Battery backup unit racks, battery management systems and electronic racks

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a battery backup unit rack, a battery management system and an electronic rack. The battery management system includes a BBU rack with a bus connector; a battery module with a battery cell group; and a converter module, the converter module having: 1) a converter set; 2) a first bus, each converter is connected to the first bus, the first bus includes a plurality of switches, each switch is arranged between adjacent connected converters; 3) a second bus, each converter is connected to the second bus via a first switch and each group is connected to the second bus via a second switch, the second bus includes a plurality of switches, each switch is arranged between adjacent connected converters, groups or combinations thereof, and 4) a third bus, each converter is connected to the third bus and each bus connector is connected to the third bus via a third switch, the third bus includes a plurality of switches, each switch is arranged between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors or combinations thereof.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to battery power management for a battery backup unit (BBU) rack. Background Art

[0002] Lithium-ion batteries are commonly used in the vehicle industry, for example, electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Lithium-ion battery packs for electric vehicles are designed for the specific requirements and uses of the vehicle. However, for information technology (IT) equipment stored and operated in data centers, lithium-ion batteries are also becoming increasingly popular as energy storage units to replace uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems.

[0003] Large computer server clusters may be kept in dedicated facilities, typically in rack-mounted chassis. The servers may be used to support the data center industry. The use of battery backup units (BBUs) to replace traditional solutions (such as lead-acid-based UPS systems) has become increasingly popular. Similar to the USP system, the role of the BBU is to provide basic battery energy to support applications (such as in a data center) as a backup energy source when the main power source (e.g., AC power) is unavailable (e.g., in the event of a major power outage). One result of the BBU's new role in the data center space is that the BBU is relocated from a centralized battery room to a data center IT room. Therefore, it is important to ensure the availability of battery energy and therefore the functionality of the BBU. Summary of the invention

[0004] In a first aspect, a battery management system is provided, comprising:

[0005] a battery backup unit (BBU) rack having a bus connector assembly;

[0006] a battery module arranged to have a set of battery cell groups, each cell group including one or more battery cells; and

[0007] A converter module having:

[0008] a set of converters, each converter configured to condition power and output the power to one or more bus connectors in the set of bus connectors,

[0009] a first busbar, an input of each converter being connected to the first busbar, the first busbar comprising a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches being arranged between adjacent connected converters,

[0010] a second bus, the input of each converter being connected to the second bus via a first switch and each cell group being connected to the second bus via a second switch, the second bus comprising a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches being disposed between adjacently connected converters, cell groups, or a combination thereof, and

[0011] A third bus, to which the output of each converter is connected and to which each bus connector is connected via a third switch, the third bus comprising a third plurality of switches, each switch in the third plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors or a combination thereof.

[0012] In a second aspect, a battery backup unit (BBU) rack is provided, comprising:

[0013] Bus connector collection;

[0014] a battery module arranged to have a set of battery cell groups, each cell group including one or more battery cells; and

[0015] A converter module having:

[0016] a set of converters, each converter configured to condition power and output the power to one or more bus connectors in the set of bus connectors,

[0017] a first busbar, an input of each converter being connected to the first busbar, the first busbar comprising a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters,

[0018] a second bus, the input of each converter being connected to the second bus via a first switch and each cell group being connected to the second bus via a second switch, the second bus comprising a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches being disposed between adjacently connected converters, cell groups, or a combination thereof, and

[0019] A third bus, to which the output of each converter is connected and to which each bus connector is connected via a third switch, the third bus comprising a third plurality of switches, each switch in the third plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors or a combination thereof.

[0020] In a third aspect, there is provided an electronic rack comprising:

[0021] a plurality of information technology (IT) devices, wherein at least one of the IT devices includes one or more servers that provide data processing services;

[0022] a power supply unit coupled to the plurality of IT devices; and

[0023] A battery backup unit (BBU) rack provides backup power to IT equipment when a power supply unit is unavailable, wherein the BBU rack is the BBU rack as described in the second aspect.

[0024] According to the present disclosure, power can be provided to multiple rack buses, which can simplify implementation and reduce total cost of ownership. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Various aspects are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to "one" or "an" aspect of the present disclosure are not necessarily to the same aspect, and that they mean at least one. Likewise, for the sake of brevity and to reduce the total number of figures, a given figure may be used to illustrate features of more than one aspect, and not all elements in the figure may be required for a given aspect.

[0026] Figure 1 A battery management system including battery modules, converter modules, and a battery backup unit (BBU) rack according to one embodiment is illustrated.

[0027] Figure 2 An example of a switch of a battery management system according to an embodiment is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a BBU rack according to one embodiment.

[0029] Figure 4 The figure shows a side cross-sectional view of the BBU rack.

[0030] Figure 5 The figure shows a top-down cross-section of the BBU rack.

[0031] Figure 6 is an example of an electronics rack with a BBU rack according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] Several embodiments of the present disclosure are now described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Whenever the shapes, relative positions and other aspects of the components described in a given aspect are not clearly defined, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the components shown, which are intended for illustration purposes only. Similarly, although many details are set forth, it should be understood that some aspects can be practiced without these details. In other examples, well-known circuits, structures and technologies are not shown in detail to avoid confusing the understanding of this specification. In addition, unless the meaning is obviously contrary, all ranges listed herein are deemed to include the endpoints of each range.

[0033] References in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. The phrase "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0034] As used herein, when there is no continuity between one terminal of the switch and another terminal (e.g., an input contact and an output contact), the switch is configured to be "open" (or disconnected), which does not allow current to flow through the switch. Conversely, when there is continuity between the two terminals of the switch, the switch is configured to be "closed" (or connected), which allows current to flow through the switch. In one embodiment, the switch can be a bidirectional switch that allows two-way bidirectional flow of current when connected based on the polarity of the two terminals of the switch. In one embodiment, the switches described herein can have one or more terminals.

