Self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10734690-B2
Application number	US-201816046965-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 26, 2018
Priority date	Jul 31, 2017
Publication date	Aug 4, 2020
Grant date	Aug 4, 2020

Abstract

A self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system having a battery cell voltage monitoring IC with a digital voltage substrate, an analog differential voltage substrate, and an analog voltage substrate is provided. The first diagnostic handler application commands a digital input-output device to generate control signals to transition a contactor to an open operational state if the first diagnostic flag associated with the digital voltage substrate is equal to the first encoded fault value, or the second diagnostic flag associated with the analog differential voltage substrate is equal to the second encoded fault value, or the third diagnostic flag associated with the analog voltage substrate is equal to the third encoded fault value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system, comprising:
a battery cell voltage monitoring IC having a digital voltage substrate, an analog differential voltage substrate, and an analog voltage substrate therein having trenched electrical isolation therebetween;
a microcontroller having a first memory buffer, first, second, and third applications, and a first diagnostic handler application;
the first memory buffer having first, second, and third diagnostic bits associated with the digital voltage substrate, the analog differential voltage substrate, and the analog voltage substrate, respectively;
the first application setting a first diagnostic flag to a first encoded fault value if the first diagnostic bit in the first memory buffer is equal to a first bit value indicating a fault condition in the digital voltage substrate;
the second application setting a second diagnostic flag to a second encoded fault value if the second diagnostic bit in the first memory buffer is equal to the first bit value indicating a fault condition in the analog differential voltage substrate;
the third application setting a third diagnostic flag to a third encoded fault value if the third diagnostic bit in the first memory buffer is equal to the first bit value indicating a fault condition in the analog voltage substrate; and
the first diagnostic handler application commanding a digital input-output device to generate control signals to transition a contactor to an open operational state if the first diagnostic flag is equal to the first encoded fault value, or the second diagnostic flag is equal to the second encoded fault value, or the third diagnostic flag is equal to the third encoded fault value.

2. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein:
the microcontroller further includes a second memory buffer, fourth, fifth, and sixth applications, and a second diagnostic handler application;
the second memory buffer having first, second, and third diagnostic bits associated with the digital voltage substrate, the analog differential voltage substrate, and the analog voltage substrate, respectively;
the fourth application setting a fourth diagnostic flag to a fourth encoded fault value if the first diagnostic bit in the second memory buffer is equal to the first bit value indicating the fault condition in the digital voltage substrate;
the fifth application setting a fifth diagnostic flag to a fifth encoded fault value if the second diagnostic bit in the second memory buffer is equal to the first bit value indicating the fault condition in the analog differential voltage substrate;
the sixth application setting a sixth diagnostic flag to a sixth encoded fault value if the third diagnostic bit in the second memory buffer is equal to the first bit value indicating the fault condition in the analog voltage substrate; and
the second diagnostic handler application commanding the digital input-output device to generate control signals to transition the contactor to the open operational state if the fourth diagnostic flag is equal to the fourth encoded fault value, or the fifth diagnostic flag is equal to the fifth encoded fault value, or the sixth diagnostic flag is equal to the sixth encoded fault value.

3. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 1 , wherein:
the digital voltage substrate having a digital substrate register thereon having a first internal bit that is equal to the first bit value when the fault condition occurs in the digital voltage substrate;
the analog differential voltage substrate having an analog differential voltage substrate register thereon with a second internal bit that is equal to the first bit value when the fault condition occurs in the analog differential voltage substrate;
the analog voltage substrate having an analog voltage substrate register thereon with a third internal bit that is equal to the first bit value when the fault condition occurs in the analog voltage substrate;
the microcontroller copying the first, second, and third internal bits to the first, second, and third bits of the first memory buffer; and
the microcontroller copying the first, second, and third internal bits to the first, second, and third bits of the second memory buffer.

4. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the digital voltage substrate further includes a hardware safety mechanism that sets the first internal bit of the digital voltage substrate register to the first bit value when the hardware safety mechanism detects the fault condition in the digital voltage substrate.

5. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the digital voltage substrate further includes a communication channel device thereon.

6. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the analog differential voltage substrate further includes a hardware safety mechanism that sets the second internal bit of the analog differential voltage substrate register to the first bit value when the hardware safety mechanism detects the fault condition in the analog differential voltage substrate.

7. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the analog differential voltage substrate further includes an analog-to-digital converter with differential channels therein, and a voltage comparator.

8. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the analog voltage substrate further includes a hardware safety mechanism that sets the third internal bit of the analog voltage substrate register to the first bit value when the hardware safety mechanism detects the fault condition in the analog voltage substrate.

9. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the analog voltage substrate further includes an analog-to-digital converter with non-differential channels therein.

10. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the first encoded fault value and the fourth encoded fault value have a Hamming distance of four from one another.

11. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the second encoded fault value and the fifth encoded fault value have a Hamming distance of four from one another.

12. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the third encoded fault value and the sixth encoded fault value have a Hamming distance of four from one another.

13. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the first, second, and third encoded fault values each have a Hamming distance of four from one another.

14. The self-diagnosing battery cell monitoring system of claim 3 , wherein the fourth, fifth, and sixth encoded fault values each have a Hamming distance of four from one another.

Assignees

• Lg Chemical Ltd

Inventors

• Katrak Kerfegar K

Classifications

• H02H1/0007 Primary

  concerning the detecting means (in general G01R or other subclasses of G01; reed switches H01H71/2445) · CPC title

• H01M10/482

  for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H01M10/48 Primary

  Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte (constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569) · CPC title

• Y02E60/10

  Energy storage using batteries · CPC title

• G01R35/00

  Testing or calibrating of apparatus covered by the other groups of this subclass · CPC title