Battery exchange station

Abstract

The present application can provide a battery exchange station (BSS) and a method of using the same. The present application can provide a battery exchange station and a method for using the same, in which two types of wireless communication devices using different frequency bands are applied, making it possible to solve problems such as communication errors that may occur due to frequent replacement of batteries in the battery exchange station or in a battery emergency state, etc. And the emergency state information can be accurately and efficiently identified so as to be processed.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0065240, filed on May 27, 2022, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The present application relates to a battery swap station and a method of using the same. Background Art

[0003] The electric drive device refers to a drive device that uses a battery such as a secondary battery as a drive energy source, and representative examples of the electric drive device include electric vehicles and electric two-wheeled vehicles such as electric scooters.

[0004] When using an electric drive device, efficiently charging the battery is an important issue. For example, when there is no charging station nearby when emergency movement is required, or when charging takes a long time even if there is a charging station, the efficiency of using the electric drive device is reduced.

[0005] One of the means proposed in consideration of these problems is the so-called battery swap station (BSS). A battery swap station is a system designed to allow users of electric drive devices to replace discharged batteries with charged batteries. Currently, battery swapping is mainly applied to relatively simple devices such as electric two-wheelers, but its application range will expand in the future.

[0006] The battery exchange station includes a plurality of charging stations capable of charging respective batteries respectively, and a communication terminal is provided in each charging station for communicating battery status information.

[0007] In the case of currently known battery exchange stations, there is a problem of frequent failure or malfunction of the communication terminal due to frequent battery replacement. In addition, there is also a problem that when problems such as abnormal battery fire occur during battery charging, communication errors will also occur, thereby limiting use. Summary of the invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] The purpose of the present application is to provide a battery swap station (BSS) and a method of using the same.

[0010] The purpose of the present application is to provide a battery exchange station and a method of using the same, wherein by applying two wireless communication devices using different frequency bands, the problem of communication errors caused by frequent battery replacement or emergency conditions in the battery exchange station can be solved, and accurate and efficient confirmation and processing of emergency status information can be achieved.

[0011] Technical Solution

[0012] The present application relates to a Battery Swap Station (BSS).

[0013] The battery exchange station of the present application may include: multiple charging stations, each charging station is used to charge a battery module or a battery pack; a first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device is installed to communicate with the battery management system of the battery module or battery pack; and a second wireless communication device, the second wireless communication device is installed to enable data transmission and reception between the battery management systems in the multiple charging stations.

[0014] The first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device have different communication frequency bands. In an example, the frequency band of the second wireless communication device may be higher than the communication frequency band of the first wireless communication device.

[0015] In an example, the first wireless communication device may be a so-called near field communication device, for example, a contact or contactless near field communication device having a communication frequency band of about 13.56 MHz.

[0016] In an example, the second wireless communication device may use a communication frequency in the range of 300 GHz to 10 GHz.

[0017] In a battery exchange station, when a battery module or a battery pack is in a normal state, the first wireless communication device may be activated to maintain a communication state with a battery management system (BMS) of the battery module or the battery pack. At this time, the second wireless communication device may be controlled to maintain an inactive state (e.g., a transmission inactive state) or a reception standby state.

[0018] In the battery exchange station, when an emergency state occurs in at least one battery module or battery pack, control may be performed such that information on the emergency state is transmitted to a battery management system of another battery module or battery pack through a second wireless communication device.

[0019] When the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in a normal state when sending the emergency status information, control can be performed so that the second wireless communication device of the charging station remains in an inactive state (for example, a transmission inactive state) or a reception standby state.

[0020] When the charging station of the battery management system receiving the emergency status information is in an emergency state, control can be performed so that the second wireless communication device of the charging station sends the emergency status information to the battery system of another charging station.

[0021] The present application also relates to a method for using a battery exchange station, wherein the battery exchange station may include: a plurality of charging stations, each charging station being configured to perform charging of a battery module or a battery pack; and a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device having different communication frequency bands.

[0022] The battery exchange station may be the battery exchange station described above.

[0023] The method of use may include the following steps: using a first wireless communication device to communicate with a battery management system of a battery module or a battery pack; and controlling a state of a second wireless communication device according to information about a state of the battery module or the battery pack.

[0024] The communication frequency band of the second wireless communication device may be higher than the communication frequency band of the first wireless communication device.