[0035] The present disclosure addresses the problem of managing battery power in a battery backup unit (BBU) rack employed in a data center. Specifically, a BBU may be placed inside a server rack to provide necessary battery energy to components (e.g., servers) inside the rack when the main power source is unavailable. For example, the BBU may include a power converter that draws power from a battery power source (e.g., a battery pack) and outputs power across a rack bus, from which one or more servers may be powered to ensure the functionality of the server during a power outage. However, such a BBU has disadvantages. For example, a BBU typically uses a power converter that draws energy from a battery pack to provide power across a rack bus. However, a server rack may require several rack buses, each of which is capable of providing different power outputs (e.g., having different voltages) for different components. As a result, a server rack may require multiple BBUs, each of which is configured differently (e.g., using different converters and / or different battery packs with different power ratings) to accommodate the power requirements of the rack. The actual need for several BBUs may increase the overall hardware cost and complexity of the rack.

[0036] However, the solution proposed in the current disclosure provides a battery management system design that is capable of providing power to multiple rack busbars, which can simplify implementation and reduce total cost of ownership. In particular, the system may include a BBU rack having one or more bus connectors, a battery module having one or more battery cell groups (or groups), and a converter module designed to draw stored energy from the battery cell groups and provide different (or similar) power levels across one or more bus connectors, the converter module being able to meet the power requirements of components with different power needs when coupled to the corresponding rack busbars of the server rack. For example, the converter module can provide a 12V power output through one bus connector and a 48V power output through another bus connector. The converter module is capable of outputting different power levels by utilizing one or more converters that share a common bus and are separated by a series of switches, where the converter can provide the desired power level across a specific bus connector based on which switches are open or closed. In addition, this design enables the converter to draw power from one or more battery cell groups, rather than coupling each converter to only one group as in previous BBU implementations.

[0037] In addition, conventional BBUs may be susceptible to internal faults. Specifically, some electrical components of the BBU may be integrated (e.g., fixed) within the BBU, which may render the BBU inoperable in the event of an internal failure or internal fault. The battery management system described herein provides a fault-tolerant system that is capable of continuing to operate in the event of one or more faults. For example, in the event of a fault, the system can control a series of switches to isolate the fault while continuing to provide power. In addition, the proposed solution of the present disclosure provides a modular system in which each of the components is removably connected to each other. As a result, when a component (e.g., a converter or an entire module) fails, the component can be removed from the system and replaced with another similar (or different) component. The fault-tolerant nature of the management system increases the reliability of the system, ensuring that all (or at least part) of the system's functionality remains intact even in the event of one or more internal faults.

[0038] According to one embodiment, a battery management system includes: a BBU rack having a bus connector set; a battery module, the battery module is arranged to have a battery cell group set, each cell group includes one or more battery cells; and a converter module, the converter module has a converter set, a first bus, a second bus and a third bus, each converter is configured to regulate power and output power to one or more bus connectors in the bus connector set, the input of each converter is connected to the first bus, the first bus includes a first plurality of switches, each switch in the first plurality of switches is arranged between adjacent connected converters, the input of each converter is connected to the second bus via the first switch and each cell group is connected to the second bus via the second switch, the second bus includes a second plurality of switches, each switch in the second plurality of switches is arranged between adjacent connected converters, cell groups or a combination thereof, the output of each converter is connected to the third bus and each bus connector is connected to the third bus via the third switch, the third bus includes a third plurality of switches, each switch in the third plurality of switches is arranged between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors or a combination thereof.

[0039] In one embodiment, the battery management system further comprises a controller configured to control each of the switches of the converter modules so that each converter draws power from one or more cell groups and each converter provides output power to one or more bus connectors. In another embodiment, the BBU rack comprises a container, wherein the converter modules and the battery modules are removably accommodated within the container of the BBU rack. In one embodiment, the battery module is designed to slide into and out of the container of the BBU rack via an opening of the container, wherein the opening of the container has a width from 380 mm to 580 mm, and the battery module has a width that is 10 mm to 50 mm less than the width of the opening of the container.

[0040] In one embodiment, the battery module comprises a battery output connector and the converter module comprises an input connector, wherein the battery output connector is arranged to be removably connected to the input connector to connect the cell group to the second bus. In another embodiment, the input of each converter is removably connected to a portion of the first bus, a portion of the first bus is connected to a portion of the second bus via a first switch, and the output of each converter is removably connected to a portion of the third bus, so that each converter can be individually removed from the converter module. In some embodiments, each switch comprises back-to-back N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs).

[0041] According to one embodiment, as described herein, a BBU rack includes a bus connector set, a battery module, and a converter module.

[0042] According to another embodiment, an electronic rack includes a plurality of information technology (IT) devices, a power supply unit coupled to the plurality of IT devices, and a BBU rack that provides backup power to the IT devices when the power supply unit is unavailable, at least one of the IT devices including one or more servers providing data processing services. The BBU rack includes a bus connector set, a battery module, and a converter module, as described above.

[0043] Figure 1 A battery management system 1 according to one embodiment is shown, and the battery management system 1 includes a battery module 2, a converter module 3, and a battery backup unit (BBU) rack 4. In one embodiment, the battery module 2 is (removably) connected (or coupled) to the converter module 3, and the converter module 3 is (removably) connected to the BBU rack 4. In another embodiment, the system may include more (or fewer) components. For example, the system may include two or more converter modules, each connected to one or more battery modules, wherein each converter module can provide power to one or more bus connectors of the BBU rack. This article describes more information about converter modules providing power to bus connectors.

