1
FORM 2
THE PATENTS ACT 1970
[39 OF 1970]
5 &
THE PATENTS RULES, 2003
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
[See section 10; rule 13]
10
TITLE: “A METHOD OF SMART CHARGING OF BATTERY OF
VEHICLE AND A SYSTEM THEREOF”
15
Name and address of the Applicant: TATA MOTORS LIMITED of Bombay House,
24 Homi Mody Street, Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai - 400 001, Maharashtra, India
20 Nationality: Indian
25 The following specification particularly describes the invention and the manner in
which it is to be performed.
2
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to charging a battery in a vehicle. More particularly, the
present disclosure relates to smart charging of the battery of the vehicle.
5 BACKGROUND
[0002] An electric vehicle is a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to a vehicle with an internal
combustion engine. An electric vehicle comprises a battery for delivering electricity to a motor for
running the electric vehicle. The battery comprises a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel
to deliver the electricity. The battery packs are connected in parallel to increase the total capacity
10 of the battery without increasing the voltage.
[0003] During conventional charging of the plurality of battery packs of the battery, the charging
is halted when at least one of the plurality of battery packs of the battery reaches a maximum State
of Charge (SoC) as the electrical potential across each battery pack is maintained at the same level
15 owing to the parallel arrangement of the plurality of battery packs. However, in this scenario, some
of the battery packs may not be completely charged before the charging is halted. This results in
reduced range and decreased performance of the battery.
[0004] Thus, there is a need for a system and a method that overcomes the above-mentioned
20 limitations in battery charging.
[0005] The information disclosed in this background of the disclosure section is only for
enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken
as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already
25 known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[0006] The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting.
In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects,
30 embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following
detailed description.
3
[0007] In an embodiment, a method of smart charging of a battery of a vehicle is disclosed. The
method includes monitoring a State of Charge (SoC) of each battery pack of a plurality of battery
packs associated with a battery of a vehicle during charging of the battery. The method includes
iteratively performing the following steps till the SoC of each battery pack of the plurality of
5 battery packs reaches a predefined threshold SoC. The steps to be performed iteratively include
detecting that the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs has reached
a predefined threshold SoC. The steps further include disconnecting the at least one battery pack
from the plurality of battery packs. The steps further include adjusting a Current Charge Limit
(CCL) for charging one or more remaining battery packs from the plurality of battery packs, on
10 disconnecting the at least one battery pack. The steps further include charging the one or more
remaining battery packs based on the adjusted CCL.
[0008] In an embodiment, a Battery Management System (BMS) for smart charging of a battery
of a vehicle is disclosed. The BMS includes a memory that stores processor-executable
15 instructions. The BMS includes a processor configured to monitor a State of Charge (SoC) of each
battery pack of a plurality of battery packs associated with a battery of a vehicle during charging
of the battery. The processor is configured to iteratively perform the following steps till the SoC
of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs reaches a predefined threshold SoC. The
processor is configured to detect that the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of
20 battery packs has reached the predefined threshold SoC. The processor is configured to disconnect
the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs. The processor is configured to
adjust a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for charging one or more remaining battery packs from the
plurality of battery packs, on disconnecting the at least one battery pack. The processor is
configured to charge the one or more remaining battery packs based on the adjusted CCL.
25
[0009] In an embodiment, a vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle comprises a battery and a BMS for
smart charging of the battery of the vehicle. The BMS includes a processor configured to monitor
a SoC of each battery pack of a plurality of battery packs associated with a battery of a vehicle
during charging of the battery. The processor is configured to iteratively perform the following
30 steps till the SoC of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs reaches a predefined
threshold SoC. The processor is configured to detect that the SoC of at least one battery pack from
the plurality of battery packs has reached the predefined threshold SoC. The processor is
4
configured to disconnect the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs. The
processor is configured to adjust a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for charging one or more
remaining battery packs from the plurality of battery packs, on disconnecting the at least one
battery pack. The processor is configured to charge the one or more remaining battery packs based
5 on the adjusted CCL.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this
disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain
10 the disclosed principles. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference features
and components. Some embodiments of at least one of device and methods in accordance with
embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with
reference to the accompanying figures, in which:
15 [0011] Fig. 1A illustrates an environment in which some embodiments of the present disclosure
may be practiced;
[0012] Fig. 1B illustrates another environment in which some embodiments of the present
disclosure may be practiced;
20
[0013] Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a Battery Management System (BMS) for
smart charging of a battery of a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
25 [0014] Fig. 3A illustrates an exemplary depiction of implementation of a smart charging routine
for a battery of a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] Fig. 3B illustrates an exemplary depiction of implementation of a smart charging routine
for a battery of a vehicle, in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
30
[0016] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart of a method for smart charging of a battery of a vehicle, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
5
[0017] Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method of smart charging of a battery of the vehicle, in
accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0018] Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system for smart charging of
5 a battery of the vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0019] The figures depict embodiments of the disclosure for purposes of illustration only. One
skilled in the art will readily recognize from the following description that alternative embodiments
of the structures and methods illustrated herein may be employed without departing from the
10 principles of the disclosure described herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an
example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject
15 matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or
advantageous over other embodiments.
