Power-up method of battery system, battery system, and power-using device

Abstract

A power-on method of a battery system, the battery system and a power-using device can improve the battery replacement performance of the battery system. The battery system includes a plurality of battery replacement units connected in parallel, wherein each battery replacement unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit thereof, and the battery system further includes a second battery management unit connected with the first battery management units in the plurality of battery replacement units. The power-on method is executed by the second battery management unit, and the power-on method includes: receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; and in response to the first power-on signal, sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit, the second power-on signal being used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery replacement unit to be high-voltage powered on.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of batteries, and more specifically, to a method for powering on a battery system, a battery system, and an electrical device. Background Technology

[0002] Battery swapping stations enable electric vehicles to swap batteries quickly. However, with the increasing number of battery packs in electric vehicles and their more flexible distribution, improving their battery swapping performance has become an urgent problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This application provides a power-on method for a battery system, a battery system, and a power-consuming device, which can improve the battery swapping performance of the battery system.

[0004] In a first aspect, a power-on method for a battery system is provided, the battery system comprising a plurality of battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit, the battery system further comprising a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the plurality of battery swapping units, the power-on method being executed by the second battery management unit, the power-on method comprising: receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; and, in response to the first power-on signal, sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit, the second power-on signal being used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0005] The battery system of this application includes multiple battery swapping units, each including a battery and a corresponding first battery management unit. The first battery management units of all battery swapping units are connected to a second battery management unit. Therefore, the multiple battery swapping units do not need to be used in tandem; only some swapping units can be swapped and charged, supporting mixed use of swapping units, resulting in high swapping efficiency and facilitating the construction and operation of battery swapping stations. When the battery system is powered on at high voltage, the second battery management unit can receive a first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit and, in response to the first power-on signal, send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit. This enables the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to perform high-voltage power-on, thereby effectively realizing high-voltage power-on of the battery system.

[0006] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units; wherein, sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit when the number of the plurality of battery swapping units is equal to a preset number.

[0007] Determining whether the number of battery swapping units equals the preset number before applying high voltage power can avoid risks caused by battery swapping unit failures and improve the reliability of the battery system's power-on process.

[0008] In one possible implementation, determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units includes: sending an encoding signal to the first battery management unit of the first battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units, the encoding signal being transmitted sequentially among the first battery management units of the plurality of battery swapping units to encode the plurality of battery swapping units sequentially; receiving the encoding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units; and determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units based on the encoding result.

[0009] In this implementation, an encoded signal is sent to the first battery management unit of the first battery swapping unit, and this encoded signal is transmitted sequentially among multiple battery swapping units until the first battery management unit of the last battery swapping unit receives the encoded signal, thereby encoding multiple battery swapping units. The second battery management unit receives the encoded result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery swapping unit, thereby determining whether the current number of battery swapping units is the preset number.

[0010] In one possible implementation, sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units; and sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit of the at least one battery swapping unit.

[0011] To reduce the risks in the battery system, the second battery management unit can determine whether to apply high voltage to each battery swapping unit based on its actual situation.

[0012] In one possible implementation, determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units includes: determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units.

[0013] The second battery management unit can determine whether to apply high voltage to each battery swapping unit based on its voltage status, thereby reducing the risks present in the battery system.

[0014] In one possible implementation, determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on their voltages includes: if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage among the plurality of battery swapping units is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, determining that the at least one battery swapping unit includes a battery swapping unit whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0015] In this implementation, if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, in order to reduce the risks in the battery system, only the battery swapping unit whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage is within a predetermined range can be selected as the battery swapping unit that needs to be powered on at high voltage.

[0016] In one possible implementation, determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units includes: determining that the at least one battery swapping unit includes the plurality of battery swapping units if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage among the plurality of battery swapping units is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0017] In this implementation, since the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, the voltage difference between the other battery swapping units and the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage will also be less than or equal to the voltage threshold. Therefore, multiple battery swapping units can be powered on at the same time.

[0018] In one possible implementation, the battery swapping unit further includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery, the slave high-voltage box including a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0019] The first relay unit may include, for example, a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay on the main circuit of the battery. The second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit of the battery swapping unit to control the first relay unit in the corresponding battery swapping unit to close, so as to realize the high voltage power-on of the battery swapping unit.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the battery system further includes a main high-voltage box, the secondary high-voltage box being connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box including a second relay unit, and the power-on method further including: controlling the second relay unit to close after the first relay unit in the at least one battery swapping unit closes.

[0021] After the first relay unit in the high-voltage box of each battery swapping unit to be powered on is closed, the second battery management unit controls the second relay unit in the main high-voltage box to close, so that the energy provided by the batteries of each battery swapping unit can reach the high-voltage electrical equipment at the same time, thereby providing it with a more stable high-voltage signal.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes sending a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit after the second relay unit is closed.

[0023] After the high-voltage power-on is completed, the second battery management unit needs to inform the vehicle control unit that the battery has completed the high-voltage power-on, so that the vehicle control unit can control the vehicle to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0024] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: sending information about the allowable power of the battery system, wherein the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable power of the plurality of battery swapping units, thereby facilitating charging and discharging between external devices and the battery system and improving the reliability of the charging and discharging process.

[0025] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a wake-up signal; and performing low-voltage power-on on the second battery management unit according to the wake-up signal. Since both the second battery management unit and the first battery management unit require a low-voltage signal as a power source, the second battery management unit needs to perform low-voltage power-on according to the received wake-up signal before controlling the battery system to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0026] Secondly, a power-on method for a battery system is provided. The battery system includes multiple battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit. The battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery swapping units. The power-on method is executed by a vehicle control unit. The power-on method includes: determining whether the battery system meets high-voltage power-on conditions; and if the high-voltage power-on conditions are met, sending a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit, wherein the first power-on signal is used to instruct the second battery management unit to control the battery system to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0027] The battery system of this application includes multiple battery swapping units, each of which includes a battery and a corresponding first battery management unit. The first battery management units of all battery swapping units are connected to a second battery management unit. Therefore, the multiple battery swapping units do not need to be used in tandem; only some swapping units can be swapped and charged, supporting mixed use of swapping units, resulting in high battery swapping efficiency and facilitating the construction and operation of battery swapping stations. When the battery system is powered on at high voltage, the vehicle control unit sends a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit, thereby controlling the battery system to be powered on at high voltage through the second battery management unit, effectively realizing the high-voltage power-on of the battery system.

[0028] For example, the high-voltage power-on conditions include at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system are in the off state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system is not enabled.

[0029] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit, the power-on completion signal being used to indicate that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on; and controlling the closure of a relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment according to the power-on completion signal.

[0030] When the vehicle control unit receives the power-on completion signal from the second battery management unit and determines that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on, it controls the relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close. That is, the battery system is powered on first, and then the high-voltage electrical equipment is powered on, in order to reduce the risks caused by sudden start-up of the high-voltage electrical equipment.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a wake-up signal; and performing low-voltage power-on on the vehicle control unit according to the wake-up signal. Since the vehicle control unit requires a low-voltage signal as its power source, it needs to perform low-voltage power-on according to the received wake-up signal before controlling the high-voltage electrical equipment to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0032] Thirdly, a battery system is provided, comprising: a plurality of battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a connected slave high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box including a first battery management unit of the battery; and a main high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box being connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box including a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit of the plurality of battery swapping units.

[0033] The battery system of this application includes multiple battery swapping units. Each battery swapping unit is equipped with a battery and a connected slave high-voltage box. A corresponding first battery management unit is configured within the slave high-voltage box. The battery system also includes a main high-voltage box connected to the slave high-voltage box of each battery swapping unit. The main high-voltage box contains a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit in each slave high-voltage box. Due to the adoption of a three-tier architecture consisting of a cell sampling circuit, the first battery management unit, and the second battery management unit, the battery swapping units can be detached during the swapping process via pluggable electrical connectors between their slave and main high-voltage boxes. Therefore, multiple battery swapping units can be independently disassembled, and multiple swapping units do not need to be bound together. Only a portion of the swapping units can be replaced and charged, supporting mixed use of swapping units. This results in high swapping efficiency, facilitates the construction and operation of battery swapping stations, and expands the battery swapping scenarios applicable to the battery system.

[0034] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface, wherein the high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage line in the main high-voltage box via the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the main high-voltage box via the low-voltage interface.

[0035] The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface to enable high-voltage and low-voltage connections between the high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include an insulation detector for detecting the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously.