[0044] The battery module 2 includes several (three) battery cell groups (or packs) 5a-5c, each of which may include one or more battery cells connected in series, in parallel, or in combination thereof. The battery cells may be of any type, such as lithium ions. In one embodiment, each cell group may be identical (e.g., having the same number of battery cells) so that they have (approximately) the same capacity and / or the same power discharge rate. In another embodiment, at least some of the cell groups may be different (e.g., based on the arrangement of the battery cells contained therein). For example, the first cell group 5a may be designed to have a capacity of 2kWh, while the second cell group 5b may be designed to have a capacity of 4kWh. In some embodiments, the battery module may be arranged to have more or fewer cell groups (e.g., one cell group).

[0045] The BBU rack 4 includes several (three) bus connectors 11a-11c. As described herein, each of the bus connectors is arranged to be connected to a rack bus of an electronic rack so as to provide power to one or more components connected to the bus. Specifically, the rack bus can be a metal bar arranged within the electronic rack and includes one or more ports to which components within the rack can be electrically coupled to draw power. In one embodiment, the connector can be any type of electrical connector that is arranged to be removably connected to a rack bus (e.g., a connector of a rack bus). For example, the connector can be a female connector (or terminal) designed to receive a male connector.

[0046] The converter module 3 includes a plurality of (four) power converters (or converters) 6a-6d, three common busbars (or busbars) 7-9, a plurality of switches 10 (S1-S2), and a plurality of switches 11 (S3-S4). 26 , as shown), one or more sensors 17, and one or more controllers 12. In one embodiment, the converter module may include fewer or more components. For example, the module may include fewer (e.g., one or more) switches, converters, sensors, and / or busbars.

[0047] The converters 6a-6d are each configured to draw energy stored in one or more of the cell groups 5a-5c as input power (e.g., via corresponding inputs 14a-14d), and are each configured to regulate and output power, which is converted from the input power (e.g., through corresponding outputs 15a-15d). As described herein, each of the converters is configured to output power to one or more bus connectors 11a-11c. Specifically, the converter is configured to convert one or more input voltages across one or more cell groups 5a-5c into one or more output voltages, wherein each bus connector 11a can provide the corresponding output voltage to a specific rack bus (e.g., of an electronic rack in a data center). In one embodiment, each of the converters can have the same rated power (e.g., 4kW), which is related to the maximum power that the converter can provide to one or more bus connectors. In another embodiment, at least some of the converters can be different relative to each other. For example, some converters can have a lower rated power (e.g., 2kW). In one embodiment, the converter module can have any number of converters. In another embodiment, the converter module can have a minimum number of converters based on the number of bus connectors 11a-11c of the BBU rack. For example, the converter module may include at least the same number of converters as the number of bus connectors or more. For example, for each bus connector, the converter module may have one or more converters.

[0048] In one embodiment, the converter can be any type of direct current (DC) to direct current (DC) converter. For example, each converter can be one of a buck converter, a boost converter, or a buck-boost converter. In some embodiments, one or more of the converters can be an alternating current (AC) to DC converter configured to convert an AC voltage to a DC voltage, or can be a DC-AC converter configured to convert a DC voltage to an AC voltage.

[0049] Each of the busbars 7-9 can be an electrical component arranged to distribute current power between components within the converter module. For example, one or more of the busbars can be composed of a conductive material, such as a metal (e.g., copper) component (e.g., a strip) mounted within the converter module. In another embodiment, one or more of the busbars can be mounted on (or formed within) one or more printed circuit boards (PCBs) as PCB traces. As shown, each of the busbars includes one or more nodes (e.g., black dots), which are points at which one or more components are connected to the corresponding busbar.

[0050] As shown, each input 14 (particularly the positive input terminal) of each of the converters 6a-6d is connected (or coupled) along the first busbar 7. The first busbar also includes a number of switches S 15 -S 17 , each switch is set between adjacent connected converters. For example, as shown in the figure, S 15 Between an input 14a of a first converter 6a connected to a first bus (e.g., a node along the first bus) and an input 14b of a second converter 6b connected to the first bus (e.g., another node along the first bus). In one embodiment, the bus "includes a switch" such that the switch is disposed between two portions of the bus such that one portion is connected to one terminal of the switch and the other portion is connected to the other terminal of the switch. Thus, as described herein, when the switch is open, current is prevented from flowing through the switch from one portion and to the other portion. However, when the switch is closed, current may flow through the switch between the two portions.

[0051] The second busbar 8 is connected to each of the cell groups 5a-5c and to each of the converters 6a-6d. Specifically, each input 14 of each of the converters is connected via a corresponding (first) switch S 11 -S 14 The second bus is connected to the second bus, and each (positive output terminal) in the cell group is connected along the second bus via a corresponding (second) switch S1-S3. The second bus also includes a number of switches S4-S 10 Each of these switches is arranged between each pair of adjacently connected converters and cell groups. For example, S4 is between the input 14a of the first converter connected to the second bus (e.g., a node along the second bus) and the output of the first cell group 5a connected to the second bus (e.g., another node along the second bus).

[0052] The third busbar 9 is connected to each bus connector 11a-11c of the BBU rack 4 and to each of the converters 6a-6d. In particular, each output 15 (particularly the positive output terminal) of each of the converters is connected along the third busbar, and each bus connector is connected via a corresponding (third) switch S 24 -S 26 The third bus also includes several switches S 18 -S 23 , switch S 18 -S 23 Each of is disposed between each pair of adjacently connected converters and bus connectors.

