proportions, materials, elements, and components and otherwise, used in the practice of the disclosure, which are particularly adapted to specific environments and operative requirements without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. The presently disclosed embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the present disclosure being indicated by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and not limited to the foregoing description.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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201210223441.9 | Jun 2012 | CN | national |