[0021] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific
embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in
20 detail below. It should be understood, however, that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the
particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications,
equivalents, and alternative falling within the spirit and the scope of the disclosure.
[0022] The terms “comprises”, “comprising”, or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover
25 a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device or method that comprises a list of components
or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or
steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or
more elements in a device or system or apparatus proceeded by “comprises… a” does not, without
more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the device or
30 system or apparatus.
[0023] In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is
made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of
6
illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments
are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it
is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to
5 be taken in a limiting sense.
[0024] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are hereinafter explained with reference to
Figs. 1-6.
10 [0025] Fig. 1A illustrates an environment 100A in which some embodiments of the present
disclosure may be practiced. As shown, the environment 100A includes a Battery Management
System (BMS) 102, a battery 104 comprising a plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N
(collectively referred as plurality of battery packs 106), and a power supply 108. The BMS 102
monitors and controls the charging of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N of the
15 battery 104. The BMS 102 charges the battery 104 using the power supply 108. In an embodiment,
the BMS 102 may be connected to the battery 104 comprising the plurality of battery packs 106A,
106B…106N connected in parallel. In another embodiment, there may exist plurality of BMSs
102A, 102B, …102N. In this embodiment, each of the plurality of BMSs 102A, 102B, …102N
may be connected to a battery pack from the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N (as
20 shown in Fig. 1B). The embodiments of Fig. 1B is not explained herein for the sake of brevity
[0026] The term “Battery Management System (BMS)” used herein manages the electronics of a
rechargeable battery, whether a cell or a battery pack. The BMS is a crucial component in ensuring
electric vehicle safety. The BMS 102 may be an embedded system specially designed to monitor
25 and control various battery parameters such as, but not limited to, temperature, voltage, current,
State of Charge (SoC), and the like. The BMS 102 safeguards both a user of the vehicle and the
battery 104 by ensuring that the battery 104 operates within its safe operating parameters. The
BMS 102 may control the charging of the battery 104 based on the various battery parameters such
as the SoC. In an embodiment, the BMS 102 may be connected externally to the battery 104. In
30 another embodiment, the BMS 102 may be implemented within the battery 104. In yet another
embodiment, the BMS 102 may be implemented within a Vehicle Control Unit (VCU).
7
[0027] The term “State of Charge (SoC)” used herein is a measurement that indicates a level of
remaining capacity of a battery of a vehicle. The SoC is defined as a ratio of available capacity
Q(t) and maximum possible charge that can be stored in a battery. A fully charged battery is said
to have an SOC of 100% while a fully discharged battery has an SOC of 0%.
5
[0028] It shall be noted that embodiments of the present disclosure are explained with respect to
monitoring SoC of the battery 104. However, it shall be noted that any other battery parameters
such as voltage across each battery pack may be monitored.
10 [0029] In an embodiment, the BMS 102 monitors the SoC of the battery 104. Consider the SoC of
at least one battery pack 106A of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N reaches a
predefined threshold SoC (for example, 98%). The BMS 102 determines that the battery 104 has
reached the predefined threshold SoC. Consider the SoC of one or more remaining battery packs
106B…106N are 92%, …... 85%, respectively. In this embodiment, though the one or more
15 remaining battery packs 106B…106N are not charged i.e., they have not reached the predefined
threshold SoC, the BMS 102 determines that the battery 104 is charged and halts the charging.
However, since the one or more remaining battery packs 106B…106N are not charged to a desired
level, the range, and the performance of the battery 104 are affected, thereby decreasing the
efficiency and life of the battery 104. To overcome the above mentioned problem, the BMS 102
20 with a smart charging strategy is deployed in the vehicle. The BMS 102 is explained in detail with
respect to Fig. 2.
[0030] Fig. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram 200 of a BMS 102 for smart charging a
battery 104 of a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The BMS
25 102 is deployed to effectively charge the battery 104 of the vehicle. The BMS 102 includes a
processor 202, a memory 204, an Input/Output (I/O) module 206, and a communication interface
208.
[0031] It may be noted that, in some embodiments, the BMS 102 may include more or fewer
30 components than those depicted herein. The various components of the BMS 102 may be
implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or any combinations thereof. Further, the
various components of the BMS 102 may be operably coupled with each other. More specifically,
8
various components of the BMS 102 may be capable of communicating with each other using
communication channel media (such as buses, interconnects, etc.).
