Battery device and battery device application determination method

Abstract

A battery device installed in a system may include: a control IC for controlling an operation of the battery device; a memory for storing a plurality of applications corresponding to the plurality of systems; and switching logic that confirms a protocol version in a message received from the system in a mode in which the battery device cannot perform the power operation, and provides an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol among the plurality of applications to the control IC, the protocol version being an identification ID for identifying the system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0158746, filed on November 23, 2022, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present disclosure relates to a battery device and a method for determining application of the battery device. Background Art

[0004] Multiple systems can each use multiple interchangeable batteries. Conventionally, a replacement battery (hereinafter, a replacement battery) may not operate based on the system in which the replacement battery is installed. That is, the replacement battery can provide the same functionality to the corresponding system regardless of the system in which the replacement battery is installed.

[0005] Recently, a replacement battery may be installed into a system by using a battery swap station (BSS), and the replacement battery may identify the system by communicating via a controller area network (CAN) with the system in which the replacement battery is installed. An application switching function may be provided to the replacement battery so that the replacement battery may operate in a manner suitable for the characteristics of the identified system. After the replacement battery is installed into a certain system, the replacement battery may periodically receive data from the system, and the data periodically received by the replacement battery may include errors. Due to the error, the replacement battery may recognize that the system in which the replacement battery is installed has been changed, or may fail to recognize the system. This problem may cause a malfunction of the replacement battery. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] The present disclosure attempts to provide a battery device that can distinguish and identify a plurality of systems and perform operations based on the identification results.

[0008] Technical Solution

[0009] According to an embodiment, a battery device installed in a system is provided, the device including: a control integrated circuit (IC) that controls the operation of the battery device; a memory that stores multiple applications corresponding to multiple systems, respectively; and a switching logic that confirms a protocol version in a message received from the system in a mode in which the battery device cannot perform power operations, and provides the control IC with an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version among multiple applications, the protocol version being an identification ID for identifying the system.

[0010] The apparatus may further include a communication device that receives a message from the system via a controller area network (CAN) communication and delivers the received message to the switching logic, wherein the message is a CAN message.

[0011] The mode may include a sleep mode in which the battery device performs only a monitoring operation for detecting an abnormal state of the battery device with low power.

[0012] The modes may include a shutdown mode in which power is supplied only to the control IC.

[0013] The control IC may control the operation of the battery device based on the application provided from the switching logic.

[0014] According to another embodiment, a method for determining an application of a battery device is provided, which may include the following steps: a communication device receives a message from any system; a switching logic determines whether the battery device is in a specific mode; when the battery device is in a specific mode as a result of the determination, the switching logic derives a protocol version from a message provided by the self-communication device, the protocol version being an identification ID for identifying any of the above systems; the switching logic confirms the derived protocol version, and the switching logic selects an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version; the switching logic provides the selected application to a control integrated circuit (IC); and the control IC performs a control operation based on the provided application. The specific mode may indicate a state in which the battery device cannot operate.

[0015] The message may be a Controller Area Network (CAN) message received via CAN communication between the communication device and any of the above systems.

[0016] The specific mode may include a sleep mode in which the battery device performs only a monitoring operation for detecting an abnormal state of the battery device with low power.

[0017] The specific mode may include a shutdown mode in which power is supplied only to the control IC.

[0018] The step of determining whether the battery device is in a specific mode may include the steps of: requesting information about the mode from the control IC by the switching logic; and delivering the information about the mode to the switching logic by the control IC in response to the request.

[0019] Beneficial Effects

[0020] A battery device that can distinguish and identify a plurality of systems through communication and operate based on the identification result, and an application determination method of the battery device can be provided. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a battery device according to an embodiment and a certain system in which the battery device is mounted.

[0022] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining application of a battery device according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] The terms "module" and / or "unit" used for the components described in the following description are only used to make the specification easy to understand. Therefore, these terms themselves have no meaning or function that is different from each other. In addition, the terms "... part", "... module", "device" and the like described in the specification indicate a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which can be implemented by hardware or software or a combination of hardware and software.

[0024] In addition, when it is considered that a detailed description of known technologies related to the present disclosure may obscure the main points of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, it should be understood that the drawings are provided only to enable easy understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and the spirit of the present disclosure is not limited by the drawings, and includes all modifications, equivalents and substitutions included in the spirit and technical scope of the present disclosure.

