KR20240033678A - Apparatus and method for pairing battery - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery pairing device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a communication unit configured to receive battery information about a plurality of batteries; an indicator value determination unit configured to determine indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators for the plurality of batteries, based on the battery information; and a battery determination unit configured to compare a plurality of index values determined for the plurality of batteries and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.

Description

Battery pairing device and method {APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PAIRING BATTERY}

This application is a priority application for Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0111915 filed on September 5, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the specification and drawings of the application are incorporated by reference into this application.

The present invention relates to a battery pairing device and method, and more specifically, to a battery pairing device and method for pairing corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries applied to a battery swapping station (BSS).

Recently, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and portable phones has rapidly increased, and as the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites has begun, the need for high-performance batteries capable of repeated charging and discharging has increased. Research is actively underway.

Currently commercialized batteries include nickel cadmium batteries, nickel hydrogen batteries, nickel zinc batteries, and lithium batteries. Among these, lithium batteries have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, so they can be freely charged and discharged, and have a very high self-discharge rate. It is attracting attention due to its low and high energy density.

As electric vehicles and the like become commercialized, the demand for high-capacity and high-performance batteries is increasing. However, as the capacity of the battery increases, the disadvantage that the time required to charge the battery also increases is highlighted. To solve this problem, technology for fast charging batteries is being developed, but there are concerns that rapid charging may accelerate battery deterioration.

To solve this problem, battery replacement stations have recently been introduced. By replacing a used battery in an electric vehicle, etc. with a spare battery provided at a battery replacement station, the user has the advantage of being able to quickly use a battery charged above a certain level (for example, a fully charged battery).

Meanwhile, depending on the device, multiple spare batteries may be required. If the states (eg, state of charge (SOC) and state of health (SOH), etc.) of the plurality of selected spare batteries are different, there is a problem that the output and capacity that can be obtained through the spare batteries are limited. Therefore, there is a need for a method that can provide batteries by pairing them in a similar state to achieve the best efficiency.

The present invention was devised to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a battery pairing device and method that can improve battery usage and management efficiency by pairing and providing corresponding batteries. Do it as

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood from the following description and will be more clearly understood by practicing the present invention. In addition, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

A battery pairing device according to an aspect of the present invention includes a communication unit configured to receive battery information about a plurality of batteries; an indicator value determination unit configured to determine indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators preset for each of the plurality of batteries, based on the battery information; and a battery determination unit configured to compare a plurality of index values determined for the plurality of batteries and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.

The battery determination unit may be configured to compare indicator values of the plurality of batteries according to priorities set in advance for the plurality of performance indicators and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries.

The battery determination unit may be configured to preferentially compare a plurality of index values for the high-priority performance index.

The battery determination unit may be configured to calculate an SOH difference between the paired batteries and, if the calculated SOH difference is greater than a preset threshold, release pairing for the paired batteries.

The battery determination unit determines a plurality of unpaired batteries among the plurality of batteries, compares the plurality of indicator values with respect to the plurality of non-pair batteries, and selects one of the non-pair batteries according to the comparison result. It can be configured to pair corresponding batteries.

The plurality of performance indicators may be configured to include at least one of SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate.

The indicator value determination unit may be configured to calculate the cumulative SOC and cumulative charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries from the battery information, and calculate the unit charge capacity according to the cumulative SOC and the cumulative charge capacity.

The index value determination unit may be configured to calculate the charging capacity per SOC for each preset unit period and calculate the unit charging capacity by calculating an average value of the charging capacity per SOC for a preset reference period.

The index value determination unit may be configured to calculate the SOH change amount and accumulated usage amount of each of the plurality of batteries from the battery information, and calculate the degradation rate of each of the plurality of batteries based on the SOH change amount and the accumulated usage amount. You can.

A battery replacement station according to another aspect of the present invention may include a battery pairing device according to an aspect of the present invention.

A server according to another aspect of the present invention may include a battery pairing device according to an aspect of the present invention.

