A control method for a smart battery charging system

Abstract

A control method for an intelligent battery charging system includes the following steps: When no charging signal from the charging gun or the key power-on signal is detected, a low-power detection circuit continuously monitors whether the battery voltage is within the normal range to determine if the battery is low-powered, and sends a wake-up signal to the wake-up circuit when the battery is low-powered; upon receiving the wake-up signal, the wake-up circuit wakes up the vehicle controller through the drive control module, and then wakes up the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter through the vehicle controller, thereby charging the battery; when the battery charging is complete, the vehicle controller first controls the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter to safely power down, and then enters a sleep state. This invention not only enables intelligent charging of the battery, but also ensures that during the low-power detection process, the vehicle controller is in a low-power sleep state, and other electrical equipment is turned off, thus effectively reducing the risk of battery low-power and avoiding unnecessary energy loss.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of electric vehicle technology, and in particular to a control method for a smart battery charging system. Background Technology

[0002] Electronic devices in pure electric buses are highly dependent on lead-acid batteries. When the vehicle key is turned off, many devices on the bus still require constant power. If the low-voltage equipment is not turned off and the vehicle is not started, the lead-acid battery cannot be charged in time, easily leading to battery depletion and preventing the vehicle from starting. The traditional solution is for the driver to manually turn off the main switch after parking to disconnect the lead-acid battery load. However, if the driver occasionally forgets to turn off the main switch, there is still a risk of battery depletion.

[0003] To address this issue, Chinese Patent Application No. 202110171668.2 discloses a battery anti-discharge control system. This solution includes multiple switching components, and the battery manager can control the on / off state of the switching components based on the voltage state of the power battery pack and the battery, thereby controlling the charging state of the battery. However, this solution does not describe the discharge detection principle in detail, and the control of the charging state needs to be achieved through external control of the switching components. Therefore, even when the vehicle is stopped, the battery still needs to remain constantly awake and powered by the control equipment, which causes unnecessary energy waste and makes the vehicle more prone to discharge. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a control method for a smart battery charging system, the main purpose of which is to solve the problems existing in the prior art.

[0005] The present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0006] A control method for a smart battery charging system, the smart battery charging system comprising a vehicle controller, a battery management system, a high-voltage distribution cabinet, a DC-DC converter, and a charging control device integrated within the vehicle controller; the charging control device includes a power supply, a low-power detection circuit, and a wake-up circuit connected to each other; the vehicle controller includes a drive control module, a charging gun detection module, and a key signal detection module; the wake-up circuit is connected to the drive control module, and the low-power detection circuit is connected to the battery; the control method includes the following steps:

[0007] S1. When the charging gun detection module does not detect the charging signal and the key signal detection module does not detect the key power-on signal, the low battery detection circuit detects whether the battery voltage is within the normal range in real time, thereby determining whether the battery is low battery, and sends a wake-up signal to the wake-up circuit when the battery is low battery.

[0008] S2. When a wake-up signal is received, the wake-up circuit wakes up the vehicle controller through the drive control module, and then wakes up the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter through the vehicle controller, thereby charging the battery.

[0009] S3. When the battery is fully charged, the vehicle controller first controls the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter to safely power down, and then enters a sleep state.

[0010] Furthermore, the vehicle controller is equipped with a power sustaining module connected to the wake-up circuit; in step S2, when the battery starts charging, the low-power detection circuit stops sending wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit, and the power sustaining module continuously sends wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit within a set time, so that the drive control module remains in the wake-up state until the battery is fully charged and the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter are all safely powered down.

[0011] Furthermore, the vehicle controller is provided with a state storage module; the charging control device also includes a latching circuit connected to the power supply and the wake-up circuit, and the latching circuit is connected to the state storage module; in step S2, the latching circuit obtains the device state information stored in the state storage module. If the device state information meets the wake-up conditions, the wake-up circuit is not latched; if the wake-up conditions are not met, the wake-up circuit is latched, thereby preventing the wake-up circuit from waking up the drive control module.