[0025] Terms including ordinal numbers such as "first", "second", etc. may be used to describe various components. However, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component.

[0026] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being “connected to” or “coupled to” another component, the component may be directly connected to or directly coupled to the other component, or may be connected to or coupled to the other component with a third component interposed therebetween. On the other hand, it should be understood that when an element is referred to as being “directly connected to” or “directly coupled to” another element, it may be connected to or coupled to the other element without a third component interposed therebetween.

[0027] It should be understood that the terms "including", "having", etc. used in this application specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or a combination thereof mentioned in the specification, and do not exclude the existence or possible addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or a combination thereof.

[0028] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing a battery device according to an embodiment and a certain system in which the battery device is mounted.

[0029] There may be a system group that can replace batteries at a battery swap station (BSS) and use replacement batteries. The system group may include multiple systems 1 to N, and each of the multiple systems 1 to N may have different power operations that need to be provided from a battery device. Power operations may include operations that provide power to the system from a battery device. The system may be an electrical load that requires various types of power, such as a vehicle or a robot. Each system may have different rated voltages, rated currents, etc. of power that needs to be provided from a battery. When multiple systems 1 to N are electrically connected to each other by each having a battery device 1 installed therein, the corresponding system may be a main system of the battery device 1, and the main system sends a control instruction for controlling the power operation of the battery device 1.

[0030] The battery device 1 can operate based on an application that generates a control signal for controlling the power operation by processing and calculating a control instruction received from the main system. Figure 1 As shown, the battery device 1 can be installed in the system i (or system 2), and the system i or 2 can send the protocol version of the system i or 2. The protocol version can be an identification ID for identifying each of a plurality of systems 1 to N, and each system can be given a unique identification ID, that is, a protocol version. The battery device 1 can identify the system i or 2 as the main system by using the protocol version received from the system i or 2. The system i or 2 can be the main system of the battery device 1, and sends a control instruction instructing power supply to the battery device 1.

[0031] like Figure 1 As shown, the battery device 1 may include a battery management system 10 , a battery pack 20 , a communication device 30 , a current sensor 40 , and a relay 50 .

[0032] The communication device 30 may provide communication between the battery device 1 and the system i or 2. For example, when the battery device 1 and the system i or 2 send and receive information through a controller area network (CAN) communication, the communication device 30 may include a CAN transceiver. The communication method between the battery device 1 and the system i or 2 is not limited to CAN communication, and the communication device 30 may be implemented based on the communication method between the battery device 1 and the system i or 2. The communication device 30 may deliver the received information to the battery management system 10, and transmit the information provided from the battery management system 10 to the outside.

[0033] The battery pack 20 may include a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series, in parallel, or in series and parallel. Figure 1Only one battery pack 20 is shown. However, the battery device 1 may include two or more battery packs, and in this case, the plurality of battery packs may be connected in series, in parallel, or in series and parallel with each other. The relay 50 may be electrically connected between the positive (+) and negative (-) electrodes of the battery pack 20 and the positive (+) and negative (-) output terminals of the battery device 1. The relay 50 may be opened or closed by the control of the battery management system 20.

[0034] The current sensor 40 can measure the pack current flowing through the battery pack 20. For example, when power is supplied from the battery device 1 to the system i or 2, the pack current flowing from the battery pack 20 to the system i or 2 can be measured. In addition, when the battery device 1 is charged, the current sensor 40 can measure the pack current supplied to the battery pack 20. The current sensor 40 can be implemented as a Hall sensor. Figure 1 As shown, the current sensor 40 may be disposed between the positive (+) output terminal and the positive (+) electrode of the battery pack 20 . Figure 1 The position of the current sensor 40 shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0035] The battery management system 10 may monitor the battery pack 20 by acquiring various information indicating the state of the battery pack 20 (hereinafter, state information), control the charging or discharging of the battery pack 20 based on the monitoring result, control the cell balancing operation of the plurality of battery cells, and control the protection operation of the battery pack 20. The state information may include information about the voltages of the plurality of battery cells, and the battery management system 10 may be connected to the plurality of battery cells included in the battery pack 20 to measure the cell voltages. The state information may include information about the pack current, and the current sensor 40 may measure the current flowing through the battery pack 20 and provide the information about the pack current to the battery management system 10. The battery management system 10 may detect an abnormal event that may occur in the battery pack 20, such as overvoltage, overcurrent, or overheating, and initiate a protection operation for the detected abnormal state.