A battery pairing method according to another aspect of the present invention includes a battery information receiving step of receiving battery information for a plurality of batteries; An indicator value determination step of determining indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators for the plurality of batteries, based on the battery information; An index value comparison step of comparing a plurality of index values determined for the plurality of batteries; It may include a pairing step of pairing corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a battery pairing device has the advantage of being able to pair batteries with the most similar battery performance and battery efficiency by comparing a plurality of batteries according to various performance indicators.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

The following drawings attached to this specification serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention along with the detailed description of the invention described later, and therefore the present invention should not be construed as limited to the matters described in such drawings.
1 is a diagram schematically showing a battery pairing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of performance indicators according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a diagram schematically showing a battery information table according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 4 is a diagram schematically showing a pairing information table according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 to 9 are diagrams schematically showing an embodiment in which a plurality of batteries are paired according to the present invention.
Figure 10 is a diagram schematically showing a server according to another embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 11 is a diagram schematically showing a battery pairing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be construed as limited to their common or dictionary meanings, and the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to explain his or her invention in the best way. It should be interpreted with meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it is.

Accordingly, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only one of the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent the entire technical idea of the present invention, so at the time of filing this application, various alternatives are available to replace them. It should be understood that equivalents and variations may exist.

Additionally, when describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., are used for the purpose of distinguishing one of the various components from the rest, and are not used to limit the components by such terms.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “include” a certain element, this means that it does not exclude other elements, but may further include other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary.

Additionally, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this refers not only to the case where it is "directly connected" but also to the case where it is "indirectly connected" with another element in between. Includes.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing a battery pairing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the battery pairing device 100 may include a communication unit 110, an indicator value determination unit 120, and a battery determination unit 130.

The communication unit 110 may be configured to receive battery information about a plurality of batteries.

Here, the battery has a negative terminal and a positive terminal and refers to an independent cell that is physically separable. As an example, a lithium ion battery or a lithium polymer battery may be considered a battery. Additionally, a battery may refer to a battery bank, battery module, or battery pack in which a plurality of cells are connected in series and/or parallel.

Specifically, the communication unit 110 may receive battery information about a plurality of batteries from the outside. For example, the communication unit 110 provides status information and usage information on at least one of voltage, current, capacity, resistance, temperature, state of charge (SOC), and state of health (SOH) for a plurality of batteries. It can be received as battery information.

The indicator value determination unit 120 may be configured to determine indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators preset for each of the plurality of batteries, based on battery information.

Specifically, the indicator value determination unit 120 may determine an indicator value for a plurality of performance indicators for each of the plurality of batteries using the battery information received by the communication unit 110.

For example, the plurality of performance indicators may be configured to include at least one of state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), unit charge capacity, and degradation rate. Here, the unit charge capacity is an indicator of the charge capacity required to increase the SOC of the battery by a preset standard SOC. The degradation rate is an indicator of the degree to which the battery deteriorates per unit of usage.

Below, a plurality of performance indicators are described according to the embodiment of FIG. 2, but note that performance indicators that can be compared for pairing multiple batteries are not limited by the embodiment of FIG. 2.

Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating a plurality of performance indicators according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment of Figure 2, the plurality of performance indicators may include SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate.

The battery determination unit 130 may be configured to compare a plurality of index values determined for a plurality of batteries.

Specifically, the battery determination unit 130 may compare index values of a plurality of batteries with each other for each performance index. More specifically, the battery determination unit 130 may distinguish between similar index values among the plurality of index values for each of the plurality of performance indexes.

For example, assuming that the battery determination unit 130 pairs two batteries, the battery determination unit 130 may distinguish the plurality of index values into the two index values with the smallest difference. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, the battery determination unit 130 may check the SOC of a plurality of batteries and distinguish the two most adjacent SOCs among the plurality of SOCs. Additionally, the battery determination unit 130 may check the SOH of a plurality of batteries and distinguish two of the plurality of SOHs from the most adjacent SOH. Additionally, the battery determination unit 130 may check the unit charge capacity of the plurality of batteries and distinguish between the two most adjacent unit charge capacities among the plurality of unit charge capacities. Finally, the battery determination unit 130 may check the degradation rates of the plurality of batteries and distinguish between the two most adjacent degradation rates among the plurality of degradation rates.

