Battery management system based on wireless mesh network and operation method thereof

Abstract

A battery management system based on a wireless network and an operating method thereof are disclosed. A battery management system includes first to Nth BMUs (battery management units) and a master BMU that constitute a wireless mesh network. The master BMU is configured to determine network performance of the first to N-th BMUs, determine SOC using operational characteristic data received from the first to N-th BMUs, and designate as a router BMU a BMU having network performance higher than a standard and coupled with a battery module having an SOC satisfying a balance condition, and designate as an end BMU the remaining BMUs. The router BMU is configured to form a communication link with each end BMU and to transmit operational characteristic data of the battery module collected from each end BMU and operational characteristic data of the battery module coupled thereto to the master BMU.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a battery management system and an operating method thereof, and more particularly, to a battery management system and an operating method thereof based on a wireless network applying a mesh topology, in which SOC balancing between battery modules and designation of router nodes and end nodes are interrelated with each other.

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0171351 filed in Korea on December 9, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] A battery pack in various battery applications such as electric vehicles or energy storage systems (ESS) includes a plurality of battery modules and a battery management system (BMS).

[0004] A battery module includes multiple battery cells and a battery management unit (BMU). Within a battery module, multiple battery cells are connected in series and / or in parallel depending on the desired output voltage and capacity of the battery module. Similarly, within a battery pack, multiple battery modules are connected in series and / or in parallel depending on the desired output voltage and capacity of the battery pack.

[0005] The BMS of the battery pack is configured as a combination of a master BMU and a slave BMU connected to each battery module. The conventional BMS is mainly a wired network-based BMS such as CAN (Controller Area Network), in which the master BMU and multiple slave BMUs are connected to each other through communication lines.

[0006] The slave BMU uses sensors installed in the battery modules to generate measurement data on the voltage, temperature, and current of the battery modules and operation characteristic data including SOC, and stores them in a memory device. The master BMU periodically collects the operation characteristic data of the battery modules from each slave BMU through a wired network and stores it in a memory device. In addition, the master BMU monitors the operation status of each battery module based on the operation characteristic data, generates command messages required to control the operation of the battery modules, and sends them to the slave BMUs through the wired network.

[0007] The traditional BMS architecture based on wired network requires a lot of cost to build a wired network due to the complexity of the wiring harness. In addition, the aging of the communication line and the connection quality of the connector will also affect the communication. Especially in large-capacity energy storage systems, the BMS architecture based on wired network may lead to more serious cost and communication quality problems.

[0008] Recently, a wireless network-based battery management system (abbreviated as WBMS) has been developed. The WBMS is an improved system built using a master BMU and a slave BMU that support wireless communication.

[0009] WBMS does not require communication lines, so the network construction cost is low, the scalability is good, and the maintenance is simple. In addition, WBMS improves the space utilization inside the battery pack, thereby increasing the energy density of the battery pack. In addition, there is no problem of deterioration of communication quality due to aging of communication lines.

[0010] When building a WBMS, a mesh topology can be applied. The mesh topology has the advantage of reducing the shadow area of ​​wireless communication.

[0011] In a WBMS applying a mesh topology, a communication path that can guarantee the maximum performance of the wireless network is selected. Protocols for communication path selection within a mesh topology are well known in the art.

[0012] In order to select a communication path, the master BMU monitors the network performance of all slave BMUs. In addition, the master BMU designates one of the slave BMUs with good network performance as a router node and designates the remaining slave BMUs as end nodes.

[0013] Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, among the slave BMUs, a BMU designated as a router node will be named a router BMU, and a BMU designated as an end node will be named an end BMU.

[0014] The router BMU is responsible for relaying communications on the wireless network. In other words, the end BMU does not communicate directly with the main BMU, but exchanges data with the main BMU through the router BMU. Therefore, the power consumption of the router BMU is relatively higher than that of the end BMU.

[0015] The router BMU and the end BMU receive operating power from the battery modules to which they are connected. Therefore, the energy of the battery module coupled to the router BMU has a relatively faster SOC (state of charge) reduction rate than other battery modules coupled to the end BMU.

[0016] The SOC of the battery module must be managed within an appropriate range. Therefore, if the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs is out of an appropriate range, the router BMU needs to be changed at an appropriate time.

[0017] The reduction in SOC may be caused by the power consumption of the router BMU or problems in the battery module itself such as current leakage.

[0018] Meanwhile, if a load device (system) receiving power from the battery pack stops being used, the main BMU may be designed to switch to a sleep mode in order to reduce power usage.

[0019] For example, if the electric vehicle enters an ignition-off state after stopping operation, the main BMU switches to a sleep mode. Even after the main BMU switches to the sleep mode, the router BMU and the end BMU regularly communicate with each other. In other words, the end BMU regularly generates the operating characteristic data of the battery module and sends it to the router BMU. Therefore, even while the main BMU is in a sleep state, the router BMU continuously collects the operating characteristic data of the battery module.

[0020] Meanwhile, the network performance of the router BMU may drop below a threshold due to some reasons. For example, if severe noise is introduced around the router BMU or the SOC of a battery module coupled to the router BMU is reduced below a threshold so that stable power cannot be supplied to the router BMU, the network performance of the router BMU may deteriorate. In this case, the router BMU cannot function properly, so the communication between the router BMU and the main BMU cannot be performed smoothly. However, it is not easy to change the router BMU while the main BMU responsible for designating the router node and the end node is in a dormant state. Summary of the invention

[0021] Technical issues

[0022] The present disclosure is designed to solve the problems of the related art, and thus the present disclosure aims to correlate SOC balancing between battery modules with selection of a network communication path in a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network applying a mesh topology.

[0023] The present disclosure also aims to provide a battery management system and an operating method thereof, which can temporarily designate a router BMU without the intervention of a master BMU when the SOC of a battery module coupled to a router BMU is reduced to a level that does not require balancing after a master BMU of a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network is switched to a sleep mode.

[0024] These and other purposes and advantages of the present disclosure can be understood from the following detailed description and will become more fully apparent from the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In addition, it will be easily understood that the purposes and advantages of the present disclosure can be achieved by the means shown in the appended claims and their combinations.

[0025] Technical Solutions

[0026] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network is provided, including first to Nth BMUs (Battery Management Units) and a master BMU constituting the wireless mesh network.

[0027] Each of the first to Nth BMUs and the master BMU may include a communication interface for supporting wireless communication through the wireless mesh network and a storage medium capable of storing data.