[0012] Furthermore, the device status information that does not meet the wake-up conditions includes: a) the vehicle controller is faulty; b) the battery management system is faulty; c) the high-voltage distribution cabinet is faulty; d) the DC-DC converter is faulty.

[0013] Furthermore, in step S2, when the wake-up circuit wakes up the drive control module, the latch circuit obtains the battery SOC through the state storage module. If the battery SOC is lower than the set value, the latch circuit latches the wake-up circuit in time, thereby preventing the wake-up circuit from waking up the drive control module.

[0014] Furthermore, the latching circuit is connected to the charging gun detection module and the key signal detection module; when a charging gun insertion signal or a key power-on signal is received, the latching circuit releases the latching state.

[0015] Furthermore, a voltage regulator circuit is provided between the power supply and the low-power detection circuit, the wake-up circuit, and the latching circuit; an external voltage regulator circuit is provided between the battery and the low-power detection circuit; the low-power detection circuit determines whether the battery is low-power by comparing the voltage difference between the battery and the power supply.

[0016] Furthermore, it also includes a remote communication terminal and a mobile terminal. The vehicle controller communicates with the mobile terminal through the remote communication terminal. In step S2, when the battery is depleted and the wake-up circuit is latched, the vehicle controller sends the current vehicle abnormality information to the user's mobile terminal through the remote communication terminal, and the user performs corresponding measures.

[0017] Furthermore, in step S3, the criteria for determining that the battery charging is complete are: the DC-DC converter has been running continuously for a set time t1, or the current value of the DC-DC converter is lower than the set current I within a set time t2.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0019] 1. The control method provided by this invention can not only realize intelligent charging of the battery, but also ensure that the vehicle controller is in a low-power sleep state and other electrical equipment is turned off during the low-power detection process, thus effectively reducing the risk of battery depletion and avoiding unnecessary energy loss.

[0020] 2. By setting up a mutually cooperating state storage module and latching circuit, the present invention enables the charging control device to have a fault latching function, thereby enabling hardware latching of the wake-up circuit when the device fails, thus preventing the device from frequently starting up under low power conditions, which would exacerbate the power loss.

[0021] 3. When the battery is depleted and the wake-up circuit is latched, the vehicle controller can promptly provide feedback on the abnormal information to the user through the remote communication terminal, thereby realizing the user-friendly design of the intelligent battery charging system. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a simplified circuit structure diagram of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a structural principle block diagram of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a circuit diagram of the low-power detection circuit in this invention.

[0025] Figure 4 This is a circuit diagram of the wake-up circuit and the voltage regulator circuit in this invention.

[0026] Figure 5 This is a circuit diagram of the latch circuit in this invention.

[0027] Figure 6 This is the control flowchart of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0028] Specific embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many details are described below to provide a comprehensive understanding of the invention; however, those skilled in the art will be able to implement the invention without these details.

[0029] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 This invention provides a smart battery charging system based on a vehicle controller, including a battery, a vehicle controller, a battery management system, a high-voltage distribution cabinet, and a DC-DC converter. It also includes a charging control device integrated within the vehicle controller. Specifically, the charging control device includes an interconnected power supply, a low-voltage detection circuit, and a wake-up circuit. The low-voltage detection circuit is connected to the battery and detects whether the battery voltage is within the normal range, thereby determining whether it is low-voltage. The vehicle controller has a drive control module, and the wake-up circuit is connected to the drive control module. When the battery is low-voltage, the drive control module wakes up the vehicle controller, which in turn wakes up the battery management system, the high-voltage distribution cabinet, and the DC-DC converter, thus charging the battery. By integrating the charging control device within the vehicle controller, during low-voltage detection, the vehicle controller is in a low-power sleep state, and other electrical equipment is turned off, effectively reducing the risk of battery depletion and avoiding unnecessary energy loss.