[0037] In this implementation, the insulation detectors in the main high-voltage box and the slave high-voltage box are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously. For example, during the charging process of the battery swapping unit, the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box of each battery swapping unit detects the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to ground in that battery swapping unit. When the battery system is installed in the vehicle, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to the battery system, and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box is disabled by default, which helps to improve the accuracy of the detection results output by the insulation detector.

[0038] In one possible implementation, when the battery system is installed in an electrical device, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system is being charged in a battery swapping station, the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

[0039] When the battery system is installed in the electrical device, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is enabled. If the insulation detectors in the slave high-voltage boxes are also enabled at this time, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since multiple battery swapping units are connected in parallel, the resistance decreases after multiple swapping units are connected in parallel. The insulation impedance corresponding to one swapping unit will be incorporated into the insulation impedance corresponding to another swapping unit, thereby lowering the overall insulation impedance of the battery system and affecting the detection results output by the insulation detector. When the battery system is charging in the battery swapping station, the insulation detectors in the slave high-voltage boxes are enabled to detect the insulation impedance of their respective swapping units.

[0040] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the secondary high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relays. This allows the first battery management unit to promptly assess the risks to the battery system based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuit, such as determining whether the relays have become stuck.

[0041] In one possible implementation, the high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the high-voltage box. When the battery system is discharged while mounted on an electrical device, the main positive and main negative relays can protect against kinetic energy output; when the battery system is charged at a battery swapping station, the main positive and main negative relays can protect against kinetic energy input.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the high-voltage box includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector for connecting to the main high-voltage box and a branch connector for connecting to the batteries on each branch. The low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector for connecting to the main high-voltage box and a low-voltage input / output connector for connecting to the cell sampling circuit of the batteries on each branch. Through the high-voltage and low-voltage connectors in the high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the high-voltage box and the batteries and the main high-voltage box, thereby enabling efficient transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector is disposed on the outer frame of the battery swapping unit. The high-voltage interface of the electrical connector is used to connect to the main circuit connector of the slave high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector of the slave high-voltage box. In this embodiment, the electrical connector can be disposed on the outer frame of the battery swapping unit. Specifically, the main circuit connector and the external low-voltage connector on the slave high-voltage box can be connected to the high-voltage interface and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector, respectively, so that the connection between the slave high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box can be achieved through the electrical connector.

[0044] In one possible implementation, a current sensor is installed on each branch within the high-voltage box to detect the current on the corresponding branch. The current information for each branch can be sent to the first battery management unit in real time, enabling the first battery management unit to perform overcurrent detection and SOC calculation.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The main positive and main negative relays in the main high-voltage box are controlled by a second battery management unit to cut off and close the high-voltage output of the entire battery system.

[0046] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The positive and negative charging relays are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system. Thus, when the electrical device requires temporary power, it can be charged using a charging device outside the battery swapping station, such as the charging station's charging port.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit. Through the high-voltage and low-voltage connectors in the main high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the main high-voltage box and the battery and vehicle control unit, thereby enabling effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a manual maintenance switch, which integrates a fuse unit. Thus, the slave high-voltage box can provide overload and short-circuit protection for the corresponding battery swapping unit via the manual maintenance switch, and also has a plug-in / plug-out function, allowing the high voltage to be disconnected from the battery swapping unit during maintenance. The main high-voltage box can provide overload and short-circuit protection for the entire battery system via the manual maintenance switch, and also has a plug-in / plug-out function, allowing the high voltage to be disconnected from the entire battery system during maintenance.

[0049] Fourthly, a high-voltage box for a battery system is provided, wherein the high-voltage box is the main high-voltage box of the battery system, and the battery system further includes multiple battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a connected slave high-voltage box, the main high-voltage box is connected to the slave high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, the slave high-voltage box includes a first battery management unit of the battery, and the main high-voltage box includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit of the multiple battery swapping units.

[0050] The main high-voltage box of this application is connected to the secondary high-voltage box of multiple parallel battery swapping units through a pluggable electrical connector. Therefore, multiple battery swapping units can be disassembled independently, and multiple battery swapping units do not need to be used together. Only some battery swapping units can be replaced and charged, and the mixed use of battery swapping units is supported, resulting in higher battery swapping efficiency and facilitating the construction and operation of battery swapping stations.

[0051] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface, wherein the high-voltage line in the main high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave main high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box through the low-voltage interface.

[0052] The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface to enable high-voltage and low-voltage connections between the high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include an insulation detector for detecting the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously.

[0054] In this implementation, the insulation detectors in the main high-voltage box and the slave high-voltage box are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously. For example, during the charging process of the battery swapping unit, the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box of each battery swapping unit detects the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to ground in that battery swapping unit. When the battery system is installed in the vehicle, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to the battery system, and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box is disabled by default, which helps to improve the accuracy of the detection results output by the insulation detector.

[0055] In one possible implementation, when the battery system is installed in an electrical device, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system is being charged in a battery swapping station, the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

[0056] When the battery system is installed in the electrical device, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is enabled. If the insulation detectors in the slave high-voltage boxes are also enabled at this time, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since multiple battery swapping units are connected in parallel, the resistance decreases after multiple swapping units are connected in parallel. The insulation impedance corresponding to one swapping unit will be incorporated into the insulation impedance corresponding to another swapping unit, thereby lowering the overall insulation impedance of the battery system and affecting the detection results output by the insulation detector. When the battery system is charging in the battery swapping station, the insulation detectors in the slave high-voltage boxes are enabled to detect the insulation impedance of their respective swapping units.

[0057] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the secondary high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relays. This allows the first battery management unit to promptly assess the risks to the battery system based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuit, such as determining whether the relays have become stuck.

[0058] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector is disposed on the outer frame of the battery swapping unit. The high-voltage interface of the electrical connector is used to connect to the main circuit connector of the slave high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector of the slave high-voltage box. In this embodiment, the electrical connector can be disposed on the outer frame of the battery swapping unit. Specifically, the main circuit connector and the external low-voltage connector on the slave high-voltage box can be connected to the high-voltage interface and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector, respectively, so that the connection between the slave high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box can be achieved through the electrical connector.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The main positive and main negative relays in the main high-voltage box are controlled by a second battery management unit to cut off and close the high-voltage output of the entire battery system.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The positive and negative charging relays are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system. Thus, when the electrical device requires temporary power, it can be charged using a charging device outside the battery swapping station, such as the charging station's charging port.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit. Through the high-voltage and low-voltage connectors in the main high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the main high-voltage box and the battery and vehicle control unit, thereby enabling effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a manual maintenance switch, which integrates a fuse unit. Thus, the slave high-voltage box can provide overload and short-circuit protection for the corresponding battery swapping unit via the manual maintenance switch, and also has a plug-in / plug-out function, allowing the high voltage to be disconnected from the battery swapping unit during maintenance. The main high-voltage box can provide overload and short-circuit protection for the entire battery system via the manual maintenance switch, and also has a plug-in / plug-out function, allowing the high voltage to be disconnected from the entire battery system during maintenance.

[0063] Fifthly, a battery swapping device is provided for use in a battery system. The battery system includes multiple battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit. The battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery swapping units. The battery swapping device includes: a receiving module for receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; and a sending module for responding to the first power-on signal by sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit, wherein the second power-on signal instructs the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the battery swapping device further includes: a processing module for determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units; wherein the sending module is specifically used to: send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit when the number of the plurality of battery swapping units is equal to a preset number.

[0065] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically configured to: control the sending module to send an encoding signal to the first battery management unit of the first battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units, the encoding signal being transmitted sequentially among the first battery management units among the plurality of battery swapping units to encode the plurality of battery swapping units sequentially; control the receiving module to receive the encoding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units; and determine the number of the plurality of battery swapping units based on the encoding result.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the processing module is further configured to: determine at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units; the sending module is specifically configured to: send the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit in the at least one battery swapping unit.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to: determine at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically configured to: determine that the at least one battery swapping unit includes a battery swapping unit whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold when the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0069] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically configured to: determine that the at least one battery swapping unit includes the plurality of battery swapping units if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage among the plurality of battery swapping units is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the battery swapping unit further includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery, the slave high-voltage box including a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the battery system further includes a main high-voltage box, the secondary high-voltage box being connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box including a second relay unit, and the processing module further being configured to: control the second relay unit to close after the first relay unit in the at least one battery swapping unit has closed.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the sending module is further configured to: send a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit after the second relay unit is closed.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the transmitting module is further configured to: transmit information about the allowable power of the battery system, wherein the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable power of the plurality of battery swapping units.

