Bridged communication device and battery monitoring system and method

Abstract

Bridged communication devices and battery monitoring systems and methods are provided. In a bridge communication device that receives battery status information from a monitoring device: an upstream port may transmit information to an upstream bridge communication device; the downstream port may transmit information to a downstream bridging communication device; if the master communication module is enabled to communicate with the controller, the master communication module may transmit information to the controller; and if the master communication module is not enabled to communicate with the controller, the slave communication module can operate in an upstream mode or a downstream mode. In the upstream mode, the slave communication module transmits information to the controller through the upstream port and the upstream bridge communication device. In a downstream mode, the slave communication module transmits information to the controller through the downstream port and the downstream bridge communication device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of battery monitoring, and in particular to a bridge communication device related to battery monitoring, and a battery monitoring system and method. Background Art

[0002] Figure 1A 1 shows a block diagram of a conventional battery monitoring system 100 for monitoring battery groups 110_1-110_n (n=2, 3, 4, ...). Each of the batteries 110_1-110_n includes a plurality of battery cells. The batteries 110_1-110_n can be used in high-power application environments, such as electric vehicles, power walls, etc. Figure 1A As shown, the battery monitoring system 100 includes a group of battery monitoring devices 104_1-104_n (for example, each battery monitoring device may include a digital front end (Digital FrontEnd, DFE)). Each battery monitoring device 104_1-104_n is coupled to a corresponding battery in the batteries 110_1-110_n, and is configured to monitor the state of the corresponding battery (for example, battery cell voltage, battery current, etc.) to generate a signal indicating the monitored state. These signals can be transmitted to the controller 114. Because the power supply voltage of the controller 114 is different from the power supply voltage of each DFE, and they are not connected to the same reference ground, isolators 108_1-108_n are set between the controller 114 and each DFE to isolate / block the DC (Direct Current) component in the communication signal between the controller 114 and each DFE, and allow the AC (Alternating Current) component in the communication signal to pass. More specifically, the controller 114 may be powered by a lower voltage (e.g., 12 volts), while some of the batteries 110_1-110_n are at a higher voltage level (e.g., 100 volts, 200 volts, 400 volts, etc.). Each of the isolators 108_1-108_n may include a transformer circuit. The transformer circuit may isolate the controller 114 from the higher voltage level (e.g., 100 volts, 200 volts, 400 volts, etc.) and allow the controller 114 to receive battery status information from the DFE.

[0003] like Figure 1AAs shown, each isolator 108_1-108_n includes a plurality of pins for communicating with the controller 114. Therefore, in order to communicate with all isolators 108_1-108_n, the controller 114 needs to be designed to include a large number of pins to connect to all isolators 108_1-108_n, which increases the size and cost of the entire system. In addition, if the controller 114 communicates with the isolators 108_1-108_n in parallel at the same time, the communication burden is heavy. Therefore, the controller 114 is usually configured to communicate with each of the isolators 108_1-108_n one by one to reduce the communication burden, which may slow down the communication process.

[0004] Figure 1B 1 shows a system block diagram for a case where the controller 114 is placed far from the battery monitoring system 100. For example, in an electric vehicle, the controller 114 is typically placed at the front of the vehicle and is powered by a low voltage (e.g., 12 volt) battery 116. Higher voltage (e.g., approximately 400 volts, 800 volts, etc.) batteries 110_1-110_n are typically placed at the bottom of the vehicle, and the battery monitoring system 100 is typically placed next to the batteries 110_1-110_n. Figure 1B As shown, the controller 114 is placed at a remote location (eg, 1 meter, 2 meters, etc. away from the battery monitoring system 100 ). Therefore, each isolator 108_1 - 108_n needs to be coupled to the controller 114 using a long cable.

[0005] Therefore, in Figure 1B In the illustrated scenario, the controller 114 is connected to the isolators 108_1-108_n via multiple long cables, which may further increase the cost of the system. Due to the long length of the cables, these cables may have non-negligible resistance, which may increase the power consumption of the system. In addition, when so many long cables are used, the probability of communication failure between the controller 114 and the isolators 108_1-108_n may be relatively high.

[0006] Therefore, solving the Figure 1A and Figure 1B A battery monitoring solution to the related problem would be beneficial. Summary of the invention

[0007] Based on the above problems, the present invention provides a bridge communication device that receives battery status information obtained by monitoring from a monitoring device. The bridge communication device includes an upstream communication port, a downstream communication port, a master communication module and a slave communication module. The bridge communication device is operable to receive information about the status of the battery from a monitoring device that monitors the status of the battery. The upstream communication port is operable to transmit the information to an upstream bridge communication device. The downstream communication port is operable to transmit the information to a downstream bridge communication device. If the master communication module is enabled to communicate with a controller, the master communication module transmits the information to the controller. The slave communication module is coupled to the master communication module, the upstream communication port and the downstream communication port, wherein if the master communication module is not enabled to communicate with the controller, the slave communication module operates in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode. In the information upstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the upstream communication port and the upstream bridge communication device, and in the information downstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the downstream communication port and the downstream bridge communication device.

[0008] The present invention also proposes a battery monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of batteries, the plurality of batteries including a first battery and a second battery, wherein the battery monitoring system comprises: a plurality of bridge communication devices, including a bottom bridge communication device and a second bridge communication device coupled to the bottom bridge communication device. The bottom bridge communication device is operable to receive first information about the state of the first battery from a first battery monitoring device that monitors the state of the first battery, and the bottom bridge communication device comprises: a first master communication module, operable to transmit the first information to a controller and receive instructions from the controller; and a first slave communication module, coupled to the first master communication module, and operable to operate in a command upstream mode or a command downstream mode in response to the received instructions, wherein in the command upstream mode, the first slave communication module transmits a first command through a first upstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device, and in the command downstream mode, the first slave communication module sends a second command through a first downstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device. The second bridge communication device is operable to receive second information about the status of the second battery from a second battery monitoring device that monitors the status of the second battery. The second bridge communication device includes: a second slave communication module, operable to operate in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode in response to the first command or the second command, wherein the second slave communication module is operable to operate in the information downstream mode in response to the first command, and transmit the second information to the controller through the second downstream communication port in the information downstream mode, and the second slave communication module is also operable to operate in the information upstream mode in response to the second command, and transmit the second information to the controller through the second upstream communication port in the information upstream mode.