[0030] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vehicle controller is equipped with a state storage module; the charging control device also includes a latching circuit connected to the power supply and the wake-up circuit. The latching circuit is connected to the state storage module. If the device state information stored in the state storage module does not meet the wake-up conditions, the latching circuit latches the wake-up circuit, thereby preventing the wake-up circuit from waking up the drive control module. By setting up the state storage module and the latching circuit, the wake-up circuit can be hardware-latched in case of device failure, thus preventing frequent device startup under low power conditions, which could exacerbate the power depletion.

[0031] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vehicle controller is equipped with a charging gun detection module and a key signal detection module; the latching circuit is connected to the charging gun detection module and the key signal detection module. When a charging gun insertion signal or a key power-on signal is received, the latching circuit releases the latching state.

[0032] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2In this embodiment, the battery is a lead-acid battery. The low-power detection circuit works by comparing the voltage difference between the battery and the power supply to determine if the battery is low-power. Therefore, a voltage regulator circuit is provided between the power supply and the low-power detection circuit, the wake-up circuit, and the latching circuit. An external voltage regulator circuit is also provided between the battery and the low-power detection circuit. This ensures that the power supply voltage and battery voltage collected by the low-power detection circuit are accurate and reliable, thereby improving the accuracy of low-power detection.

[0033] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The vehicle controller is equipped with a power sustaining module connected to the wake-up circuit. When the battery starts charging, the low-power detection circuit stops sending wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit. The power sustaining module then continuously sends wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit for a set time, so that the drive control module remains awake until the battery is fully charged and the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter are safely powered down.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 and Figure 2 The intelligent battery charging system also includes a remote communication terminal and a mobile terminal. The vehicle controller communicates with the mobile terminal via the remote communication terminal. When the battery is depleted and the wake-up circuit is latched, the vehicle controller sends abnormal information about the vehicle to the user's mobile terminal via the remote communication terminal, allowing the user to take appropriate action.

[0035] To more clearly illustrate the control principle of the intelligent battery charging system, the circuit structure of the low-power detection circuit, wake-up circuit, and latching circuit in this embodiment will be explained below:

[0036] 1. Low power detection circuit: such as Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the low-power detection circuit includes a comparator U6 and a transistor Q4. The non-inverting input of the comparator U6 is connected to the power supply, the inverting input of the comparator U6 is connected to the battery, and the output of the comparator U6 is connected to the transistor Q4. When the voltage difference output by the comparator U6 is greater than a preset value, the transistor Q4 is turned on, thereby outputting a high-level signal to the wake-up circuit through the DIFF_Power_Ctrl pin as a wake-up signal.

[0037] 2. Wake-up circuit: such as Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the wake-up circuit includes transistor Q1 and MOSFET Q5, and has a DIFF_Power_Ctrl pin connected to the low-power detection circuit, a CPU_Power_Ctrl pin connected to the power sustaining module, and an HI_SIDE_24V pin connected to the drive control module. When the DIFF_Power_Ctrl pin or CPU_Power_Ctrl pin receives a wake-up signal, and the emitter of transistor Q1 is normally grounded, transistor Q1 and MOSFET Q5 are turned on. Thus, the drive control module can be woken up through the HI_SIDE_24V pin, thereby waking up the vehicle controller.

[0038] 3. Latch circuit: such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the latching circuit includes transistors Q3 and U5, and has a Keep_Ctrl pin connected to the state storage module, a Chg_Signal pin connected to the charging gun detection module, a Key_Signal pin connected to the key signal detection module, and a Vout pin connected to the emitter of transistor Q1. When no valid signal is received from the Chg_Signal, Key_Signal, and Keep_Ctrl pins, transistors Q3 and U5 are not turned on. At this time, the Vout pin is equivalent to ground, transistor Q1 can conduct normally, and the wake-up circuit is not latched. When a valid signal is received from the Keep_Ctrl pin, transistor Q3 turns on, thereby pulling transistor U5 low and turning it on. At this time, the Vout pin is equivalent to Vin, transistor Q1 cannot conduct normally, and the wake-up circuit is latched. When a valid signal is received from either the Chg_Signal or Key_Signal pin, transistor U5 turns off. At this time, the Vout pin returns to ground, transistor Q1 can conduct normally, and the wake-up circuit is unlocked.