[0053] In one embodiment, the converter module 3 can have different configurations. For example, the second bus 8 can have adjacently connected converters 6a-6d, adjacently connected cell groups 5a-5c, or a combination thereof. For example, two or more cell groups can be adjacently connected along the second bus such that no converter is connected to the second bus between them. For illustration, the battery module 2 can include additional cell groups, one of which is connected to the second bus 8 between S8 and S9, so that two cell groups (the additional cell group and the third cell group 5c) are adjacently connected to the second bus. As another exemplary configuration, different components can be connected along different locations shown in the figure. For example, the second bus connector 11b can be connected to the third bus 9 at a point after the output 15c of the third converter 6c is connected to the third bus 9 (e.g., after the output 15c is connected to the node of the third bus but before S8). 22 Before) is connected to the third bus 9. In some embodiments, each of the switches of the bus is arranged between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors or a combination thereof. Returning to the first exemplary configuration, at least one switch is arranged between adjacent connected additional unit groups and the third unit group 5c. In one embodiment, regardless of the configuration, the converter module may include switches arranged between any adjacent connected components. Setting switches between connected components enables system configuration and the ability to isolate components as needed (for example, in the event of a fault). More about isolating faults is described herein.

[0054] Sensor 17 may be any type of sensor configured to detect (or sense) a characteristic of a battery management system (e.g., converter module 2) and configured to generate (or produce) sensor data representative of the detected characteristic. Specifically, the sensor may be any sensor that generates sensor data that controller 12 may use to determine if a fault exists within the system, and in response, the controller may open and / or close one or more switches. More information about operations performed by the controller is described herein.

[0055] In one embodiment, the sensor 17 may be a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermocouple) for sensing temperature and generating a temperature signal (as sensor data) representing the sensed temperature. In one embodiment, the temperature sensor may be arranged inside the converter module and configured to sense the internal temperature, or may be arranged outside the converter module and configured to sense the (external) surface temperature of the converter module. In another embodiment, the temperature sensor may be arranged next to or on a component (such as a converter or switch) within the converter module. In this case, the sensor may be configured to sense the temperature of the component. In another embodiment, the sensor 17 may be configured to sense power characteristics within the system, such as a voltage sensor and / or a current sensor. For example, the sensor may include a shunt resistor and may be configured to measure the voltage across the shunt resistor as an electrical signal representing the current through the resistor. In another embodiment, the sensor 17 may be a battery sensor configured to measure the current entering (and coming from) a battery cell group and / or monitor other battery characteristics, such as the voltage, charge state, and health state of the battery cell group. In one embodiment, the system may include one or more sensors.

[0056] The controller 12 may be a dedicated processor, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a general purpose microprocessor, a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal controller, or a collection of hardware logic structures (e.g., filters, arithmetic logic units, and dedicated state machines). In one embodiment, the controller may be a circuit having a combination of analog elements (e.g., resistors, capacitors, inductors, etc.) and / or digital elements (e.g., logic-based elements, such as transistors, etc.). The controller may also include a memory.

[0057] In one embodiment, the controller 12 may be configured to control each (or at least some) of the switches of the converter modules so that each converter draws power from one or more cell groups and each converter provides output power to one or more bus connectors. Specifically, the controller may control the switches based on acquired data (such as input data and / or sensor data). For example, the controller 12 may be configured to acquire sensor data and may be configured to adjust (or change) one or more switches 10 (e.g., S1-S2) based on the acquired sensor data. 26)'s on / off configuration. In particular, the controller can use the sensor data to determine whether one or more faults exist within the battery management system 1, and in response, adjust the current on / off configuration. The controller can adjust the configuration for a variety of reasons, for example, when a fault occurs, the controller can adjust the configuration to maintain the functionality of the system 1. As another example, the controller can open certain switches to isolate any faults that have occurred (for example, to prevent any damage caused by the fault from spreading). In another example, the controller can adjust the configuration based on battery characteristics (obtained by one or more battery sensors). For example, the battery characteristics may indicate that a battery cell group has a low state of charge, whereby the controller can adjust the on / off configuration to draw power from a fully charged cell group. Examples are as follows.

[0058] In one configuration, the converter module 3 can be configured so that the third converter 6c is a redundant converter, wherein the second converter 6b and the third converter have the same (or similar) rated power (e.g., 3kW), and the first converter, the second converter, and the fourth converter provide power to the first bus connector, the second bus connector, and the third bus connector, respectively. For example, in this on / off configuration, 1) S1, S4, S 11 , S 18 and S 24 The first converter 6a can draw power from the first cell group 5a to provide output power to the first bus connector 11a, 2) S2, S6, S 12 , S 20 and S 25 The second converter 6b can draw power from the second cell group 5b to provide output power to the second bus connector 11b, and 3) S3, S9, S 14 , S 23 and S 26 The fourth converter 6d is allowed to draw power from the third cell group 5c to provide output power to the third busbar connector 11c, while the remaining switches may be open.

[0059] During operation, the controller 12 may obtain sensor data from one or more sensors 17 and determine that there is a fault in the system. For example, the controller may obtain temperature data from a temperature sensor that is arranged to sense the temperature of the second converter 6b. The controller may determine that the temperature exceeds a temperature threshold, which may indicate a fault (or malfunction) in the converter. In another embodiment, the controller may obtain current readings from one or more current sensors and determine that there is a short circuit (e.g., causing the second converter 6b) in the system based on an increase in current flowing through the system (e.g., above a threshold). Thus, the controller may determine that there is a fault in the second converter (or that there is a fault leading to the second converter) based on the data. As a result, the controller may adjust the on / off configuration by transmitting one or more control signals to one or more switches so as to deactivate the second converter and activate the third converter. For example, the controller may turn off S7, S8, S9, S10, S11, S12, S13, S14, S15, S16, S17, S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S23, S24, S25, S26, S27, S28, S29, S30, S31, S32, S33, S34, S35 13 and S 21 , and (e.g., at least partially simultaneously) S6, S 12 and S 20 Thus, in the event of a detected fault, the system can continue to operate.