[0009] The present invention also proposes a method for monitoring the status of multiple batteries, the multiple batteries including a first battery and a second battery, wherein the method comprises: using a first master communication module in a bottom bridge communication device of multiple bridge communication devices to receive an instruction from a controller, the bottom bridge communication device being configured to receive first information about the status of the first battery from a first battery monitoring device that monitors the status of the first battery; in response to the received instruction, configuring a first slave communication module of the bottom bridge communication device to operate in a command upstream mode or a command downstream mode; if the first slave communication module operates in the command upstream mode, using the first slave communication module to transmit a first command through a first upstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device; if the first slave communication module operates in the command downstream mode, using the first slave communication module to transmit a first command The module transmits a second command through the first downstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device; uses a second bridge communication device among the plurality of bridge communication devices to receive the first command or the second command, and the second bridge communication device is configured to receive second information about the state of the second battery from a second battery monitoring device that monitors the state of the second battery; in response to the one command, configures the second slave communication module of the second bridge communication device to operate in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode; if the second slave communication module operates in the information downstream mode, transmits the second information to the controller through the second downstream communication port of the second bridge communication device; and if the second slave communication module operates in the information upstream mode, transmits the second information to the controller through the second upstream communication port of the second bridge communication device.

[0010] The bridge communication device and battery monitoring system and method related to battery monitoring proposed in the present invention can broadcast commands from the controller to multiple monitoring devices that monitor the status of multiple batteries in a bidirectional daisy chain manner. These monitoring devices can operate in parallel in response to the command and can transmit the battery status information from the monitoring devices to the controller in a bidirectional daisy chain manner. In addition, for example, multiple such bridge communication devices can be stacked into a ring shape and can transmit the battery status information from the monitoring devices to the controller in a bidirectional daisy chain communication manner, which can improve the communication efficiency between the monitoring devices and the controller and reduce the possibility of communication failures. Compared with the existing battery monitoring system, this improves the communication efficiency of the battery monitoring system. In the battery monitoring system proposed in the present invention, the controller can communicate with all monitoring devices through the bottom device, and the controller can be designed to have a smaller number of pins compared to the existing battery monitoring system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] The features and advantages of the embodiments of the claimed subject matter will become apparent from the following description of the specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals represent the same components, wherein:

[0012] Figure 1A A block diagram of an existing battery monitoring system is shown;

[0013] Figure 1B A block diagram of an existing battery monitoring system is shown;

[0014] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example of a battery monitoring system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 A block diagram showing an example of a battery monitoring system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0016] Figure 4 A block diagram showing an example of a bridging communication device in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 5 A circuit diagram showing an example of a temperature monitoring circuit in an embodiment of the present invention; and

[0018] Figure 6 An example of a flowchart of operations performed by a battery monitoring system in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail. Although the present invention is described and illustrated by these embodiments, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments. On the contrary, the present invention encompasses all substitutes, variants and equivalents within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

[0020] In addition, in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present invention, numerous specific details are provided in the specific embodiments below. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without these specific details. In other examples, well-known methods, processes, components and circuits are not described in detail to avoid unnecessary obscurity of various aspects of the present invention.

[0021] Terms such as "upstream" and "downstream" are used herein to distinguish different devices. For example, the disclosure herein may refer to an "upstream bridging communication device" and a "downstream bridging communication device" in a battery monitoring system; however, the "upstream" and "downstream" used herein do not necessarily mean that in the battery monitoring system, the upstream bridging communication device is above the downstream bridging communication device. As described below, a bridging communication device can communicate in two directions, referred to as an upstream direction and a downstream direction. In the upstream direction, the bridging communication device can communicate with another (upstream) bridging communication device located in one direction; in the downstream direction, the bridging communication device can communicate with another (downstream) bridging communication device located in another direction. For example, the term "first" can be used instead of the term "upstream", and the term "second" can be used instead of the term "downstream", and vice versa. However, as described below, the use of "upstream" and "downstream" can provide ease and clarity of discussion.

[0022] The embodiments of the present invention provide a bridge communication device related to battery monitoring and a battery monitoring system and method, which can solve many problems existing in the above-mentioned existing battery monitoring systems.

[0023] Figure 2 A block diagram showing an example of a battery monitoring system 200 in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 3 FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a similar battery monitoring system in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the drawings, elements with the same reference numerals represent similar functions.

[0024] refer to Figure 2 In an embodiment, the battery monitoring system 200 may include a group of battery monitoring devices 204_1-204_n (for example, each battery monitoring device may include a digital front end (DFE)), a group of bridging communication devices 202_1-202_n, and a group of isolation circuits 208_0, 208_1, ..., 208_n (n = 2, 3, 4, ...).

[0025] Each of the monitoring devices 204_1-204_n corresponds to a corresponding one of the batteries 210_1-210_n and is operable to monitor the status of the corresponding battery (e.g., but not limited to, battery cell voltage, battery current, temperature, and abnormal conditions). In one embodiment, each of the batteries 210_1-210_n may include one or more rechargeable battery cells, such as, but not limited to, lithium-ion battery cells, lithium polymer battery cells, nickel-cadmium battery cells, nickel-metal hydride battery cells, lithium iron phosphate battery cells, or lead-acid battery cells.

[0026] like Figure 2As shown, each of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n can include a set of communication ports (e.g., external communication ports, downstream communication ports, upstream communication ports, and monitoring device communication ports). The external communication port (e.g., 218_1, 218_2, ..., or 218_n) can be used to communicate with an external device (e.g., controller 214 or thermistor array 242). The downstream communication port (e.g., 220_1, 220_2, ..., or 220_n) can be used to communicate with a downstream bridge communication device. The upstream communication port (e.g., 222_1, 222_2, ..., or 222_n) can be used to communicate with an upstream bridge communication device. The monitoring device communication port (e.g., 216_1, 216_2, ..., or 216_n) can be used to communicate with a corresponding monitoring device.

[0027] In one embodiment, each of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n can be powered by a power circuit ( Figure 2 The power supply voltage is V DCIN The power supply circuit can be coupled to a corresponding battery (eg, battery 210_1, battery 210_2, battery 210_3, ..., or battery 210_n), and convert a voltage provided by one or more battery cells of the battery into a supply voltage V DCIN .

