Charging methods, devices, battery systems, electrical equipment and storage media

Abstract

The present invention provides a charging method, apparatus, battery system, electrical device, and storage medium, comprising: determining multiple available battery clusters to be charged in a battery system; when the multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, determining multiple charging batches based on the multiple available battery clusters and in an increasing order of the number of battery clusters; the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​of the multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; the multiple charging batches have a charging sequence, each charging batch containing at least one available battery cluster and all available battery clusters from the previous charging batch adjacent to the current charging batch. The available battery clusters in the multiple charging batches are charged sequentially until the voltage values ​​of all available battery clusters reach a preset upper voltage limit, at which point charging stops. The present invention improves charging efficiency and saves charging time by charging in an increasing order of the number of battery clusters.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of energy storage system technology, and more specifically, to a charging method, device, battery system, electrical equipment, and storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, energy storage systems have become one of the more important research directions in the field of new energy.

[0003] Currently, most battery systems contain multiple battery clusters. When one or more battery clusters are in an undervoltage state, the usual approach is to charge each battery cluster in that state one by one. However, since the charging capacity of the battery system is limited, while the charging capacity of the external energy converter is much greater than that of a single battery cluster, the overall charging efficiency is very low if only one battery cluster is charged each time, especially when multiple battery clusters need to be charged.

[0004] Improving the charging efficiency of battery systems during undervoltage charging and shortening system charging time are problems that need to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] One objective of this invention is to provide a charging method, apparatus, battery system, electrical device, and storage medium to improve the charging efficiency of the battery system during undervoltage charging and shorten the system charging time. This invention can achieve the following:

[0006] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a charging method, the method comprising: determining a plurality of available battery clusters to be charged in a battery system; when the plurality of available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, determining a plurality of charging batches based on the plurality of available battery clusters in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters; wherein the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum voltage value and the minimum voltage value among the plurality of available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; the plurality of charging batches have a charging sequence, each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster and includes all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the charging batch; charging the available battery clusters in the plurality of charging batches sequentially according to the sequence until the voltage value of all available battery clusters reaches a preset upper voltage limit value, and stopping charging.

[0007] Secondly, the present invention provides a charging device, comprising: a determining module and a charging module; the determining module is configured to: determine multiple available battery clusters to be charged in a battery system; the determining module is further configured to: when the multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, determine multiple charging batches based on the multiple available battery clusters and in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters; wherein, the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum voltage value and the minimum voltage value among the multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; the multiple charging batches have a charging sequence, each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster, and includes all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the charging batch; the charging module is configured to: charge the available battery clusters in the multiple charging batches sequentially according to the sequence until the voltage value of all available battery clusters reaches a preset upper voltage limit value, and then stop charging.

[0008] Thirdly, the present invention provides a battery system including a battery management system and a plurality of battery clusters; the battery management system is electrically connected to the plurality of battery clusters; the plurality of battery clusters are connected in parallel; the battery management system includes a battery master controller for performing the charging method as described in the first aspect.

[0009] Fourthly, the present invention provides an electrical device including a battery master controller and a memory, wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the battery master controller, and the battery master controller can execute the computer program to implement the charging method described in the first aspect.

[0010] Fifthly, the present invention provides a storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the charging method as described in the first aspect.

[0011] The charging method, apparatus, battery system, electrical device, and storage medium provided by this invention first identify available battery clusters to avoid wasting resources by charging abnormal battery clusters. Then, while the battery system is in a balanced state, multiple charging batches are identified. These charging batches have a charging sequence, and each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster. All available battery clusters in each charging batch are necessarily included in the next charging batch. Therefore, charging the battery clusters in these batches sequentially is actually a single simultaneous charging of multiple available battery clusters. Charging is performed in this incremental manner until the voltage of all available battery clusters reaches a preset upper voltage limit, at which point charging stops, improving charging efficiency and saving charging time. Attached Figure Description

[0012] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the accompanying drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. It should be understood that the following drawings only show some embodiments of the present invention and should not be regarded as a limitation on the scope. For those skilled in the art, other related drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0013] Figure 1 This is one way to implement a battery system;