[0060] In one embodiment, the controller 12 may be configured to adjust the on / off configuration based on input data, such as user input data. Specifically, the controller may obtain user input data from a user input device, such as a desktop computer, that communicates with the controller. Once obtained, the input data may configure the controller to adjust the on / off configuration of one or more switches. For example, a user may configure the battery management system 1 so that two converters draw power from a single battery. For example, a user may configure the controller so that both the first converter 6a and the second converter 6b draw input power from the first battery cell group 5a in order to convert the power into output power of at least one bus connector (e.g., the first bus connector 11a). In this example, the first battery cell group may have a capacity of at least twice the rated input power of the two converters. Specifically, the first battery cell group 5a may have a capacity of 4kWh, while both the first converter and the second converter have a rated power of 2kW. Therefore, unlike a conventional BBU in which the converter must have a rated power that matches its battery module, the converter and the cell group of the battery management system 1 do not need to match each other because the on / off configuration of the system can be adjusted to accommodate the power / energy requirements of the converter and the cell group.

[0061] In one embodiment, the controller 12 can obtain sensor data and / or input data via wireless and / or wired connections. For example, the controller can be configured to establish a wireless connection with one or more sensors via any wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth protocol). Once established, the sensor can wirelessly transmit the sensor data to the controller.

[0062] In one embodiment, at least some of the components of the converter module 3 can be removable from the module. Specifically, each of the components can be removably mounted on one or more PCBs, wherein at least some of the components are connected to each other via one or more traces. For example, each of the converters 6a-6d can be removable to allow a user to replace a converter in which a fault is detected. In particular, the input 14 of each converter can be removably connected to a portion of the first bus 7 (e.g., at a node) that is connected via a switch (e.g., in the case of the first converter 6a, S 11 ) is connected to a portion of the second bus 8, and the output 15 of each converter can be removably connected to a portion of the third bus 9 (e.g., at a node) so that each converter can be individually removed from the converter module. For example, the input and output can include connectors that can be similar to the bus connector 11.

[0063] Figure 2 An example of a switch 10 of a battery management system 1 according to one embodiment is illustrated. As shown, the switch 10 may be back-to-back N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) 20 and 21. As described herein, such a switch is a bidirectional switch that enables the system to discharge and charge a battery cell group. For example, the system may discharge and charge the cell groups at different times (e.g., discharge when the main power source is powered off and charge when the main power source is available), or the system may discharge and charge different cell groups simultaneously. For example, the system may draw battery energy stored in some cell groups to provide output power to one or more bus connectors (of a BBU rack) and draw power from an external power source to charge other battery cell groups. In one embodiment, the switch 10 may be a single transistor (e.g., a MOSFET). In another embodiment, the switch may be any type of switch (or relay) that, as described herein, may be controlled to be turned on or off based on a control signal obtained from one or more controllers.

[0064] In one embodiment, the transistors of the switch may be arranged differently from the switch shown in the figure. For example, the switch may include two or more transistors arranged in parallel. As an example, the switch may include two sets of MOSFETs 20 and 21 connected in series, where these sets are connected in parallel to each other.

[0065] In some embodiments, at least some of the switches 10 may be high current switches configured to carry (or pass) high currents (e.g., greater than 500 A). For example, the switches (e.g., S 24 -S 26 ) can each be a high current switch.

[0066] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a BBU rack according to one embodiment. In particular, the figure shows the front end of the BBU rack in perspective. As shown, the BBU rack includes a container 30 that is a rectangular box. In one embodiment, the container can have any shape, such as a cubic or cylindrical shape. In one embodiment, the container can be composed of any type of material, such as a metal or alloy (e.g., steel).

[0067] The container 30 includes three rows 37a-37c, each having an opening 38. In one embodiment, the container may include more or fewer rows. In some embodiments, each of the multiple rows is suitable for holding (or accommodating) one or more components of the battery management system 1. As shown, the first row 37a holds the battery module 2, the second row 37b holds the battery module 32, and the third row 37c is empty. In one embodiment, the rows can be divided (e.g., divided into multiple slots) so that at least one or more battery modules can be accommodated in a single row.

[0068] In one embodiment, each of the openings may be shaped (and the battery modules may be designed) so as to allow the battery modules to slide in and out of the container of the BBU rack. For example, the battery module may be a rectangular container (which contains one or more battery cell groups) that is sized to fit in the opening, which may be rectangular. Thus, the battery module 2 may be designed to slide into the opening 38a of the row 37a so that the BBU rack accommodates the module. In one embodiment, the battery module may be removably accommodated in (the container of) the BBU rack so that the battery modules may be added or replaced as needed.

[0069] As shown, the BBU rack 4 can accommodate different battery modules, each with a different energy capacity. For example, the BBU rack accommodates a battery module 2 having three cell groups 5a-5c in row 37a and a battery module 32 having four cell groups 35a-35d in row 37b. In one embodiment, the cell group 35 can have a different capacity (e.g., 2kWh) than the capacity of the cell group 5 (e.g., 4kWh). As described herein, this can enable the BBU rack to supply power to different bus connectors from the energy stored in different battery modules.

[0070] Figure 4 A side cross-sectional view of a BBU rack is shown. As shown, the BBU rack 4 (container) contains a plurality of battery modules and a plurality of converter modules connected to one or more bus connectors in several rows. Specifically, the first row 37a contains battery module 2 and converter module 3, the second row 37b contains battery module 32 and converter module 33, and the third row 37c contains converter module 43.