[0036] The battery management system 10 may include an application implemented as a program, which is an instruction set required for controlling and executing a monitoring operation, a charging or discharging control operation, a cell balancing control operation, a protection operation, etc. The battery management system 10 may include a plurality of applications corresponding to at least some of the plurality of systems 1 to N, respectively. The battery management system 10 may be executed by selecting an application corresponding to a main system (i.e., a system in which the battery device 1 is installed) from among the plurality of applications. As the corresponding application is executed, the battery management system 10 may control the monitoring operation, the charging or discharging operation, the cell balancing operation, and the protection operation.

[0037] The battery management system 10 includes a main control circuit 11 and a monitoring integrated circuit (IC) 12 , and the main control circuit 11 includes a switching logic 111 , a memory 112 , and a control IC 113 .

[0038] The monitoring IC 12 may be connected to each of a plurality of battery cells included in the battery pack 20 to measure voltages of the plurality of battery cells and a battery pack voltage, which is a voltage across the battery pack 10. The monitoring IC 12 may measure a temperature of the battery pack 20. The monitoring IC 12 may perform cell balancing of the plurality of battery cells under the control of the control IC 113.

[0039] The control IC 113 may execute the application delivered by the switching logic 111, thereby controlling and executing monitoring operations, charging or discharging operations, cell balancing operations, and protection operations. For example, the control IC 113 may provide a cell voltage measurement control signal per each monitoring cycle, thereby controlling the cell voltage measurement of each of the plurality of battery cells. The control IC 113 may control the charging or discharging operation by controlling its connection to the relay 50 and disconnection from the relay 50. The control IC 113 may provide a cell balancing control signal to the monitoring IC 12, thereby controlling the cell balancing operation for the battery cell in the overvoltage state among the plurality of battery cells. The control IC 113 may control the protection operation by detecting an abnormal state and then disconnecting the relay 50 therefrom.

[0040] The memory 112 may store each of the plurality of applications No. 112_1 to No. 112_M in each of the plurality of application storage areas. Each of the plurality of applications No. 112_1 to No. 112_M may be an application for a corresponding system in the plurality of systems 1 to M. "M" may be a natural number less than or equal to "N". The memory 112 may be implemented as a non-volatile memory. Each of the plurality of application storage areas may be distinguished by an address in the memory 112.

[0041] The switching logic 111 may receive a CAN message received by the communication device 30 in a specific mode, and derive a protocol version of the host system from the CAN message. The switching logic 111 may confirm the derived protocol version as indicating the protocol version of the host system in which the battery device 1 is currently installed. The switching logic 111 may confirm an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version among the plurality of applications No. 112_1 to No. 112_M, and provide the confirmed application to the control IC 113.

[0042] The specific mode may be a mode about the state of the battery device 1, which may include some modes other than the working mode and the standby mode. The battery device 1 generally performs power operation (or its charging or discharging) in the working mode. The standby mode indicates a standby state in which the power operation can be performed. The normal mode includes the working mode and the standby mode. In the working mode, the battery device 1 actually performs the power operation, and in the standby mode, the battery device 1 is in a standby state in which the battery device 1 can perform the power operation without actually performing the power operation. The specific mode may include a mode other than the normal mode in which the battery device 1 cannot perform the power operation. For example, the specific mode may include a sleep mode and a shutdown mode. The sleep mode may indicate a state in which the battery device 1 performs only a determined specific operation in a low power state. The specific operation may include only a monitoring operation for detecting an abnormal state of the battery device 1. The shutdown mode may indicate a state in which power is supplied only to the control IC 113 of the battery device 1. In the shutdown mode, the battery device 1 is actually in a stopped state. Each of the sleep mode and the shutdown mode is an example of a state in which the battery device 1 does not perform a power operation, and the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The sleep mode and the power-off mode may be determined in various ways based on its design.

[0043] The switching logic 111 may determine an address indicating an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version, and read the application from an application storage area corresponding to the determined address, thereby providing the application to the control IC 113 .

[0044] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating a method for determining application of a battery device according to another embodiment.