The battery determination unit 130 may be configured to pair corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.

Specifically, the battery determination unit 130 may pair the most similar batteries among a plurality of batteries by considering the index value comparison result. For example, the battery determination unit 130 may pair corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries according to whether the index values for the plurality of performance indicators are similar. Accordingly, among a plurality of batteries, batteries with the most similar overall performance index values can be paired.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, among a plurality of batteries, batteries with the most similar overall SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate may be paired. That is, the paired batteries may be batteries that have the most similar battery performance and battery efficiency among a plurality of batteries.

That is, the battery pairing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to pair batteries with the most similar battery performance and battery efficiency by comparing a plurality of batteries according to various performance indicators.

Additionally, the battery pairing device 100 may further include a storage unit 140. The storage unit 140 may store data or programs necessary for each component of the battery pairing device 100 to perform operations and functions, or data generated in the process of performing operations and functions. There is no particular limitation on the type of the storage unit 140 as long as it is a known information storage means that is known to be capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. As an example, information storage means may include RAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM, registers, etc. Additionally, the storage unit 140 may store program codes in which processes executable by the control unit are defined.

For example, the storage unit 140 may store battery information for a plurality of batteries. Additionally, the storage unit 140 may store a plurality of index values determined by the index value determination unit 120 for each performance index.

Figure 3 is a diagram schematically showing a battery information table (BT) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a diagram schematically showing a pairing information table (PT) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The battery determination unit 130 may pair a plurality of batteries with corresponding batteries and then generate (or record) a battery information table (BT) and a pairing information table (PT).

Specifically, the battery information table (BT) is a table in which information about each of a plurality of batteries is recorded. The battery information table (BT) may include battery ID, pair ID, and status information. That is, the primary key of the battery information table (BT) is the battery ID. Additionally, the pair ID is information that can specify a paired battery, and the paired batteries may have the same pair ID. Battery information may include individual information about each battery. For example, the battery determination unit 130 may record the battery information received by the communication unit 110 in the battery information table (BT).

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 3, the battery ID of the first battery is B1, and the pair ID is P1. The battery ID of the second battery is B2, and the pair ID is P2. That is, the first battery and the second battery are batteries paired with each other. The battery ID of the third battery is B3, and the pair ID is P3. The battery ID of the fourth battery is B4, and the pair ID is P4. That is, the third battery and fourth battery are batteries paired with each other.

The pairing information table (PT) is a table in which a plurality of pairing information is recorded. The pairing information table (PT) may include pair ID and pairing information. That is, the basic key of the pairing information table (PT) is the pair ID. Pairing information may include common information about paired batteries. Preferably, the pairing information may include common information after the paired batteries are paired with the corresponding pair ID. For example, pairing information includes information on the battery replacement station containing paired batteries, charging C-rate information, charging time information, usage time information, used vehicle information, driving distance information, GPS location information, and battery replacement number information. may be included. For example, the battery determination unit 130 may check the usage history of paired batteries and record pairing information in the pairing information table (PT).

For example, in the embodiment of Figure 4, the pair ID of the first pair is P1, and the pair ID of the second pair is P2. Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, since the pair ID in the battery information table (BT) is a foreign key, the pair for each battery is identified through the battery information table (BT) and the pairing information table (PT). You can check ID, battery information, and pairing information.

Here, since pairing information is common to paired batteries, if pairing information is recorded for each battery, pairing information may be recorded in duplicate as the number of paired batteries. In other words, system resources may be used inefficiently due to duplicate recording of the same information. Therefore, the battery pairing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention manages pairing information, which is common to paired batteries, in a separate table, thereby improving management efficiency for a plurality of batteries and improving management efficiency necessary for information storage. It has the advantage of efficiently saving system resources.

The battery determination unit 130 may be configured to compare indicator values of a plurality of batteries according to priorities set in advance for a plurality of performance indicators, and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.

Specifically, priorities may be set in advance for a plurality of performance indicators. Here, the priority can be set according to the order of performance indicators considered for pairing batteries with substantially the same performance efficiency. In other words, the priority of the performance index that is considered first when comparing the performance efficiency of batteries can be set high.