[0032] In one embodiment, the processor 202 may be embodied as a multi-core processor, a single
5 core processor, or a combination of one or more multi-core processors and one or more single core
processors. For example, the processor 202 may be embodied as one or more of various processing
devices, such as a coprocessor, a microprocessor, a controller, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), a
processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices
including, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip,
10 or the like. The processor 202 may include, but not limited to, a SoC detection module 212, a
temperature detection module 214, a voltage detection module 216, a Current Charge Limit (CCL)
module 218, and the like.

[0033] The SoC detection module 212 may monitor the SoC of each of the plurality of battery
15 packs 106A, 106B…106N.. The SoC detection module 212 monitors the overall SoC (i.e., the
maximum SoC of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N). When a smart charging
routine 220 is activated, the SoC detection module 212 monitors the SoC of each of the plurality
of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N.
20 [0034] In an embodiment, the temperature detection module 214 may receive temperature
readings from one or more temperature sensors (not shown explicitly in Figures) across the battery
104. The temperature detection module 214 may monitor the temperature of the battery 104 and
each of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N. The temperature detection module 214
monitors the temperature of the battery 104 to monitor excess heating of the battery 104 during
25 charging. The temperature detection module 214 may alert the BMS 102 to halt the charging due
to excess heating.
[0035] The voltage detection module 216 may monitor a voltage across the battery 104. The
voltage across the battery 104 is maintained at the same level as the one or more battery packs
30 106A, 106B…106N are connected in parallel. The voltage detection module 216 may monitor the
voltage across each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N once the
smart charging routine 220 is activated by the BMS 102.
9
[0036] The CCL module 218 may determine a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for the plurality of
battery packs 106A, 106B…106N based on the SoC, the temperature and the voltage detected by
the SoC detection module 212, the temperature detection module 214 and the voltage detection
5 module 216, respectively. The CCL module 218 determines the CCL for charging the battery 104
such that the battery 104 is safeguarded.
[0037] In one embodiment, the memory 204 is capable of storing machine executable instructions
205, referred to herein as instructions 205 and the smart charging routine 220. In an embodiment,
10 the processor 202 is embodied as an executor of software instructions. As such, the processor 202
is capable of executing the instructions 205 stored in the memory 204 to perform one or more
operations described herein.
[0038] The memory 204 can be any type of storage accessible to the processor 202 to perform
15 respective functionalities. For example, the memory 204 may include one or more volatile or nonvolatile memories, or a combination thereof. For example, the memory 204 may be embodied as
semiconductor memories, such as flash memory, mask ROM, PROM (programmable ROM),
EPROM (erasable PROM), RAM (random access memory), etc. and the like. In an embodiment,
the memory 204 may store CCL for one or more combinations of battery packs based on historical
20 charging data.
[0039] In an embodiment, the processor 202 is configured to execute the instructions 205 and use
the BMS 102 to: (1) monitor a State of Charge (SoC) of each battery pack of the plurality of battery
packs 106A, 106B…106N associated with the battery 104 of the vehicle during charging of the
25 battery 104, and (2) iteratively perform the following steps till the SoC of each battery pack of the
plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N reaches a predefined threshold SoC, (a) detect that
the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N has
reached the predefined threshold SoC, (b) disconnect the at least one battery pack from the plurality
of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N, (c) adjust a CCL for charging one or more remaining battery
30 packs from the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B…106N, on disconnecting the at least one
battery pack, and (d) charge the one or more remaining battery packs based on the adjusted CCL.
10
[0040] In an embodiment, the I/O module 206 may include mechanisms configured to receive
inputs from and provide outputs to an operator of the BMS 102 (not shown in FIGS). The term
‘operator of the BMS 102’ as used herein may refer to one or more individuals whether directly or
indirectly, associated with managing the BMS 102. To enable reception of inputs and provide
5 outputs to the BMS 102, the I/O module 206 may include at least one input interface and at least
one output interface. Examples of the I/O module 206 may include, but are not limited to, a BMS
Area Network (CAN) based I/O module, a LIN (Local Interconnect Network) based I/O module,
a digital I/O module, an analog I/O module, and the like.
10 [0041] In an embodiment, the communication interface 208 may include mechanisms configured
to communicate with other entities in the environment 100 such as the battery 104 and the power
supply 108.
[0042] The BMS 102 is depicted to be in operative communication with a database 210. In an
15 embodiment, the database 210 is configured to store a variety of data related to SoCs of battery
packs, their corresponding CCL values and the like..
[0043] The database 210 may include multiple storage units such as hard disks and/or solid-state
disks in a redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) configuration. In some embodiments, the
20 database 210 may include a storage area network (SAN) and/or a network attached storage (NAS)
system. In one embodiment, the database 210 may correspond to a distributed storage system,
where individual databases are configured to store information. In an embodiment, the database
210 may comprise the smart charging routine 220. The implementation of the smart charging
routine 220 is explained in detail in Fig. 3A.