[0071] As shown, the BBU rack can be designed to hold multiple converter modules, each converter module is used to power one or more rack busbars via one or more bus connectors of the BBU rack. For example, the modules in the first row 37a can be arranged to power at least three rack busbars, while the modules in the second row 37b and the third row 37c can be arranged to power one or more rack busbars. Therefore, the user can be able to customize the power output of the BBU rack to meet the power requirements of the data center.

[0072] In one embodiment, the battery modules and converter modules are removably housed within the container 30 of the BBU rack 4. Specifically, modules can be removed or added (e.g., via opening 38). As an example, the battery module 32 can be removed from row 37b and then added to row 37c to connect the module 32 with the converter module 43. In one embodiment, similar to the battery module, the converter module can be designed to slide in and out of the BBU rack. In some embodiments, the converter module can be a rectangular container (which contains Figure 1 ) and is sized to slide into openings 38a-38c of container 30. In order to remove a converter module, the battery modules contained in the same row must first be removed. For example, to remove converter module 3 (as shown), the user must first remove battery module 2. In some embodiments, the container may include other openings (e.g., on the sides), which may enable the user to remove the converter module without first removing the battery module. In another embodiment, the converter module may be sized differently than the battery module (e.g., longer than the battery module).

[0073] In one embodiment, each battery module is arranged to be removably coupled to a corresponding converter module, which is also arranged to be removably coupled to one or more bus connectors of the BBU rack. Specifically, each of the modules includes one or more connectors that enable the modules to be coupled to each other and to the bus connector. As shown, the battery module 2 includes a battery output connector 41, and the converter module 3 includes a converter input connector 40 and at least one converter output connector 42 (shown as a converter output connector 42a). The battery output connector 41 is arranged to be removably connected to the converter input connector 40 so as to connect the battery module to the converter module. Specifically, connecting the two connectors together connects (at least some of) the cell groups 5a-5c of the battery module 2 to the second bus 8 of the converter module 3, as shown. Figure 1 As shown. In one embodiment, the modules may have multiple connectors 40 and 41, respectively. For example, the battery module 2 may include an output connector 41 for each cell group accommodated therein. As another example, the converter module may include multiple converter input connectors, which may enable the module to be connected to one or more battery modules (e.g., one or more battery modules accommodated in the same row or different rows). The converter output connector 42a is arranged to be removably connected to the bus connector 11a, thereby connecting the bus connector 11a to the third busbar 9, as shown. Figure 1 In one embodiment, the converter module may include more converter output connectors, such as the following Figure 5 shown.

[0074] Figure 5A top-down cross-sectional view of a BBU rack is shown. This view shows that the converter module 3 includes three converter output connectors 42a-42c, each of which is arranged to be removably connected to one of the three bus connectors 11a-11c, respectively. This view also illustrates certain dimensions of the BBU rack and the module. Specifically, the opening 38a has a width W1 that can be in the range of 380mm to 580mm. In one embodiment, W1 can be in the range of 440mm to 520mm. In another embodiment, W1 is equal to or less than 480mm. In some embodiments, each of the openings 38a-38c can have the same or similar width. The battery module 2 has a width W2 that can be 10mm to 50mm smaller than W1. In another embodiment, W2 can be 30mm smaller than W1. For example, when W1 is 480mm, W2 can be 450mm. In one embodiment, W2 is smaller than W1 so as to allow the battery module to slide into the opening 38a and pass through the row 37a so that the container 30 can accommodate the module. In one embodiment, the converter module 3 may have the same or similar width as W2. In some embodiments, W1 may represent the width of the entire container 30 (from one side to the other). In this case, the opening may have a width less than W1, while W2 may still be less than the width of W1 (e.g., 30 mm less than W1).

[0075] Figure 65 is a block diagram illustrating an example of an electronic rack with a BBU rack 4 according to one embodiment. The electronic rack 500 may include one or more server slots for respectively containing one or more servers. Each server includes one or more information technology (IT) components (e.g., processors, memories, storage devices, network interfaces). According to one embodiment, the electronic rack 500 includes, but is not limited to, a CDU 501, a rack management unit (RMU) 502 (optional), a power supply unit (PSU) 550, a BBU rack 4, and one or more IT devices (or IT devices) 503A-503C, which may be any type of IT device, such as a blade server. The IT device 503 may be inserted into the array of server slots from the front end 504 or the rear end 505 of the electronic rack 500, respectively. The PSU 550 and / or the BBU rack 4 may be inserted into any of the server slots within the electronic rack 500. In another embodiment, the BBU rack 4 may be inserted into several slots (e.g., occupying two or more slots within the rack). As shown, the BBU rack 4 can be inserted at the bottom of the rack (below the PSU 550). In one embodiment, the BBU rack 4 is located in one or more of the bottom-most slots to separate the BBU rack from the IT equipment (e.g., to isolate the IT equipment from the BBU rack in the event of a failure). In one embodiment, the rack 500 can include one or more BBU racks, each BBU rack being designed to accommodate one or more battery modules and / or one or more converter modules, as described herein.

[0076] Note that although only three IT devices 503A-503C are shown here, more or fewer IT devices may be maintained within the electronics rack 500. Also note that the specific locations of the CDU 501, RMU 502, PSU 550, BBU rack 4, and IT devices 503 are shown for illustration purposes only; other arrangements or configurations of these components may also be implemented. Note that the electronics rack 500 may be open to the environment or partially contained by a rack container as long as the cooling fans can generate airflow from front to rear (or generate airflow from rear to front).

