Various embodiments of the present technology may provide methods and apparatus for a battery. The apparatus may be configured to prevent leakage current from the battery to a number of sub-systems by selectively operating switches that connect the battery to the sub-systems. Operation of the switches may be based on whether the battery is charging or discharging and the capacity of the battery.

A method of producing microparticles by spray drying comprises the steps of providing a spray-drying feedstock solution comprising water, a volatile divalent metal salt, weak acid, 5-15% dairy or vegetable protein (w/v) and 1-20% active agent (w/v). The feedstock solution is adjusted to have a pH at which the volatile divalent metal salt is substantially insoluble. The feedstock solution is then spray-dried at an elevated temperature to provide atomised droplets, whereby the volatile divalent metal salt disassociates at the elevated temperature to release divalent metal ions which crosslink and aggregate the protein in the atomised droplets to produce microparticles having a crosslinked aggregated protein matrix and active agent dispersed throughout the matrix.

A method of producing microparticles by spray drying comprises the steps of providing a spray-drying feedstock solution comprising water, a volatile divalent metal salt, weak acid, 5-15% dairy or vegetable protein (w/v) and 1-20% active agent (w/v). The feedstock solution is adjusted to have a pH at which the volatile divalent metal salt is substantially insoluble. The feedstock solution is then spray-dried at an elevated temperature to provide atomised droplets, whereby the volatile divalent metal salt disassociates at the elevated temperature to release divalent metal ions which crosslink and aggregate the protein in the atomised droplets to produce microparticles having a crosslinked aggregated protein matrix and active agent dispersed throughout the matrix.

A management device 50 for power storage elements is provided with a cause analysis unit 51 that, when the voltages of power storage elements B1-B4 are reduced to a prescribed level or physical quantities correlated with the voltages are reduced to prescribed values after the supply of power to the power storage elements B1-B4 has been stopped, analyzes the cause of the voltage reduction in power storage elements B1-B4 or the cause of the reduction in the physical quantities correlated with voltages to the prescribed values, on the basis of measurement data of the power storage elements B1-B4 measured after the supply of power has been stopped.

A management device 50 for power storage elements is provided with a cause analysis unit 51 that, when the voltages of power storage elements B1-B4 are reduced to a prescribed level or physical quantities correlated with the voltages are reduced to prescribed values after the supply of power to the power storage elements B1-B4 has been stopped, analyzes the cause of the voltage reduction in power storage elements B1-B4 or the cause of the reduction in the physical quantities correlated with voltages to the prescribed values, on the basis of measurement data of the power storage elements B1-B4 measured after the supply of power has been stopped.

Methods and electronic devices for estimating state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack. Various embodiments provide a model comprising an (electrical) equivalent circuit model, an electrochemical (thermal) model, and a (convective) thermal model. The model estimates parameters pertaining to each cell of the battery pack individually, and determines the variations in the values of the parameters among each of the cells of the battery pack. The parameters include capacity, temperature current, voltage, and SOC. The parameters are computed based on at current drawn by the battery pack, electrochemical parameters, thermal parameters, and cell internal and connection resistances of the individual cells. Various embodiments compute battery pack uptime, chargeable capacity of the battery pack and SOC of the battery pack, based on the values of the parameters.

A battery including a first control circuit and a plurality of modules arranged in series between first and second terminals, each module including electric cells and switches coupling the cells to third and fourth terminals and a second switch control circuit. The battery includes a first data transmission bus coupling the first control circuit to each second control circuit and a second data transmission bus coupling the first control circuit to each second control circuit. The first control circuit is capable of transmitting first data to the second control circuits over the first bus at a first rate and is capable of transmitting second data to the second control circuits over the second bus at a second rate smaller than the first rate.

A method for predicting an electric load imparted on each battery unit in an electric energy storage system comprising at least two battery units electrically connected in parallel to each other. The method comprises establishing a battery parameter set, the battery parameter set comprising at least the following values for each battery unit in the electric energy storage system: an internal ohmic resistance value indicative of the internal ohmic resistance of the battery unit and an open circuit voltage value indicative of the open circuit voltage of the battery unit, using an electric load level indicative of a total electric energy storage system load, and using the electric load level and the battery parameter set for predicting the imparted load on each battery unit in the electric energy storage system.

A charging circuit includes a first charging path and a second charging path. The first charging path and the second charging path are connected in parallel, and the first charging path and the second charging path are both used to receive a charging signal via a wired charging interface. The first charging path is connected to a first power end of a battery, and the second charging path is connected to a second power end of the battery. The first end of the battery is different from the second end of the battery.

A method for controlling a lower limit of a state-of-charge state of a power battery, and a vehicle are provided, the method includes: detecting, by a detection unit, a minimum ambient temperature and a minimum power battery temperature in at least one time period; evaluating, by an evaluation unit, a minimum power battery temperature in a preset time period after the at least one time period according to the minimum ambient temperature and the minimum power battery temperature in the at least one time period; determining, by a processing unit, a minimum state-of-charge value that meets a start-up power requirement of a vehicle engine at the minimum power battery temperature in the preset time period, and adjusting a lower limit value of the state-of-charge according to the minimum state-of-charge value, in order that the vehicle can be powered-up by a state-of-charge value of the power battery at low temperature environment.