[0028] The first to Nth BMUs may be coupled correspondingly to the first to Nth battery modules and record operation characteristic data including SOC (State of Charge) of the battery modules managed by the first to Nth BMUs in a storage medium.

[0029] The main BMU can be configured to: form a communication link with the first to Nth BMUs, determine the network performance of the first to Nth BMUs, determine the SOC of the first to Nth battery modules by receiving operating characteristic data from the first to Nth BMUs, and designate a BMU among the first to Nth BMUs that has a network performance higher than the standard and is coupled to a battery module having an SOC that satisfies a balance condition as a router BMU and designate the remaining BMUs as end BMUs.

[0030] The router BMU may be configured to form a communication link with each end BMU, and collect operating characteristic data of the battery modules from each end BMU and send the collected operating characteristic data and operating characteristic data of the battery modules coupled to the router BMU to the master BMU.

[0031] The SOC reduction rate of the battery modules coupled to the router BMU may be faster than the SOC reduction rate of the battery modules coupled to each end BMU.

[0032] Network performance can be Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) or Bit Error Rate (BER).

[0033] The master BMU may be configured to designate a BMU coupled to a battery module having a highest SOC among BMUs having a higher-than-standard network performance as a router BMU.

[0034] The router BMU and each end BMU may operate in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner, and a maintenance time of the awake mode of the router BMU may be relatively longer than a maintenance time of the awake mode of each end BMU.

[0035] Each end BMU may be configured to generate operating characteristic data of a battery module connected to a corresponding end BMU when operating in the wake-up mode. In addition, the router BMU may be configured to form a communication link with an end BMU operating in the wake-up mode while operating in the wake-up mode, and collect operating characteristic data of a battery module from each end BMU at which a communication link is formed.

[0036] The router BMU may be configured to transmit the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled with the router BMU to the main BMU when the main BMU operates in the awake mode.

[0037] The router BMU may be configured to suspend transmission of the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU to the main BMU when the main BMU switches to a sleep mode to release a communication link with the router BMU, additionally collect operating characteristic data from each end BMU, and maintain the additionally collected operating characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0038] The router BMU may be configured to transmit the collected operating characteristic data and operating characteristic data of the battery modules coupled with the router BMU to the master BMU when the master BMU switches from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode to reestablish the communication link.

[0039] The router BMU may be configured to: while the main BMU switches to a sleep mode to release a communication link with the router BMU, when the SOC of a battery module coupled to the router BMU does not satisfy a balance condition, determine network performance by forming a communication link with the remaining end BMUs, and temporarily designate an end BMU among the remaining end BMUs that has a network performance higher than the standard and is coupled to a battery module having an SOC satisfying the balance condition as a router BMU.

[0040] The router BMU may be configured to determine that the balancing condition is not satisfied when the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU is less than at least one of the SOCs of the battery modules coupled to the terminal BMU.

[0041] The temporarily designated router BMU may be configured to form a communication link with an end BMU operating in an awake mode while the main BMU is in a sleep mode, collect operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed, and store the collected operating characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0042] The temporarily designated router BMU can be configured to form a communication link with the main BMU when the main BMU switches from sleep mode to wake-up mode, and send the operating characteristic data of the battery modules collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery modules coupled to the temporarily designated router BMU to the main BMU.

[0043] In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network is also provided, including: (a) allowing the first to Nth BMUs and the main BMU coupled to the first to Nth battery modules to form a wireless mesh network; (b) each of the first to Nth BMUs generates and stores operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery modules managed by each of the first to Nth BMUs; (c) the main BMU forms a communication link with the first to Nth BMUs; (d) the main BMU determines the network performance of the first to Nth BMUs; (e) the main BMU determines the first to Nth battery modules by receiving the operating characteristic data from the first to Nth BMUs. The SOC of the block; (f) the main BMU designates the BMU among the first to Nth BMUs that has a network performance higher than the standard and is coupled to the battery module with an SOC that satisfies the balancing condition as a router BMU and designates the remaining BMUs as end BMUs; (g) the router BMU forms a communication link with each end BMU; (h) the router BMU collects the operating characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU and sends the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the router BMU to the main BMU; and (i) the main BMU maintains the designation of the router BMU until the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs satisfies the balancing stop condition.

[0044] The (h) step may include switching the operating state of the router BMU to a wake-up mode; and forming a communication link by the router BMU and the end BMU operating in the wake-up mode, collecting operating characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU at which the communication link is formed, and sending the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the router BMU to the main BMU.

[0045] The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to the present disclosure may further include: while the main BMU switches to a sleep mode and releases the communication link with the router BMU, when the SOC of a battery module coupled to the router BMU satisfies a balancing stop condition, the router BMU forms a communication link with the remaining end BMUs and determines the network performance; and the router BMU temporarily designates, as the router BMU, an end BMU among the remaining end BMUs that has a network performance higher than the standard and is coupled to a battery module having an SOC that satisfies the balancing condition.

[0046] The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to the present disclosure may further include: forming a communication link with an end BMU operating in a wake-up mode while a temporarily designated router BMU operates in a wake-up mode, and collecting operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed; and forming a communication link with the main BMU when the main BMU switches from a sleep mode to a wake-up mode by the temporarily designated router BMU, and sending the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the temporarily designated router BMU to the main BMU.

[0047] Effect of the Invention

[0048] According to the present disclosure, a battery module coupled to a BMU having a network performance higher than a standard and having an SOC satisfying a balancing condition is identified, the BMU coupled to the identified battery module is designated as a router BMU, and the remaining BMUs are designated as end BMUs. Therefore, the router BMU consumes the energy of the battery module in the process of collecting the operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU through wireless communication and sending it to the main BMU, so the SOC of the battery module can be balanced without unnecessary energy waste.

[0049] Furthermore, while the main BMU is in sleep mode, if the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU satisfies the balancing stop condition, since the router BMU is temporarily designated among other BMUs, balancing of the SOC can be reliably performed without interruption regardless of the operating mode of the main BMU.

[0050] The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand these effects and other effects not mentioned herein from the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0051] The accompanying drawings illustrate preferred embodiments of the present disclosure and together with the aforementioned disclosure serve to provide a further understanding of the technical features of the present disclosure, and therefore, the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to the accompanying drawings.