[0025] In the method of use, when the battery module or the battery pack is in a normal state, a step of maintaining the second wireless communication device in an inactive state (eg, a transmission inactive state) or a reception standby state may be performed.

[0026] In the use method, when an emergency state occurs in at least one battery module or battery pack, a step of sending information about the emergency state to a battery management system of another battery module or battery pack using a second wireless communication device may be performed.

[0027] In this usage method, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in a normal state when sending the emergency status information, a step can be executed to maintain the second wireless communication device of the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information in an inactive state (for example, a transmission inactive state) or a receiving standby state.

[0028] In this method of use, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in an emergency state when sending the emergency status information, the step of sending the emergency status information to the battery management system in another charging station by the second wireless communication device of the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information can be executed.

[0029] Technical Effects

[0030] The present application can provide a battery swap station BSS and a method for using the same. The present application can provide a battery swap station and a method for using the same, which can solve the communication error problem caused by frequent battery replacement in a battery swap station or in an emergency by applying two wireless communication devices using different frequency bands, and can accurately and efficiently confirm and process information about the emergency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a view showing the configuration of a general battery exchange station.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing a communication state using near field communication (NFC) as a first wireless communication means.

[0033] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating the operating states of the communication device of the battery exchange station. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] This application is a Battery Swap Station (BSS). Figure 1 is a view showing the configuration of a typical battery exchange station. Figure 1 The general configuration of the battery exchange station is shown, but the configuration of the battery exchange station applicable to the present application is not limited to Figure 1 .

[0035] like Figure 1 As shown, typically, the battery exchange station may include a plurality of charging stations 1 to 8 installed to perform charging of a battery module or battery pack, and a plurality of charging stations may exist in the battery exchange station. In addition, the battery exchange station may include a display 10 configured to display the battery status of each charging station.

[0036] In the battery exchange station, a communication device is required to monitor the state of a battery module or a battery pack present in each charging station and share information about the state.

[0037] In the present application, at least two communication devices are used, specifically two wireless communication devices using different frequency bands.

[0038] For example, in the present application, when a battery management system and a communication device for data transmission and reception between all charging stations communicate with a battery management system (BMS) of a battery module or battery pack in each individual charging station, separate communication may be used.

[0039] For example, the battery exchange station may include a first wireless communication device installed in each individual charging station to enable communication with a battery management system (BMS) of a battery module or battery pack. In the above description, the first wireless communication device may be, for example, a near field communication (NFC) device. The first wireless communication device may be a communication device for communicating with a battery management system (BMS) of a battery module or battery pack in each individual charging station.

[0040] As is known, near field communication is a technology for wireless communication at a relatively short distance using about 13.56 MHz, which is generally used in services such as transportation, ticketing and / or payment. The near field communication can be used in a contact or contactless type.

[0041] In the present application, the first wireless communication device may be used as a communication device that communicates with a battery management system (BMS) of a battery module or battery pack in each individual charging station to obtain a status of each individual battery module or battery pack.

[0042] The method of performing communication in each individual charging station using the first wireless communication device is not particularly limited, and a general communication method may be used.

[0043] Figure 2 It is shown Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the communication status of one of the charging stations 1 to 8 of the battery exchange station.

[0044] For example, when the near field communication device is used as Figure 2 When the first wireless communication device is shown, communication can be performed by installing a communication chip or a sending / receiving device 101 capable of communication in a battery module or battery pack or a battery management system (BMS) of the battery module or battery pack, and also installing the same device 102 in the charging station.

[0045] The battery exchange station of the present application may include a second wireless communication device separate from the first wireless communication device, and the second wireless communication device may be used as a device for mutually sending / receiving status information of battery modules or battery packs in multiple charging stations within the battery exchange station.

[0046] That is, the second wireless communication device may be installed to implement data transmission and reception between battery management systems of battery modules or battery packs in a plurality of charging stations of the battery exchange station.

[0047] At this time, any communication device can be applied as the second wireless communication device as long as the communication device is different from the first wireless communication device, but a second wireless communication device using a communication frequency of a higher band than the first wireless communication device can be appropriately applied.