[0028] Each of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n corresponds to a corresponding one of the monitoring devices 204_1-204_n, and is designed to be used as an interface device between the controller 214 and the corresponding monitoring device. In one embodiment, the controller 214 may be an electronic control unit (ECU), or a host including the ECU. In another embodiment, the controller 214 may be a microcontroller unit (MCU), or a host including the MCU. The present invention is not limited to this.

[0029] In one embodiment, the controller 214 and the monitoring devices 204_1-204_n support different communication protocols. For example, the controller 214 may support a first protocol (e.g., SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) protocol), and the monitoring devices 204_1-204_n may support a second protocol (e.g., I 2C (inter-integrated circuit, inter-integrated circuit) protocol). In such an example, one of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n (e.g., the bridge communication device 202_1) can use the first protocol to receive a command (e.g., a status monitoring command for instructing the corresponding monitoring device to monitor the status of the corresponding battery) from the controller 214, and then transmit the command to its corresponding monitoring device using the second protocol. Similarly, one of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n (e.g., the bridge communication device 202_1) can use the second protocol to receive status information (e.g., the status information of the corresponding battery obtained in response to the status monitoring command) from its corresponding monitoring device, and then transmit the status information to the controller 214 using the first protocol.

[0030] In one embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n are stacked and connected in a ring. For example, the bridge communication devices 202_1, 202_2, ..., and 202_n are coupled one after another in sequence (for example, through an isolation circuit), and then the bridge communication device 202_n is coupled back to the bridge communication device 202_1. In one embodiment, the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n have the same structure. In one embodiment, the controller 214 can communicate with the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n in a daisy chain manner. That is, the signal from the controller 214 can be first transmitted to the bridge communication device 202_1 (hereinafter referred to as the "bottom device"), and then transmitted from one device to the next device in sequence between the bridge communication devices 202_2-202_n (hereinafter referred to as the "stacked / ringed devices"). Similarly, the signal from any stacked / ringed device is also transmitted sequentially from one device to the next until the signal reaches the bottom device, which then transmits the signal to the controller 214. In this way, the controller 214 can broadcast commands to all monitoring devices through the daisy chain, thereby communicating with all monitoring devices, and these monitoring devices can operate in parallel in response to the command, which is similar to the existing battery monitoring system 100 ( Figure 1A ), which improves the communication efficiency of the battery monitoring system 200. In addition, because the controller 214 can communicate with all monitoring devices through the bottom device 202_1, the controller 214 can be designed to be coupled to the bottom device 202_1 with fewer pins than the pin number of the controller 114 in the existing battery monitoring system 100.

[0031] In one embodiment, the controller 214 may communicate with the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n in a daisy-chain manner in a downstream direction or an upstream direction. Hereinafter, for ease of description, a signal transmitted from a controller (e.g., the controller 214) to a bridge communication device (e.g., the bridge communication device 202_1-202_n) may be referred to as a command (or instruction), and a signal transmitted from the bridge communication device to the controller may be referred to as information. Hereinafter, a status read command and a status response message will be used as an example to explain the daisy-chain communication performed in the downstream direction and the daisy-chain communication performed in the upstream direction between the controller 214 and the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n, wherein the status read command is used to instruct each of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n to send the status information of the corresponding battery to the controller 214, and the status response message includes the status information of the corresponding battery acquired in response to the status monitoring command. It should be understood that the daisy-chain communication mode performed in the downstream direction and the daisy-chain communication mode performed in the upstream direction of the present invention are also applicable to the communication of any other types of commands and / or information.

[0032] refer to Figure 2, in the upstream direction, the controller 214 may generate a status read command and transmit it first to the bottom device 202_1. The bottom device 202_1 may receive the status read command via the communication port 218_1, and then transmit the status read command to the next bridge communication device 202_2 coupled adjacent to the bottom device 202_1 via the upstream communication port 222_1. Similarly, the bridge communication device 202_2 may receive the status read command via the downstream communication port 220_2, and then transmit the status read command to the next bridge communication device 202_3 via the upstream communication port 222_2, and so on, until the status read command reaches the bridge communication device 202_n (in this example, the bridge communication device 202_n is the last device in the daisy chain to receive the command). In response to the status read command, the bridge communication device 202_n may transmit status response information (e.g., including status information of the battery 210_n) to its adjacent bridge communication device 202_(n-1) through the downstream communication port 220_n. The bridge communication device 202_(n-1) may receive the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_n through the upstream communication port 222_(n-1), and further transmit the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_n to the bridge communication device 202_(n-2) through the downstream communication port 220_(n-1), and so on. In this way, the bottom device 202_1 may obtain the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_n through the bridge communication devices 202_(n-1), 202_(n-2), ..., 202_2, and transmit it to the controller 214. The status response information of other bridge communication devices may be sent to the controller 214 in a similar manner. For example, the bridge communication device 202_(n-1) may send status response information (eg, including status information of the battery 210_(n-1)) to the controller 214 via the bridge communication devices 202_(n-2), 202_(n-3), . . . , 202_1.

[0033] In one embodiment, before sending the status read command to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n, the controller 214 may send a direction setting command / instruction to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n to set the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n to communicate in the upstream direction with the controller 214. For example, the direction setting command / instruction may set a bit in a register of each bridge communication device 202_1-202_n to a first bit value (e.g., digital 1 or digital 0, depending on the implementation). In response to the register bit being set to a first bit value (e.g., digital 1), the bottom device 202_1 can use the upstream communication port 222_1 to transmit commands (e.g., status read commands) and receive information (e.g., status response information); the bridge communication devices 202_2-202_(n-1) can use their respective upstream communication ports 222_2-222_(n-1) to send commands and receive information, and can also use their respective downstream communication ports 220_2-220_(n-1) to receive commands and send information; and the bridge communication device 202_n can use the downstream communication port 220_n to receive commands and send information. In one embodiment, in response to the register bit being set to digital 1, the bottom device 202_1 can disable the downstream communication port 220_1, and the top device (e.g., the bridge communication device 202_n) can disable the upstream communication port 222_n.