In the embodiment of Figure 2, the priority may be set high in the order of SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate. That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, when comparing the performance efficiency of a plurality of batteries, SOC is the most important indicator, SOH is the next important indicator, and degradation rate is the last indicator considered.

For example, batteries with a SOC difference of 1% or less may be considered first for pairing. In addition, batteries with a difference in SOH of 1% or less can be considered for pairing. Next, batteries with a difference in unit charge capacity of 10% or less may be considered for pairing. Lastly, batteries with a difference in degradation rate of less than 10% can be considered for pairing.

Preferably, the battery determination unit 130 may be configured to preferentially compare a plurality of index values for a high-priority performance index. In other words, the indicator value comparison results for high-priority performance indicators may have a greater impact on battery pairing than the indicator value comparison results for low-priority performance indicators.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the battery determination unit 130 considers the SOC comparison result, SOH comparison result, unit charge capacity comparison result, and degradation rate comparison result of the plurality of batteries in order and pairs the corresponding batteries. can do. For example, considering the priorities for each performance indicator according to the embodiment of FIG. 2, batteries with similar SOC and SOH may be paired among a plurality of batteries although the degradation rates are not similar.

In the above, the priorities set for a plurality of performance indicators according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 have been described, but note that the plurality of performance indicators and the priorities for each performance indicator are not limited by the embodiment of FIG. 2.

An embodiment in which a plurality of batteries are paired according to priorities set in advance for a plurality of performance indicators will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 9. 5 to 9 are diagrams schematically showing an embodiment in which a plurality of batteries are paired according to the present invention.

Figure 5 is a diagram showing a plurality of batteries. Referring to FIG. 5, first to twelfth batteries B12 may be provided. First, the battery determination unit 130 may compare the index value of the first performance index with the highest priority for the first to twelfth batteries B12.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the results of the battery determination unit 130 comparing the index values of the first performance index of a plurality of batteries. Referring to FIG. 6, the battery determination unit 130 may divide the first to twelfth batteries B1 to B12 into group A and group B according to the result of comparing the index value of the first performance index. Group A includes the first battery (B1), second battery (B2), fifth battery (B5), sixth battery (B6), ninth battery (B9), and tenth battery (B10), and group B Includes a third battery (B3), a fourth battery (B4), a seventh battery (B7), an eighth battery (B8), an eleventh battery (B11), and a twelfth battery (B12).

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the results of the battery determination unit 130 comparing the index values of the first and second performance indices of a plurality of batteries. Referring to FIG. 7, the battery determination unit 130 classifies the first to twelfth batteries (B1 to B12) into group C, group D, group E, and It can be divided into F group. Group C includes the first battery (B1), second battery (B2), fifth battery (B5), and sixth battery (B6), and group D includes the ninth battery (B9) and the tenth battery (B10). is included. Group E includes the third battery (B3), fourth battery (B4), seventh battery (B7), and eighth battery (B8), and group F includes the eleventh battery (B11) and the twelfth battery (B12). is included.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the results of the battery determination unit 130 comparing the index values of the first to third performance indicators of a plurality of batteries. Referring to FIG. 8, the battery determination unit 130 classifies the first to twelfth batteries (B1 to B12) into group D, group F, group G, according to the results of comparing the index values of the first to third performance indicators. It can be divided into H group, I group and J group. Group D and Group F are as shown in Figure 7. The G group includes the first battery (B1) and the second battery (B2), and the H group includes the fifth battery (B5) and the sixth battery (B6). The I group includes the third battery (B3) and the fourth battery (B4), and the J group includes the seventh battery (B7) and the eighth battery (B8).

Figure 9 is a diagram showing the result of the battery decision unit 130 pairing a plurality of batteries. Referring to FIG. 9, the first battery (B1) and the second battery (B2) are paired, and the pair ID is P1. The third battery (B3) and the fourth battery (B4) are paired, and the pair ID is P2. The fifth battery (B5) and the sixth battery (B6) are paired, and the pair ID is P3. The seventh battery (B7) and the eighth battery (B8) are paired, and the pair ID is P4. The ninth battery (B9) and the tenth battery (B10) are paired, and the pair ID is P5. The 11th battery (B11) and the 12th battery (B12) are paired, and the pair ID is P6.