[0048] For example, the second wireless communication device may be a second wireless communication device using a frequency in a frequency band of about 300 MHz to 10 GHz. Examples of such second wireless communication devices include, but are not limited to, a Bluetooth communication device or a Wi-Fi communication device using a frequency in a frequency band of about 2.4 GHz, a Wi-Fi communication device using a frequency in a frequency band of about 5 GHz, and EnOcean communication using a frequency band of about 315 MHz, a frequency band of 868 MHz, a frequency band of 905 MHz, and / or a frequency band of 902 MHz.

[0049] In the present application, a battery exchange station suitable for this purpose can be provided by controlling the operation methods of two types of communication devices.

[0050] For example, when the battery exchange station is in a normal state, the first wireless communication device may be activated and maintained in communication with a battery management system (BMS), and the second wireless communication device may be controlled to be maintained in an inactive state or a reception standby state.

[0051] In the above description, a normal state refers to a state in which no abnormal state occurs in a battery module or battery pack before, during or after charging of the battery module or battery pack, and in the above description, an abnormal state includes abnormal states such as abnormally high temperature or high heat, overcharging or fire in the battery module or battery pack.

[0052] Meanwhile, in the battery exchange station, when an emergency occurs in at least one battery module or battery pack, control may be performed so that information about the emergency is transmitted to a battery management system of another battery module or battery pack through a second wireless communication device.

[0053] In the above description, an emergency state refers to a state in which an abnormal state occurs in a battery module or battery pack before, during or after charging of the battery module or battery pack, and in the above description, an abnormal state includes abnormal states such as abnormally high temperature or high heat, overcharging or fire in the battery module or battery pack.

[0054] In the battery exchange station, when the battery management system in another charging station transmits emergency status information of the charging station where the emergency status occurs, the operation of the communication device can also be controlled according to the state of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information.

[0055] For example, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in a normal state, the second wireless communication device of the charging station can be controlled to remain in an inactive state or a receiving standby state. At this time, the communication state between the first wireless communication device of the charging station and the battery management system in the corresponding charging station can be maintained in an active state.

[0056] In addition, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in an emergency status, the transmission status of the second wireless communication device of the charging station can be activated, and information about the emergency status can be sent to the battery management system in another charging station through the activated second wireless communication device.

[0057] Figure 3 is a flowchart for explaining the state of the communication device as described above.

[0058] For example, assuming that the battery exchange station is in use, a fully charged battery module or battery pack in at least one charging station of the battery exchange station will be replaced by a discharged battery module or battery pack. Figure 3 In the embodiment, it is assumed that the replacement is performed in two charging stations (a first charging station and a second charging station) of the battery exchange station.

[0059] When replacing a battery module or battery pack as described above, each charging station may perform connection and initialization with a battery management system (BMS) and then enter a charging mode. However, not all charging stations necessarily perform a charging mode and may proceed to other modes such as a standby mode as needed.

[0060] In the charging mode, the state of the battery module or battery pack is diagnosed, and at this time, the first wireless communication device (NFC) is activated in the communication state and communicates with each individual battery management system. When the battery module or battery pack is maintained in a normal state without an abnormal state, the charging mode will continue until it is fully charged. In this normal state, the second wireless communication device is maintained in an inactive state or a reception standby state.

[0061] In the above case, when an abnormal state occurs and an emergency station is detected in one of the charging stations, the transmission of the second wireless communication device is activated. At this time, the transmission states of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device can be activated at the same time. Figure 3 In the example, it is assumed that an emergency state is detected in the first charging station. When an emergency state is detected in the first charging station as described above, the second wireless communication device transmits information about the emergency state to another charging station. Figure 3 It is shown that the information about the emergency state of the first charging station is sent to the second charging station through the second wireless communication device, but the information about the emergency state of the first charging station can be sent to at least some or all charging stations in the battery exchange station except the first charging station.

[0062] Furthermore, the information sent in this manner can also be sent to an integrated management system.

[0063] The operation of the communication device of the second charging station that receives the emergency status information of the first charging station may be adjusted differently according to the status of the second charging station.

[0064] For example, when the second charging station is in a normal state, the first wireless communication device of the second charging station can be controlled to maintain a communication state with the battery management system, and the second wireless communication device can be maintained in a receiving standby state or an inactive state, or can be maintained in an inactive state at least in terms of a transmission state.

[0065] Conversely, when the second charging station is in an emergency state, the transmission states of the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device of the second charging station may both be activated, and information about the emergency state of the second charging station may be sent to another charging station via the second wireless communication device.