[0014] Figure 2 A schematic flowchart illustrating the charging method provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 Another schematic flowchart illustrating the charging method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0016] Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of step S203 provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of step S206 provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 6 A functional block diagram of a charging device provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 7 This is a structural block diagram of the electrical equipment provided in the embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0020] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The components of the embodiments of the present invention described and shown in the accompanying drawings can generally be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0021] Therefore, the following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention provided in the accompanying drawings is not intended to limit the scope of the claimed invention, but merely to illustrate selected embodiments of the invention. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the invention without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of the invention.

[0022] It should be noted that similar labels and letters in the following figures indicate similar items. Therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

[0023] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that if terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," or "outer" are used to indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed, they are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this invention.

[0024] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish descriptions and should not be interpreted as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0025] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the features in the embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other.

[0026] With the rapid development of new energy technologies, battery systems are widely used in electric vehicles and other energy storage systems, and their application prospects are broad. As the industry using battery systems continues to develop, the requirements for battery systems are also getting higher and higher.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, Figure 1 This invention provides an embodiment of a battery system, wherein the battery system 100 (Battery Energy Storage System, BESS) consists of multiple identical battery clusters 101-1 to 101-n, a power conversion system 102 (Power Conversion System, PCS), a battery management system 103 (Battery Management System, BMS), and other functional components.

[0028] The battery cluster 101-1 is connected in parallel to both ends of the PCS 102. The battery management system 103 may include battery cluster managers 103-11 to 103-1n and battery master controller 103-2. The battery cluster managers 103-11 to 103-1n and battery master controller 103-2 can be connected through a first bus. The battery master controller 103-2 can be connected to the power conversion system through a second bus.

[0029] In an optional implementation, each battery cluster can correspond to an independent battery cluster manager to monitor the operating status of the battery cluster, or a common battery cluster manager can be used to monitor the operating status of the battery clusters used.

[0030] The battery management system 103 is used to manage the state of battery clusters 101-1 to 101-n, and interacts with the power conversion system 102 to realize the charging and discharging control function of battery clusters 101-1 to 101-n. The power conversion system 102 is used to output voltage and current to realize the charging function of battery clusters 101-1 to 101-n.

[0031] Apart from Figure 1 In addition to the structure shown, the battery system 100 may also include a data acquisition circuit, which may include a voltage sensor. The voltage sensor can acquire the voltage of each battery in the battery cluster. The acquired battery voltage can be transmitted to the battery management system, which will then formulate the corresponding charging and discharging strategy.

[0032] It should be noted that, Figure 1 The battery system shown is merely an example and is not a limitation on the size or function of a battery system. In real-world scenarios, a battery system can include many other functional components to achieve its energy storage effect.

[0033] Continue with Figure 1 Taking the battery system shown as an example, currently, when one or more battery clusters in a battery system are in an undervoltage state, the existing technology usually adopts a method of charging the battery clusters in this state one by one. That is, after one battery cluster is fully charged, the next battery cluster is charged. However, since the charging capacity of the battery system is limited, if only one battery cluster is charged each time, and multiple battery clusters need to be charged, the overall charging efficiency is very low. Therefore, how to improve the charging efficiency of the battery system during undervoltage charging and shorten the system charging time is a problem that needs to be solved.

[0034] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a battery system. The structure of the battery system provided by the embodiments of the present invention is similar to... Figure 1 The battery energy storage structure shown is similar, but the core lies in the battery master controller in the battery system provided in this embodiment of the invention, which can execute the charging method provided in this embodiment of the invention to improve the charging efficiency of the battery system during undervoltage charging and shorten the system charging time.

[0035] The battery system disclosed in this application can be used, but is not limited to, in electrical devices such as vehicles, ships, or aircraft, nor is it limited to charging equipment for various electrical devices.