[0039] It should be noted that, in the specific implementation process, the circuit structure of the power depletion detection circuit, wake-up circuit and latching circuit is not limited to this. Those skilled in the art can also optimize the circuit structure based on the control principle of the intelligent battery charging system.

[0040] like Figures 1 to 6 As shown, the control method of this intelligent battery charging system includes the following steps:

[0041] S1. When the charging gun detection module does not detect a charging signal and the key signal detection module does not detect a key power-on signal, the low-power detection circuit continuously monitors the battery voltage to determine if it is within the normal range. If the battery is low, a wake-up signal is sent to the wake-up circuit. During the low-power detection process, the vehicle controller is in sleep mode, and the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter are off. Therefore, the intelligent battery charging system maintains low-power operation, avoiding unnecessary energy waste.

[0042] When the charging gun detection module detects a charging signal, or the key signal detection module detects a key power-on signal, the vehicle controller starts each device according to the normal procedure to charge the battery and ensure normal battery power supply. At the same time, the status storage module updates and stores the status information of each device for later use.

[0043] S2. When a wake-up signal is received, the wake-up circuit wakes up the vehicle controller through the drive control module, and then wakes up the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter through the vehicle controller, thereby charging the battery.

[0044] In this step, the latching circuit acquires the device status information stored in the status storage module. If the device status information meets the wake-up conditions, the wake-up circuit is not latched; otherwise, it is latched to prevent the wake-up circuit from waking up the drive control module. Specifically, the device status information that does not meet the wake-up conditions is: any one of the vehicle controller, battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter has a highest-level fault. When the wake-up circuit wakes up the drive control module, the vehicle controller acquires the battery SOC via the CAN bus and stores it in the status storage module. The latching circuit acquires the battery SOC through the status storage module. If the battery SOC is lower than a set value, the latching circuit latches the wake-up circuit in a timely manner to prevent it from waking up the drive control module. As a preferred option, the battery SOC is set to 20%. When the battery is depleted and the wake-up circuit is latched, the vehicle controller sends the current vehicle anomaly information to the user's mobile terminal via a remote communication terminal, and the user takes appropriate action. When a charging signal is received from the plug-in charging gun or the key power-on signal, the latching circuit is released from the latching state, and the vehicle controller starts each device according to the normal process, thereby charging the battery and ensuring normal battery power supply.

[0045] Provided the wake-up conditions are met and the battery SOC is greater than the set value, the wake-up circuit wakes up the vehicle controller through the drive control module. The wake-up process for other devices is as follows: The vehicle controller sends a main negative relay closing command to the battery management system. After the main negative relay is closed, the vehicle controller sends a command to the high-voltage distribution cabinet to close the DC-DC relay. After the high-voltage distribution cabinet reports that the DC-DC relay is closed and the deviation between the DC-DC converter front-end voltage and the battery voltage is within 5%, the vehicle controller sends a DC-DC enable command to start the DC-DC converter and output current to charge the battery.

[0046] S3. When the battery is fully charged, the vehicle controller first safely powers down the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter, and then enters sleep mode. Specifically, the criteria for determining whether battery charging is complete are: the DC-DC converter has been running continuously for a set time t1, or the current value of the DC-DC converter is lower than the set current I within a set time t2. As a preferred option: the set time t1 is 30 minutes, the set current I is 5A, that is: if the DC-DC converter has been running continuously for more than 30 minutes or the output current of the DC-DC converter is less than 5A for 3 minutes, then the battery is determined to be fully charged.