[0045] The communication device 30 can receive a message from any system at any time point (S1). For example, the communication device 30 can receive a CAN message through CAN communication. The CAN message can include a protocol version. The communication device 30 can deliver the received message to the control IC 113 and the switching logic 111. Figure 1 It is shown that the communication device 30 can provide the message to the switching logic 111 and the control IC 113. However, the communication device 30 may provide the CAN message only to the switching logic 111. Alternatively, the communication device 30 may provide the CAN message only to the control IC 113, and the control IC 113 may deliver the CAN message to the switching logic 111. In this case, the control IC 113 may be required to at least perform an operation of delivering the message provided from the communication device 30 to the switching logic 111 in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode.

[0046] The switching logic 111 may determine whether the battery device 1 is in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode when the message is provided from the communication device 30 (S2). For example, the switching logic 111 may request the control IC 113 for information about the mode (S21), and receive the information about the mode in response to the request (S22). When there is no response within a predetermined period of time after requesting the control IC 113 for information about the mode, the switching logic 111 may determine that the battery device 1 is in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode.

[0047] As a result of the determination in step S2, when the battery device 1 is in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode, the switching logic 111 may derive the protocol version from the message (S3). As a result of the determination in step S2, when the battery device 1 is not in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode, the switching logic 111 may not respond to the message. Whenever the switching logic 111 receives a message from the communication device 30, steps S21, S22, and S2 may be repeated. The control IC 113 may control the battery device 1 in the standby mode or the working mode based on the current application.

[0048] After step S3 , the switching logic 111 may confirm the derived protocol version and select an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version ( S4 ).

[0049] The switching logic 111 may provide the selected application to the control IC 113 (S5). The control IC 113 may perform a control operation based on the application provided by the switching logic 111 (S6).

[0050] Therefore, the main control circuit 11 of the battery device 1 according to the embodiment can derive and confirm the protocol version from the message received from the main system only when the battery device 1 is in the sleep mode or the shutdown mode. Thus, even if the main system in which the battery device 1 is installed sends a message including an incorrect protocol version to the battery device 1 during its operation, the battery device 1 can ignore the protocol version included in the message and operate stably based on the application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version. Therefore, the incorrect protocol version received from the system can be identified, thereby solving the malfunction of the conventional battery device.

[0051] Although the embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. That is, various modifications and substitutions made by those skilled in the art by using the basic concepts of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A battery device, the battery device being installed in a system, the device comprising: a control integrated circuit IC, the control integrated circuit controlling the operation of the battery device; A memory storing a plurality of applications corresponding to the plurality of systems respectively; as well as A switching logic that confirms a protocol version in a message received from the system in a mode in which the battery device cannot perform power operation, and provides the control IC with an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version among the multiple applications, the protocol version being an identification ID for identifying the system.

2. The battery device according to claim 1, further comprising: a communication device, the communication device receiving the message from the system via a controller area network (CAN) communication and delivering the received message to the switching logic, Wherein, the message is a CAN message.

3. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: The modes include: A sleep mode in which the battery device performs only a monitoring operation for detecting an abnormal state of the battery device at low power.

4. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: The modes include: A shutdown mode in which power is supplied only to the control IC.

5. The battery device according to claim 1, wherein: The control IC: The operation of the battery device is controlled based on the application provided from the switching logic.

6. A method for determining application of a battery device, the method comprising the following steps: Receiving a message from any system by the communication device; determining, by switching logic, whether the battery device is in a specific mode; When the battery device is in the specific mode as a result of the determination, the switching logic derives a protocol version from the message provided from the communication device, the protocol version being an identification ID for identifying the arbitrary system; The switching logic confirms the obtained protocol version, and the switching logic selects an application corresponding to the confirmed protocol version; The switching logic provides the selected application to the control integrated circuit IC; as well as The control operation is performed by the control IC based on the provided application, The specific mode indicates a state in which the battery device cannot operate.

7. The method for determining application of a battery device according to claim 6, wherein: The message is a Controller Area Network (CAN) message received through CAN communication between the communication device and the arbitrary system.

8. The method for determining application of a battery device according to claim 6, wherein: The specific modes include: A sleep mode in which the battery device performs only a monitoring operation for detecting an abnormal state of the battery device at low power.

9. The method for determining application of a battery device according to claim 6, wherein: The specific modes include: A shutdown mode in which power is supplied only to the control IC.

10. The method for determining application of a battery device according to claim 6, wherein: The step of determining whether the battery device is in the specific mode comprises the following steps: requesting, by the switching logic, information about the mode from the control IC; and The information about the mode is delivered by the control IC to the switching logic in response to the request.

Images