[0036] Please see Figure 2 , Figure 2 This is a schematic flowchart illustrating a charging method provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The entity executing this charging method may be... Figure 1The battery management system shown can also be other electronic devices with data processing capabilities. This application embodiment does not limit the specific implementation. The charging method may include:

[0037] S200, Identify multiple available battery clusters in the battery system that need to be charged;

[0038] S203. When multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, multiple charging batches are determined based on the multiple available battery clusters and in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters.

[0039] Among them, the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​among multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; there is a charging sequence among the multiple charging batches, and each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster, and includes all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the charging batch.

[0040] S206. Charge the available battery clusters in multiple charging batches in sequence until the voltage of all available battery clusters reaches the preset upper voltage limit, then stop charging.

[0041] In the above charging method, available battery clusters are first identified to avoid wasting resources by charging abnormal battery clusters. Then, when the battery system is in a balanced state, multiple charging batches are identified. These charging batches have a charging sequence, and each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster. All available battery clusters in each charging batch are necessarily included in the next charging batch. Therefore, charging the battery clusters in these charging batches in sequence is actually charging multiple available battery clusters simultaneously in a single charge. By charging in this way, with the number of battery clusters increasing, charging continues until the voltage of all available battery clusters reaches the preset upper voltage limit, at which point charging stops. This improves charging efficiency and saves charging time.

[0042] To facilitate understanding of the implementation method and the technical effects achieved by the above charging method, the following will be combined with the appendix. Figure 3 To be continued Figure 6 The steps S200 to S206 described above will be explained in detail.

[0043] In step S200, multiple available battery clusters to be charged in the battery system are identified.

[0044] In this embodiment, the battery system is typically as follows: Figure 1As shown, there may be multiple battery clusters, but in real-world scenarios, each battery cluster may experience various malfunctions, such as being disconnected, having abnormal connections, or being damaged. For these unusable battery clusters, charging management will only be performed once they are restored to normal. Therefore, before charging, it is essential to identify the available battery clusters in the battery system to avoid wasting electrical energy.

[0045] In an optional implementation, whether a battery cluster has malfunctioned can be determined by monitoring the operating status of each battery cluster, for example, by... Figure 1 The battery cluster manager shown is used to detect the status of each battery cluster, or to collect other parameters of the battery cluster in real time to assist in the judgment.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, step S200 can be implemented according to steps a1 to a3 as follows:

[0047] a1: Detect the operating status of each battery cluster in the battery system to determine if there are any faulty battery clusters;

[0048] If it exists, proceed to step a2; if it does not exist, proceed to step a3.

[0049] a2: Identify the remaining battery clusters, excluding the faulty ones, as usable battery clusters.

[0050] a3: Identify all battery clusters within the battery system as usable battery clusters.

[0051] After identifying the available battery clusters in the battery system, proceed to step S203.

[0052] In this embodiment, in order to ensure charging safety, before performing the above steps a1 to a3, it is necessary to determine whether the battery system is currently in a low-voltage state. If so, steps a1 to a3 are executed directly. Otherwise, if the battery system is still in a high-voltage state, the low-voltage action is performed. After entering the low-voltage state, steps a1 to a3 are executed.

[0053] In step S203, when multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, multiple charging batches are determined based on the multiple available battery clusters and in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters.

[0054] Among them, the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​among multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference.

[0055] It is understandable that, since the internal resistance of a battery cluster is usually very small, in the milliohm range, when multiple battery clusters are connected in parallel, if the voltage difference ΔU between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​in the battery system is too large, the high-voltage circuit may damage the electrical components on the high-voltage circuit due to the instantaneous large current. Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, before charging the battery system, it is first determined whether the battery system is in a voltage balance state to avoid damaging the electrical components on the high-voltage circuit.

[0056] Therefore, in order to determine whether the battery system is in a voltage balance state, the voltage value of each battery cluster can be obtained first. In an optional implementation, the voltage value of each battery cluster can be obtained by setting a sampling circuit in the battery system, or the voltage value of each battery cluster can be obtained by other means. This embodiment does not limit this.