[0034] Similarly, in the downstream direction, the controller 214 can generate a status read command and transmit it first to the bottom device 202_1. The bottom device 202_1 can receive the status read command through the communication port 218_1 and then transmit it to the bridge communication device 202_n through the downstream communication port 220_1. Similarly, the bridge communication device 202_n can receive the status read command through the upstream communication port 222_n and then transmit the status read command to the next bridge communication device 202_(n-1) through the downstream communication port 220_n, and so on, until the status read command reaches the bridge communication device 202_2 (in this example, the bridge communication device 202_2 is the last device in the daisy chain to receive the command). In response to the status read command, the bridge communication device 202_2 may transmit status response information (e.g., including status information of the battery 210_2) to its adjacent bridge communication device 202_3 through the upstream communication port 222_2, the bridge communication device 202_3 may receive the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_2 through the downstream communication port 220_3, and may further transmit the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_2 to the bridge communication device 202_4 through the upstream communication port 222_3, etc. In this way, the bottom device 202_1 may obtain the status response information of the bridge communication device 202_2 through the bridge communication devices 202_3, 202_4, ..., 202_n, and transmit it to the controller 214. The status response information of other bridge communication devices may be transmitted to the controller 214 in a similar manner. For example, the bridge communication device 202_3 may send status response information (eg, including status information of the battery 210_3 ) to the controller 214 through the bridge communication devices 202_4 , 202_5 , . . . , 202_1 .

[0035] In one embodiment, before sending the status read command to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n, the controller 214 may send a direction setting command / instruction to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n to set the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n to communicate with the controller 214 in the downstream direction. For example, the direction setting command / instruction may set the register bit of each bridge communication device 202_1-202_n to a second bit value (e.g., digital 0 or digital 1; opposite to the first bit value). In response to the register bit being set to a second bit value (e.g., digital 0), the bottom device 202_1 can use the downstream communication port 220_1 to send commands (e.g., status read commands) and receive information (e.g., status response information); the devices 202_3-202_n can use their respective downstream communication ports 220_3-220_n to send commands and receive information, and use their respective upstream communication ports 222_3-222_n to receive commands and send information; and the bridge communication device 202_2 can use the upstream communication port 222_2 to receive commands and send information. In one embodiment, in response to the register bit being set to digital 0, the bottom device 202_1 can disable the upstream communication port 222_1, and the bridge communication device 202_2 can disable the downstream communication port 220_2.

[0036] Therefore, the bridging communication devices 202_1-202_n in the embodiment of the present invention can form a bidirectional daisy chain link (for example: including the above-mentioned upstream direction and downstream direction). In one embodiment, if one of the bridging communication devices fails and / or if a connection failure occurs between two adjacent bridging communication devices, the bidirectional daisy chain link can be used as two unidirectional daisy chain links so that the communication between the controller (for example, controller 214) and the bridging communication device can still continue. For example, if a failure occurs in one of the bridging communication devices 202_3-202_(n-1), or if two adjacent bridging communication devices are disconnected, the bridging communication devices 202_1-202_n can form two independent groups, and each group can communicate with the controller 214 in a unidirectional daisy chain manner. For example, refer to Figure 2 , if the failure occurs in the bridge communication device 202_5 (not shown, and can be referred to as the middle bridge communication device here), the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_4 form a first group, and the bridge communication devices 202_1 and 202_n-202_6 form a second group. In this example, the bridge communication device 202_1 will be the bottom device of the two groups.

[0037] In one embodiment, the controller 214 can communicate with the first group of bridge communication devices 202_1-202_4 in the upstream direction. More specifically, the controller 214 can first send a command (e.g., a status read command) to the bottom device 202_1, and then the command can be transmitted through the devices 202_2, 202_3, and 202_4. In one embodiment, before sending the command to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_4, the controller 214 can send a direction setting command / instruction to the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_4 to set the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_4 to communicate with the controller 214 in the upstream direction. For example, the direction setting command / instruction can set the above register bit in each bridge communication device 202_1-202_4 to a digital 1. In response to the register bit being set to digital 1, the bottom device 202_1 can use the upstream communication port 220_1 to send commands and receive information; devices 220_2-220_3 can use the upstream communication ports 222_2-222_3 to send commands and receive information, and use the downstream communication ports 220_2-220_3 to receive commands and send information; and device 220_4 can use the corresponding downstream communication port 220_4 to receive commands and send information.

[0038] In one embodiment, the controller 214 may also communicate with the second set of bridge communication devices 202_1 and 202_n-202_6 in the downstream direction. More specifically, the controller 214 may first send a command (e.g., a status read command) to the bottom device 202_1, and then the command may be transmitted through the devices 202_n, 202_(n-1), ..., and 202_6. In one embodiment, before sending the command to the bridge communication devices 202_1 and 202_6-202_n, the controller 214 may send a direction setting command / instruction to the bridge communication devices 202_1 and 202_6-202_n to set the bridge communication devices 202_1 and 202_6-202_n to communicate with the controller 214 in the downstream direction. For example, the direction setting command / instruction may set the above register bits in each bridge communication device 202_1 and 202_6-202_n to digital 0. In response to the register bit being set to digital 0, the bottom device 202_1 can use the downstream communication port 220_1 to send commands and receive information; the bridge communication devices 220_7-220_n can use the downstream communication ports 220_7-220_n to send commands and receive information, and use the upstream communication ports 222_7-222_n to receive commands and send information; and the bridge communication device 202_6 can use the upstream communication port 222_6 to receive commands and send information.

[0039] like Figure 2 As shown, the external communication port 218_1 of the bridge communication device 202_1 (bottom device) is used to communicate with the controller 214, while the respective external communication ports 218_2-218_n in the bridge communication devices 202_2-202_n will not be used to communicate with the controller 214. In this embodiment, the ports 218_2-218_n can each be used to communicate with a peripheral device (or external monitoring circuit) to obtain additional information about the corresponding battery (for example, status information of the corresponding battery 210_2-210_n). For example, the ports 218_2-218_n in the stacked / ringed devices 202_2-202_n can each be coupled to an external thermistor array 242 to receive temperature information about the corresponding battery 210_2-210_n, wherein the temperature information can be used to review and verify the battery temperature. The following will refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 Describes the thermistor array 242 and how the ports 218_2 - 218_n may be used to communicate with the thermistor array 242 when not being used to communicate with the controller 214 .