[0052] Figure 1 is a block diagram exemplarily illustrating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit coupled to the kth battery module (B according to an embodiment of the present disclosure k ) of the kth BMU (C k ) block diagram.

[0054] Figure 3FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a router BMU ( FIG. 3 ) operating in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. ) and end BMU (C E1 to )’s picture.

[0055] Figure 4 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at a point in time while the battery pack BP is being discharged according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are exemplarily shown.

[0056] Figure 5 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are exemplarily shown.

[0057] Figure 6 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are exemplarily shown.

[0058] Figure 7 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are exemplarily shown.

[0059] Figure 8 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged according to one embodiment of the present disclosure are exemplarily shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Before the description, it should be understood that the terms used in the specification and the appended claims should not be interpreted as limited to the general and dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted based on the meanings and concepts corresponding to the technical aspects of the present disclosure on the principle of allowing the inventor to appropriately define the terms for the best description.

[0061] Therefore, the descriptions presented herein are only preferred examples for illustrative purposes, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and it should be appreciated that other equivalents and modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] Terms including ordinal numbers such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used to distinguish one element from another among various elements, but are not intended to limit the elements by the terms.

[0063] Throughout the specification, it will be further understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected to” another element, it can be directly connected to the other element or intervening elements may be present.

[0064] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a battery management system 10 based on a wireless mesh network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] refer to Figure 1 The battery management system 10 is operably coupled to a battery pack BP, which includes first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B2) electrically connected in series and / or in parallel. N ).

[0066] In one aspect, the battery pack BP may be mounted on a vehicle. The vehicle may include an electric motor driven using electric energy provided by the battery pack BP. The vehicle may be an electric vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, or a hybrid vehicle. The vehicle may have two, three, or four wheels.

[0067] In another aspect, the battery pack BP may be included in an energy storage system (ESS).

[0068] In yet another aspect, the battery pack BP may be included in any device or system known in the art that operates by electrical energy.

[0069] The battery management system 10 may include a main BMU (battery management unit, C M ) and are operatively coupled to the first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B N ) of the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N ).

[0070] Preferably, the main BMU (C M ) and the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N ) can form a wireless mesh network.

[0071] A wireless mesh network has a topology in which the wireless nodes constituting the network are connected to each other like a mesh network. The communication technology used in a wireless mesh network is well known in the art. The nodes in a wireless mesh network can self-configure the network and select the best packet transmission path through ad-hoc characteristics, which can automatically establish and manage the mesh connection between them. Each node can act as a router, and the intermediate nodes can send packets for other nodes. The mesh connection between nodes improves the reliability of the transmission path.

[0072] Main BMU (C M) can broadcast packets to scan nearby nodes with which it can communicate, form a communication link with the node that sends a response packet, and then exchange packets. M ) The nodes forming the communication link may be the first to the Nth BMU (C1 to C N ). The data packet may include operating characteristic data of the battery module. The operating characteristic data may include at least the SOC (state of charge) of the battery module. Optionally, the operating characteristic data may further include measurement data for at least one of the voltage, current and temperature of the battery module.

[0073] First to Nth BMU C1 to C N Each of the first to the Nth battery modules (B1 to B N ), uses sensors to monitor the voltage, current and temperature of the battery module coupled thereto, estimates the SOC of the battery module based on measurement data about the voltage, current and temperature, and adaptively controls the charging and discharging of the battery module based on the operating characteristic data.

[0074] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a battery module coupled to the kth battery module (B k ) of the kth BMU (C k ) block diagram. Figure 2 The kth BMU (C k ) configuration can be commonly applied to the first to Nth BMUs (C1 to C N ).

[0075] refer to Figure 2 , the kth BMU (C k ) is operably coupled to a battery module (B) including a plurality of battery cells 21 k ) and from the battery module (B k ) receives operating power.

[0076] The plurality of battery cells 21 may be electrically connected in series. In another example, the plurality of battery cells 21 may be connected in parallel in groups to form a plurality of banks, and the plurality of banks may be connected in series. However, the present disclosure is not limited to electrical connections between the plurality of battery cells 21 .

[0077] There is no particular limitation on the type of the battery cell 21 as long as the battery cell 21 is a secondary battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged. In one example, the battery cell 21 may be a lithium secondary battery.

[0078] In one embodiment, the kth BMU (C k) may include a voltage measuring unit 22, a current measuring unit 23, a temperature measuring unit 24, a control unit 25, a storage medium 26 and a communication interface 27.

[0079] The voltage measuring unit 22 is connected to the positive and negative electrodes of each of the plurality of battery cells 21 through a plurality of voltage sensing lines. The voltage measuring unit 22 is configured to measure the voltage at both ends of each battery cell 21 at regular time intervals under the control of the control unit 25 and generate a voltage signal representing the measured voltage. The voltage measuring unit 22 may include a conventional voltage measuring circuit known in the art. The voltage measuring circuit may include: a multiplexer that may sequentially select battery cells to be subjected to voltage measurement at time intervals; a filter that removes noise from the voltage measurement signal; and an amplifier that amplifies the voltage measurement signal.

[0080] The current measuring unit 23 is connected to the battery module (B k ) are connected in series. The current measuring unit 23 is configured to detect the current flowing through the battery module (B) at regular time intervals under the control of the control unit 25. k ) and generates a current signal indicating the magnitude of the detected current. The current measuring unit 23 may include a current measuring element. The current measuring element may be a conventional sensor known in the art, such as a sensing resistor or a Hall sensor. k ) can be a charging current or a discharging current.

[0081] The temperature measuring unit 24 is configured to detect the temperature of the battery module (B k ) and generates a temperature signal indicating the detected temperature. The temperature measuring unit 24 may include a temperature measuring element. The temperature measuring element may be a conventional sensor known in the art, such as a thermocouple. The temperature measuring unit 24 may be installed at multiple points to independently measure the temperature of each battery cell 21.

[0082] The control unit 25 may be a controller for controlling the kth BMU (C k ) is a control circuit for the overall operation of the control unit 25. The control unit 25 may be implemented in hardware using at least one of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), a digital signal processing device (DSPD), a programmable logic device (PLD), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a microprocessor, or an electrical unit for performing other functions.

[0083] The storage medium 26 may store data and programs required for calculation operations performed by the control unit 25. The storage medium 26 may cumulatively store data and time stamps representing results of calculation operations performed by the control unit 25. The data may include measurement data including at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery module and the SOC of the battery module.