[0077] In addition, one or more fan modules may be associated with each of the IT equipment 503 and / or the BBU rack 4 (and the PSU 550). In one embodiment, fan modules 531A-531E (collectively referred to as fan modules 531) are associated with the IT equipment 503A-503C and the BBU rack 4, respectively. Each of the fan modules 531 includes one or more cooling fans. The fan modules 531 may be mounted on the rear end of the IT equipment 503 and / or the BBU rack 4 to generate an airflow that flows from the front end 504, through the rack 500, and is present at the rear end 505 of the electronic rack 500. In another embodiment, one or more of the fan modules may be placed on the front end 504 of the rack 500. Such front end fans may be configured to push air into the IT equipment 503 and / or the BBU rack 4.

[0078] In one embodiment, the CDU 501 mainly includes a heat exchanger 511, a liquid pump 512 and a pump controller (not shown), as well as some other components such as a liquid reservoir, a power supply, a monitoring sensor, etc. The heat exchanger 511 can be a liquid-liquid heat exchanger. The heat exchanger 511 includes a first loop having an inlet and an outlet, and the first loop has a first pair of liquid connectors coupled to an external liquid supply / return line 532-533 to form a main loop. The connector coupled to the external liquid supply / return line 532-533 can be set or installed on the rear end 505 of the electronic rack 500. The liquid supply / return line 532-533 is coupled to a set of room manifolds, and the room manifold is coupled to an external heat removal system or an extreme cooling loop. In addition, the heat exchanger 511 also includes a second loop with two ports, and the second loop has a second pair of liquid connectors coupled to the liquid manifold 525 to form a secondary loop, which can include a supply manifold that supplies cooling liquid to the IT equipment 503 and a return manifold that returns warmer liquid to the CDU 501. Note that the CDU 501 may be any kind of CDU that is commercially available or custom made. Therefore, the details of the CDU 501 will not be described here.

[0079] Each of the IT devices 503 may include one or more IT components (e.g., a central processing unit or CPU, a graphics processing unit (GPU), memory, and / or storage device). Each IT component may perform data processing tasks, wherein the IT component may include software installed in a storage device, loaded into memory, and executed by one or more processors to perform data processing tasks. At least some of these IT components may be attached to the bottom of any one of the cooling devices, as described herein. The IT device 503 may include a host server (referred to as a host node) coupled to one or more computing servers (also referred to as computing nodes, such as CPU servers and GPU servers). The host server (with one or more CPUs) typically interfaces with a client over a network (e.g., the Internet) to receive requests for specific services, such as storage services (e.g., cloud-based storage services such as backup and / or recovery), executing applications to perform certain operations (e.g., image processing, deep data learning algorithms or modeling, etc., as part of a software as a service or SaaS platform). In response to the request, the host server assigns the task to one or more of the performance computing nodes or computing servers (with one or more GPUs) managed by the host server. The performance computing server performs the actual task, which may generate heat during operation.

[0080] In one embodiment, the BBU rack 4 is configured to provide backup power (e.g., draw battery energy from one or more battery modules included therein) to the rack (e.g., one or more IT devices 503) when the rack is not drawing power from a primary power source, such as during a power outage. In one embodiment, the operations performed by the controller 12 of the converter module included in the BBU rack 4 can be performed by any of the components within the rack 500 (e.g., the IT device 503A). For example, the IT device 503A can include a controller that is communicatively coupled to one or more switches included in the converter module and can be configured to control the switches based on various operating conditions, as described herein.

[0081] The electronic rack 500 also includes an optional RMU 502, which is configured to provide and manage power supplied to the server 503, the fan module 531, and the CDU 501. In some applications, the optimization module 521 and the RMC 522 can communicate with the controller. The RMU 502 can be coupled to the PSU 550 to manage the power consumption of the PSU. The PSU 550 can include necessary circuits (e.g., alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) or DC-DC power converters, backup batteries, transformers or regulators, etc.) to provide power to the remaining components of the electronic rack 500.

[0082] In one embodiment, the RMU 502 includes an optimization module 521 and a rack management controller (RMC) 522. The RMC 522 may include a monitor that monitors the operating status of various components (such as, for example, IT equipment 503, CDU 501, and fan module 931) within the electronic rack 500. Specifically, the monitor receives operating data representing the operating environment of the electronic rack 500 from various sensors. For example, the monitor can receive operating data representing the temperature of the processor, cooling liquid, and airflow, and the operating data can be captured and collected via various temperature sensors. The monitor can also receive data representing the fan power and pump power generated by the fan module 531 and the liquid pump 512, and the fan power and pump power can be proportional to their corresponding speeds. These operating data are referred to as real-time operating data. Note that the monitor can be implemented as an independent module within the RMU 502.

[0083] Based on the operational data, the optimization module 521 performs optimization using a predetermined optimization function or optimization model to derive a set of optimal fan speeds for the fan module 531 and an optimal pump speed for the liquid pump 512, so that the total power consumption of the liquid pump 512 and the fan module 531 is minimized, and the operational data associated with the liquid pump 512 and the cooling fan of the fan module 531 are within their respective design specifications. Once the optimal pump speed and the optimal fan speed are determined, the RMC 522 configures the liquid pump 512 and the cooling fan of the fan module 531 based on the optimal pump speed and the fan speed.

[0084] As an example, based on the optimal pump speed, the RMC 522 communicates with the pump controller of the CDU 501 to control the speed of the liquid pump 512, which in turn controls the fluid flow rate of the cooling liquid supplied to the liquid manifold 525, which is to be distributed to at least some of the IT devices 503. As a result, the operating conditions and corresponding cooling device performance are adjusted. Similarly, based on the optimal fan speed, the RMC 522 communicates with each of the fan modules 531 to control the speed of each cooling fan of the fan modules 531, which in turn controls the airflow rate of the fan modules 531. Note that each of the fan modules 531 can be individually controlled using its specific optimal fan speed, and different fan modules and / or different cooling fans in the same fan module can have different optimal fan speeds.