[0074] In one possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to: receive a wake-up signal; the processing module is further configured to: power on the second battery management unit at a low voltage according to the wake-up signal.

[0075] Sixthly, a battery swapping device is provided for use in a battery system. The battery system includes multiple battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit. The battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery swapping units. The battery swapping device includes: a processing module for determining whether the battery system meets the high-voltage power-on conditions; and a sending module for sending a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit when the high-voltage power-on conditions are met. The first power-on signal is used to instruct the second battery management unit to control the battery system to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0076] In one possible implementation, the high-voltage power-on conditions include at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system are in the off state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system is not enabled.

[0077] In one possible implementation, the battery swapping device further includes a receiving module, which is configured to: receive a power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit, the power-on completion signal being used to indicate that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on; the processing module is further configured to: control the relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close according to the power-on completion signal.

[0078] In one possible implementation, the battery swapping device further includes a receiving module, which is used to: receive a wake-up signal; the processing module is also used to: power on the vehicle control unit at low voltage according to the wake-up signal.

[0079] In a seventh aspect, a battery swapping device is provided, comprising a processor and a memory, the memory for storing a computer program, and the processor for calling and utilizing the computer program stored in the memory to execute the power-on method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or to execute the power-on method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0080] Eighthly, a chip is provided, including a processor, the processor being configured to retrieve and apply a computer program from a memory, causing a device having the chip mounted to perform the power-on method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or, to perform the power-on method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0081] Ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program that causes a computer to perform the power-on method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation thereof; or to perform the power-on method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation thereof.

[0082] In a tenth aspect, an electrical device is provided, comprising a battery system as described in the third aspect or any possible implementation thereof, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system, the battery system being used to provide power to the high-voltage electrical device. Attached Figure Description

[0083] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without creative effort.

[0084] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0085] Figure 2 This is a specific architecture of a possible battery system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0086] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a single-packet battery swapping method according to an embodiment of this application.

[0087] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the communication between the second battery management unit and the first battery management unit in an embodiment of this application.

[0088] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the power-on method of the battery system according to an embodiment of this application.

[0089] Figure 6 This is a coding diagram of multiple battery swapping units in a battery system.

[0090] Figure 7 This is a flowchart illustrating the power-on method of a battery system according to another embodiment of this application.

[0091] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 and Figure 7 The flowchart shows a possible specific implementation of the power-on method.

[0092] Figure 9 This is a schematic block diagram of a battery swapping device according to an embodiment of this application.

[0093] The accompanying drawings are not drawn to scale. Detailed Implementation

[0094] The embodiments of this application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The detailed description of the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to illustrate the principles of this application by way of example, but should not be used to limit the scope of this application, that is, this application is not limited to the described embodiments.

[0095] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more; the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0096] In the description of this application, it should also be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," and "joining" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application depending on the specific circumstances.

[0097] In this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent three possibilities: A exists, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists. Additionally, in this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0098] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used in the description of this application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, in the description, claims, and accompanying drawings of this application are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. The terms "first," "second," etc., in the description, claims, or accompanying drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order or hierarchy.

[0099] In this application, the reference to "embodiment" means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places throughout the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application can be combined with other embodiments.

[0100] With the development of new energy technologies, the application of batteries is becoming increasingly widespread, such as providing power or electricity to electrical devices. For example, batteries can serve as a power source for vehicles. When the battery's charge is insufficient to support continued driving, charging equipment such as charging stations or chargers can be used to charge the vehicle's battery, enabling the battery to be used in a charge-discharge cycle. However, battery charging takes a relatively long time, limiting the vehicle's range.

[0101] To improve vehicle range, battery swapping technology has emerged. This technology separates the vehicle from the battery, providing battery replacement services at swapping stations. The battery can be quickly removed from or installed in the vehicle. The removed battery is then placed in the swapping station's charging cabinet for subsequent vehicles. The advantages of battery swapping include its ability to complete the swap within minutes, and the option for consumers to rent or purchase batteries, reducing initial vehicle purchase costs. Therefore, battery swapping technology has gained widespread consumer favor.

[0102] The batteries described in this application embodiment can be, for example, lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, lead-acid batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-air batteries, or sodium-ion batteries, etc., and are not limited thereto. In terms of scale, the batteries can be battery cells, battery modules, or battery packs, and are not limited thereto.

[0103] For passenger vehicles, a battery swapping station is equipped with a battery swapping cabinet, which may contain multiple charging compartments. The battery packs used for swapping can be placed in the charging compartments of the cabinet. Each charging compartment contains a charging unit that can charge the battery within. For example, the charging unit may include components, devices, or equipment with charging capabilities, such as AC / DC modules, and is not limited thereto. Charging units can be configured one-to-one with charging compartments, or multiple charging compartments can share a single charging unit; this is not a limitation.

[0104] For heavy-duty trucks, the batteries are housed in battery boxes, and multiple batteries can be stored in a single box. When swapping batteries at a battery swapping station, the battery box itself is actually being replaced. That is, the battery box on the vehicle is replaced with the one provided at the swapping station. The battery box at the swapping station can then charge its batteries using charging devices located within the station.

[0105] Typically, heavy-duty trucks use a rear-mounted battery swapping system, where the battery box is located behind the seat. Because the battery placement is centralized, the entire battery system is integrated into a single swapping pack. Therefore, a conventional two-level architecture can be adopted, consisting of a cell sampling circuit (CSC) and a battery management unit (BMU). The CSC is used to collect information such as the voltage and temperature of individual battery cells, while the BMU is used to manage the batteries based on this information.

[0106] For heavy-duty trucks with battery chassis, the battery components are distributed across different locations, so a multi-battery swapping system is typically used, placing multiple swapping packs in different positions on the vehicle chassis. If a conventional two-tier architecture is still used, the following problems may arise.

[0107] First, because the Battery Management Unit (BMU) needs to follow the battery pack to calculate and trace information such as state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), and other states (SOX) based on historical battery data, the BMU must be installed within one of the battery swapping packs. Furthermore, multiple battery swapping packs need to be short-circuited between high and low voltage systems, requiring them to be used in a continuously linked manner. This results in low battery swapping efficiency, increased construction and operation costs of battery swapping stations, and poor applicability to various battery swapping scenarios.

[0108] Secondly, the use of multiple battery swapping packs increases the number of battery sampling circuits, while the number of sampling nodes that a typical battery management unit can support is limited, making it impossible for a single battery management unit to meet the requirements.

[0109] Therefore, this application provides a multi-pack battery system and its power-on method, which aims to solve problems such as low battery swapping efficiency, high construction and operation costs of battery swapping stations, and poor applicability of battery swapping scenarios by improving the electrical architecture of the battery system, and to effectively achieve high-voltage power-on of the battery system through a reasonable power-on process.

[0110] It should be understood that the electrical device in the embodiments of this application can be a vehicle, and in the future it may also be a device that uses batteries to provide power or electricity, ranging from small robots to large ships and airplanes. The embodiments of this application are described using a vehicle as an example.

[0111] Hereinafter, the battery box in the battery swapping scenario will be referred to as the battery swapping unit. The battery swapping unit can be, for example, the battery swapping pack mentioned above. In the application scenario of heavy trucks, the battery swapping unit can also be referred to as the battery swapping cabinet.

[0112] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of this application. Figure 1 As shown, the battery system 1 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 connected in parallel. Each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a connected secondary high-voltage box 12. The secondary high-voltage box 12 includes a first battery management unit 13 for the battery 11. The battery system 1 also includes a main high-voltage box 20. The secondary high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20 are connected via a pluggable electrical connector 30. The main high-voltage box 20 includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 in the multiple battery swapping units 10.

[0113] High-voltage boxes are often referred to as high-voltage distribution boxes or simply distribution boxes. It's understandable that, despite being called high-voltage boxes, they may contain not only high-voltage circuits and their components, but also low-voltage circuits and their components.

[0114] Battery system 1 adopts a three-tier architecture consisting of a Battery Management System (CSC), a first battery management unit, and a second battery management unit, which can be collectively referred to as the Battery Management System. Battery 11 can be a battery pack, typically formed by multiple battery cells connected in series, parallel, or a hybrid configuration, where a hybrid configuration combines parallel and series connections. Each battery cell is equipped with a cell sampling circuit (CSC) to collect information such as voltage and temperature of the corresponding battery cell. The first battery management unit 13 has complete battery management system (BMS) functions, including calculation of SOC, SOH, ..., SOX information of battery 11, fault diagnosis, battery equalization, monitoring, and protection. The second battery management unit 21 is responsible for collecting and arbitrating information from all battery swapping units 10, as well as interacting with external devices, including but not limited to the vehicle control unit (VCU) or charging devices such as charging piles or chargers for charging battery 11.