[0040] In one embodiment, Figure 2 As shown, every two adjacent coupled bridge communication devices are electrically connected via an isolation circuit (e.g., 208_1, 208_2, ..., or 208_n). When adjacent coupled bridge communication devices communicate with each other, the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n can isolate / block the DC (direct current) component in their communication signals and allow the AC (alternating current) component in the communication signals to pass through. In one embodiment, each of the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n includes a transformer circuit. In another embodiment, if the bridge communication devices are placed close to each other, for example, on the same printed circuit board (PCB), each of the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n includes a circuit having a much simpler structure than the transformer circuit. For example, each of the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n may include, but is not limited to, a pair of capacitors. Although the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n are Figure 2 In the example shown as a separate component, but in an alternative example, the isolation circuits 208_1-208_n can each be integrated into the corresponding bridge communication device. Figure 2In the ring structure shown, the bridge communication device 202_1 and the bridge communication device 202_n are located at both ends of the battery monitoring system 200, so they are far apart relative to the distance between other bridge communication devices. In such a configuration, an isolation circuit 208_n can be placed next to the bridge communication device 202_n, and an additional isolation component (e.g., such as a 208_n) can also be placed next to the bottom bridge communication device 202_1. Figure 2 The isolation circuit 208_0 is shown.

[0041] exist Figure 2 In the example, the controller 214 is close to the bridge communication device 202_1, so the bridge communication device 202_1 can directly communicate with the controller 214 through the communication port 218_1. However, depending on the actual application scenario of the battery monitoring system 200, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the controller 214 may be relatively far away from the bridge communication device 202_1 (for example, one meter, two meters, etc.), in which case the controller 214 is coupled to the bridge communication device 202_1 via a cable 325. In this example, the bridge communication device 202_1 can communicate with the controller 214 via the isolator 324 and the cable 325. In this case, the controller 214 can communicate with all monitoring devices via one cable instead of multiple cables. Therefore, in one embodiment of the present invention, the battery monitoring system 200 avoids Figure 1B The failures and non-negligible power consumption caused by multiple cables in the existing system are shown.

[0042] Figure 4 FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a bridge communication device 402 in an embodiment of the present invention. The bridge communication device 402 may be Figure 2 and Figure 3 An embodiment of any one of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n is shown.

[0043] like Figure 4 As shown, the bridge communication device 402 may include a master communication module 426, a slave communication module 428, a register 432, a chip selection module 436, a measurement circuit (e.g., a temperature measurement module) 434, a monitoring device communication module (e.g., a digital front end (DFE) communication module) 430, and a group of communication ports. The group of communication ports includes an external communication port 418, an upstream communication port 422, a downstream communication port 420, and a monitoring device communication port 416, each of which may include a group of pins. Figure 4 The communication ports 418, 422, 420 and 416 shown in the figure can be the above-mentioned Figure 2Embodiments of the communication ports 218_1-218_n, 222_1-222_n, 220_1-220_n and 216_1-216_n in. Figure 4 Can be combined Figure 2 and Figure 3 to describe.

[0044] In one embodiment, the DFE communication module 430 in the bridge communication device 402 can communicate with the corresponding monitoring device (e.g., the above-mentioned monitoring devices 204_1-204_n) through the communication port 416. For example, the above-mentioned monitoring devices 204_1-204_n can each monitor the status of their corresponding batteries 210_1-210_n. The DFE communication module 430 in the bridge communication device 202_1-202_n can receive status information of the corresponding battery from the corresponding monitoring device (e.g., 204_1-204_n). Subsequently, the received information can be stored in the register 432 and can be obtained by the main communication module 426 and / or the slave communication module 428 for transmission to the controller (e.g., directly or through an adjacent bridge communication device). Figure 2 and Figure 3 214 shown in FIG. 1 ). Although register 432 is in Figure 4 4, but in an alternative example, register 432 may be a dedicated register within a memory or storage device (not shown) of bridge communication device 402. In one embodiment, DFE communication module 430 is compatible with multiple types of monitoring devices supporting different communication protocols. More specifically, to facilitate adaptability / compatibility between bridge communication device 402 and corresponding monitoring devices, DFE communication module 430 may support multiple communication protocols (e.g., including but not limited to UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter) protocol, SPI protocol, and I 2 C protocol). The DFE communication module 430 may select to use the same communication protocol as its corresponding monitoring device (e.g., 204_1-204_n) to communicate with the corresponding monitoring device. For example, the DFE communication module 430 may determine which communication protocol to use based on the selection signal received by the pin MSEL / READY.

[0045] In one embodiment, based on the chip select signal received by the pin CSN, the bridge communication device 402 can be configured as a bottom device (eg, Figure 2 and Figure 3 The bridge communication device 202_1 shown) or stacked / ringed devices (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3For example, according to the chip selection signal, the main communication module 426 in the bottom device (e.g., 202_1) can be enabled to communicate with the controller (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 214) and the master communication module 426 in the stacked or ringed device (e.g., 202_2) may be disabled from communicating with the controller (in other words, the master communication module 426 is not enabled to communicate with the controller). The chip selection module 436 may receive the chip selection signal from the pin CSN and enable or disable the master communication module 426 according to the chip selection signal. For example, if the chip selection signal is logic low (or logic high, depending on the implementation), the chip selection module 436 may enable the master communication module 426 so that the bridge communication device 402 is configured as a bottom device; if the chip selection signal is logic high (or logic low, depending on the implementation), the chip selection module 436 may disable the master communication module 426 so that the bridge communication device 402 is configured as a stacked or ringed device.

[0046] In one embodiment, if the bridging communication device 402 is used as a bottom device and is connected to a controller (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 If the master communication module 426 in the bridge communication device 402 is coupled to the controller 214 shown in FIG. 4, the master communication module 426 is enabled and can communicate with the controller through the port 418. For example, the master communication module 426 can receive commands (e.g., status read commands) from the controller and transmit information (e.g., status response information) to the controller.