Below, an embodiment in which the indicator value determination unit 120 calculates the unit charge capacity will be described.

The indicator value determination unit 120 may be configured to calculate the cumulative SOC and cumulative charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries from battery information. Specifically, the indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the cumulative SOC and cumulative charge capacity of the battery based on status information and/or usage information included in the battery information. Here, cumulative SOC means the total amount of SOC [%] with which the battery has been charged so far. And, the cumulative charge capacity refers to the total charge capacity [Ah] that the battery has been charged so far.

In one embodiment, the indicator value determination unit 120 may be configured to calculate the unit charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries according to the accumulated SOC and accumulated charge capacity. That is, the indicator value determination unit 120 can calculate the unit charge capacity for the entire usage period of the battery.

Specifically, unit charge capacity is an indicator of the charge capacity required to increase the SOC of the battery by a preset standard SOC. Preferably, the reference SOC can be preset to SOC 1%. In other words, unit charge capacity may mean the charge capacity required to increase the SOC of the battery by 1%. For example, the indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the unit charge capacity according to the ratio of the accumulated charge capacity to the accumulated SOC. The indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the unit charge capacity by calculating the formula “accumulated charge capacity ÷ accumulated SOC.”

In another embodiment, the indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the unit charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries according to the accumulated SOC and accumulated charge capacity for each unit period.

More specifically, the index value determination unit 120 calculates the charging capacity per SOC for each preset unit period, and calculates the average value of the charging capacity per SOC for the preset reference period to calculate the unit charging capacity. . For example, the indicator value determination unit 120 can calculate the unit charge capacity using Equation 1 below.

[Formula 1]

Here, uCh is the unit charge capacity, and Ch_i is the cumulative charge capacity for a unit period. SOC_i is the cumulative SOC for a unit period, and n is the reference period.

For example, assume that the standard period is 30 days. The indicator value determination unit 120 can calculate the charging capacity per SOC per day. Additionally, the indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the unit charging capacity by calculating the 30-day average value of the charging capacity per SOC.

Below, an embodiment in which the index value determination unit 120 calculates the degradation rate will be described.

The indicator value determination unit 120 may be configured to calculate the SOH change amount and accumulated usage amount of each of the plurality of batteries from battery information.

Here, the SOH change is the difference between the initial SOH and the current SOH, and the accumulated usage refers to the total amount of battery usage to date. For example, the accumulated discharge amount (Ah), accumulated energy (kWH), or accumulated driving distance (Km) to date may be applied to the accumulated usage amount.

The indicator value determination unit 120 may be configured to calculate the degradation rate of each of the plurality of batteries based on the SOH change amount and accumulated usage amount.

Here, the degradation rate may mean the degree to which the battery deteriorates per unit of usage. Specifically, the indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the degradation rate of each of the plurality of batteries by calculating the ratio of the SOH change amount to the accumulated usage amount. For example, the index value determination unit 120 can calculate the degradation rate using Equation 2 below.

[Formula 2]

Here, uSOH is the degradation rate, △SOH is the change in SOH, and U is the cumulative usage amount.

For example, assume that the initial SOH of the battery is SOHi and the current SOH is SOHc. The indicator value determination unit 120 may calculate the degradation rate by calculating the formula “(SOHi-SOHc)÷U”.

The battery determination unit 130 may be configured to calculate the SOH difference between paired batteries. Additionally, the battery determination unit 130 may be configured to unpair the paired battery if the calculated SOH difference is greater than or equal to a preset threshold.

Specifically, since paired batteries are used and charged together after pairing, in theory, the status of the paired batteries should be substantially the same. However, in actual use environments, the SOH of the paired batteries may differ by more than a threshold due to a defect in one of the paired batteries or a defect in the load. If the SOH differs by more than the threshold, the deterioration between the paired batteries is significant, so even if they are used together, the performance efficiency is bound to be poor. Accordingly, the battery decision unit 130 may cancel pairing between batteries whose SOH difference is equal to or greater than the threshold.

