A Time-Efficient and Accurate Open Circuit Voltage Estimation Method for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Abstract

The open circuit voltage (OCV) of lithium-ion batteries is widely used in battery modeling, state estimation, and management. However, OCV is a function of state of charge (SOC) and battery temperature (Tbat) and is very hard to estimate in terms of time efficiency and accuracy. This is because two problems arise in normal operations: (1) Tbat changes with the current (I), which makes it very hard to obtain the data required to estimate OCV—terminal voltage (U) data of different I under the same Tbat; (2) the difference between U and OCV is a complex nonlinear function of I and is very difficult to accurately calculate. Therefore, existing methods have to design special experiments to avoid these problems, which are very time consuming. The proposed method consists of a designed test and a data processing algorithm. The test is mainly constant current tests (CCTs) of large I, which is time-efficient in obtaining data. The algorithm solves the two problems and estimates OCV accurately using the test data. Experimental results and analyses showed that experimental time was reduced and estimation accuracy was adequate.