[0084] The storage medium 26 may have a memory device. The storage medium 26 may be, for example, at least one type of storage medium among a flash memory type, a hard disk type, a solid state disk (SSD) type, a silicon disk drive (SDD) type, a multimedia card micro type, a random access memory (RAM), a static random access memory (SRAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a programmable read-only memory (PROM).

[0085] The communication interface 27 may be a communication circuit capable of supporting a communication protocol used in a wireless mesh network. The communication interface 27 may include an antenna 27a to support wireless communication.

[0086] In the present disclosure, the communication protocol may be a short-range wireless communication protocol supporting WI-FI, ZigBee or Bluetooth communication. As the communication protocol, any communication protocol known in the art that can be used in a wireless mesh network may be adopted without limitation.

[0087] The control unit 25 may be operably coupled to the voltage measurement unit 22 , the current measurement unit 23 , the temperature measurement unit 24 , the storage medium 26 , and the communication interface 27 .

[0088] The control unit 25 can be configured to control the battery module (B k ) collects sensing signals from the voltage measuring unit 22, the current measuring unit 23 and the temperature measuring unit 24 at regular time intervals while the battery module (B) is being charged or discharged. The sensing signals include voltage signals, current signals and / or temperature signals detected in a synchronous manner. The control unit 25 can convert the voltage signals and / or current signals and / or temperature signals into digital data to generate a battery module (B) k ) and cumulatively stores the measured data of at least one of the voltage, current and temperature of the battery module (B) in the storage medium 26. k ) can be the sum of the voltages of the battery cells 21.

[0089] In one embodiment, the control unit 25 may determine the SOC (state of charge) of each battery cell 21 by integrating the current of each battery cell 21 using a coulomb counting method, and determine the arithmetic mean, median, or lowest value of the SOC of each battery cell 21 as the battery module (B k) of SOC.

[0090] The coulomb counting method is a SOC determination method known in the art. In the coulomb counting method, the voltage measured before the start of charging or discharging of the battery cell 21 can be determined as OCV (open circuit voltage), the SOC corresponding to the OCV can be found by referring to a predefined OCV-SOC lookup table, the found SOC can be determined as an initial value, and if charging or discharging of the battery cell 21 starts, the SOC of the battery cell 21 can be determined in real time by adding the SOC initial value to the charge capacity change rate according to current integration. The OCV-SOC lookup table can be recorded in the storage medium 26 in advance.

[0091] In another embodiment, the control unit 25 may determine the SOC of each battery cell 21 by inputting measurement data including at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of each battery cell 21 into a recursive filter such as an extended Kalman filter known in the art, and determine the average value, median value, or minimum value of the SOC of each battery cell 21 as the battery module (B). k ) of SOC.

[0092] The present disclosure is not limited by the SOC determination method. Therefore, it is apparent that other SOC determination methods known in the art may be adopted without limitation.

[0093] The control unit 25 can determine the battery module (B k ) and accumulates and records the SOC together with a timestamp in the storage medium 26.

[0094] Reference again Figure 1 , Main BMU (C M ) and the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N ) together form the nodes of the wireless mesh network. From a hardware perspective, the main BMU (C M ) can have and couple to the battery module (B1 to B N ) of BMU (C1 to C N ) configuration. In one example, the master BMU (C M ) may include a control unit 25, a storage medium 26 and a communication interface 27, such as Figure 2 Optionally, the main BMU (C M ) may not include the voltage measuring unit 22, the current measuring unit 23 and the temperature measuring unit 24.

[0095] Main BMU (C M ) can be from the first to the Nth BMU (C1 to C N) collects the first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B N ) measurement data of at least one of the voltage, current and temperature of the battery modules and / or operating characteristic data including SOC, and monitor and control the operating status of all battery modules.

[0096] In one example, if the SOC of a particular battery module is out of the operating range, the master BMU (C M ) can stop the operation of the corresponding battery module by sending a control message to the BMU coupled to the corresponding battery module through wireless communication.

[0097] In addition, if a specific battery module is in an overcharge, overdischarge or overcurrent state, the main BMU (C M ) can stop the operation of the corresponding battery module by sending a control message to the BMU coupled to the corresponding battery module through wireless communication.

[0098] In addition, the main BMU (C M ) can communicate with a control device of a device or system equipped with a battery pack BP and provide the control device with information of the first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B N ) operating characteristic data.

[0099] Main BMU (C M ) and the control device can be accomplished by wireless or wired communication. The protocol for wireless communication can be substantially the same as the protocol used in the wireless mesh network. The protocol for wired communication can be a CAN (Controller Area Network) protocol. However, the present disclosure is not limited by the type of communication protocol.

[0100] Hereinafter, in the battery management system 10, the main BMU (C M ) and the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N It should be noted that the operation of each BMU is an operation performed by the control unit.

[0101] Main BMU (C M ) and the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N ) together to form a communication link. The communication link may be formed according to a process defined in a known standard protocol for short-range communication technology applied to wireless mesh networks.

[0102] Main BMU (C M ) can also determine the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N) network performance. The network performance may be determined during the packet transmission and reception process. A received signal strength indication (RSSI) or a bit error rate (BER) may be used as a factor indicating network performance. It is obvious to those skilled in the art that network performance may be expressed by other factors known in the art. Methods for determining RSSI and BER are well known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail here.

[0103] Main BMU (C M ) can also be from the first to Nth BMUs (C1 to C N ) receives measurement data including at least one of voltage, current and temperature of the battery module and / or operation characteristic data including SOC of the battery module, and determines SOC of first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B6) by analyzing the operation characteristic data.

[0104] Main BMU (C M ) A battery module coupled to a BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and having an SOC satisfying a balancing condition may also be identified. The BMU coupled to the identified battery module may be designated as a router BMU, and the remaining BMUs may be designated as end BMUs. When the SOC is at a maximum value, the balancing condition may be satisfied, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0105] Here, when the factor representing network performance is RSSI, if the condition that RSSI is higher than or equal to the preset threshold is established, the condition that network performance is higher than the standard can be met. In addition, when the factor representing network performance is BER, if the condition that BER is less than or equal to the preset threshold is established, the condition that network performance is higher than the standard can be met.

[0106] Main BMU (C M ) also broadcasts the network address of the BMU designated as the router BMU to notify the first to Nth BMUs (C1 to C N ).