[0057] Then, find the maximum voltage value U. max and minimum voltage value U min Calculate U max and U min The voltage difference ΔU between the two batteries is compared with the preset voltage difference Δthres. If ΔU <= Δthres, it indicates that the battery system is in a voltage balance state. Conversely, if ΔU > Δthres, it indicates that the battery system is in a voltage imbalance state.

[0058] Understandably, if the battery system is in a voltage imbalance state, the target usable battery clusters to be charged first can be determined based on the comparison results of the voltage difference between the preset difference and the minimum voltage value and the remaining total voltage values. These battery clusters are then charged until the battery system is in a voltage balance state, and then the above step S203 is executed.

[0059] Therefore, the embodiments of this application are in Figure 2 Based on this, an implementation method is given; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 3 , Figure 3 Another illustrative flowchart of the charging method provided in the embodiments of this application includes:

[0060] S201, when multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage imbalance state, identify multiple target available battery clusters from the multiple available battery clusters.

[0061] The target available battery cluster refers to an available battery cluster whose voltage difference is less than a preset difference value.

[0062] This embodiment provides an implementation method for determining a target available battery cluster, as follows: steps c1 to c3:

[0063] c1: Calculate the voltage difference between the minimum voltage value and the remaining total voltage values.

[0064] c2: Compare the total voltage difference with a preset difference to obtain a target voltage difference less than the preset difference.

[0065] c3: Determine the available battery cluster to which the voltage value corresponding to the target voltage difference belongs as the target available battery cluster.

[0066] For ease of understanding the above embodiments, an example is given below:

[0067] For example, assume that the voltage values of four battery clusters B1, B2, B3, and B4 are U1, U2, U3, and U4 respectively, and U1 < U2 < U3 < U4. First, calculate the differences between U1 and U2, U3, and U4 respectively to obtain ΔU 12 , ΔU 13 and ΔU 14 , and compare ΔU 12 , ΔU 13 and ΔU 14 with Δthres respectively. The comparison results are: ΔU 12 , ΔU 13 < Δthres < ΔU 14 , then the target voltage difference is U 12 , ΔU 13 , where U 12 corresponds to U1, U2, and the available battery clusters to which they belong are B1, B2; U 13 corresponds to U1, U3, and the available battery clusters to which they belong are B1, B3. Therefore, B1, B2, and B3 can be determined as the target available battery clusters.

[0068] S202. Charge multiple target available battery clusters until the battery system is in a voltage balance state, and execute the step of determining multiple charging batches based on multiple available battery clusters in the order of increasing number of battery clusters.

[0069] In this embodiment, when charging multiple target available battery clusters, these target available battery clusters can be charged simultaneously, or can be charged by the batch charging method designed in the subsequent embodiments of the present application, which is not limited herein.

[0070] Before charging these target available battery clusters, the target charging current and target charging voltage can be determined first, and the target charging current is output for charging until the voltage values of these target available battery clusters reach the target charging voltage.

[0071] Therefore, the embodiments of the present application also provide an implementation manner for determining the target charging current and target charging voltage, such as steps d1 to step d2:

[0072] d1: Based on the battery power comparison table, determine the maximum charging current at the first current temperature and the first current minimum voltage value, and based on the battery DC resistance table, determine the DC internal resistance value corresponding to the minimum voltage value that is greater than the preset difference.

[0073] d2: Determine the target charging current based on the maximum charging current and the number of target available battery clusters, and determine the target charging voltage based on the maximum charging current, DC internal resistance, and minimum voltage value.

[0074] In this embodiment, a battery power lookup table is used to maintain the correspondence between temperature, voltage, and maximum charging current. Based on the first current temperature and the first current minimum voltage value, the maximum charging current I1 and the target charging current I2 can be determined. CHG =I1*n.

[0075] A battery DC resistance meter is used to maintain the correspondence between voltage and DC resistance, based on the lowest voltage value U that is greater than a preset difference. n+1 The DC internal resistance value R1 and the target charging voltage U can be determined. CHG =R1*I1+U n+1 .