25
[0044] Fig. 3A illustrates an exemplary depiction 300A of implementation of a smart charging
routine for a battery 104, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 3A
depicts the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B, 106C…106N. Each of the plurality of battery
packs 106A, 106B, 106C…106N comprises a respective contactor 302A, 302B, 302C, ….302N
30 to connect and disconnect the plurality of battery packs 106 during charging. Each of the plurality
of battery packs 106 also comprises respective precharge resistors 304A, 304B, 304C…304N such
that large flow current due to a battery pack voltage difference can be avoided.
11
[0045] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of battery packs 106 in parallel are connected to
the BMS 102. In an embodiment, the battery 104 comprising the plurality of battery packs 106
may be communicatively coupled to the BMS 102. The BMS 102 controls the charging of the
5 battery 104. In another embodiment, each of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B,
106C…106N may be connected to a corresponding BMS 102A, 102B, 102C …102N (as shown
in Fig. 3B). The embodiments of Fig. 3B is not explained herein for the sake of brevity.
[0046] In an embodiment, considering the predefined threshold SoC to be 98% and assuming that
10 the battery pack 106A reaches 98% SoC first when the battery 104 is connected to the power
supply 108 for charging. The processor 202 monitors the SoC of the remaining battery packs 106B,
106C…106N. In one exemplary embodiment, assuming that the SoC of the battery pack 106C is
85% and its SoC is the lowest from all the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N. Now, the
processor 202 calculates a difference between the SoC of the battery pack 106A (i.e., the battery
15 pack that reached the predefined threshold SoC first) and the battery pack 106C (i.e., the battery
pack with the lowest value of SoC from the remaining battery packs). The difference calculated
by the processor 202 in this scenario is 13%. The processor 202 then compares this difference with
a predefined threshold value. Assuming the predefined threshold value to be 5%, the processor 202
upon comparison with the predefined threshold value, observes the calculated difference (i.e.,
20 13%) to be greater than the predefined threshold value (i.e., 5%). In such a scenario, the processor
202 initiates the smart charging routine 220. Upon initiating the smart charging routine 220, the
processor 202 disconnects the battery pack 106A by facilitating removal of the contactor 302A.
The processor 202 then adjusts the CCL for the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N.
Charing of the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N is continued until the SoC of each of
25 the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N reaches the predefined threshold SoC. In
particular, as the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N are charging, the processor 202 may
monitor each of the remaining battery packs to check which battery pack has reached the
predefined threshold SoC. The processor 202 may then disconnect the battery pack that has
reached the predefined threshold SoC, adjust the CCL for the remaining battery packs and continue
30 charging the remaining battery packs. The processor 202 may continue this procedure till all the
battery packs are charged to the predefined threshold SoC value.
12
[0047] However, in another embodiment, if the calculated difference is less than or equal to the
predefined threshold value, the processor 202 may not implement the smart charging routine 220
and the charging of the battery 104 is halted. For instance, assuming that the SoC of the battery
pack 106C is 95% and its SoC is the lowest from all the remaining battery packs 106B,
5 106C…106N. Now, the processor 202 calculates a difference between the SoC of the battery pack
106A (i.e., the battery pack that reached the predefined threshold SoC first) and the battery pack
106C (i.e., the battery pack with the lowest value of SoC from the remaining battery packs). The
difference calculated by the processor 202 in this scenario is 3%, which is less than the predefined
threshold value (i.e., 5%). In such a scenario, the processor 202 does not implement the smart
10 charging routine 220 and halts the charging of the battery 104. It may be noted by a skilled person
that the predefined threshold SoC may be configured by a battery’s Original Equipment
Manufacturer (OEM). Further, the predefined threshold SoC may be same for each battery pack in
the battery 104, or each battery pack may have a different predefined threshold SoC depending
upon parameters such as, age of the battery, and the like.
15
[0048] In an embodiment, when the difference calculated by the processor 202 is more than the
predefined threshold value, implementing smart charging routine 220 is essential as it may increase
the range of the battery 104 substantially. In this embodiment, the smart charging routine 220
ensures that the battery 104 is optimally charged and the efficiency of the battery 104 is increased.
20 However, in an embodiment, consider the difference is less than the predefined threshold value.
The range of the battery 104 when SoC of each of the remaining battery packs 106B, 106C…106N
reaches the predefined threshold SoC and the range of the battery 104with the current SoCs may
be similar. Therefore, implementing the smart charging routine 220 in this embodiment may
increase the time consumed in charging the battery 104 without increasing the range substantially.
25
[0049] Fig. 4 illustrates a flow chart of method 400 for charging the battery 104 of the vehicle, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0050] At step 402, the method 400 includes initiating charging of the battery 104 using the power
30 supply 108. In one embodiment, for initiating the charging, the processor 202 in conjunction with
the power supply 108 may be used.
13
[0051] At step 404, the method 400 includes monitoring the SoC across the battery 104. In one
embodiment, during the charging of the battery 104, the processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC
detection module 212 may monitor the SoC of the battery 104.