[0047] The power-down process is as follows: The vehicle controller initially disables the DC-DC converter, then waits for feedback from the DC-DC converter indicating it is off or has timed out before disabling the DC-DC relay. When the high-voltage distribution cabinet reports that the DC-DC relay is off or has timed out, it issues a command to disconnect the main negative relay, waiting for feedback from the battery management system indicating that the main negative relay is off or has timed out before disconnecting the low-voltage power supply to the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter. Finally, the vehicle controller enters sleep mode. At this time, the current required by the battery for the electrical equipment is extremely small, greatly reducing the equipment's dependence on the battery.

[0048] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the design concept of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any non-substantial modifications made to the present invention using this concept shall be considered as infringing upon the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A control method for a smart battery charging system, characterized in that: The intelligent battery charging system includes a vehicle controller, a battery management system, a high-voltage distribution cabinet, a DC-DC converter, and a charging control device integrated within the vehicle controller. The charging control device includes a power supply, a low-power detection circuit, and a wake-up circuit connected to each other. The vehicle controller has a drive control module, a charging gun detection module, and a key signal detection module. The wake-up circuit is connected to the drive control module, and the low-power detection circuit is connected to the battery. The vehicle controller has a state storage module, and the charging control device further includes a latching circuit connected to the power supply and the wake-up circuit, and the latching circuit is connected to the state storage module. The control method includes the following steps: S1. When the charging gun detection module does not detect the charging signal and the key signal detection module does not detect the key power-on signal, the low battery detection circuit detects whether the battery voltage is within the normal range in real time, thereby determining whether the battery is low battery, and sends a wake-up signal to the wake-up circuit when the battery is low battery. S2. Upon receiving a wake-up signal, the wake-up circuit wakes up the vehicle controller through the drive control module, and then wakes up the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet, and DC-DC converter through the vehicle controller, thereby charging the battery. In this step, the latching circuit obtains the device status information stored in the status storage module. If the device status information meets the wake-up conditions, the wake-up circuit is not latched; otherwise, it is latched to prevent the wake-up circuit from waking up the drive control module. When the wake-up circuit wakes up the drive control module, the latching circuit obtains the battery SOC through the status storage module. If the battery SOC is lower than the set value, the latching circuit latches the wake-up circuit in time to prevent it from waking up the drive control module. The latching circuit is connected to the charging gun detection module and the key signal detection module. When a charging gun insertion signal or a key power-on signal is received, the latching circuit releases the latching state. S3. When the battery is fully charged, the vehicle controller first controls the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter to safely power down, and then enters a sleep state.

2. The control method for a smart battery charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The vehicle controller is equipped with a power sustaining module connected to the wake-up circuit. In step S2, when the battery starts charging, the low-power detection circuit stops sending wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit, and the power sustaining module continues to send wake-up signals to the wake-up circuit for a set time, so that the drive control module remains in the wake-up state until the battery is fully charged and the battery management system, high-voltage distribution cabinet and DC-DC converter are all safely powered down.

3. The control method for a smart battery charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: Device status information that does not meet the wake-up conditions includes: a) the vehicle controller is faulty; b) the battery management system is faulty; c) the high-voltage distribution cabinet is faulty; d) the DC-DC converter is faulty.

4. The control method for a smart battery charging system as described in claim 2, characterized in that: A voltage regulator circuit is provided between the power supply and the low-power detection circuit, the wake-up circuit, and the latching circuit; an external voltage regulator circuit is provided between the battery and the low-power detection circuit; the low-power detection circuit determines whether the battery is low-power by comparing the voltage difference between the battery and the power supply.

5. The control method for a smart battery charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a remote communication terminal and a mobile terminal. The vehicle controller communicates with the mobile terminal through the remote communication terminal. In step S2, when the battery is depleted and the wake-up circuit is latched, the vehicle controller sends the current vehicle abnormality information to the user's mobile terminal through the remote communication terminal, and the user takes corresponding measures.

6. The control method for a smart battery charging system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: In step S3, the criteria for determining whether the battery charging is complete are: the DC-DC converter has been running continuously for a set time t1, or the current value of the DC-DC converter is lower than the set current I within a set time t2.

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