[0066] In the present application, by properly operating the two types of communication devices as described above, communication error problems can be prevented even when the battery module or battery pack is frequently replaced, and when an emergency occurs, the location or extent of the emergency can be effectively and quickly detected to respond to the emergency.

[0067] The present application also relates to a method of using a battery swap station.

[0068] Specifically, the method of use may be a method of using the above-mentioned battery exchange station, which includes a plurality of charging stations, a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device, each charging station being configured to perform charging of a battery module or a battery pack.

[0069] The detailed description of the method of use is as described in the description of the battery exchange station.

[0070] Therefore, the method of use may include the following steps: using a first wireless communication device to communicate with a battery management system of a battery module or battery pack; and controlling the state of a second wireless communication device according to the state information of the battery module or battery pack.

[0071] In the above description, the communication frequency band of the second wireless communication device may be higher than the communication frequency band of the first wireless communication device.

[0072] In the method of use, when the battery module or the battery pack is in a normal state, a step of maintaining the second wireless communication device in an inactive state or a receiving standby state may be performed.

[0073] In this method of use, when an emergency state occurs in at least one battery module or battery pack, a step of using a second wireless communication device to send information about the emergency state to a battery management system of another battery module or battery pack may be performed.

[0074] In this usage method, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in a normal state when sending the emergency status information, a step can be executed to maintain the second wireless communication device of the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information in an inactive state or a receiving standby state.

[0075] In this method of use, when the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information is in an emergency state when sending the emergency status information, the step of sending the emergency status information to the battery management system of another charging station through the second wireless communication device of the charging station of the battery management system that receives the emergency status information can be executed.

Claims

1. A battery exchange station, comprising: A plurality of charging stations, each charging station is used to charge a battery module or a battery pack; a first wireless communication device, the first wireless communication device being arranged to communicate with a battery management system of the battery module or battery pack; as well as a second wireless communication device installed to enable data transmission and reception between the battery management systems in the plurality of charging stations, The first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device have different communication frequency bands.

2. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein: The communication frequency band of the second wireless communication device is higher than the communication frequency band of the first wireless communication device.

3. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein: The first wireless communication device is a contactless or contact near field communication device.

4. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein: The communication frequency band of the second wireless communication device is within the range of 300 MHz to 10 GHz.

5. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein: When the battery module or battery pack is in a normal state, the first wireless communication device is in a communication state with the battery management system, and the second wireless communication device is controlled to be in a transmission inactive state or a reception standby state.

6. The battery exchange station according to claim 1, wherein: When at least one battery module or battery pack is in an emergency state, control is performed so that information on the emergency state is transmitted to a battery management system of another charging system by the second wireless communication device.

7. The battery exchange station according to claim 6, wherein: When the charging station whose battery management system receives the information about the emergency state is in a normal state, the second wireless communication device of the charging station is controlled to be maintained in a transmission inactive state or a reception standby state.

8. The battery exchange station according to claim 6, wherein: When the charging station whose battery management system receives the information about the emergency state is in an emergency state, control is performed so that the information about the emergency state is transmitted to the battery management system in another charging station by the second wireless communication device of the charging station.

9. A method for using a battery exchange station, the battery exchange station comprising a plurality of charging stations, each charging station being configured to perform charging of a battery module or a battery pack, and the battery exchange station comprising a first wireless communication device and a second wireless communication device having different communication frequency bands, the method comprising the following steps: communicating with a battery management system of the charging station using the first wireless communication device; as well as The state of the second wireless communication device is controlled according to the information about the state of the battery module or battery pack.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The communication frequency band of the second wireless communication device is higher than the communication frequency band of the first wireless communication device.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein: When the battery module or the battery pack is in a normal state, the second wireless communication device is maintained in a transmission inactive state or a reception standby state.

12. The method according to claim 9, wherein: When at least one battery module or battery pack is in an emergency state, information about the emergency state is sent by the second wireless communication device to a battery management system of another charging station.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: When the charging station whose battery management system has received the information about the emergency state is in a normal state, the second wireless communication device of the charging station is maintained in a transmission inactive state or a reception standby state.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: When the charging station whose battery management system has received the information about the emergency state is in an emergency state, the information about the emergency state is transmitted to the battery management system in another charging station by the second wireless communication device of the charging station.

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