5 [0052] At step 406, the method 400 includes determining if the SoC across the battery 104 reaches
the predefined threshold SoC. For example, consider the threshold SoC is 98% and the battery is
charged from 50% SoC to 98% SoC, the processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection
module 212 determines that the SoC across the battery 104 has reached the predefined threshold
SoC. If the SoC across the battery has not reached the predefined SoC, the battery 104 continues
10 charging.
[0053] At step 408, when the SoC across the battery 104 reaches the threshold SoC, the method
400 includes monitoring the SoC of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs 106in the
battery 104. In one embodiment, for said monitoring, the processor 202 in conjunction with the
15 SoC detection module 212 may be utilized. In an example, the battery 104 may have three battery
packs i.e., the plurality of battery packs is 106A, 106B and 106C. The SoC of the plurality of
battery packs may be 98%, 85% and 97%, respectively.
[0054] At step 410, the method 400 includes determining at least one battery pack (for example,
20 106A) from the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B….106N with SoC above the predefined
threshold SoC. For example, considering that the battery 104 has three battery packs i.e., the
plurality of battery packs is 106A, 106B and 106C. The SoC of the plurality of battery packs 106A,
106B and 106C are 98%, 85% and 97%, respectively. The predefined threshold SoC is 98%. The
processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 determines that the battery pack
25 106A has reached the predefined threshold SoC.
[0055] At step 412, the method 400 includes disconnecting the at least one battery pack 106A by
removing the contactor 302A.
30 [0056] At step 414, the method 400 includes adjusting the CCL for the one or more remaining
battery packs (for example,106B and 106C). In one embodiment, for adjusting the CCL, the
processor 202 in conjunction with the CCL module 218 may be utilized. The CCL is adjusted based
on the current SoC of the one or more remaining battery packs. The CCL is adjusted such that the
14
one or more remaining battery packs (for example,106B and 106C) are not harmed when charging
as the battery pack 106A is disconnected.
[0057] The processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 continuously
5 monitors the SoC of each of the one or more remaining battery packs. At step 416, the method 400
includes determining if at least one battery pack from the one or more remaining battery packs
106B and 106C is below the predefined threshold SoC.
[0058] At step 418, if at least one battery pack (for example 106B) is below the predefined
10 threshold SoC, charging is continued and steps 408 to 416 is repeated until each the SoC of the
one or more remaining battery packs (for example, 106B and 106C) reaches the predefined
threshold SoC. For example, consider the battery 104 has three battery packs i.e., the plurality of
battery packs is 106A, 106B and 106C. The SoC of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B and
106C are 98%, 85% and 97%, respectively. The predefined threshold SoC is 98%. The processor
15 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 determines that the battery pack 106A has
reached the predefined threshold SoC. The BMS 102 disconnects the battery pack 106A. The
processor 202 in conjunction with the CCL module 218 adjusts the CCL to charge the battery packs
106B and 106C. The processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212
continuously monitors the SoC of the battery packs 106B and 106C. The processor 202 in
20 conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 may detect that the battery pack 106C has reached
the predefined threshold SoC of 98% and the SoC of battery pack 106B is still 90%. The BMS 102
disconnects battery pack 106C, adjusts the CCL for battery pack 106B and continues charging the
battery pack 106B until the SoC reaches 98%. The processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC
detection module 212 on detecting that all the battery packs 106A, 106B and 106C have reached
25 the threshold SoC of 98%, halts the charging.
[0059] At step 420, if at least one battery pack is not below the predefined threshold SoC, the
method 400 includes halting the charging and the battery 104 is said to be charged optimally.
30 [0060] The method 400 with reference to Fig. 4, may be implemented using software including
computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media (e.g., nontransitory computer-readable media, such as one or more optical media discs, volatile memory
15
components (e.g., DRAM or SRAM), or non-volatile memory or storage components (e.g., hard
drives or solid-state non-volatile memory components, such as Flash memory components) and
executed on a computer (e.g., any suitable computer, such as a laptop computer, net book, Web
book, tablet computing device, smart phone, or other mobile computing device). Such software
5 may be executed, for example, on a single local computer.
[0061] The sequence of operations of the method 400 need not be necessarily executed in the same
order as they are presented. Further, one or more operations may be grouped together and
performed in the form of a single step, or one operation may have several sub-steps that may be
10 performed in parallel or in sequential manner.
[0062] Fig. 5 illustrates a flow chart of a method 500 of smart charging a battery 104 of a vehicle,
in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.
15 [0063] At step 502, the method 500 includes monitoring the State of Charge (SoC) of each of the
plurality of battery packs 106 associated with the battery 104 of the vehicle during charging of the
battery 104. In one embodiment, the processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module
212 may be utilized for monitoring the SoC of each of the plurality of battery packs 106.