The battery determination unit 130 determines a plurality of unpaired non-pair batteries among the plurality of batteries, compares a plurality of index values for the plurality of non-pair batteries, and selects a corresponding battery among the non-pair batteries according to the comparison result. They can be configured to pair with each other.

Specifically, the battery determination unit 130 may compare indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators and pair non-pair batteries again. In other words, even if the battery is unpaired, there is a possibility that it can be paired with another battery, considering its current state. Accordingly, the battery decision unit 130 can re-pair corresponding non-pair batteries by comparing index values of a plurality of performance indicators in order to reuse the non-pair batteries.

That is, the battery pairing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of improving battery use efficiency by performing re-pairing between unpaired non-pair batteries.

The battery pairing device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be included in a battery replacement station. The battery replacement station may include a measuring unit that measures the state of the provided battery. For example, the measuring unit can measure the current, voltage, temperature, and resistance of the battery, and estimate the SOC and SOH of the battery based on the measurement results. The communication unit 110 may receive battery information about a plurality of batteries from the measurement unit. The indicator value determination unit 120 may determine indicator values of a plurality of performance indicators for a plurality of batteries. The battery determination unit 130 may pair corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries included in the battery replacement station based on the index value comparison result. The battery pairing device 100 is included in the battery replacement station and has the advantage of being able to quickly pair a plurality of batteries included in the battery replacement station.

Figure 10 is a diagram schematically showing a server according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, the server 1000 may include a battery management device. Additionally, the server 1000 may be connected to communicate with one or more battery replacement stations. For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 10, the server 1000 may be connected to communicate with the first to third battery replacement stations (BSS1, BSS2, and BSS3).

Each battery replacement station includes an input unit, a display unit, and a battery unit, and the battery unit may be equipped with a battery. Preferably, the battery included in the battery unit can be charged up to a preset charging end voltage. Additionally, a battery whose SOC is equal to or higher than the standard SOC may be a candidate battery that can be determined as a target battery. The battery replacement station may periodically transmit battery information about the battery provided in the battery unit to the server 1000.

The server 1000 may periodically receive battery information about a plurality of batteries from a plurality of battery replacement stations. Then, when a battery replacement request is input by the user, the server 1000 may determine the optimal battery among the plurality of batteries as the target battery and provide information about the target battery to the user.

In one embodiment, the server 1000 may pair a corresponding battery among a plurality of batteries provided at each battery replacement station. That is, the server 1000 can pair batteries physically located in the same space, allowing the user to immediately obtain the paired battery. When the server 1000 receives a battery replacement request from the user, it may provide the user with battery information and pairing information about the paired battery. The user can check battery information and pairing information and secure paired batteries from the battery replacement station.

In another embodiment, the server 1000 may pair a corresponding battery among a plurality of batteries provided in a plurality of battery replacement stations. Preferably, the server 1000 can pair a corresponding battery among a plurality of batteries provided in an adjacent battery replacement station.

For example, when paired batteries are provided at the same battery replacement station, the server 1000 may transmit battery information and pairing information to the user in response to a battery replacement request. The user can check battery information and pairing information and secure paired batteries from the battery replacement station.

As another example, when a paired battery is provided in another battery replacement station, the server 1000 may provide battery information and pairing information to a user or administrator. Based on the battery information and pairing information, the manager can move one of the paired batteries to a battery replacement station equipped with the other. Based on the battery information and pairing information, the user can secure a battery corresponding to the pairing information provided at each battery replacement station.

Figure 11 is a diagram schematically showing a battery pairing method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11, the battery pairing method may include a battery information receiving step (S100), an indicator value determination step (S200), an indicator value comparison step (S400), a pairing step (S500), and a pairing information providing step.

Preferably, each step of the battery pairing method can be performed by the battery pairing device 100. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, content that overlaps with the content described above will be omitted or briefly described.

The battery information receiving step (S100) is a step of receiving battery information about a plurality of batteries, and may be performed by the communication unit 110.

For example, the communication unit 110 may be connected to communicate with one or more battery replacement stations. Additionally, the communication unit 110 may receive battery information about the battery provided in the battery replacement station from the battery replacement station.