[0115] The first battery management unit described in the embodiments of this application may be, for example, a sub-battery management unit (SBMU), and the second battery management unit may be, for example, a master battery management unit (MBMU). Hereinafter, the technical solution of this application will be described using the example of an SBMU as the first battery management unit and an MBMU as the second battery management unit.

[0116] Electrical connector 30 is a specialized connector that enables quick electrical connection and disconnection between the battery and the vehicle, and between the battery and the battery swapping cabinet in the battery swapping station. It consists of, for example, a plug and a socket. Because electrical connector 30 is mainly used in battery swapping scenarios, it is also called a "battery swapping connector" or "quick-swap connector".

[0117] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage lines in the high-voltage box 12 are connected to the high-voltage lines in the main high-voltage box 20 via the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage lines in the high-voltage box 12 are connected to the low-voltage lines in the main high-voltage box 20 via the low-voltage interface, thereby achieving high-voltage and low-voltage connections between the high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20. The high-voltage interface includes, for example, a positive high-voltage interface and a negative high-voltage interface. The positive high-voltage interface is used to connect to the positive terminal of the battery 11, and the negative high-voltage interface is used to connect to the negative terminal of the battery 11.

[0118] In this embodiment, each battery swapping unit 10 is provided with a battery 11 and a connected slave high-voltage box 12. The slave high-voltage box 12 is configured with a corresponding SBMU 13. The battery system 1 is also provided with a main high-voltage box 20 connected to the slave high-voltage box 12 of each battery swapping unit 10. The main high-voltage box 20 is configured with an MBMU 21 connected to the SBMU 13 in each slave high-voltage box 12. Due to the adoption of a three-level architecture formed by CSC, SBMU and MBMU, during the battery swapping process, the battery swapping unit 10 can be separated through the pluggable electrical connector 30 between its slave high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20. Therefore, multiple battery swapping units 10 can be disassembled independently, and multiple battery swapping units 10 do not need to be used together. Only some battery swapping units 10 can be replaced and charged, and the mixed use of battery swapping units 10 is supported, which makes the battery swapping efficiency higher, facilitates the construction and operation of battery swapping stations, and expands the battery swapping scenarios that the battery system 1 can be applied to.

[0119] As an example, Figure 2 The illustration shows a specific architecture of a possible battery system 1 according to an embodiment of this application. For example... Figure 2As shown, the battery system 1 includes multiple battery swapping units 10, i.e., multiple battery swapping packs or multiple battery swapping cabinets, and the battery system 1 is equipped with a main high-voltage box 20. Each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and is equipped with a corresponding secondary high-voltage box 12. The battery swapping unit 10 and the main high-voltage box 20 are connected by a pluggable electrical connector 30.

[0120] In each battery swapping unit 10, the battery 11 is composed of multiple battery cells, for example, such as Figure 2 As shown, multiple battery cells are first connected in series and then in parallel to form an electrical box, and multiple electrical boxes are connected in series or in parallel to form a battery 11. Optionally, each battery cell can be equipped with a CSC to collect information such as the voltage and temperature of that battery cell. The battery 11 is connected to a high-voltage box 12, which integrates an SBMU 13 to manage the corresponding battery swapping unit 10 and upload relevant data to the MBMU 21 in the main high-voltage box 20. The MBMU 21 is responsible for the operation and management of the entire battery system 1 and interacts with external devices such as VCU and charging devices.

[0121] Figure 2 The diagram shows a battery system 1 installed in an electrical device, such as a vehicle. Multiple battery swapping units 10 have the same voltage platform and are connected in parallel within the main high-voltage box 20 for energy output.

[0122] Multiple battery swapping units 10 can be charged without being bound together. Each battery swapping unit 10 can be charged individually, or multiple battery swapping units 10 can be charged together as a system. For example, Figure 3 The diagram shown illustrates a single-pack charging process. Each battery swapping unit 10 can be connected to the battery swapping station's motor via an electrical connector 30 for charging.

[0123] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the secondary high-voltage box 12 also include a detection circuit, also referred to as a high-voltage box (HVB). ​​This detection circuit can be connected to the SBMU to transmit the detection results to the SBMU via a low-voltage line between them. This detection circuit may include, for example, an insulation tester used to detect the insulation resistance of the high-voltage busbar to ground. Since grounding the high-voltage positive or negative terminal can pose a certain risk, the insulation resistance between the high-voltage busbar and ground should generally be maintained at a certain level. The insulation tester can detect this insulation resistance, facilitating inspection or repair of the battery system 1 when the insulation resistance does not meet the requirements, thereby reducing the risk to the battery system 1.

[0124] The insulation detectors in the main high-voltage box 20 and the secondary high-voltage box 12 are configured to prevent simultaneous activation. That is, when the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 is activated, the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is disabled; when the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is activated, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 may be disabled.

[0125] For example, when the battery system 1 is installed in an electrical appliance, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 is configured to be enabled, and the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system 1 is being charged in a battery swapping station, the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is configured to be enabled.

[0126] by Figure 2 and Figure 3 For example, the high-voltage box 12 of the battery swapping unit 10 includes a first detection circuit 14, and the main high-voltage box 20 includes a second detection circuit 22. Both the first detection circuit 14 and the second detection circuit 22 are equipped with insulation detectors. The insulation detectors in the first detection circuit 14 and the second detection circuit 22 are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously. Specifically, during the charging process of the battery swapping unit 10 within the battery swapping station, the insulation detector in the first detection circuit 14 of each battery swapping unit 10 is enabled to detect the insulation resistance of the positive and negative terminals of the high-voltage busbar within that battery swapping unit 10 to ground. When the battery system 1 is installed in a vehicle, the insulation detector in the second detection circuit 22 of the main high-voltage box 20 is enabled to detect the insulation resistance of the positive and negative terminals of the high-voltage busbar within the main high-voltage box 20 to ground, and the insulation detector in the first detection circuit 14 of the battery swapping unit 12 is disabled by default, thereby improving the accuracy of the detection results output by the insulation detector in the second detection circuit 22.

[0127] Specifically, when the battery system 1 is installed in the vehicle, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 is enabled. If the insulation detectors in each of the secondary high-voltage boxes 12 are also enabled, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since the multiple battery swapping units 10 are connected in parallel, the resistance decreases after multiple battery swapping units 10 are connected in parallel. The insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground of one battery swapping unit 10 will be incorporated into the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground of another battery swapping unit 10, thereby lowering the insulation impedance of the entire battery system 1 and affecting the detection results output by the insulation detector. However, when the battery system 1 is being charged in the battery swapping station, the insulation detectors in the secondary high-voltage boxes 12 need to be enabled to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground of their corresponding battery swapping unit 10.

[0128] The detection circuit in the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the high-voltage box 12 may also include, for example, a high-voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or applying detection to the voltage across a relay, such as a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay. Thus, the SBMU 13 can promptly assess the risks to the battery system based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuit, such as determining whether a relay has become stuck.

[0129] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the secondary high-voltage box 12 may also include other devices, such as relay units, manual service disconnect (MSD) switches, current sensors, high-voltage sampling boards, and various connectors for internal or external connections. The relay unit includes at least a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay located in the main circuit of the battery system 1.

[0130] The high-voltage box 12 includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage box 12, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the high-voltage box 12. When the battery system 1 is installed in an electrical device for discharge, the main positive and main negative relays in the high-voltage box 12 can protect against kinetic energy output; when the battery system 1 is charged in a battery swapping station, the main positive and main negative relays in the high-voltage box 12 can protect against kinetic energy input.

[0131] The main high-voltage box 20 includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box 20, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box 20. The main positive and main negative relays in the main high-voltage box 20 are controlled by MBMU 21 to cut off and close the high-voltage output of the entire battery system 1 to the outside.

[0132] For example, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a first relay unit is provided in the high-voltage box 12, including a main positive relay K1 and a main negative relay K2, which are connected in series in the main circuit of the battery 11. One end of the main positive relay K1 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery 11, and the other end is connected to the electrical connector 30; one end of the main negative relay K2 is connected to the negative terminal of the battery 11, and the other end is connected to the electrical connector 30. SBMU 13 controls the opening and closing of the main positive relay K1 and the main negative relay K2. A second relay unit is provided in the main high-voltage box 20, including a main positive relay K3 and a main negative relay K4, which are connected in series in the main circuit of the battery 11. MBMU 21 controls the opening and closing of the main positive relay K3 and the main negative relay K4.

