The present invention relates to a method and device for determining a battery variable, in particular the capacity, of an energy store.
In motor vehicle electrical systems, a battery and a generator usually supply electric power to electrical consumers. Generally, when the vehicle is in operation, an energy and consumer management is carried out in which individual consumers are automatically connected or disconnected, depending on requirements, in order to be able to react to supply bottlenecks or to execute specific functions, for example. Within the framework of this energy and consumer management, knowledge of the battery state is of fundamental importance.
To assess the battery state, mathematical battery models are used that describe the electrical and physical properties of the energy store. For example, the performance (SOF), the charge state (SOC), or the capacity or charge (Qe) able to be drawn may be assessed with the aid of a mathematical battery model.
The conventional battery models include a series of state variables and parameters that are constantly adapted to the current state of the battery when the vehicle electrical system is in operation. However, specific parameters of the battery model, such as the minimum open-circuit voltage at cutoff (Uc0min), may be determined accurately only when the charge state of the battery is very low, typically under approximately 50% of the charge able to be drawn. However, such deep discharges occur only extremely rarely in motor vehicle electrical systems and moreover are prevented by the energy management of the vehicle in order to avoid endangering the vehicle's ability to start and to keep battery aging through excessive cycling as minimal as possible.
It is an object of the present invention to create a method for determining a battery variable, in particular the capacity of the battery, with which method the required battery variable may be determined with a high degree of accuracy even outside of a deep discharge state, that is, for example, when the battery is in normal operation. Furthermore, it is to be possible to implement the method in the presence of the electrical excitations existing when the vehicle electrical system is in normal operation, and in particular it should not require any additional excitations, like those that appear when the engine is started, for example.
One example aspect of the present invention is to calculate the required battery variable as a function of at least one capacity-dependent parameter. In this context, the example embodiment of the present invention is based on the knowledge that in the course of battery operation, different battery parameters change relative to the new state, and thus the parameters and their change are an index for the battery state, in particular the capacity (lost capacity or remaining capacity) of the battery. The required battery variable may thus be determined very simply and accurately taking into consideration the at least one capacity-dependent parameter. Furthermore, apart from the excitations that normally exist when the vehicle electrical system is in operation, no additional excitations of the battery, such as actively triggered charging or discharging current impulses, are required to perform the calculation.
According to one preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, the required battery variable is calculated as a function of a minimum open-circuit voltage, which in turn is a function of at least one capacity-dependent parameter.
In particular, a parameter (e.g., RK025) of the acid diffusion resistance (RK) of the battery and/or a parameter (e.g. Vgr25) of the charge transfer resistance (Rdp) between electrolyte and an electrode of the battery may be used as capacity-dependent parameters. The parameters mentioned have in particular the advantage that they change relatively sharply when capacity loss increases, that is, they are relatively sensitive, and may be identified accurately when the vehicle electrical system is in operation, without additional active excitation.
The required battery variable is preferably calculated as a function of the deviation of one or more capacity-dependent parameters from a reference value, in particular an initial value in the new state of the battery. In the process, the degree of the deviation from the reference value is an index for the lost capacity of the battery.
According to one preferred specific embodiment of the present invention, the at least one capacity-dependent parameter is weighted with a predefined factor, which is preferably a function of the error variance with which the parameter was determined. Some types of state variable and parameter estimators output the error variance with which the state variable or the parameter was estimated in addition to the individual variables or parameters. This value may be used for the weighting of the capacity-dependent parameter.
The required battery variable, such as a capacity of the battery, for example, is preferably also calculated as a function of the maximum open-circuit voltage of the fully charged battery. The maximum open-circuit voltage is preferably learned using an adaptation algorithm at high charge states.
The calculation is preferably performed using an extended Kalman filter.
Below, the present invention is explained in greater detail by way of example, with reference to the figures.
State variable and parameter estimator 1 uses the current operating variables of battery 4, to wit battery voltage UBatt, battery current IBatt, and battery temperature TBatt, to calculate state variables Z and/or parameters P, on the basis of which charge predictor 2 calculates required battery state variable Qe, or other variables, such as charge state SOC or performance SOF of battery 4. In the following example, battery 4 is a lead accumulator.
In particular, internal voltages U, which are revealed by the equivalent circuit diagram of the battery shown in
The calculation of battery capacity Qe ensues from the current state of the energy store. Therefore, the mathematical models stored in charge predictor 2 are first initialized to the current operating state of energy store 4. To this end, state variable and parameter estimator 1 supplies the corresponding initial values. A conventional Kalman filter may be used as a state variable and parameter estimator, for instance. While the battery is in operation, state variables Z and parameters P are constantly newly adapted to the current state and the functions of the battery model adapted in this manner.