[0085] Note that some or all of IT equipment 503 (e.g., 503A, 503B, and / or 503C) may utilize different cooling methods. For example, one server may utilize air cooling while another server may utilize liquid cooling. Alternatively, one IT component of a server may utilize air cooling while another IT component of the same server may utilize liquid cooling.

[0086] As explained above, embodiments of the present disclosure may be (or include) a non-transitory machine-readable medium (such as a microelectronic memory) having stored thereon instructions that program one or more data processing components (collectively referred to herein as "processors") to perform control operations, such as adjusting the on / off configuration of one or more switches of the converter module as described herein. In other embodiments, some of these operations may be performed by specific hardware components containing hardwired logic. These operations may alternatively be performed by any combination of programmed data processing components and fixed hardwired circuit components.

[0087] In the foregoing description, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. Therefore, the description and the accompanying drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

[0088] Although certain aspects have been described and illustrated in the drawings, it should be understood that these embodiments are merely illustrative of the broad disclosure and not limiting, and that the disclosure is not limited to the specific constructions and arrangements shown and described, since various other modifications may occur to one of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, this description should be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0089] In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include language, such as, “at least one of [element A] and [element B]”. Such language may refer to one or more of the elements. For example, “at least one of A and B” may refer to “A”, “B”, or “A and B”. Specifically, “at least one of A and B” may refer to “at least one of A and at least one of B” or “at least one of A or B”. In some embodiments, the present disclosure may include language, such as, “[element A], [element B], and / or [element C]”, which may refer to any one of the elements or any combination thereof. For example, “A, B, and / or C” may refer to “A”, “B”, “C”, “A and B”, “A and C”, “B and C”, or “A, B, and C”.

Claims

1. A battery management system, characterized in that: The battery management system provides power to multiple rack buses, including: A battery backup unit (BBU) rack having a bus connector assembly; a battery module arranged to have a set of battery cell groups, each cell group including one or more battery cells; and A converter module having: a set of converters, each converter configured to condition power and output the power to one or more bus connectors in the set of bus connectors, a first busbar, an input of each converter being connected to the first busbar, the first busbar comprising a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches being arranged between adjacent connected converters, a second bus, the input of each converter being connected to the second bus via a first switch and each cell group being connected to the second bus via a second switch, the second bus comprising a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches being disposed between adjacently connected converters, cell groups, or a combination thereof, and a third busbar to which the output of each converter is connected and to which each bus connector is connected via a third switch, the third busbar comprising a third plurality of switches, each switch of the third plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors, or a combination thereof; Wherein the input of each converter is removably connected to a portion of a first bus, a portion of the first bus is connected to a portion of a second bus via a first switch, and the output of each converter is removably connected to a portion of a third bus, so that each converter can be individually removed from the converter module.

2. The battery management system of claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control each of the switches of the converter modules so that each converter draws power from one or more cell groups and each converter provides output power to one or more bus connectors. 3 . The battery management system according to claim 1 , wherein the BBU rack comprises a container, wherein the converter module and the battery module are removably received in the container of the BBU rack. 4 . The battery management system according to claim 3 , wherein the battery module is designed to slide into and out of the container of the BBU rack via an opening of the container. 5 . The battery management system of claim 1 , wherein the battery module comprises a battery output connector and the converter module comprises an input connector, wherein the battery output connector is arranged to be removably connected to the input connector to connect the cell group to the second bus bar. 6 . The battery management system of claim 1 , wherein each switch comprises back-to-back N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors.

7. A backup battery unit (BBU) rack, comprising: Bus connector collection; a battery module arranged to have a collection of battery cell groups, each cell group including one or more battery cells; as well as A converter module having: a set of converters, each converter configured to condition power and output the power to one or more bus connectors in the set of bus connectors, a first busbar, an input of each converter being connected to the first busbar, the first busbar comprising a first plurality of switches, each switch of the first plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters, a second bus, the input of each converter being connected to the second bus via a first switch and each cell group being connected to the second bus via a second switch, the second bus comprising a second plurality of switches, each switch of the second plurality of switches being disposed between adjacently connected converters, cell groups, or a combination thereof, and a third busbar to which the output of each converter is connected and to which each bus connector is connected via a third switch, the third busbar comprising a third plurality of switches, each switch of the third plurality of switches being disposed between adjacent connected converters, bus connectors, or a combination thereof; Wherein the input of each converter is removably connected to a portion of a first bus, a portion of the first bus is connected to a portion of a second bus via a first switch, and the output of each converter is removably connected to a portion of a third bus, so that each converter can be individually removed from the converter module.

8. The BBU rack of claim 7, further comprising a controller configured to control each of the switches of the converter modules so that each converter draws power from one or more cell groups and each converter provides output power to one or more bus connectors.

9. The BBU rack according to claim 7, further comprising a container, wherein the converter module and the battery module are removably accommodated in the container of the BBU rack.

10. The BBU rack of claim 9, wherein the battery module is designed to slide into and out of a container of the BBU rack via an opening of the container.

11. The BBU rack of claim 7, wherein the battery module comprises a battery output connector and the converter module comprises an input connector, wherein the battery output connector is arranged to be removably connected to the input connector to connect the cell group to the second busbar.

12. The BBU rack of claim 7, wherein each switch comprises back-to-back N-channel metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors.

13. An electronic rack comprising: a plurality of information technology IT equipment, wherein at least one of the IT equipment includes one or more servers providing data processing services; a power supply unit coupled to the plurality of IT devices; and A battery backup unit (BBU) rack provides backup power to IT equipment when a power supply unit is unavailable, wherein the BBU rack is a BBU rack as described in any one of claims 7 to 12.

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