[0076] After obtaining the target charging voltage and target charging current, the PCS outputs current and voltage to charge the target usable battery clusters. When the voltage value of these target usable battery clusters reaches U... CHG If the current target charging current is reduced to 0A, it is determined again whether the battery system is in a voltage balance state. If so, the step of determining multiple charging batches based on multiple available battery clusters and in ascending order of the number of battery clusters is executed. If not, the execution of step S201 is returned until the battery system is in a voltage balance state. This will not be elaborated here.

[0077] After the battery system is in a voltage equilibrium state, this embodiment proposes the concept of batch charging to avoid the low efficiency caused by charging each battery cluster individually one by one. Moreover, the number of battery clusters charged in each batch increases sequentially until the voltage value of all battery clusters reaches the preset voltage upper limit.

[0078] Therefore, in this embodiment of the application, there is a charging sequence among the multiple charging batches, and each charging batch contains all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the current charging batch.

[0079] To achieve the above effects, please refer to Figure 4 , Figure 4 A schematic flowchart of step S203 provided in an embodiment of the present invention:

[0080] S203-1: Determine the charging sequence of multiple available battery clusters according to the direction of voltage value from small to large.

[0081] S203-2: Starting from the first available battery cluster in the charging sequence each time, at least one available battery cluster is extracted in the order of increasing number of battery clusters and the charging sequence until each available battery cluster has been extracted.

[0082] In the embodiment of the present invention, the increment ratio is 1, that is, the number of available battery clusters extracted each time is 1 more than the number of available battery clusters extracted in the previous time.

[0083] S203-3: According to the available battery clusters extracted each time, charging batches are formed, where the positional relationship between the available battery clusters within each charging batch is the same as the positional relationship of the available battery clusters in the charging sequence.

[0084] To facilitate understanding of the above embodiments, an example is given below:

[0085] Continuing to assume that the voltage values of the 4 battery clusters B1, B2, B3, and B4 are U1, U2, U3, and U4 respectively, and U1 < U2 < U3 < U4, then the charging sequence is B1, B2, B3, B4.

[0086] First, starting from B1, 1 available battery cluster is extracted for the first time, that is, B1; 2 available battery clusters are extracted for the second time, that is, B1, B2; 3 available battery clusters are extracted for the third time, that is, B1, B2, B3; 4 available battery clusters are extracted for the fourth time, that is, B1, B2, B3, B4. At this time, each available battery cluster has been extracted, so stop.

[0087] Based on the available battery clusters extracted each time, the charging batches are obtained. That is, the 4 charging batches obtained in the above example are in turn: B1; B1, B2; B1, B2, B3; B1, B2, B3, B4.

[0088] In this embodiment, the charging sequence of the charging batches obtained earlier is prior to that of the charging batches obtained later. Moreover, the latter charging batch contains all the available battery clusters within the previous charging batch. The positional relationship between the available battery clusters within each charging batch is the same as the positional relationship in the charging sequence.

[0089] After obtaining multiple charging batches and the charging sequence of these multiple charging batches, then, in accordance with the charging sequence, charge the multiple charging batches in turn, that is, execute step S206.

[0090] In step S206, charge the available battery clusters within the multiple charging batches in sequence until the voltage values of all available battery clusters reach the preset voltage upper limit value, then stop charging.

[0091] In this embodiment, before charging these charging batches, the charging current can be determined first, and the charging current and charging voltage determined by the PSC output can realize the charging function of each available battery cluster.

[0092] Therefore, this embodiment provides an implementation method for determining the charging current, as shown in steps e1 to e2:

[0093] e1: Determine the maximum charging current at the second current temperature and the second current minimum voltage value according to the battery power comparison table;

[0094] e2: Determine the output charging current based on the maximum charging current and the total number of available battery clusters.

[0095] In the above embodiment, based on the battery power table, the maximum charging current I2 corresponding to the second current temperature and the second current minimum voltage value is obtained. The total number of available battery clusters is N, and the charging current to be output is... ICHG2 =N·I2.

[0096] It is understandable that, since there are multiple charging batches and the number of available battery clusters to be charged in each batch increases sequentially, the output current should be larger for the later charging batch. Therefore, when charging these batches, the charging current of each batch can be several times that of the previous batch.