20 [0064] At step 504, the method 500 includes detecting that the SoC of at least one battery pack
from the plurality of battery packs 106has reached the predefined threshold SoC. In an
embodiment, the processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 identifies a
battery pack from the one or more remaining battery packs with a lowest SoC. The processor 202
in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212 determines a difference between the SoC of the
25 identified battery pack and the predefined threshold SoC. When the determined difference is less
than a predefined threshold, the processor 202 halts the charging of the one or more remaining
battery packs. For example, the processor 202 in conjunction with the SoC detection module 212
detects that the battery pack 106A has reached the predefined threshold SoC of 98% first. However,
the SoC of one or more remaining battery packs 106B, and 106C may be 95% and 97%,
30 respectively i.e., less than the predefined threshold SoC. Herein, the battery pack with the lowest
SoC is 106B with SoC 95%. The difference between the lowest SoC and the maximum SoC of
98% is 3%. As the difference between the maximum SoC and the minimum SoC is less than the
16
threshold value of 5%, the charging is halted and the battery 104 is considered as charged. The
charging is halted as the SoC of the plurality of battery packs has almost reached the predefined
threshold SoC and implementing the smart charging routine 220 until the SoC of each of the
plurality of battery packs reaches 98% is time consuming. The range of battery packs in current
5 SoC and with the predefined threshold SoC may be similar. Therefore, the charging is halted if the
difference between the lowest SoC of the one or more remaining battery packs and the predefined
threshold SoC is below the threshold value.
[0065] At step 506, the method 500 includes disconnecting the at least one battery pack from the
10 plurality of battery packs 106. For example, if the battery pack 106A has reached the predefined
threshold SoC of 98%, it may be disconnected by opening the contactor corresponding to the at
least one battery pack i.e., 106A.
[0066] At step 508, the method 500 includes adjusting the CCL for charging the one or more
15 remaining battery packs 106B, 106C, …106N from the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B,
106C, …106N, on disconnecting the at least one battery pack 106A. In one embodiment, the
processor 202 in conjunction with the CCL module 218 adjusts the CCL based on the current SoC
of the one or more remaining battery packs 106B, 106C, …106N. For example, consider the
battery 104 has three battery packs 106A, 106B and 106C. The SoC of battery pack 106A reaches
20 the predefined threshold SoC of 98% first. The SoC of the remaining battery packs 106B and 106C
may be 85% and 90%, respectively. The difference between the lowest SoC i.e. 85% and the
maximum SoC i.e., 98% is above the predefined threshold of 5%. The processor 202 in conjunction
with the power supply 108 continues charging the one or more remaining battery packs 106B and
106C by adjusting the CCL for the one or more remaining battery packs.
25
[0067] At step 510, the method 500 includes charging the one or more remaining battery packs
based on the adjusted CCL. The method 500 includes iteratively performing steps 504-510 till the
SoC of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs 106A, 106B… 106N reaches the
predefined threshold SoC.
30
[0068] The method 500 with reference to Fig. 5, may be implemented using software including
computer-executable instructions stored on one or more computer-readable media (e.g., non-
17
transitory computer-readable media, such as one or more optical media discs, volatile memory
components (e.g., DRAM or SRAM), or non-volatile memory or storage components (e.g., hard
drives or solid-state non-volatile memory components, such as Flash memory components) and
executed on a computer (e.g., any suitable computer, such as a laptop computer, net book, Web
5 book, tablet computing device, smart phone, or other mobile computing device). Such software
may be executed, for example, on a single local computer.
[0069] The sequence of operations of the method 500 need not be necessarily executed in the same
order as they are presented. Further, one or more operations may be grouped together and
10 performed in form of a single step, or one operation may have several sub-steps that may be
performed in parallel or in sequential manner.
[0070] Fig. 6 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary computer system 600, for implementing
embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. The computer system 600 may be, without
15 limitation to, the BMS 102 and the battery 104. The computer system 600 may include a central
processing unit (“CPU” or “processor”) 601. The processor 601 may include at least one data
processor for executing processes. The processor 601 may include specialized processing units
such as, integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point
units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.
20
[0071] The processor 601 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O)
devices 608 and 609 via I/O interface 607. The I/O interface 607 may employ communication
protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monaural, RCA, stereo,
IEEE-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component,
25 composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), RF
antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 902.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple
access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications
(GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.
30 [0072] Using the I/O interface 607, the computer system 600 may communicate with one or more
I/O devices 608 and 609. Examples of the I/O interface 607 may include, but are not limited to,
Controller Area Network (CAN) based I/O module, LIN (Local Interconnect Network) based I/O
18
module, digital I/O module, analog I/O module and the like. The I/O interface 607 may
communicate with the battery 104 to monitor and charge the battery 104.
[0073] In some embodiments, the processor 601 may be disposed in communication with external
5 elements such as external computer systems, servers, network elements. The network interface 610
may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g.,
twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token
ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.