[0107] The router BMU forms a communication link with each end BMU after broadcasting the network address. The router BMU may also be configured to collect operation characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from each end BMU and send the collected operation characteristic data and the operation characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the router BMU to the main BMU (C M ).

[0108] Because the router BMU collects operational characteristic data from multiple end BMUs and sends it to the master BMU (C M), so its power consumption is relatively higher than that of the end BMU. Therefore, the SOC of the battery module coupled with the router BMU decreases relatively faster than the SOC of the battery module coupled with the end BMU, and the SOC of the battery module can be balanced.

[0109] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, the router BMU and the end BMU may operate in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner.

[0110] Figure 3 FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a router BMU ( FIG. 3 ) operating in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. ) and end BMU (C E1 to )’s picture.

[0111] refer to Figure 3 , router BMU ( The maintenance time of the wake-up mode W is relatively longer than that of the terminal BMU (C E1 to ) is the maintenance time of the wake-up mode W. Therefore, the router BMU ( ) has a relatively higher power consumption than the end BMU (C E1 to ) power consumption. At the same time, the BMU (C E1 to )'s maintenance time of wake-up mode W can be substantially the same.

[0112] When the BMU (C E1 to ) When operating in the wake-up mode W, they generate operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module to which they belong, and record the operating characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0113] While operating in wake-up mode W, the router BMU ( ) forms a communication link with the end BMU operating in the wake-up mode W, and collects the operation characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from each end BMU at which the communication link is formed. ) While operating in wake-up mode W, the end BMU operating in sleep mode S cannot communicate with the router BMU ( ) form a communication link. Therefore, the router BMU ( ) does not collect the operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU operating in the sleep mode S. In other words, the router BMU ( ) and end BMU (C E1 to ) can form a communication link when the maintenance time of the wake-up pattern W overlaps, and the router BMU ( ) can collect the operating characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU at which the communication link is established and send the operating characteristic data to the main BMU (C M ).

[0114] Main BMU (C M ) can receive power from a separate power source. When charging or discharging of the battery pack BP is interrupted, the main BMU (C M ) does not need to monitor and control the first to Nth battery modules (B1 to B N ) operation, so the main BMU (C M ) can be switched to sleep mode to reduce power consumption. For example, when the battery pack BP is installed on an electric vehicle, the main BMU (C M ) can receive power from a separate battery. When the electric vehicle is turned off, the main BMU (C M ) can switch to sleep mode to reduce power consumption.

[0115] When the master BMU (C M ) switches to sleep mode, the main BMU (C M ) and other end BMU (C E1 to ) is released. When the master BMU (C M ) switches to sleep mode and releases the router BMU ( ) communication link, the router BMU ( ) can be used from the BMU (C E1 to ) collects the characteristic data of the battery module to the main BMU (C M ) transmission is suspended, periodically from the end BMU (C E1 to ) collects operating characteristic data of the battery module and cumulatively records the operating characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0116] If the master BMU (C M ) switches from sleep mode to wake-up mode and reestablishes communication with the router BMU ( ) communication link, the router BMU ( ) can send the latest operating characteristic data of the battery module recorded in the storage medium to the main BMU (C M ).

[0117] Main BMU (C M ) can repeat the following control logic periodically: with the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N) form a communication link, evaluate the network performance of each BMU, collect operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from each BMU, identify the battery module coupled with the BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and having an SOC that satisfies the balance condition, designate the BMU coupled with the identified battery module as a router BMU, and designate the remaining BMUs as end BMUs.

[0118] Therefore, if the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU is lower than at least one of the SOCs of the other battery modules, another BMU having a higher-than-standard network performance and connected to the battery modules satisfying the balancing condition may be newly designated as the router BMU.

[0119] The newly designated router BMU may form a communication link with the end BMU, collect operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from each end BMU, and send the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the newly designated router BMU to the main BMU (C M ). During this process, the SOC of the battery module coupled to the newly designated router BMU decreases relatively quickly, allowing the SOCs between the battery modules to be balanced.

[0120] At the same time, even in the main BMU (C M ) is in sleep mode, the router BMU also performs communication while operating in wake-up mode to collect operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU. Therefore, the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU may continue to decrease and the balancing stop condition may be satisfied. When the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU becomes lower than at least one of the SOCs of the other battery modules, the balancing stop condition may be satisfied. In this case, if the master BMU (C M ) operates in wake-up mode, another BMU coupled to the battery module that meets the balancing condition can be newly designated as the router BMU. M ) The router BMU cannot be changed while it is in sleep mode.

[0121] The router BMU can periodically determine whether the master BMU (C M ) is switched to sleep mode and the communication link with the router BMU is released. At the same time, the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs meets the balancing stop condition.

[0122] If it is confirmed that the balancing stop condition is met, the router BMU can perform a process of temporarily designating one of the end BMUs as the router BMU. First, the router BMU can form a communication link with the end BMU and determine the network performance of the end BMU. In addition, the router BMU can determine the SOC of the battery module coupled to the end BMU by referring to the operating characteristic data of the battery module collected from the end BMU. In addition, the router BMU identifies the battery module coupled to the BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and having an SOC that meets the balancing condition, and broadcasts the network address of the temporarily designated router BMU to notify the end BMU of the temporary designation of the router BMU. After broadcasting the network address, the state of the previous router BMU changes to the end BMU.

[0123] After broadcasting the network address, the temporarily designated router BMU forms a communication link with each end BMU, collects the operation characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU, and records the operation characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0124] The temporarily designated router BMU can also serve as the master BMU (C M ) when switching from sleep mode to wake-up mode with the main BMU (C M ) forms a communication link and sends the operating characteristic data of the battery modules collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery modules coupled thereto to the main BMU (C M ).

[0125] Main BMU (C M ) receives the operating characteristic data of all battery modules from the temporarily designated router BMU, and then re-establishes the communication link with all BMUs after a certain period of time has passed. Then, the master BMU (C M ) can determine the network performance of each BMU by utilizing the sending and receiving of communication packets with the BMU, identify the battery module coupled with the BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and having an SOC that satisfies the balance condition, newly designate the BMU coupled with the identified battery module as a router BMU, and designate the remaining BMUs as end BMUs.

[0126] The newly designated router BMU may form a communication link with the end BMU as described above, collect the operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from the end BMU, and send the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled thereto to the master BMU (C M ).

