Systems and methods for individual control of a plurality of controllable units of battery cells

A battery control system, comprising:

• a plurality of battery cells arranged as a plurality of controllable units that are electrically connectable in circuit via switching circuitry, wherein each controllable unit includes at least one of the battery cells of the plurality;
• the switching circuitry coupled to the plurality of battery cells, and arranged to facilitate individualized control of each of the controllable units, wherein the individualized control includes selective activation/deactivation of each controllable unit within an aggregation of battery cells through operation of the switching circuitry;
• sensing circuitry arranged at each controllable unit to measure conditions of at least one battery cell of that controllable unit;
• and
• controller circuitry operatively coupled to the switching circuitry and to the sensing circuitry, the controller circuitry operative to read the sensing circuitry and to operate the switching circuitry to dynamically activate and deactivate the controllable units within the aggregation of battery cells based on the individualized control, to meet an output voltage target, according to battery-management instructions;
• wherein the battery management instructions, when executed, cause the controller circuitry to:
• estimate a state of each controllable unit based on the measured conditions of the at least one battery cell in that controllable unit, wherein the estimated state is indicative of a performance capability of that controllable unit;
• perform the individualized control such that durations of the activation of individual ones of the controllable units within the aggregation of battery cells are varied according to activation criteria which is based on the performance capabilities of those controllable units;
• further perform the individualized control to place one or more of the controllable units, which is otherwise operative according to the activation criteria, into a resting state in which those one or more of the controllable units are temporarily maintained in a deactivated state according to cell-resting criteria which causes the one or more of the controllable units to be non-responsive to the activation criteria, while others of the controllable units are maintained in a non-resting state such that those others of the controllable units are subject to activation for durations according to the activation criteria;
• wherein the cell-resting criteria calls for controllable units to be placed into the resting state based on intensity of recent usage according to a defined duration of activation of the one or more controllable units during a preceding operational period regardless of the determined performance capability of those controllable units;
• and
• further perform the individualized control to remove the one or more of the controllable units from the resting state such that those one or more controllable units are activated for durations according to the activation criteria.