[0133] Optionally, the first and second relay units may also include other relays. For example, the main high-voltage box 20 may also include a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box 20, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box 20. The positive and negative charging relays are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system 1.

[0134] As an example, such as Figure 2 As shown, the main high-voltage box 20 includes a positive charging relay K5 and a negative charging relay K6. The main high-voltage box 20 can be connected to the charging socket in the electrical device, such as the vehicle charging socket, through the positive charging relay K5 and the negative charging relay K6. In this way, when the electrical device, such as the vehicle, needs temporary power replenishment, the vehicle can be charged through the charging device outside the battery swapping station, such as the charging pile's plug.

[0135] It can be understood that the positive terminals of the main high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 refer to the interfaces used to connect the positive terminal of the battery 11, and the negative terminals of the main high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 refer to the interfaces used to connect the negative terminal of the battery 11.

[0136] For example, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, an MSD 15 can also be installed in the high-voltage box 12, and an MSD 23 can also be installed in the main high-voltage box 20. Both MSD 15 and MSD 23 are connected in series in the main circuit of the battery 11 and connected to the positive terminal of the battery 11. For example, a fuse unit can be integrated into MSD 15 and / or MSD 23. In this way, under high-voltage conditions, to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel or to respond to emergencies, the high-voltage circuit connection can be quickly disconnected, ensuring a relatively safe state for maintenance work. MSD 15 and MSD 23 can serve as both maintenance protection switches and short-circuit protection.

[0137] Specifically, the high-voltage box 12 can realize overload and short-circuit protection of the corresponding battery swapping unit 10 through MSD 15, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the high voltage of the battery swapping unit 10 to the outside during maintenance; the main high-voltage box 20 can realize overload and short-circuit protection of the entire battery system 1 through MSD 23, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the high voltage of the entire battery system 1 to the outside during maintenance.

[0138] For example, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, several current sensors 16 can also be installed in the high-voltage box 12. For example, N current sensors 16 can be installed in each of the parallel branches 1 to N, where at least one electrical box is connected in series on each branch. The current sensors 16 are used to detect the current in their respective branches. The current information corresponding to each branch can be sent to the SBMU 13 in real time so that the SBMU 13 can perform overcurrent judgment and state of charge (SOC) calculation.

[0139] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in addition to high-voltage lines, the battery system 1 is also equipped with low-voltage lines. The high-voltage lines are used to provide high-voltage power to the high-voltage electrical equipment in the vehicle, while the low-voltage lines are used to provide low-voltage power to low-voltage electrical modules such as SBMU 13, MBMU 21, and VCU 2, and are used for the transmission of low-voltage signals to achieve internal and external communication. Figure 2 The solid and dashed lines shown represent high-voltage and low-voltage lines, respectively. The high-voltage lines in the power swapping unit 10 are connected to the high-voltage lines in the main high-voltage box 20 through the high-voltage interface of the electrical connector 30, and the low-voltage lines in the power swapping unit 10 are connected to the low-voltage lines in the main high-voltage box 20 through the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector 30.

[0140] The main high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 are also equipped with various connectors, or interfaces. The following, in conjunction with... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The connectors on the main high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 are described in detail.

[0141] In some embodiments, the high-voltage box 12 includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector, for example, such as Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector E3 for connecting the main high-voltage box 20, and a branch connector E1 for connecting the battery on each branch. The main circuit connector E3 includes a main circuit positive connector E3+ and a main circuit negative connector E3-, and the branch connector E1 includes a branch positive connector E1+ and a branch negative connector E1-. The low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector E4 for connecting the main high-voltage box 20, and a low-voltage input / output connector for connecting the CSC on each branch. The low-voltage input / output connector includes a low-voltage output connector E21 and a low-voltage input connector E22. Through the high-voltage and low-voltage connectors in the high-voltage box 12, high-voltage and low-voltage connections are achieved between the high-voltage box 12 and the battery and the main high-voltage box 20, thereby enabling efficient transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0142] In some embodiments, such as Figure 2and Figure 3 As shown, the electrical connector 30 is mounted on the outer frame of the power swapping unit 10. The high-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the main circuit connector E3 from the high-voltage box 12, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector E4 from the high-voltage box 12.

[0143] In other words, the electrical connector 30 can be integrated into the outer frame of the battery swapping unit 10. Specifically, the main circuit connector E3 and the external low-voltage connector E4 on the high-voltage box 12 can be connected to the high-voltage and low-voltage interfaces of the electrical connector 30, respectively, so as to facilitate the connection between the high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20 through the electrical connector 30.

[0144] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector, for example, such as Figure 3 As shown, the high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector E5 for connecting to the high-voltage box 12 and a main circuit connector E6 for connecting to the VCU. Subsystem connector E5 includes a subsystem positive connector E5+ and a subsystem negative connector E5-, and main circuit connector E6 includes a main circuit positive connector E6+ and a main circuit negative connector E6-. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector E8 for communicating with the high-voltage box 12 and a low-voltage connector E9 for communicating with the VCU 2. Through the high-voltage and low-voltage connectors within the main high-voltage box 20, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be established between the main high-voltage box 20 and the battery and VCU 2, thereby enabling effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0145] Figure 4 The diagram shows that MBMU 21 can communicate with SBMU 13 in multiple power swapping units 10, MBMU 21 can communicate with the detection circuit in the main high-voltage box 20, and SBMU 13 can communicate with the detection circuit, CSC and current sensor in the corresponding slave high-voltage box 12 based on certain communication lines, such as through a controller area network (CAN) bus, to realize data transmission. Figure 4 The solid and dashed lines shown represent the high-speed CAN bus and the low-speed CAN bus, respectively.

[0146] This application embodiment also provides a power-on method for a battery system 1, which can effectively realize high-voltage power-on of the battery system 1. The battery system 1 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and its SBMU 13. The battery system 1 also includes an MBMU 21 connected to the SBMU 13 of the multiple battery swapping units 10.

[0147] Figure 5This is a flowchart illustrating the power-on method 100 according to an embodiment of this application. The power-on method 100 can be executed by the first battery management unit 13, the second battery management unit 21, and the vehicle control unit 2, etc. Figure 5 Taking the first battery management unit 13 as SBMU 13 and the second battery management unit 21 as MBMU 21 as an example. Figure 5 As shown, power-on method 100 includes some or all of the following steps.

[0148] In step 110, VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to MBMU 21.

[0149] The first power-on signal is used to instruct the MBMU 21 to control the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0150] The high-voltage power-on, also known as high-voltage power-on, means connecting the high-voltage lines in battery system 1.

[0151] In step 120, MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal sent by VCU 2.

[0152] In step 130, MBMU 21 responds to the first power-on signal by sending a second power-on signal to SBMU 13.

[0153] The second power-on signal is used to instruct SBMU 13 to control the corresponding power-on unit 10 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0154] In this embodiment of the application, when the battery system 1 is powered on at high voltage, the VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to the MBMU 21. The MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal sent by the VCU 2 and, in response to the first power-on signal, sends a second power-on signal to the SBMU 13. The SBMU 13 receives the second power-on signal and controls the corresponding battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on at high voltage according to the second power-on signal, thereby effectively realizing the high voltage power-on of the battery system 1.

[0155] In some embodiments, such as Figure 5 As shown, step 110 includes steps 111 and 112.

[0156] In step 111, VCU 2 determines whether battery system 1 meets the high-voltage power-on conditions.

[0157] In step 112, if the high voltage power-on condition is met, VCU 2 sends the first power-on signal to MBMU 21.

[0158] The high-voltage power-on conditions may include, for example, that all relays in battery system 1 are in the off state; and / or that the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to battery system 1 is not enabled.

[0159] High-voltage electrical equipment includes loads such as motors, oil pumps, and air conditioners in the vehicle. Before applying high voltage, VCU 2 needs to ensure that these high-voltage electrical devices are in a non-operating state and / or that the relays in the battery system 1 are all in the open state. Optionally, the conditions for applying high voltage may also include whether the vehicle is in neutral, drive, or whether any other faults have occurred. This reduces the risk of sudden activation of high-voltage electrical equipment after high voltage is applied.