10 [0074] In some embodiments, the processor 601 may be disposed in communication with a
memory 603 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc.) via a storage interface 602. The storage interface 602 may
connect to memory 603 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc.,
employing connection protocols such as, serial advanced technology attachment (SATA),
Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fibre channel, Small
15 Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic
disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID),
solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.
[0075] The memory 603 may store a collection of program or database components, including,
20 without limitation, user interface 604, an operating system 605, a web browser 606 etc. In some
embodiments, computer system 600 may store user/application data, such as, the data, variables,
records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant,
relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle ® or Sybase®.
25 [0076] The operating system 605 may facilitate resource management and operation of the
computer system 600. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE
MACINTOSH® OS X, UNIX®, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY
SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTIONTM (BSD), FREEBSDTM, NETBSDTM, OPENBSDTM, etc.),
LINUX DISTRIBUTIONSTM (E.G., RED HATTM, UBUNTUTM, KUBUNTUTM, etc.), IBMTM
OS/2, MICROSOFTTM WINDOWSTM (XPTM, VISTATM/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLE® IOSTM 30 ,
GOOGLE® ANDROIDTM, BLACKBERRY® OS, or the like.
19
[0077] In some embodiments, the computer system 600 may implement the web browser 606
stored program components. The web browser 606 may be a hypertext viewing application, such
as MICROSOFT® INTERNET EXPLORER®, GOOGLETM CHROMETM, MOZILLA®
FIREFOX®, APPLE® SAFARI®, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure
5 Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security
(TLS), etc. Web browsers 606 may utilize facilities such as AJAX, DHTML, ADOBE® FLASH®,
JAVASCRIPT®, JAVA®, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments,
the computer system 600 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server
may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize
facilities such as Active Server Pages (ASP), ACTIVEX®, ANSI® C++/C#, MICROSOFT® 10 , .NET,
CGI SCRIPTS, JAVA®, JAVASCRIPT®, PERL®, PHP, PYTHON®, WEBOBJECTS®, etc. The
mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol
(IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT® exchange, Post
Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments,
15 the computer system 600 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client
may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE® MAIL, MICROSOFT® ENTOURAGE®,
MICROSOFT® OUTLOOK®, MOZILLA® THUNDERBIRD®, etc.
[0078] The present disclosure discloses a method and a BMS for smart charging of a battery of a
20 vehicle. The present disclosure enables optimal charging of the battery. Thereby increasing the
range offered by the battery. The present disclosure also improves the battery life as the battery
operates at an optimal range and repeated charging of the battery is avoided. Furthermore, the
efficiency of the battery is improved as the battery is charged to the optimal capacity. The present
disclosure also reduces rapid degradation rate of batteries as it reduces the need to constantly
25 recharge the battery.
[0079] The described operations may be implemented as a method, system or article of
manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software,
firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The described operations may be implemented
30 as code maintained in a “non-transitory computer readable medium”, where a processor may read
and execute the code from the computer readable medium. The processor is at least one of a
microprocessor and a processor capable of processing and executing the queries. A non-transitory
20
computer readable medium may include media such as magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk
drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc.), volatile
and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs,
Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), etc. Further, non-transitory computer5 readable media may include all computer-readable media except for a transitory. The code
implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an
integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit
(ASIC), etc.).
10 [0080] The illustrated steps are set out to explain the exemplary embodiments shown, and it should
be anticipated that ongoing technological development will change the manner in which particular
functions are performed. These examples are presented herein for purposes of illustration, and not
limitation. Further, the boundaries of the functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined
herein for the convenience of the description. Alternative boundaries can be defined so long as the
15 specified functions and relationships thereof are appropriately performed. Alternatives (including
equivalents, extensions, variations, deviations, etc., of those described herein) will be apparent to
persons skilled in the relevant art(s) based on the teachings contained herein. Such alternatives fall
within the scope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments. Also, the words “comprising,” “having,”
“containing,” and “including,” and other similar forms are intended to be equivalent in meaning
20 and be open ended in that an item or items following any one of these words is not meant to be an
exhaustive listing of such item or items or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It
must also be noted that as used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural
references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.
25 [0081] Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in
implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer readable storage
medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a
processor may be stored. Thus, a computer readable storage medium may store instructions for
execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform
30 steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term “computer readable
medium” should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient
signals, i.e., are non-transitory. Examples include random access memory (RAM), read-only
21
memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash
drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.
[0082] Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability
5 and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the
inventive subject matter. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the disclosure is
intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the disclosure.
[0083] With respect to the use of substantially any plural and/or singular terms herein, those
10 having skill in the art can translate from the plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the
plural as is appropriate to the context and/or application. The various singular/plural permutations
may be expressly set forth herein for sake of clarity.