[0047] In one embodiment, the master communication module 426 in the bottom device may communicate directly with the controller. Figure 4 4 shows an example in which the main communication module 426 communicates with the controller via the SPI protocol. Figure 4As shown, port 418 may include a set of pins, such as pin MSEL / READY, pin CKL / S4, pin IN / S3, pin OUT / S2, and pin FAULT / S1. In one embodiment, if the master communication module 426 is enabled—that is, the bridge communication device 402 is configured as a bottom device—then some of these pins (e.g., CKL / S4, IN / S3, OUT / S2, and FAULT / S1) are used for communication between the controller and the master communication module 426. For example, the master communication module 426 may receive commands (e.g., status read commands from the controller) via pin IN / S3 and send information (e.g., status response information) to the controller via pin OUT / S2. Pin CKL / S4 may be used to receive a serial clock signal for SPI-based communication. Pin FAULT may be used to send a fault signal to the controller to indicate that the battery monitoring system 200 ( Figure 2 ) somewhere in the daisy chain. The MSEL / READY pin can be used to instruct the DFE communication module 430 to select the same communication protocol (e.g., SPI protocol, UART protocol, or I 2 C protocol). More specifically, in one embodiment, during a chip power-on reset, the latch of the pin MSEL / READY will be set to a voltage level (eg, the power supply voltage V DCIN ) is sampled, for example, the voltage level is sampled as a tied bit of "0" or "1". These bits will be maintained for a predetermined period of time (for example, typically 1 millisecond) and transmitted to the DFE communication module 430 to indicate which communication protocol the DFE communication module 430 selects to communicate with the corresponding monitoring device. In one embodiment, after the predetermined period of time, the pin MSEL / READY is used to send an SPI ready signal to the controller.

[0048] In one embodiment, if the bridge communication device 402 is used as a stacked or ringed device, the master communication module 426 is disabled from communicating with the controller (in other words, the master communication module 426 is not enabled to communicate with the controller). In such an embodiment, the port 418 can be used to communicate with a peripheral device (or external monitoring circuit) to obtain additional information (e.g., the battery status of the corresponding battery (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 , or 210_n) shown in FIG. 4 ), and transmits the acquired additional information to the temperature measurement module 434. For example, some pins of the port 418 (e.g., CKL / S4, IN / S3, OUT / S2, and FAULT / S1) can be coupled to an external temperature monitoring circuit (e.g., Figure 2Thermistor array 242 shown in FIG. 4A ) can be configured to obtain information about the battery temperature and transmit the information to the temperature measurement module 434 through these pins, where the temperature information can be used to provide additional protection for the battery to prevent overheating. Figure 4 As shown, the chip selection signal received on the pin CSN can be transmitted to the temperature measurement module 434, for example, via the communication module 428 to enable or disable the temperature measurement module 434. For example, if the chip selection signal is a logic low (or a logic high, depending on the implementation), the chip selection module 436 can disable the temperature measurement module 434; if the chip selection signal is a logic high (or a logic low, depending on the implementation), the chip selection module 436 can enable the temperature measurement module 434. The present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the chip selection signal is transmitted directly to the temperature measurement module 434; that is, the chip selection signal is not transmitted from the communication module 428.

[0049] In one embodiment, a temperature monitoring circuit (e.g., Figure 2 The thermistor array 242 includes negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistors, whose resistance value varies with temperature. Figure 5 A circuit diagram showing an example of the temperature monitoring circuit 542 in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 5 Can be combined Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 The temperature monitoring circuit 542 may be an embodiment of the thermistor array 242 .

[0051] like Figure 5 As shown, the temperature monitoring circuit 542 includes a group of resistors R1, R2, R3 and R4, and a group of NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3 and RT4. Each NTC thermistor is connected to a corresponding resistor (e.g., R1, R2, R3 or R4) to form a voltage divider circuit. The NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3 and RT4 can be close to different battery cells in a corresponding battery (e.g., battery 210_1, 210_2, ..., or 210_n) and are used to sense the temperature of different parts in the corresponding battery. The temperature of each of the NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3 and RT4 can be indicated by the voltage on the NTC thermistor. As shown in FIG. Figure 5As shown, the voltages (e.g., V1, V2, V3, and V4) of the NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3, and RT4 are transmitted to the temperature measurement module 434 through the pins CKL / S4, IN / S3, OUT / S2, and FAULT / S1, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and those skilled in the art can design any temperature monitoring circuit to measure the temperature of the corresponding battery.

[0052] like Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the temperature measurement module 434 includes an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 540 and an analog-to-digital conversion multiplexer (ADCMUX or ADC multiplexer) 538. The ADC multiplexer 538 can receive the voltages (e.g., V1, V2, V3, and V4) on the NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3, and RT4 from the temperature monitoring circuit 542, and selectively transmit one of these voltages to the ADC 540. The ADC 540 can convert an analog signal indicating the temperature (e.g., indicated by the voltage) measured by a corresponding one of the NTC thermistors RT1, RT2, RT3, and RT4 into a digital signal. In one embodiment, the digital value of the converted digital signal is used to indicate the temperature of the corresponding battery and can be stored in the register 432 so that it can be used by the main communication module (e.g., Figure 4 ) and / or by slave communication modules (e.g., Figure 4 4 and 5. The digital value is obtained from the communication module 428 shown in FIG. 4 , each of which is operable to transmit information about the digital value to the controller directly or through an adjacent bridging communication device.

[0053] Back to Figure 4 In one embodiment, the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 402 is operable to communicate with another bridge communication device (e.g., an adjacent bridge communication device in a battery monitoring system where multiple bridge communication devices are stacked and communicate with each other in a daisy-chain manner) through the upstream communication port 422 (or the downstream communication port 420, depending on the direction of the daisy-chain communication). For example, the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 402 can communicate with the slave communication module in the adjacent bridge communication device via a daisy-chain-based communication protocol. In one embodiment, the slave communication module 428 sends and / or receives signals in a differential manner. For example, as Figure 4As shown, each of the ports 420 and 422 includes a pair of terminals (e.g., VCOMHP / VCOMHN or VCOMLP / VCOMLN), and the signals communicated between the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 402 and the slave communication module in the adjacent bridge communication device are transmitted / received in pairs at a pair of terminals of each port. The paired transmitted / received signals have equal amplitudes but opposite polarities, and the information to be communicated can be indicated by the difference between the paired signals.

[0054] As previously described, if the bridging communication device 402 is used as a bottom device (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 The bridge communication device 202_1 shown in FIG. 4 is a bridge communication device 402, and the bridge communication device 402 can directly communicate with the controller (eg, Figure 2 and Figure 3 For example, the master communication module 426 can receive a command (e.g., a status read command) from the controller via the external communication port 418, and then the slave communication module 428 can transmit the command to the stacked / ringed device (e.g., the bridge communication device 202_2-202_n) via the upstream communication port 422 (or the downstream communication port 420, depending on the direction of the daisy chain communication). In one embodiment, due to the Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the ring structure shown, in response to the direction setting command / instruction received from the controller, the slave communication module 428 in the bottom device can operate in a command downstream mode or a command upstream mode. For example, in the command upstream mode, the slave communication module 428 can transmit the command to the upstream adjacent bridge communication device (e.g., Figure 2 and Figure 3 In the command downstream mode, the slave communication module 428 may transmit commands to the downstream adjacent bridge communication device (eg, Figure 2 and Figure 3 In one embodiment, the slave communication module 428 is configured to operate in a command downstream mode or a command upstream mode according to a previously received direction setting command / instruction.