[0097] For example, assuming there are four charging batches, S1, S2, S3, and S4, the charging current of S1 is set to the I determined above. CHG2 Then the charging currents corresponding to S2, S3, and S4 can be obtained as: 2n*I CHG2 3n*I CHG2 4n*I CHG2 , where n is the charging factor.

[0098] It should be noted that when balancing charging is required first, the time corresponding to the first current temperature and the first current minimum voltage value is later than the time corresponding to the second current temperature and the second current minimum voltage value. The second current temperature and the second current minimum voltage value are the temperature and minimum voltage values ​​obtained after charging the target usable battery cluster.

[0099] After obtaining the current to be charged, it can be done according to... Figure 5 Charging is performed using the following implementation method. Figure 5 A schematic flowchart of step S206 provided in an embodiment of the present invention:

[0100] S206-1. For multiple target charging batches other than the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters, in sequence, charge the voltage values of all available battery clusters in each target charging batch to the maximum voltage value corresponding to the next target charging batch of the target charging batch.

[0101] S206-2. When all target charging batches have completed charging, charge all available battery clusters in the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters until the voltage values of all available battery clusters reach the preset voltage upper limit value, and then stop charging.

[0102] In this embodiment, since multiple charging batches have a charging sequence, except for the last charging batch, charge all available battery clusters in each charging batch in sequence until after these charging batches are charged, and then charge the available batteries in the last charging batch.

[0103] For ease of understanding, continue to assume that the voltage values of four battery clusters B1, B2, B3, and B4 are U1, U2, U3, and U4 respectively, and U1 < U2 < U3 < U4. The four charging batches, charging sequence, and the maximum charging value corresponding to each charging batch are as follows:

[0104] The first batch: B1 (the maximum voltage value is U1); the second batch: B1, B2 (the maximum voltage value is U2); the third batch: B1, B2, B3 (the maximum voltage value is U3); the fourth batch: B1, B2, B3, B4 (the maximum voltage value is U4).

[0105] First, charge B1 in the first batch. When the voltage value U1 of B1 reaches U2;

[0106] Then, charge B1 and B2 in the second batch simultaneously until U1 and U2 are equal to U3;

[0107] Then, charge B1, B2, and B3 in the third batch simultaneously until U1, U2, and U3 are equal to U4;

[0108] Finally, charge B1, B2, B3, and B4 in the fourth batch simultaneously until U1, U2, U3, and U4 reach the preset voltage upper limit value U CHG2 .

[0109] From the above charging method, it can be seen that except for the first charging batch with only one available battery cluster, in the process of charging each batch of battery clusters subsequently, multiple available battery clusters are charged simultaneously, and the number of available battery clusters charged each time increases sequentially until the voltage values of all available battery clusters reach the preset voltage upper limit value. The entire process has a higher charging efficiency compared to the traditional charging method where each battery cluster is charged to the preset voltage upper limit value individually, saving charging time.

[0110] The charging method provided in this application can be executed in a hardware device or as a software module. When the charging method is implemented as a software module, this application also provides a charging device. Please refer to [link to relevant documentation]. Figure 6 , Figure 6 This is a functional block diagram of a charging device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The charging device 300 may include: a determining module 310 and a charging module 320.

[0111] The determination module 310 is used to: determine multiple available battery clusters to be charged in the battery system;

[0112] The determining module 310 is also used to: when multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, determine multiple charging batches based on the multiple available battery clusters and in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters;

[0113] Among them, the voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​among multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; there is a charging sequence among multiple charging batches, and each charging batch includes all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the current charging batch.

[0114] The charging module 320 is used to charge the available battery clusters in multiple charging batches in sequence until the voltage value of all available battery clusters reaches the preset upper voltage limit, and then stop charging.

[0115] It is understandable that the determination module 310 and the charging module 320 can perform in a coordinated manner. Figure 2 Each step in the process is used to achieve the corresponding effect.