[0160] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes: MBMU 21 determining the number of a plurality of power swapping units; wherein, in step 120, when the number of a plurality of power swapping units is equal to a preset number, MBMU 21 sends the second power-on signal to SBMU 13.

[0161] Before applying high-voltage power, MBMU 21 determines whether the number of battery swapping units equals the preset number. This avoids risks caused by battery swapping unit failures and improves the reliability of the power-on process for battery system 1. For example, in a warranty system, battery system 1 includes three battery swapping units 10. If a battery swapping unit 10 fails, the number of currently detected battery swapping units 10 may not be equal to three, indicating a mismatch in battery swapping system 1, requiring a fault report. MBMU 21 only sends the second power-on signal to SBMU 13 when it determines that the number of battery swapping units 10 equals the preset number, i.e., three, to instruct SBMU 13 to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to apply high-voltage power.

[0162] In some embodiments, the MBMU 21 can send an encoding signal to the SBMU 13 of the first battery swapping unit 10 among the plurality of battery swapping units 10. This encoding signal is used to be transmitted sequentially among the SBMUs 13 of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 to encode the plurality of battery swapping units 10 sequentially. The MBMU 21 receives the encoding result sent by the SBMU 13 of the last battery swapping unit 10 among the plurality of battery swapping units 10, and determines the number of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 based on the encoding result.

[0163] For example, such as Figure 6As shown, multiple battery swapping units 10 communicate using a counting-like method. Assume the battery system 1 is an N-pack system, meaning it includes N battery swapping units 10. In determining the current number of battery swapping units 10, MBMU 21 sends an coded signal to the SBMU 13 of the first battery swapping unit 10, carrying a number of 1. The SBMU 13 of the first battery swapping unit 10 then sends the same coded signal to the SBMU 13 of the second battery swapping unit 10, updating the number to 2; and so on. This coded signal is passed sequentially among the battery swapping units 10 until the SBMU 13 of the last battery swapping unit 10 receives it, updating the number to M. The SBMU 13 of the last battery swapping unit 10 sends the coded result M to MBMU 21. MBMU 21 receives the coded result M from the SBMU 13 of the last battery swapping unit 10 and determines whether the current number M of battery swapping units 10 is the preset number N. If M = N, the coding is successful and high-voltage power-on can proceed normally; if M ≠ N, MBMU 21 reports a fault message indicating a mismatch between the battery swapping system 1 and the system.

[0164] To mitigate the risks present in the battery system 1, the MBMU 21 can determine whether to apply high-voltage power to each battery swapping unit 10 based on its actual condition. For example, in some embodiments, step 120 may include steps 121 and 122.

[0165] In step 121, MBMU 21 identifies at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units 10.

[0166] In step 122, MBMU 21 sends the second power-on signal to SBMU 13 in at least one power swapping unit 10.

[0167] In some embodiments, in step 121, MBMU 21 can determine at least one power swapping unit 10 to be powered on from among the plurality of power swapping units 10 based on the voltage of the plurality of power swapping units 10.

[0168] For example, MBMU 21 may determine that at least one swapping unit 10 includes a swapping unit 10 whose voltage difference with the swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold when the voltage difference between the swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0169] For example, MBMU 21 can determine that at least one battery swapping unit 10 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery swapping units 10 is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0170] Specifically, firstly, the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage among the multiple battery swapping units 10 can be selected as one of the battery swapping units 10 to be powered on. This is because the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage also has the highest power, which is beneficial to the vehicle's range. Therefore, the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage can be preferentially selected as one of the battery swapping units 10 to be powered on.

[0171] Next, the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage and the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage is calculated, and the relationship between this voltage difference and a preset voltage threshold is determined. This voltage threshold can be determined based on the safety performance requirements of the battery system 1. If the voltage difference between the two battery swapping units 10 is greater than this voltage threshold, a large current flow may occur between them, thereby increasing the risk of the battery system 1.

[0172] If the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, then the voltage difference between the other battery swapping units 10 and the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage will also be less than or equal to the voltage threshold. Therefore, multiple battery swapping units 10 can be powered on at the same time, that is, at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on includes these multiple battery swapping units 10.

[0173] If the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, in order to reduce the risk in the battery system 1, only the battery swapping unit 10 whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage is within a predetermined range can be selected as the battery swapping unit 10 that needs to be powered on at high voltage. That is, at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on includes the battery swapping unit 10 whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0174] The battery swapping unit 10 also includes a high-voltage box 12 connected to the battery 11. The high-voltage box 12 is equipped with a first relay unit, such as a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay on the main circuit of the battery 11. Specifically, the second power-on signal is used to instruct the SBMU 13 to control the first relay unit in the corresponding battery swapping unit to close, so as to realize the high voltage power-on of the battery swapping unit 10.

[0175] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, in step 140, SBMU 13 receives the second power-on signal sent by MBMU 21.

[0176] In step 150, SBMU 13 controls the corresponding power-on unit 10 to perform high-voltage power-on according to the second power-on signal. For example, SBMU 13 controls the first relay unit in the corresponding power-on unit 10 to close.

[0177] In some embodiments, the battery system 1 further includes a main high-voltage box 20, which is connected to the high-voltage box 12 via a pluggable electrical connector 30. The main high-voltage box 20 is provided with a second relay unit, such as a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay connected in series in the main circuit of the battery 11.

[0178] Among them, such as Figure 7 As shown, in step 160, MBMU 21 controls the main high-voltage box 20 to be powered on. For example, after SBMU 13 controls the first relay unit in the secondary high-voltage box 12 of at least one power swapping unit 10 to close, MBMU 21 controls the second relay unit in the main high-voltage box 20 to close.

[0179] After all the relays in the first relay unit of the high-voltage box 12 of each power-swapping unit 10 to be powered on are closed, the MBMU 21 controls the relays in the second relay unit of the main high-voltage box 20 to close, enabling the energy provided by the batteries 11 of each power-swapping unit 10 to simultaneously reach the connected high-voltage electrical equipment, thus providing it with a more stable high-voltage signal. It can be understood that the first relay units in the high-voltage box 12 of each power-swapping unit 10 to be powered on can close simultaneously, or they can close sequentially.

[0180] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes steps 170, 180, and 190.

[0181] In step 170, after the second relay unit in the main high voltage box 20 is closed by the MBMU 21, the MBMU 21 sends a power-on completion signal to the VCU 2.

[0182] In step 180, VCU 2 receives a power-on completion signal sent by MBMU 21.

[0183] The power-on completion signal is used to indicate that the battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on.

[0184] In step 190, VCU 2 controls the relay in the main circuit between battery system 1 and high-voltage electrical equipment to close based on the power-on completion signal.

[0185] After the high-voltage power-on of battery system 1 is completed, MBMU 21 needs to inform VCU 2 that the high-voltage power-on of the battery has been completed, so that VCU 2 can control the vehicle to perform high-voltage power-on. Upon receiving the power-on completion signal from MBMU 21 and confirming that battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on, VCU 2 controls the relay in the main circuit between battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close. Adopting a "battery first, vehicle second" sequence for high-voltage power-on—that is, first powering on battery system 1 and then powering on the high-voltage electrical equipment in the vehicle—reduces the risks associated with sudden startup of high-voltage electrical equipment.

[0186] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes: MBMU 21 transmitting information about the allowable power P of the battery system 1, wherein the allowable power P of the battery system 1 is the sum of the allowable power of the plurality of battery swapping units 10.

[0187] MBMU 21 needs to provide information about its allowable power P to the outside world. For example, battery system 1 includes N battery swapping units 10, and the allowable powers of the N battery swapping units 10 are P1, P2, ..., Pn, respectively. Then P = P1 + P2 + ... + Pn. It can be understood that if a battery swapping unit 10 among the N battery swapping units 10 has a voltage that does not meet the aforementioned voltage threshold requirement or is powered down due to a fault or other reasons, then the allowable power P does not include the allowable power corresponding to these battery swapping units 10. That is, the allowable power P is the sum of the allowable powers of the remaining battery swapping units 10.

[0188] For example, MBMU 21 can send information about the allowable power P to VUC 2 so that VUC 2 knows the output power that battery system 1 can provide; or, for example, MBMU 21 can send information about the allowable power P to the charging device so that it can provide appropriate power when the charging device charges multiple battery swapping units 10 in battery system 1 at the same time.

[0189] In some embodiments, such as Figure 6 As shown, the power-on method 100 may further include steps 171 and 172.

[0190] In step 171, VCU 2 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-on according to the wake-up signal.