[0055] If the bridge communication device 402 is used as a stacked or ringed device, the master communication module 426 is not enabled, and the bridge communication device 402 can communicate with the controller through one or more intermediate bridge communication devices, which are connected in a daisy-chain manner between the controller and the device 402. For example, the bridge communication device 402 can receive a command (e.g., a status read command) sent from the controller through one or more intermediate bridge communication devices. If there is response information (e.g., status response information in response to the status read command) for the received command, the bridge communication device 402 can send the response information back to the controller through the one or more intermediate bridge communication devices. In one embodiment, due to the ring structure, the slave communication module 428 in the stacked / ringed device can operate in an information downstream mode or an information upstream mode in response to a command from the controller. In one embodiment, in the information upstream mode, the slave communication module 428 is operable to transmit the response information to the controller through the one or more intermediate bridge communication devices and through the upstream communication port 422; in the information downstream mode, the slave communication module 428 is operable to transmit the response information to the controller through the one or more intermediate bridge communication devices and through the downstream communication port 420. In one embodiment, the slave communication module 428 is configured to operate in the information downstream mode or the information upstream mode according to the previously received direction setting command / instruction.

[0056] More specifically, Figure 2 For example, Figure 2 and Figure 3 Each of the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n in the bridge communication device 402 may be implemented by the bridge communication device 402. If the previously received direction setting command indicates that the bridge communication devices 202_1-202_n communicate with the controller 214 in the upstream direction, the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication (e.g., bottom) device 202_1 may operate in a command upstream mode and send a command (hereinafter referred to as a first command, e.g., a status read command) to the bridge communication device 202_2 through the upstream communication port 222_1 (e.g., the port 422 shown in FIG. 1). The slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 202_2 may also operate in a command upstream mode and transmit the first command to the bridge communication device 202_3 through the upstream communication port 222_2. In a similar manner, the first command may continue to be transmitted through the devices 202_3, 202_4, ..., and 202_n. In response to the first command, the bridge communication devices 202_2-202_n can send their response information (e.g., status response information) back to the controller 214 in the information downstream mode. For example, the bridge communication device 202_n can use its slave communication module 428 through the downstream communication port 220_n (e.g., Figure 4The upper communication port 420 shown in FIG. 4A sends its own response information to the bridge communication device 202_(n-1), and the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 202_(n-1) can receive the response information of the bridge communication device 202_n through the upstream communication port 222_(n-1), and then relay the response information to the bridge communication device 202_(n-2) through the downstream communication port 220_(n-1), and so on, until the response information of the bridge communication device 202_n reaches the bottom device 202_1, and then the bottom device 202_1 transmits the response information to the controller 214. The response information of other bridge communication devices can be transmitted to the controller 214 in a similar manner. For example, the bridging communication device 202_(n-1) can use its slave communication module 428 to transmit its own response information to the controller 214 through the bridging communication devices 202_(n-2), 202_(n-3), ..., 202_1 and through the downstream communication ports 220_(n-1), 220_(n-2), ..., 220_2.

[0057] Similarly, if the previously received direction setting command indicates that the bridge communication device 202_1-202_n communicates with the controller 214 in the downstream direction, the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication (e.g., bottom) device 202_1 can operate in the command downstream mode and can communicate with the controller 214 through the downstream communication port 220_1 (e.g., Figure 2 The slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 202_n may also operate in a command downstream mode and transmit the second command to the bridge communication device 202_(n-1) through the downstream communication port 220_n. In a similar manner, the second command may continue to be relayed through the bridge communication devices 202_(n-1), 202_(n-2), ... and 202_2. In response to the second command, the bridge communication devices 202_n-202_2 may send their response information (if any, such as status response information) back to the controller 214 in the information upstream mode. For example, the bridge communication device 202_2 may use its slave communication module 428 to transmit the second command through the upstream communication port 222_2 (e.g., Figure 42) transmits its own response information to the bridge communication device 202_3, the slave communication module 428 in the bridge communication device 202_3 can receive the response information of the stacked / ringed device 202_2 through the downstream communication port 220_3, and then relay the response information to the bridge communication device 202_4 through the upstream communication port 222_3, and so on, until the response information of the bridge communication device 202_2 reaches the bottom device 202_1, and then the bottom device 202_1 transmits the response information to the controller 214. Response information about other bridge communication devices can be transmitted to the controller 214 in a similar manner. For example, the bridge communication device 202_3 can use its slave communication module 428 to send its own response information to the controller 214 through the bridge communication devices 202_4, 202_5, ..., 202_1 and through the upstream communication ports 222_3, 222_4, ..., 222_n.

[0058] Figure 6 An example of a flowchart 600 of operations performed by a battery monitoring system (eg, 200 ) in an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 6 Can be combined Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5 to describe.

[0059] In step 602, a first master communication module (e.g., 426) in a bridging communication (e.g., bottom) device (e.g., 402 or 202_1) receives an instruction (e.g., a direction setting command / instruction) from a controller (e.g., controller 214), wherein the bottom device is configured to receive first status information of a first battery from a first battery monitoring device (e.g., monitoring device 204_1) that monitors the status of the first battery (e.g., 210_1).

[0060] In step 604 , in response to receiving the instruction, the first slave communication module (eg, 428 ) in the bottom device is configured to operate in, for example, a command upstream mode or a command downstream mode.

[0061] In step 606, if the first slave communication module operates in the command upstream mode, the first slave communication module transmits the first command through the first upstream communication port (e.g., 422 or 222_1) of the bottom device, or if the first slave communication module operates in the command downstream mode, the first slave communication module transmits the second command through the first downstream communication port (e.g., 420 or 220_1) of the bottom device.

[0062] In step 608, a second slave communication module of a second bridge communication device (e.g., 402; or 202_2, 202_3, ..., or 202_n) receives the first command or the second command, wherein the second bridge communication device is configured to receive second status information of a second battery from a second battery monitoring device (e.g., 204_2, 204_3, ..., or 204_n) that monitors a status of a second battery (e.g., 210_2, 210_3, ..., or 210_n), wherein the second battery is coupled to the first battery.

