Topology identification for smart cells in modular batteries

This paper proposes an approach to automatically identifying the topological order of smart cells in modular batteries. Emerging smart cell architectures enable battery management without centralized control by coordination of activities via communication. When connecting smart cells in series to form a battery pack, the topological order of the cells is not known and it cannot be automatically identified using the available communication bus. This order, however, is of particular importance for several battery management functions, including temperature control and active cell balancing which relate properties of the cells and their location. Therefore, this paper presents a methodology to automatically identify a topological order on the smart cells in a battery pack using a hybrid communication approach, involving both the communication and the balancing layer of the smart cell architecture. A prototypie implementation on a development platform shows the feasibility and scalability of the approach.