Operating Variables:
IBatt battery current
UBatt terminal voltage of the battery
TBatt acid temperature
State Variables:
UC0 open-circuit voltage
Uk concentration polarization
UDP charge transfer polarization of the positive electrode
UDn charge transfer polarization of the negative electrode Parameters:
Ri (UC0, Uk, TBatt, Ri025, UC0min, UC0max) Ohmic internal resistance, dependent on open-circuit voltage UC0, concentration polarization Uk, acid temperature TBatt, internal resistance Ri025, which is based on 25° C. and full charge, and minimum open-circuit voltage UC0min at cutoff and maximum open-circuit voltage UC0max at full charge,
C0 acid capacity
Rk (UC0, TBatt, Rk025, UC0max) acid diffusion resistance, dependent on open-circuit voltage UC0, charge transfer polarization of the positive electrode, acid temperature TBatt, acid diffusion resistance RK025, which is based on 25° C. and full charge, and maximum open-circuit voltage UC0max at full charge,
Ck capacity of the acid diffusion,
RDp (Uc0, UDp, TBatt, IDp, Vgr25, UC0max) charge transfer resistance between positive electrode and electrolyte, dependent on open-circuit voltage UC0, the charge transfer polarization of positive electrode UDp, acid temperature TBatt, charge transfer current of positive electrode IDp, saturation voltage of charge transfer polarization Vgr25, which is based on 25° C., and maximum open-circuit voltage UC0max at full charge,
CDp double-layer capacity between positive electrode and electrolyte,
RDn (UDn TBatt, IDn) charge transfer resistance between negative electrode and electrolyte, dependent on the charge transfer polarization of negative electrode UDn, acid temperature TBatt, and the charge transfer current of negative electrode IDp,
CDn double-layer capacity between negative electrode and electrolyte.
The individual equivalent circuit diagram variables result from various physical effects of battery 3, which are known to one skilled in the art from the relevant literature.
For example, the following function may be used for acid diffusion resistance RK:
R
K
=f(UC0, TBatt, Rk025, Ucomax)
In this context, Rk025 is the diffusion resistance of the acid at 25° C. and with a fully charged battery. Rk025 is a capacity-dependent parameter.
For charge transfer resistance RDp between electrolyte and the positive electrode of lead accumulator 3, the following function may be used, for example:
R
Dp
=f(Uc0, UDp, TBatt, IDp, Vgr25, UC0max)
In this context, Vgr25 is the polarization voltage of the positive electrode at high discharge currents and 25° C. Vgr25 is a capacity-dependent parameter.
Accordingly, charge predictor 2 includes other mathematical approaches for other state variables (e.g. UDp, UDn, UK, etc.) and parameters (e.g. RDn, C0, Ri, etc.).
Conventionally, the following relationship is valid for capacity Qe of energy store 3:
Qe=C
0·(Uc0max−Uc0min)
In this context, C0 is the acid capacity of battery 3, Uc0max the open-circuit voltage when the battery is fully charged, and Uc0min the open-circuit voltage at cutoff.
In order to obtain a sufficiently accurate result for capacity Qe of battery 3, parameters C0, Uc0min and UC0max must be determined with sufficient accuracy. For parameters C0 and UC0max, this is readily possible when the battery is in normal operation (close to fully charged). However, parameter Uc0min may only be accurately calculated at low charge states <50%. Since these operating states occur only extremely rarely, the desired accuracy of the capacity calculation is achieved only rarely. It is thus proposed to calculate parameter Uc0min with the aid of parameters RK025 and vgr25, which are a function of the capacity of battery 3. The available capacity Qe of battery 3 may thereby be ascertained without additional excitations of the battery when the vehicle electrical system is in normal operation, the battery not having to be discharged to low charge states.
For example, the following relationship may be used for the open-circuit voltage of battery 3 at cutoff Uc0min:
U
c0min_corr=Uc0min+g1·ΔRK25−g2·Δvgr25.
In this context, ΔRK25 and Δvgr25 are the changes to parameters RK25 and vgr25, respectively, relative to a corresponding reference value, in particular, the value of battery 3 in the new state. Factors g1 and g2 are weighting factors.
In this instance, changes ΔRK25 and Δvgr25 are weighted proportionally to the accuracy with which parameters RK25 and vgr25 were estimated from state variable and parameter estimator 1. To this end, Kalman filter 1 outputs corresponding error variances P, which influence weighting factors g1 and g2. For example, weighting factors g1 and g2 may be expressed in the following way:
g1˜(P0(RK025)−P(RK025))/P0(RK025)
g2˜(P0(vgr25)−P(vgr25))/P0(vgr25)
In this context, P0(RK025) and P0(vgr25) are initial error variances of the corresponding parameters, and P(RK025) and P(vgr25) the current error variances estimated by Kalman filter 1 for parameters RK025 and vgr25.
Instead of deviation ΔRK25 or Δvgr25, the deviation of a parameter of double-layer capacity CDp between positive electrode and electrolyte could be used alternatively or additionally.
At low charge states, in particular <50%, parameter Ri025 of the internal resistance or its change may also influence the calculation of open-circuit voltage Uc0min, at cutoff.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10 2006 036 784.7 | Aug 2006 | DE | national |
Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind | 371c Date |
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PCT/EP2007/055771 | 6/12/2007 | WO | 00 | 7/6/2009 |