[0191] The aforementioned low-voltage power-on is also referred to as low-voltage power-on, that is, connecting the low-voltage circuit in battery system 1.

[0192] Since low-voltage power modules such as VCU 2 require low-voltage signals as power, VCU 2 needs to perform low-voltage power-on based on the received wake-up signal before controlling the vehicle to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0193] In step 172, MBMU 21 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-on according to the wake-up signal.

[0194] Since low-voltage power modules such as MBMU 21 and SBMU 13 require low-voltage signals as power, MBMU 21 needs to perform low-voltage power-on based on the received wake-up signal before controlling the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0195] The wake-up signal received by VCU 2 and MBMU 21 could be, for example, a signal triggered when starting the vehicle with a car key.

[0196] Figure 8 yes Figure 5 and Figure 7 The flowchart illustrates one possible specific implementation of the power-on method 100. As an example, such as... Figure 8 As shown, the power-on method 100 may include some or all of the steps 101 to 116.

[0197] In step 101, VCU 2 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-on.

[0198] In step 102, MBMU 21 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-on.

[0199] In step 103, VCU 2 determines whether the current high voltage power-on conditions are met.

[0200] First, if the high voltage condition is met, proceed to step 104.

[0201] In step 104, VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to MBMU 21.

[0202] In step 105, MBMU 21 encodes the multiple battery swapping units 10 and determines whether the number of codes for the multiple battery swapping units 10 is equal to the preset number.

[0203] In step 106, MBMU 21 detects whether it has received the first power-on signal sent by VCU 2.

[0204] If multiple battery swapping units 10 pass the coding in step 105, and MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal in step 106, then step 107 is executed. If multiple battery swapping units 10 fail the coding, MBMU 21 reports a fault message indicating a mismatch in battery system 1.

[0205] In step 107, MBMU 21 identifies at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units 10.

[0206] For example, at least one power swapping unit 10 to be powered on can be determined based on the voltage of multiple power swapping units 10, wherein the voltage difference between any two power swapping units 10 is less than a voltage threshold.

[0207] In step 108, MBMU 21 sends a second power-on signal to SBMU 13 corresponding to the power-on battery swapping unit 10.

[0208] After receiving the second power-on signal, SBMU 13 controls the corresponding main positive relay and main negative relay connected in series with battery 11 in high voltage box 12 to close, so as to complete the high voltage power-on in high voltage box 12 and connect the high voltage line in high voltage box 12.

[0209] In step 109, MBMU 21 controls the main positive relay and main negative relay connected in series with battery 11 in the main high voltage box 20 to close, so as to complete the high voltage power supply in the main high voltage box 20 and connect the high voltage line in the main high voltage box 20.

[0210] In step 110, MBMU 21 determines whether battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on.

[0211] If battery system 1 successfully powers on at high voltage, proceed to step 111; otherwise, powering on at high voltage fails.

[0212] In step 111, MBMU 21 sends a power-on completion signal to VCU 2.

[0213] In step 112, VCU 2 detects whether it has received a power-on completion signal sent by MBMU 21.

[0214] If VCU 2 receives the power-on completion signal in step 112, then step 113 is executed.

[0215] In step 113, VCU 2 controls the relay on the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close, so that the vehicle end is powered on by high voltage.

[0216] In step 114, VCU 2 determines whether the relays on the main circuit of the vehicle are closed.

[0217] If all relays on the main circuit of the vehicle are closed, the vehicle is successfully powered on and step 115 is executed; otherwise, the vehicle is powered on but fails.

[0218] In step 115, the high-voltage power-on is completed.

[0219] This application embodiment also provides a high-voltage box applied to a battery system 1. The high-voltage box is the main high-voltage box 20 of the battery system 1. The battery system 1 also includes multiple battery swapping units 10 connected in parallel. Each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a connected slave high-voltage box 12. The main high-voltage box 20 is connected to the slave high-voltage box 12 through a pluggable electrical connector 30. The slave high-voltage box 12 includes a first battery management unit 13 of the battery 11. The main high-voltage box 20 includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 of the multiple battery swapping units 10.

[0220] In this embodiment of the application, the main high-voltage box 20 and the secondary high-voltage box 12 of the multiple parallel battery swapping units 10 are connected through a pluggable electrical connector 30. Therefore, the multiple battery swapping units 10 can be disassembled independently, and the multiple battery swapping units 10 do not need to be used together. Only some of the battery swapping units 10 can be replaced and charged, and the mixed use of battery swapping units 10 is supported, resulting in higher battery swapping efficiency and facilitating the construction and operation of battery swapping stations.

[0221] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage line in the main high-voltage box 20 is connected to the high-voltage line in the secondary high-voltage box 12 through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the secondary high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the secondary high-voltage box 12 through the low-voltage interface.

[0222] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the secondary high-voltage box 12 also include an insulation detector for detecting the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground. The insulation detectors in the main high-voltage box 20 and the secondary high-voltage box 12 are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously.

[0223] In some embodiments, when the battery system 1 is installed in an electrical device, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 is configured to be enabled, and the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system 1 is being charged in a battery swapping station, the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box 12 is configured to be enabled.

[0224] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the secondary high-voltage box 12 further include a high-voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relay.

[0225] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 is disposed on the outer frame of the power swapping unit 10. The high-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the main circuit connector E3 from the high-voltage box 12, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector E4 from the high-voltage box 12.

[0226] In some embodiments, the main high voltage box 20 further includes a main positive relay K3 connected to the positive terminal of the main high voltage box 20, and / or a main negative relay K4 connected to the negative terminal of the main high voltage box 20.

[0227] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box 20 further includes a positive charging relay K5 connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box 20, and / or a negative charging relay K6 connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box 20. The positive charging relay K5 and the negative charging relay K6 are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system 1.

[0228] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector E5 for connecting to the high-voltage box 12 and a main circuit connector E6 for connecting to the vehicle control unit 2. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector E8 for communicating with the high-voltage box 12 and a low-voltage connector E9 for communicating with the vehicle control unit 2.

[0229] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the secondary high-voltage box 12 also include a manual maintenance switch, which integrates a fuse unit.

[0230] It is understandable that the specific details of the main high voltage box 20 can be referred to in the aforementioned description of the battery system 1, and will not be repeated here for the sake of brevity.

[0231] This application embodiment also provides a battery swapping device 3, applied to a battery system 1. The battery system 1 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a first battery management unit 13. The battery system 1 further includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 among the multiple battery swapping units 10. The battery swapping device 3 may, for example, be the second battery management unit 21. Figure 9 The schematic block diagram of the battery swapping device 3 shown includes a receiving module 310 and a transmitting module 320. The receiving module 310 receives a first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit 2. The transmitting module 320, in response to the first power-on signal, sends a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit 13, which instructs the first battery management unit 13 to control the corresponding battery swapping unit 10 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0232] In some embodiments, the battery swapping device 3 further includes a processing module 330, which is used to determine the number of the plurality of battery swapping units 10; wherein, the sending module 320 is specifically used to send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit 13 when the number of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 is equal to a preset number.

[0233] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically configured to: control the sending module 320 to send an encoding signal to the first battery management unit 13 of the first battery swapping unit 10 among the plurality of battery swapping units 10, the encoding signal being transmitted sequentially among the first battery management units 13 of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 to encode the plurality of battery swapping units 10 sequentially; control the receiving module to receive the encoding result sent by the first battery management unit 13 of the last battery swapping unit 10 among the plurality of battery swapping units 10; and determine the number of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 based on the encoding result.

[0234] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is further configured to: determine at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on among a plurality of battery swapping units 10; the sending module 320 is specifically configured to: send a second power-on signal to a first battery management unit 13 in at least one battery swapping unit 10.

[0235] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically configured to: determine at least one power-on unit 10 among the plurality of power-on units 10 based on the voltage of the plurality of power-on units 10.

[0236] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically configured to: determine that at least one power swapping unit 10 includes a power swapping unit 10 whose voltage difference with the power swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold when the voltage difference between the power swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the power swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0237] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically configured to: determine that at least one battery swapping unit 10 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 if the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit 10 with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery swapping units 10 is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0238] In some embodiments, the battery swapping unit 10 further includes a high-voltage box 12 connected to the battery 11, the high-voltage box 12 including a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit 13 to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0239] In some embodiments, the battery system 1 further includes a main high-voltage box 20, which is connected to the high-voltage box 12 via a pluggable electrical connector 30. The main high-voltage box 20 includes a second relay unit. The processing module 330 is further configured to: control the second relay unit to close after the first relay unit in at least one battery swapping unit 10 has closed.