[0127] Figures 4 to 81 is a diagram for specifically explaining a method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The battery pack BP includes first to sixth battery modules (B1 to B6). The first to sixth BMUs (C1 to C6) may be coupled to the first to sixth battery modules (B1 to B6) correspondingly. The battery pack BP is in a discharge state to supply power to a load.

[0128] In the figure, a circle conceptually represents a BMU. The number in the circle represents the SOC of the battery module coupled to the BMU. The shaded circle represents a BMU with a higher-than-standard network performance.

[0129] The method of operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure includes allowing a master BMU (C M ) and the first to sixth BMUs (C1 to C6) form a wireless mesh network. Preferably, the configuration of the wireless mesh network follows a standard protocol known in the art.

[0130] In addition, the method of operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include generating, by each of the first to sixth BMUs ( C1 to C6 ), operation characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module managed thereby, and recording the operation characteristic data in a storage medium.

[0131] The steps of generating and recording the operational characteristic data may be performed when the first to sixth BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) operate in the awake mode.

[0132] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: M ) forms a communication link with the first to sixth BMUs (C1 to C6).

[0133] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: M ) determines the network performance of the first to sixth BMUs (C1 to C6).

[0134] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: M ) receives operation characteristic data including SOCs of battery modules from the first to sixth BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) and determines SOCs of the first to sixth battery modules ( B1 to B6 ).

[0135] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: M) Identify a battery module coupled to a BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and having an SOC that satisfies a balancing condition, designate the BMU coupled to the identified battery module as a router BMU, and designate the remaining BMUs as end BMUs. Here, when the SOC is maximum, the balancing condition can be satisfied.

[0136] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the step of forming a communication link between the router BMU and each end BMU; and the step of collecting operating characteristic data including the SOC of the battery module from each end BMU by the router BMU and sending the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled thereto to the main BMU.

[0137] Preferably, the router BMU and each end BMU can operate in the awake mode and the sleep mode in an alternating manner.

[0138] In this case, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include a step of switching the operating state of the router BMU to a wake-up mode, a step of scanning, by the router BMU, an end BMU operating in the wake-up mode to establish a communication link, a step of collecting, by the router BMU, operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed, and a step of sending, by the router BMU, the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled thereto to the main BMU.

[0139] In addition, the method of operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the step of maintaining the designation of the router BMU until the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs satisfies the balancing stop condition. Here, the balancing stop condition may be satisfied when the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs is lower than at least one of the SOCs of the other battery modules.

[0140] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: while the main BMU switches to a sleep mode and releases the communication link with the router BMU, when the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU meets the balancing stop condition, the router BMU determines the network performance; and the following steps: the router BMU identifies the battery module with the SOC that meets the balancing condition and temporarily designates the end BMU with a network performance higher than the standard and coupled to the identified battery module as the router BMU.

[0141] In addition, the method for operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure may include the following steps: a temporarily designated router BMU operates in a wake-up mode while scanning an end BMU operating in a wake-up mode to form a communication link and collecting operating characteristic data of a battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed; and the following steps: a temporarily designated router BMU forms a communication link with a main BMU when the main BMU switches from a sleep mode to a wake-up mode and sends the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled thereto to the main BMU.

[0142] At the same time, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that reference Figures 1 to 3 Any of the various operations and / or features of the described master BMU, router BMU, and end BMU may be included as at least one or more steps and / or features in a method of operating a battery management system.

[0143] In the following, reference will be made to Figures 4 to 8 A method of operating a battery management system according to the present disclosure is described in detail.

[0144] first, Figure 4 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at a point in time while the battery pack BP is being discharged are exemplarily shown.

[0145] refer to Figure 4 , the network performance of the first BMU (C1), the third BMU (C3) and the fifth BMU (C5) coupled to the first battery module (B1), the third battery module (B3) and the fifth battery module (B5), respectively, is higher than the standard, and the SOC of the third battery module (B3) is the highest, which is 85%.

[0146] Main BMU (C M ) The third BMU (C3) coupled to the third battery module (B3) may be designated as a router BMU, and the remaining BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6) may be designated as end BMUs.

[0147] When the third BMU (C3) designated as the router BMU operates in the awake mode, the third BMU (C3) forms a communication link with the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6) operating in the awake mode. In addition, the third BMU (C3) can collect the operating characteristic data of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6) from the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6) and send the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module (B3) to the master BMU (C M ).

[0148] Since the third BMU (C3) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6). Therefore, since the SOC of the third battery module (B3) decreases faster than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6), SOC balance is achieved.

[0149] Figure 5 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged are exemplarily shown.

[0150] refer to Figure 5 , the network performance of the first BMU (C1), the second BMU (C2), the third BMU (C3) and the fourth BMU (C4) coupled to the first battery module (B1), the second battery module (B2), the third battery module (B3) and the fourth battery module (B4), respectively, is higher than the standard, and the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) is the highest, which is 75%.

[0151] Main BMU (C M ) The fourth BMU (C4) coupled to the fourth battery module (B4) may be newly designated as a router BMU, and the remaining BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6) may be designated as end BMUs.

[0152] The fourth BMU (C4) newly designated as the router BMU forms a communication link with the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6). In addition, the fourth BMU (C4) can collect the operating characteristic data of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) from the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6) and send the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module (B4) coupled thereto to the main BMU (C M ).

[0153] Since the fourth BMU (C4) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6). Therefore, since the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) decreases faster than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6), SOC balance is achieved.

[0154] Figure 6 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged are exemplarily shown.

[0155] refer to Figure 6 , Main BMU (C M) has switched from wake-up mode to sleep mode. M ) before switching to sleep mode, the fourth BMU (C4) is designated as the master BMU.

[0156] Even in the main BMU (C M ) switches to sleep mode, the network performance of the first BMU (C1), the second BMU (C2), the third BMU (C3) and the fourth BMU (C4) coupled to the first battery module (B1), the second battery module (B2), the third battery module (B3) and the fourth battery module (B4), respectively, is still higher than the standard, and the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) is still the highest, at 74%.

[0157] Therefore, even if the main BMU (C M ) is in sleep mode, and the fourth BMU (C4) also forms a communication link with the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6). In addition, the fourth BMU (C4) collects the operating characteristic data of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) from the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6), and records and maintains the operating characteristic data of the battery module (B4) coupled thereto and the collected operating characteristic data in the storage medium 26.