[0116] In an optional implementation, the determining module 310 is further configured to perform the actions described in the above embodiments. Figure 4 Each step, from step a1 to step a3, from step c1 to step c3, from step d1 to step d2, and from step e1 to step e2, is used to achieve the corresponding technical effect.

[0117] In an optional implementation, the determining module 310 and the charging module 320 can perform collaboratively. Figure 3 Each step in the process is used to achieve the corresponding technical effect.

[0118] In an optional implementation, the charging module 320 may specifically be used to perform... Figure 5 Each step in the process is used to achieve the corresponding technical effect.

[0119] It is understood that the instructions / modules of the charging device 300 can be stored in the memory of the device or embedded in the operating system (OS) of the device in the form of software or firmware.

[0120] This application also provides an electrical device; please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 7 , Figure 7 The present invention provides a structural block diagram of an electrical device 400, which may be, but is not limited to, electrical devices such as vehicles, ships, or aircraft.

[0121] like Figure 7 As shown, the electrical device 400 includes a memory 201, a battery controller 402, and a communication interface 403. The memory 401, battery controller 402, and communication interface 203 are electrically connected to each other directly or indirectly to realize data transmission or interaction. For example, these components can be electrically connected to each other through one or more communication buses or signal lines.

[0122] The memory 401 can be used to store software programs and modules, such as the instructions / modules of the charging device 300 provided in this embodiment of the invention. These can be stored in the memory 401 in the form of software or firmware, or embedded in the operating system (OS) of the power-consuming device 400. The battery master controller 402 executes various functional applications and data processing by executing the software programs and modules stored in the memory 401. The communication interface 403 can be used to communicate with other node devices for signaling or data.

[0123] The memory 401 may be, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), etc.

[0124] The battery master controller 402 can be an integrated circuit chip with signal processing capabilities. The battery master controller 402 can be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it can also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components.

[0125] Understandable. Figure 7 The structure shown is for illustrative purposes only; the electrical equipment 400 may also include components that are more advanced than those shown. Figure 7 The more or fewer components shown, or having the same Figure 2 The different configurations shown. Figure 7 The components shown can be implemented using hardware, software, or a combination thereof.

[0126] This application also provides a storage medium storing a computer program thereon, which, when executed by a processor, implements the charging method as described in any of the foregoing embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium may be, but is not limited to, various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, portable hard drive, ROM, RAM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, magnetic disk, or optical disk.

[0127] It should be understood that the apparatus and methods disclosed in this invention can also be implemented in other ways. The apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative. For example, the flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings show the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of apparatus, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the invention. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which contains one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions marked in the blocks may occur in a different order than those marked in the drawings. For example, two consecutive blocks may actually be executed substantially in parallel, and they may sometimes be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in a block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and / or flowcharts, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or action, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions.

[0128] In addition, the functional modules in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated together to form an independent part, or each module can exist independently, or two or more modules can be integrated to form an independent part.

[0129] If a function is implemented as a software module and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, server, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of this invention. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as a USB flash drive, a portable hard drive, a read-only memory (ROM), a random access memory (RAM), a magnetic disk, or an optical disk. It should be noted that in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0130] The above are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Various modifications and variations can be made to the invention by those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the invention should be included within the scope of protection of the invention. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it does not need to be further defined and explained in subsequent figures.

Claims

1. A charging method, characterized in that, The method includes: Identify multiple available battery clusters in the battery system that need to be charged; When multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, the charging order of the multiple available battery clusters is determined according to the direction of increasing voltage value; each time, starting from the first available battery cluster of the charging order, at least one available battery cluster is extracted in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters and the charging order, until every available battery cluster is extracted; based on the available battery clusters extracted each time, a charging batch is formed, wherein the positional relationship between the available battery clusters in each charging batch is consistent with the positional relationship of the available battery clusters in the charging order; The voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​among the multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; the multiple charging batches have a charging sequence, and each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster, including all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the charging batch; For multiple target charging batches other than the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters, the voltage values ​​of all available battery clusters in each target charging batch are charged sequentially to the maximum voltage value corresponding to the next target charging batch, according to the aforementioned order. When all target charging batches have been completed, all available battery clusters in the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters are charged until the voltage values ​​of all available battery clusters reach the preset upper voltage limit, at which point charging stops.

2. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After identifying multiple available battery clusters to be charged in the battery system, the method further includes: When multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage imbalance state, multiple target available battery clusters are determined from the multiple available battery clusters; The multiple target available battery clusters are charged until the battery system is in a voltage balance state, and the step of determining multiple charging batches based on the multiple available battery clusters in an increasing manner according to the number of battery clusters is performed.

3. The charging method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Multiple target available battery clusters are identified from the multiple available battery clusters, including: Calculate the voltage difference between the minimum voltage value and all remaining voltage values; Compare all the voltage differences with the preset difference value to obtain a target voltage difference that is less than the preset difference value; The available battery cluster to which the voltage value corresponding to the target voltage difference belongs is determined as the target available battery cluster.

4. The charging method according to claim 2, characterized in that, The method further includes charging the plurality of said target available battery clusters until the battery system reaches a voltage equilibrium state: According to the battery power comparison table, the maximum charging current is determined at the first current temperature and the first current minimum voltage value, and according to the battery DC resistance table, the DC internal resistance value corresponding to the minimum voltage value that is greater than the preset difference is determined. The target charging current is determined based on the maximum charging current and the number of target available battery clusters, and the target charging voltage is determined based on the maximum charging current, the DC internal resistance, and the minimum voltage value.

5. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Before stopping charging by sequentially charging multiple available battery clusters in the charging batches according to the aforementioned order, until the voltage value of all available battery clusters reaches a preset upper voltage limit, the method further includes: Based on the battery power comparison table, determine the maximum charging current at the second current temperature and the second current minimum voltage value; The output charging current is determined based on the maximum charging current and the total number of available battery clusters.

6. The charging method according to claim 1, characterized in that, Identify multiple available battery clusters in the battery system that need to be charged, including: Detect the operating status of each battery cluster within the battery system to determine if any battery clusters are faulty; If present, the remaining battery clusters, excluding the faulty battery cluster, are identified as the usable battery clusters; If it does not exist, then all battery clusters within the battery system are identified as the available battery clusters.

7. A charging device, characterized in that, include: Identify the module and charging module; The determining module is used to: determine multiple available battery clusters in the battery system that need to be charged; The determining module is further configured to: when multiple available battery clusters are in a voltage balance state, determine the charging order of the multiple available battery clusters in ascending order of voltage value; each time, starting from the first available battery cluster of the charging order, extract at least one available battery cluster in ascending order of battery cluster number until all available battery clusters are extracted; form charging batches based on the extracted available battery clusters each time, wherein the positional relationship between the available battery clusters in each charging batch is consistent with the positional relationship of the available battery clusters in the charging order; The voltage balance state indicates that the difference between the maximum and minimum voltage values ​​among the multiple available battery clusters is less than or equal to a preset difference; the multiple charging batches have a charging sequence, and each charging batch contains at least one available battery cluster, including all available battery clusters in the previous charging batch adjacent to the charging batch; The charging module is configured to: for multiple target charging batches other than the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters, sequentially charge the voltage values ​​of all available battery clusters in each target charging batch to the maximum voltage value corresponding to the next target charging batch, according to the aforementioned order; when all target charging batches have been charged, charge all available battery clusters in the charging batch with the largest number of battery clusters until the voltage values ​​of all available battery clusters reach a preset voltage upper limit value, and then stop charging.

8. A battery system, characterized in that, The system includes a battery management system and multiple battery clusters; the battery management system is electrically connected to the multiple battery clusters; the multiple battery clusters are connected in parallel; the battery management system includes a battery master controller, which is used to execute the charging method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

9. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, It includes a battery master controller and a memory, the memory storing a computer program that can be executed by the battery master controller to implement the charging method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

10. A storage medium having a computer program stored thereon, characterized in that, The computer program is executed by a processor using the charging method as described in any one of claims 1-6.

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