The indicator value determination step (S200) is a step of determining indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators for a plurality of batteries based on battery information, and may be performed by the indicator value determination unit 120.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the indicator value determination unit 120 may determine indicator values for SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate based on battery information.

The indicator value comparison step (S400) is a step of comparing a plurality of indicator values determined for a plurality of batteries, and may be performed by the battery determination unit 130.

For example, the battery determination unit 130 may compare indicator values of a plurality of batteries by considering the priorities set in advance for the plurality of performance indicators. In the embodiment of FIG. 2, priorities may be preset in the order of SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate. The index value determination unit 120 may sequentially compare the SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate of the plurality of batteries.

The pairing step (S500) is a step of pairing corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries according to the comparison result, and may be performed by the battery determination unit 130.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the battery determination unit 130 may pair corresponding batteries among a plurality of batteries according to the results of sequentially comparing SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate. In other words, the indicator value comparison results of high-priority performance indicators may have a greater impact on battery pairing than the indicator value comparison results of low-priority performance indicators.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not only implemented through devices and methods, but may also be implemented through a program that realizes the function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiment of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded. The implementation can be easily implemented by an expert in the technical field to which the present invention belongs based on the description of the embodiments described above.

Although the present invention has been described above with limited examples and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the technical idea of the present invention and the description below will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalence of the patent claims.

In addition, the present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications and changes without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is not limited by the drawings, and all or part of each embodiment can be selectively combined so that various modifications can be made.

100: Battery pairing device
110: Department of Communications
120: Index value determination unit
130: battery decision unit
140: storage unit
1000: Server

Claims (12)

a communication unit configured to receive battery information about a plurality of batteries;
an index value determination unit configured to determine index values for a plurality of performance indexes preset for each of the plurality of batteries, based on the battery information; and
A battery pairing device comprising a battery determination unit configured to compare a plurality of index values determined for the plurality of batteries and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to the comparison result.
According to paragraph 1,
The battery decision unit,
A battery pairing device, characterized in that it is configured to compare indicator values of the plurality of batteries according to priorities set in advance for the plurality of performance indicators, and pair corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries.
According to paragraph 2,
The battery decision unit,
A battery pairing device characterized in that it is configured to preferentially compare a plurality of index values for the high priority performance index.
According to paragraph 1,
The battery decision unit,
A battery pairing device configured to calculate an SOH difference between the paired batteries and, if the calculated SOH difference is greater than a preset threshold, release pairing for the paired battery.
According to paragraph 4,
The battery decision unit,
Among the plurality of batteries, a plurality of unpaired batteries are determined, the plurality of index values are compared for the plurality of non-pair batteries, and corresponding batteries among the non-pair batteries are compared according to the comparison result. A battery pairing device configured to pair.
According to paragraph 1,
The plurality of performance indicators are,
A battery pairing device configured to include at least one of SOC, SOH, unit charge capacity, and degradation rate.
According to clause 6,
The indicator value determination unit,
A battery pairing device configured to calculate the cumulative SOC and cumulative charge capacity of each of the plurality of batteries from the battery information, and calculate the unit charge capacity according to the accumulated SOC and the accumulated charge capacity.
In clause 7,
The indicator value determination unit,
A battery pairing device, characterized in that it is configured to calculate the charge capacity per SOC for each preset unit period and calculate the unit charge capacity by calculating the average value of the charge capacity per SOC for a preset reference period.
According to clause 6,
The indicator value determination unit,
A battery pairing device configured to calculate the SOH change amount and accumulated usage amount of each of the plurality of batteries from the battery information, and calculate the degradation rate of each of the plurality of batteries based on the SOH change amount and the accumulated usage amount. .
A battery replacement station comprising a battery pairing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A server including a battery pairing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.
A battery information receiving step of receiving battery information about a plurality of batteries;
An indicator value determination step of determining indicator values for a plurality of performance indicators for the plurality of batteries, based on the battery information;
An index value comparison step of comparing a plurality of index values determined for the plurality of batteries; and
A battery pairing method comprising a pairing step of pairing corresponding batteries among the plurality of batteries according to a comparison result.

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