[0240] In some embodiments, the sending module 320 is further configured to: send a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit 2 after the second relay unit is closed.

[0241] In some embodiments, the transmitting module 320 is further configured to: transmit information on the allowable power of the battery system 1, wherein the allowable power of the battery system 1 is the sum of the allowable power of the plurality of battery swapping units 10.

[0242] In some embodiments, the receiving module 310 is further configured to: receive a wake-up signal; the processing module 330 is further configured to: power on the second battery management unit 21 at low voltage according to the wake-up signal.

[0243] It is understood that the battery swapping device 3 is used to perform the part of the power-on method 100 described above that is executed by the second battery management unit 21. For specific details of the battery swapping device 3, please refer to the aforementioned description of the power-on method 100. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0244] This application embodiment also provides a battery swapping device applied to a battery system 1. The battery system 1 includes multiple battery swapping units 10 connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a first battery management unit 13. The battery system 1 also includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 among the multiple battery swapping units 10. The battery swapping device may be, for example, a vehicle control unit 2. The battery swapping device includes a processing module and a transmitting module. The processing module is used to determine whether the battery system 1 meets the high-voltage power-on conditions. The transmitting module is used to send a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit 21 when the high-voltage power-on conditions are met. The first power-on signal instructs the second battery management unit 21 to control the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0245] In some embodiments, the high-voltage power-on conditions include at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system 1 are in the off state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system 1 is not enabled.

[0246] In some embodiments, the battery swapping device further includes a receiving module, which is configured to: receive a power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit 21, the power-on completion signal being used to indicate that the battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on; the processing module is further configured to: control the relay in the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close according to the power-on completion signal.

[0247] In some embodiments, the battery swapping device further includes a receiving module, which is configured to: receive a wake-up signal; and the processing module is further configured to: power on the vehicle control unit 2 at low voltage according to the wake-up signal.

[0248] It is understood that the battery swapping device is used to perform the part of the power-on method 100 described above that is executed by the vehicle control unit 2. For specific details of the battery swapping device, please refer to the aforementioned description of the power-on method 100. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0249] This application also provides a battery swapping device, including a processor and a memory. The memory is used to store computer programs, and the processor is used to call and use the computer programs stored in the memory to execute the part of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0250] This application also provides a chip, including a processor, which is used to call and apply a computer program from a memory, causing a device equipped with the chip to execute the part of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0251] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program that causes a computer to execute the portion of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0252] This application embodiment also provides an electrical device, including the battery system 1 described in any of the above embodiments, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system 1, wherein the battery system 1 is used to provide power to the high-voltage electrical device.

[0253] When the electrical device is powered by the battery system 1, the electrical device may be, for example, a heavy-duty truck. Optionally, the heavy-duty truck may be a 6x4 tractor or an 8x4 dump truck. This application embodiment does not limit the type of heavy-duty truck. Of course, the battery system 1 in this application embodiment can also be applied to passenger cars or other single-pack battery swapping vehicle models.

[0254] It should be noted that, without conflict, the various embodiments and / or technical features described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other, and the resulting technical solutions should also fall within the protection scope of this application.

[0255] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the units and algorithm steps of the various examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0256] Those skilled in the art will understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, the specific working processes of the systems, devices, and units described above can be referred to the corresponding processes in the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0257] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, apparatuses, and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another system, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between apparatuses or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0258] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. The components shown as units may or may not be physical units; that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

Claims

1. A method for powering on a battery system, characterized in that, The battery system includes multiple battery swapping units connected in parallel, each battery swapping unit including a battery and a connected slave high-voltage box. The slave high-voltage box includes a first battery management unit for the battery. The battery system also includes a main high-voltage box. The slave high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box are connected via a pluggable electrical connector. The main high-voltage box includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit of the multiple battery swapping units. The power-on method is performed by the second battery management unit, and the power-on method includes: Receive the first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit; In response to the first power-on signal, a second power-on signal is sent to the first battery management unit. The second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to perform high-voltage power-on. Sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: At least one battery swapping unit to be powered on is determined from the plurality of battery swapping units; Send the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit in the at least one battery swapping unit; The step of determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units includes: Based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units, at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on is determined from among the plurality of battery swapping units; The step of determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units includes: If the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage among the plurality of battery swapping units is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, then the at least one battery swapping unit is determined to include a battery swapping unit whose voltage difference with the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

2. The power-on method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The power-on method further includes: Determine the number of the plurality of battery swapping units; The step of sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: When the number of the plurality of battery swapping units is equal to a preset number, the second power-on signal is sent to the first battery management unit.

3. The power-on method according to claim 2, characterized in that, Determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units includes: An encoding signal is sent to the first battery management unit of the first battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units. The encoding signal is used to be transmitted sequentially among the first battery management units among the plurality of battery swapping units to encode the plurality of battery swapping units sequentially. Receive the encoding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery swapping unit among the plurality of battery swapping units; The number of the plurality of battery swapping units is determined based on the encoding results.

4. The power-on method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The step of determining at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on from among the plurality of battery swapping units based on the voltage of the plurality of battery swapping units includes: If the voltage difference between the battery swapping unit with the highest voltage and the battery swapping unit with the lowest voltage among the plurality of battery swapping units is less than or equal to a voltage threshold, then the at least one battery swapping unit is determined to include the plurality of battery swapping units.

5. The power-on method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The battery swapping unit also includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery. The slave high-voltage box includes a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

6. The power-on method according to claim 5, characterized in that, The battery system further includes a main high-voltage box, and the secondary high-voltage box is connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector. The main high-voltage box includes a second relay unit, and the power-on method further includes: After the first relay unit in the at least one battery swapping unit is closed, the second relay unit is controlled to close.

7. The power-on method according to claim 6, characterized in that, The power-on method further includes: After the second relay unit closes, a power-on completion signal is sent to the vehicle control unit.

8. The power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The power-on method further includes: Send information about the allowable power of the battery system, wherein the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable power of the plurality of battery swapping units.

9. The power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The power-on method further includes: Receive wake-up signal; Based on the wake-up signal, the second battery management unit is powered on at low voltage.

10. A battery system, characterized in that, include: Multiple battery swapping units are connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit includes a battery and a connected high-voltage box, and the high-voltage box includes a first battery management unit of the battery. as well as, The main high voltage box is connected to the secondary high voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector. The main high voltage box includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit in the plurality of battery swapping units. The second battery management unit is used to perform the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. The battery system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage line in the main high-voltage box through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the main high-voltage box through the low-voltage interface.

12. The battery system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box also include an insulation detector, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to be disabled from being enabled simultaneously.

13. The battery system according to claim 12, characterized in that, When the battery system is installed in an electrical appliance, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation detector in the secondary high-voltage box is configured to be disabled. And / or, when the battery system is being charged within the battery swapping station, the insulation detector from the high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

14. The battery system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit, which is used to detect the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relay.

15. The battery system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The high-voltage box also includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the high-voltage box.

16. The battery system according to claim 10, characterized in that, The high-voltage box includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector for connecting to the main high-voltage box and a branch connector for connecting the batteries on each branch. The low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector for connecting to the main high-voltage box and a low-voltage input / output connector for connecting the cell sampling circuit of the batteries on each branch.

17. The battery system according to claim 16, characterized in that, The electrical connector is mounted on the outer frame of the battery swapping unit. The high-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the main circuit connector of the high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector of the high-voltage box.

18. The battery system according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, A current sensor is installed on each branch inside the high-voltage box, and the current sensor is used to detect the current on the corresponding branch.

19. The battery system according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box also includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box.

20. The battery system according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box also includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The positive charging relay and the negative charging relay are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system.

21. The battery system according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box also includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit.

22. The battery system according to any one of claims 10 to 17, characterized in that, The main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box also include a manual maintenance switch, which integrates a fuse unit.

23. A battery swapping device, characterized in that, Used to perform the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

24. A battery swapping device, characterized in that, It includes a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store a computer program, and the processor being used to invoke and utilize the computer program stored in the memory to perform the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

25. A chip, characterized in that, Includes a processor for retrieving and applying a computer program from a memory, causing a device on which the chip is mounted to perform a power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

26. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, Used to store a computer program that causes a computer to perform the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

27. An electrical appliance, characterized in that, The battery system includes any one of claims 10 to 22, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system, wherein the battery system is used to provide power to the high-voltage electrical device.

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