[0158] Since the fourth BMU (C4) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6). Therefore, since the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) decreases faster than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6), SOC balance is achieved.

[0159] At the same time, when the main BMU (C M ) when switching from sleep mode to wake-up mode, the main BMU (C M ) can scan the router BMU through wireless communication to form a communication link with the fourth BMU (C4), and receive and collect the operating characteristic data of all battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6) recorded in the storage medium from the fourth BMU (C4).

[0160] After a certain period of time, the main BMU (C M ) can repeat the following process: determine the network performance of the BMU (C1 to C6), form a communication link with the BMU (C1 to C6), and then collect operating characteristic data of the SOC including the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6), and designate the router BMU and the end BMU with reference to the network performance of the BMU (C1 to C6) and the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6).

[0161] Figure 7 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged are exemplarily shown.

[0162] refer to Figure 7 , Main BMU (C M ) maintains the sleep mode state. Because the fourth BMU (C4) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the other BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6). Therefore, the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) is reduced to 71%, which is a level that does not require balancing. In other words, the SOC of the fourth battery module (B4) is not greater than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B5, B6) that meet the balancing stop condition. In this case, the fourth BMU (C4) can perform the following process: form a communication link with the other BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6), then determine the network performance of the other BMUs (C1, C2, C3, C5, C6), and designate the third BMU (C3) having a network performance higher than the standard and coupled with the third battery module (B3) having an SOC that meets the balancing condition as a temporary router BMU.

[0163] The third BMU (C3) temporarily designated as the router BMU forms a communication link with the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6). In addition, the third BMU (C3) can collect the operating characteristic data of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6) from the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6), and record and maintain the operating characteristic data of the battery module (B3) coupled thereto and the collected operating characteristic data in the storage medium 26.

[0164] Because the third BMU (C3) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6). M ) is in the sleep mode, since the SOC of the third battery module (B3) decreases faster than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6), SOC balance is achieved.

[0165] Figure 8 The SOCs of the battery modules ( B1 to B6 ) and the network performance of the BMUs ( C1 to C6 ) at another time point while the battery pack BP is being discharged are exemplarily shown.

[0166] refer to Figure 8 , Main BMU (C M ) switches from sleep mode to wake-up mode. The main BMU (C M) can scan the router BMU through wireless communication to form a communication link with the third BMU (C3), and receive and collect operating characteristic data of the SOC including the battery modules (B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6) from the third BMU (C3).

[0167] At the same time, in the main BMU (C M ) after switching to the wake-up mode, the network performance of the first BMU (C1), the third BMU (C3) and the sixth BMU (C6) coupled to the first battery module (B1), the third battery module (B3) and the sixth battery module (B6), respectively, is still higher than the standard, and the SOC of the third battery module (B3) is still the highest, which is 71%.

[0168] Therefore, the main BMU (C M ) The third BMU (C3) coupled to the third battery module (B3) may be designated as a router BMU again, and the remaining BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6) may be designated as end BMUs.

[0169] The third BMU (C3) re-designated as the router BMU forms a communication link with the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6). In addition, the third BMU (C3) collects the operating characteristic data of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6) from the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6) and sends the operating characteristic data of the battery module (B3) coupled thereto and the collected operating characteristic data to the main BMU (C M ).

[0170] Since the third BMU (C3) operates as a router BMU, its power consumption is higher than that of the BMUs (C1, C2, C4, C5, C6). Therefore, since the SOC of the third battery module (B3) decreases faster than the SOC of the battery modules (B1, B2, B4, B5, B6), SOC balance is achieved.

[0171] According to the above embodiment, a BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and coupled to a battery module having an SOC satisfying a balancing condition is designated as a router BMU, and the remaining BMUs are designated as end BMUs. Therefore, while the router BMU collects the operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU and transmits it to the main BMU through wireless communication, the energy of the battery module is consumed, so that the SOC of the battery module can be balanced without unnecessary energy waste.

[0172] Furthermore, if the SOC of a battery module coupled to the router BMU satisfies a balancing stop condition while the main BMU is in a sleep mode, the router BMU is temporarily designated among the first to Nth BMUs, so that balancing of the SOC can be reliably performed without interruption regardless of the operating mode of the main BMU.

[0173] In this disclosure, the main BMU (C M ) and the first to Nth BMU (C1 to C N ) can be controlled by a control unit 25 ( Figure 2 The control unit 25 may optionally include a processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipsets, logic circuits, registers, communication modems, data processing devices, etc. known in the art to execute the above-mentioned various control logics.

[0174] In addition, when the control logic is implemented as software, the control unit 25 can be replaced by a processor that executes a collection of program modules. At this time, the program module can be stored in a memory and executed by a processor. The memory can be provided inside or outside the processor and can be connected to the processor through various well-known computer components. In addition, the memory can be included in the storage medium 26. In addition, the memory generally refers to a device that stores information, regardless of the type of the device, and does not refer to a specific memory device.

[0175] In addition, one or more of the various control logics of the control unit 25 are combined, and the combined control logic can be written in a computer-readable code system and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The type of recording medium is not particularly limited as long as it can be accessed by a processor included in the computer. As an example, the recording medium includes at least one selected from a group including ROM, RAM, registers, CD-ROM, magnetic tape, hard disk, floppy disk, and optical data recording device. In addition, the code system can be distributed and stored in a computer connected via a network and executed therein. In addition, a programmer in the field to which the present disclosure belongs can easily infer the functional program, code, and code segment for implementing the combined control logic.

[0176] When describing various embodiments of the present disclosure, elements named "...unit" or "...circuit" should be understood as functionally different elements rather than physically different elements. Therefore, each component can be selectively integrated with other components, or each component can be divided into sub-components to efficiently execute control logic. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that even if the components are integrated or divided, if the same function can be identified, the integrated or divided components should be interpreted as falling within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0177] The present disclosure has been described in detail. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the scope of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.

[0178] In addition, since those skilled in the art can make many substitutions, modifications and changes to the disclosure described above without departing from the technical aspects of the disclosure, the disclosure is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and drawings, and all or some of the embodiments can be selectively combined to allow various modifications.

