Accurate estimation of the state of charge (SOC) in lithium iron phosphate batteries relies heavily on the relationship between SOC and open-circuit voltage (OCV). This study presents a novel OCV modeling and optimization method to address challenges in low-current OCV (LO) testing, enabling high-precision SOC estimation while minimizing testing costs.

1. Battery Modeling and OCV Characterization
The Thevenin equivalent circuit model effectively captures the dynamic behavior of lithium iron phosphate batteries:
$$
\begin{cases}
U_p = -\frac{U_p}{C_p R_p} + \frac{I_L}{C_p} \\
U_t = U_{OC} – U_p – I_L R_0
\end{cases}
$$
Discrete-time implementation enables real-time SOC estimation:
$$
\begin{cases}
U_{p,k} = U_{p,k-1}e^{-\frac{\Delta T}{C_p R_p}} + I_{L,k-1}R_p\left(1 – e^{-\frac{\Delta T}{C_p R_p}}\right) \\
U_{t,k} = U_{OC,k} – U_{p,k} – I_{L,k}R_0
\end{cases}
$$
2. Advanced OCV Modeling Methodology
The proposed OCV modeling framework combines Douglas-Peucker algorithm with piecewise linear functions:
$$
V = V_i + \frac{(V_{i+1} – V_i)(S – S_i)}{S_{i+1} – S_i}, \quad S_i < S < S_{i+1}
$$
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Nominal Voltage | 3.3 V |
| Capacity | 1.1 Ah |
| Voltage Range | 2.0-3.6 V |
3. Particle Swarm Optimization Framework
The optimization process employs four critical OCV points as variables:
$$
\theta = [OCV_1, OCV_2, OCV_3, OCV_4, R_0, R_p, C_p]
$$
Objective function minimizes terminal voltage estimation errors:
$$
RMSE = \sqrt{\frac{1}{N}\sum_{k=1}^N (M_k – E_k(\theta))^2}
$$
| Parameter | Initial | Optimized |
|---|---|---|
| OCV₁ (0% SOC) | 1.9997 V | 2.0000 V |
| OCV₂ (9.88% SOC) | 3.1776 V | 3.2441 V |
| R₀ | 0.164 Ω | 0.159 Ω |
4. Adaptive Extended Kalman Filter Implementation
The AEKF algorithm enhances SOC estimation robustness:
$$
\begin{cases}
x_k^- = A_k x_{k-1}^+ + B_k u_k \\
P_k^- = A_k P_{k-1} A_k^T + Q_k \\
K_k = P_k^- C_k^T (C_k P_k^- C_k^T + R_k)^{-1}
\end{cases}
$$
| Temperature | Method | Max Error | RMSE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25°C | Conventional | 0.476% | 0.130% |
| Optimized | 0.404% | 0.097% | |
| 50°C | Conventional | 0.852% | 0.360% |
| Optimized | 0.606% | 0.230% |
5. Key Advantages for Lithium Iron Phosphate Batteries
The proposed method demonstrates significant improvements:
- 83.5% reduction in terminal voltage estimation error
- Sub-0.3% absolute SOC estimation error across temperatures
- 79% reduction in OCV modeling RMSE
This methodology enables rapid acquisition of high-precision OCV characteristics for lithium iron phosphate batteries while significantly reducing testing time and resource requirements. The optimized models maintain exceptional performance across various operating conditions, making them particularly suitable for electric vehicle applications where battery management system efficiency is critical.