Referral Number Description
102 Battery Management System
104 Battery
106 Battery pack
108 Power Supply
202 Processor
204 Memory
205 Instructions
208 Communication interface
206 Input/output module
210 Database
212 SoC detection module
214 Temperature detection module
216 Voltage detection module
600 Computer System
601 Processor
602 Storage Interface
603 Memory
22
604 User interface
605 Operating system
606 Web browser
607 I/O interface
608 Input devices
609 Output devices

23
We Claim:
1. A method of smart charging a battery (104) of a vehicle, the method performed by a Battery
Management System (BMS) (102), comprising:
5 monitoring a State of Charge (SoC) of each of a plurality of battery packs (106A,
106B…106N) associated with a battery (104) of a vehicle during charging of the battery
(104); and
iteratively performing the following steps till the SoC of each battery pack of the
plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) reaches a predefined threshold SoC:
10 detecting that the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery
packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the predefined threshold SoC;
disconnecting the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs
(106A, 106B…106N);
adjusting a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for charging one or more remaining
15 battery packs from the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N), on
disconnecting the at least one battery pack; and
charging the one or more remaining battery packs based on the adjusted CCL.
2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the CCL is adjusted based on a current SoC of
20 the one or more remaining battery packs.
3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein on detecting that the SoC of at least one battery
pack from the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the predefined
threshold SoC value, the method further comprising:
25 identifying a battery pack from the one or more remaining battery packs with a lowest
SoC;
determining a difference between the SoC of the identified battery pack and the
predefined threshold SoC; and
halting the charging of the one or more remaining battery packs when the determined
30 difference is less than a predefined threshold.
24
4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein disconnecting the at least one battery pack
comprising:
opening a contactor corresponding to the at least one battery pack.
5 5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery packs (106A,
106B…106N) are connected in parallel.
6. A Battery Management System (BMS) (102) smart charging a battery (104) of a vehicle,
comprises:
10 a memory (204) configured to store instructions; and
a processor (202) configured to execute the instructions stored in the memory (204)
and thereby configured to:
monitor a State of Charge (SoC) of each of a plurality of battery packs
(106A, 106B…106N) associated with a battery (104) of a vehicle during charging
15 of the battery (104); and
iteratively perform the following steps till the SoC of each battery pack of
the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) reaches a predefined threshold
SoC:
detect that the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of
20 battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the predefined threshold
SoC;
disconnect the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery
packs (106A, 106B…106N);
adjust a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for charging one or more
25 remaining battery packs from the plurality of battery packs (106A,
106B…106N), on disconnecting the at least one battery pack; and
charge the one or more remaining battery packs based on the
adjusted CCL.
30 7. The BMS (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the CCL is adjusted based on a current SoC
of the one or more remaining battery packs.
25
8. The BMS (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein on detecting that the SoC of at least one
battery pack from the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the
predefined threshold SoC value, the processor (202) is configured to:
5 identify a battery pack from the one or more remaining battery packs with a lowest
SoC;
determine a difference between the SoC of the identified battery pack and the
predefined threshold SoC; and
halt the charging of the one or more remaining battery packs when the determined
10 difference is less than a predefined threshold.
9. The BMS (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein to disconnect the at least one battery pack,
the processor (202) is configured to:
open a contactor corresponding to the at least one battery pack.
15
10. The BMS (102) as claimed in claim 6, wherein the plurality of battery packs (106A,
106B…106N) are connected in parallel.
11. A vehicle comprises:
20 a battery (104);
a BMS (102) for charging the battery (104) of the vehicle, comprises:
a memory (204) configured to store instructions; and
a processor (202) configured to execute the instructions stored in the
memory (204) and thereby configured to:
25 monitor a State of Charge (SoC) of each of a plurality of battery packs
(106A, 106B…106N) associated with a battery (104) of a vehicle during charging
of the battery (104); and
iteratively perform the following steps till the SoC of each battery pack of
the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) reaches a predefined threshold
30 SoC:
26
detect that the SoC of at least one battery pack from the plurality of
battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the predefined threshold
SoC;
disconnect the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery
5 packs (106A, 106B…106N);
adjust a Current Charge Limit (CCL) for charging one or more
remaining battery packs from the plurality of battery packs (106A,
106B…106N), on disconnecting the at least one battery pack; and
charge the one or more remaining battery packs based on the
10 adjusted CCL.
12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the CCL is adjusted based on a current SoC of
the one or more remaining battery packs.
15 13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein on detecting that the SoC of at least one battery
pack from the plurality of battery packs (106A, 106B…106N) has reached the predefined
threshold SoC value, the processor (202) is configured to:
identify a battery pack from the one or more remaining battery packs with a lowest
SoC;
20 determine a difference between the SoC of the identified battery pack and the
predefined threshold SoC; and
halt the charging of the one or more remaining battery packs when the determined
difference is less than a predefined threshold.
25 14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein to disconnect the at least one battery pack, the
processor (202) is configured to:
open a contactor corresponding to the at least one battery pack.
15. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the plurality of battery packs (106A,
30 106B…106N) are connected in parallel.