Claims

1. A battery management system based on a wireless mesh network, comprising: first to Nth battery management units (BMUs) and a main BMU, wherein the first to Nth BMUs and the main BMU form a wireless mesh network, wherein each of the first to Nth BMUs and the master BMU comprises a communication interface for supporting wireless communication through the wireless mesh network and a storage medium capable of storing data, wherein the first to Nth BMUs are coupled to the first to Nth battery modules correspondingly, and operating characteristic data including the state of charge (SOC) of the battery modules managed by the first to Nth BMUs are recorded in the storage medium, Wherein, the main BMU is configured as: forming a communication link with the first to Nth BMUs, determining the network performance of the first to Nth BMUs, determining the SOCs of the first to N-th battery modules by receiving the operating characteristic data from the first to N-th BMUs, and designating a BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and coupled to a battery module having an SOC satisfying a balance condition among the first to Nth BMUs as a router BMU and designating the remaining BMUs as end BMUs, Wherein, the router BMU is configured as follows: Form a communication link with each end BMU, and The operation characteristic data of the battery modules are collected from each end BMU and the collected operation characteristic data and the operation characteristic data of the battery modules coupled to the router BMU are transmitted to the master BMU.

2. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The SOC reduction rate of the battery module coupled to the router BMU is faster than the SOC reduction rate of the battery module coupled to each end BMU.

3. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The network performance is a received signal strength indication (RSSI) or a bit error rate (BER).

4. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The master BMU is configured to designate a BMU coupled to a battery module having a highest SOC among the BMUs having a network performance higher than a standard as a router BMU.

5. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The router BMU and each end BMU operate in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner, and The maintenance time of the wake-up mode of the router BMU is relatively longer than the maintenance time of the wake-up mode of each end BMU.

6. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 5, in, Each end BMU generates operation characteristic data of the battery module connected to the corresponding end BMU when operating in the awake mode, and The router BMU is configured to form a communication link with an end BMU operating in the wake-up mode while operating in the wake-up mode, and collect the operating characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU at which the communication link is formed.

7. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The router BMU is configured to transmit the operation characteristic data collected from each end BMU and the operation characteristic data of the battery module coupled with the router BMU to the master BMU when the master BMU operates in the awake mode.

8. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The router BMU is configured to suspend transmission of the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU to the main BMU when the main BMU switches to a sleep mode and releases a communication link with the router BMU, additionally collect operating characteristic data from each end BMU, and maintain the additionally collected operating characteristic data in the storage medium.

9. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 8, in, The router BMU is configured to send the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery modules coupled with the router BMU to the master BMU when the master BMU switches from the sleep mode to the awake mode and reestablishes a communication link.

10. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 1, in, The router BMU is configured as: While the master BMU switches to a sleep mode and releases the communication link with the router BMU, when the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU does not satisfy the balance condition, determining network performance by forming a communication link with the remaining end BMUs, and An end BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and coupled to a battery module having an SOC satisfying the balance condition among the remaining end BMUs is temporarily designated as a router BMU.

11. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 10, in, The router BMU is configured to determine that the balance condition is not satisfied when the SOC of the battery modules coupled to the router BMU is less than at least one of the SOCs of the battery modules coupled to the terminal BMU.

12. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 10, in, The temporarily designated router BMU is configured to form a communication link with the end BMU operating in the awake mode while the main BMU is in the sleep mode, collect the operating characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed, and store the collected operating characteristic data in the storage medium.

13. The battery management system based on wireless mesh network according to claim 12, in, The temporarily designated router BMU is configured as: When the master BMU switches from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode, a communication link is formed with the master BMU, and The operation characteristic data of the battery modules collected from each end BMU and the operation characteristic data of the battery modules coupled to the temporarily designated router BMU are transmitted to the master BMU.

14. A method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network, comprising: (a) allowing the first to Nth BMUs and the main BMU coupled to the first to Nth battery modules correspondingly to form a wireless mesh network; (b) generating and storing, by each of the first to Nth BMUs, operation characteristic data including the SOC of a battery module managed by each of the first to Nth BMUs; (c) forming a communication link between the master BMU and the first to Nth BMUs; (d) determining, by the master BMU, network performance of the first to Nth BMUs; (e) determining, by the master BMU, the SOCs of the first to Nth battery modules by receiving the operating characteristic data from the first to Nth BMUs; (f) the master BMU designates a BMU having a network performance higher than the standard and coupled to a battery module having an SOC satisfying a balance condition among the first to Nth BMUs as a router BMU and designates the remaining BMUs as end BMUs; (g) forming a communication link between the router BMU and each end BMU; (h) the router BMU collects the operating characteristic data of the battery module from each end BMU and sends the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the router BMU to the master BMU; as well as (i) The master BMU maintains the designation of the router BMU until the SOC of the battery module to which the router BMU belongs satisfies a balancing stop condition.

15. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 14, in, The SOC reduction rate of the battery module coupled to the router BMU is faster than the SOC reduction rate of the battery module coupled to each end BMU.

16. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 14, in, The network performance is RSSI or BER.

17. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 14, in, The router BMU and each end BMU operate in an awake mode and a sleep mode in an alternating manner, and Wherein, step (h) comprises: Switching the operation state of the router BMU to the wake-up mode; and A communication link is formed by the router BMU and the end BMU operating in the wake-up mode, the operating characteristic data of the battery module is collected from each end BMU at which the communication link is formed, and the collected operating characteristic data and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the router BMU are sent to the main BMU.

18. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 17, in, A maintenance time of the wake-up mode of the master BMU is longer than a maintenance time of the wake-up mode of the terminal BMU.

19. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 14, further comprising: When the main BMU switches to the sleep mode and releases the communication link with the router BMU, when the SOC of the battery module coupled to the router BMU meets the balancing stop condition, the router BMU forms a communication link with the remaining end BMUs and determines the network performance; as well as The router BMU temporarily designates, as a router BMU, an end BMU among the remaining end BMUs that has a network performance higher than the standard and is coupled to a battery module having an SOC that satisfies the balance condition.

20. The method for operating a battery management system based on a wireless mesh network according to claim 19, further comprising: forming, by the temporarily designated router BMU operating in the awake mode, a communication link with the end BMU operating in the awake mode, and collecting the operation characteristic data of the battery module from the end BMU at which the communication link is formed; as well as The temporarily designated router BMU forms a communication link with the main BMU when the main BMU switches from the sleep mode to the wake-up mode, and sends the operating characteristic data collected from each end BMU and the operating characteristic data of the battery module coupled to the temporarily designated router BMU to the main BMU.

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