[0063] In step 610 , in response to the command received in step 608 , the second slave communication module (eg, 428 ) in the second bridge communication device is configured to operate in, for example, an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode.

[0064] In step 612, if the second slave communication module operates in the information downstream mode, the second slave communication module transmits the second status information to the controller through the second downstream communication port (e.g., 420 or 220_2, 220_3,..., or 220_n), or if the second slave communication module operates in the information upstream mode, the second status information is transmitted to the controller through the second upstream communication port (e.g., 422 or 222_2, 222_3,..., or 222_n).

[0065] The battery monitoring system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of bridge communication devices, each of which can serve as an interface device between a controller and a corresponding monitoring device (e.g., a digital front end (DFE)). These bridge communication devices are stacked or connected in a ring and can communicate with the controller in a bidirectional daisy chain manner. The controller can communicate with all monitoring devices through the bottom device, and the controller can be designed to have a smaller number of pins relative to the existing battery monitoring system. The bridge communication device can be compatible with multiple types of monitoring devices supporting different communication protocols, which can increase the adaptability and flexibility when communicating with different types of monitoring devices. If one of the bridge communication devices or the link between two adjacent bridge communication devices fails, the bidirectional daisy chain link can form two unidirectional daisy chain links, so that the communication between the controller and all bridge communication devices can still continue. In addition, the bottom device in the daisy chain communicates directly with the controller through one or more pins, and those pins in the stacked / ringed bridge communication device can be reused to receive information about the environmental status of the corresponding battery, thereby increasing the utilization of the bridge communication device.

[0066] Although the foregoing description and drawings represent embodiments of the present invention, it should be understood that various additions, modifications and substitutions may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the principles of the present invention as defined in the appended claims. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the present invention may be subjected to a variety of modifications in form, structure, arrangement, proportion, material, elements and components for use in the practice of the present invention, which modifications are particularly suitable for specific environments and operating requirements without departing from the principles of the present invention. Therefore, the presently disclosed embodiments are considered in all respects to be illustrative and not restrictive, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the appended claims and their legal equivalents, and is not limited to the foregoing description.

Claims

1. A bridging communication device operable to receive information about a status of a battery from a monitoring device monitoring the status of the battery, the bridging communication device comprising: an upstream communication port operable to transmit said information to an upstream bridging communication device; a downstream communication port operable to transmit said information to a downstream bridging communication device; a primary communication module, wherein if the primary communication module is enabled to communicate with the controller, the primary communication module transmits the information to the controller; as well as a slave communication module coupled to the master communication module, the upstream communication port, and the downstream communication port, wherein if the master communication module is not enabled to communicate with the controller, the slave communication module operates in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode, Wherein, in the information upstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the upstream communication port and the upstream bridging communication device, and in the information downstream mode, the slave communication module transmits the information to the controller through the downstream communication port and the downstream bridging communication device.

2. The bridging communication device of claim 1, further comprising an external communication port coupled to the main communication module, wherein: When the master communication module is enabled to communicate with the controller, the information is transmitted from the master communication module to the controller through the external communication port.

3. The bridge communication device according to claim 1, wherein: The bridging communication device is operable to communicate with the monitoring device via a first protocol and to communicate with the controller via a second protocol.

4. The bridge communication device according to claim 3, wherein: The first protocol includes a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter UART protocol, a serial peripheral interface SPI protocol and an internal integrated circuit I 2 A communication protocol in the C protocol.

5. The bridging communication device according to claim 1, further comprising: an external communication port coupled to the main communication module; as well as a measurement circuit, coupled to the external communication port, Wherein, if the main communication module is not enabled to communicate with the controller, the measurement circuit is operable to receive information about the environmental status of the battery through the external communication port.

6. The bridge communication device according to claim 5, wherein: The environmental conditions include temperature.

7. The bridge communication device according to claim 1, wherein: In the information upstream mode, the slave communication module receives first status information from the downstream bridging communication device at the downstream communication port, and transmits the first status information to the upstream bridging communication device through the upstream communication port; in the information downstream mode, the slave communication module receives second status information from the upstream bridging communication device at the upstream communication port, and transmits the second status information to the downstream bridging communication device through the downstream communication port.

8. A battery monitoring system for monitoring a plurality of batteries, the plurality of batteries comprising a first battery and a second battery, wherein: The battery monitoring system comprises: a plurality of bridging communication devices, including a bottom bridging communication device and a second bridging communication device coupled to the bottom bridging communication device, The bottom bridging communication device is operable to receive first information about the state of the first battery from a first battery monitoring device that monitors the state of the first battery, and the bottom bridging communication device comprises: a first master communication module operable to transmit the first information to a controller and receive instructions from the controller; and a first slave communication module, coupled to the first master communication module, and operable to operate in a command upstream mode or a command downstream mode in response to the received command, wherein in the command upstream mode, the first slave communication module transmits a first command through the first upstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device, and in the command downstream mode, the first slave communication module sends a second command through the first downstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device; and the second bridge communication device is operable to receive second information about the state of the second battery from a second battery monitoring device that monitors the state of the second battery, the second bridge communication device comprising: The second slave communication module is operable to operate in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode in response to the first command or the second command, wherein the second slave communication module is operable to operate in the information downstream mode in response to the first command, and transmit the second information to the controller through the second downstream communication port in the information downstream mode, and the second slave communication module is also operable to operate in the information upstream mode in response to the second command, and transmit the second information to the controller through the second upstream communication port in the information upstream mode.

9. The battery monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein: The bottom bridging communication device is operable to communicate with the first battery monitoring device via a first protocol and to communicate with the controller via a second protocol.

10. The battery monitoring system according to claim 9, wherein: The first protocol includes a universal asynchronous receiver-transmitter UART protocol, a serial peripheral interface SPI protocol and an internal integrated circuit I 2 A communication protocol in the C protocol.

11. The battery monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein: The second bridging communication device further includes: A second main communication module; coupled to a pin of the second master communication module; and The measurement circuit coupled to the pin, Wherein, if the second master communication module is disabled, the measurement circuit is operable to receive information about the environmental status of the second battery from an external device through the pin.

12. The battery monitoring system according to claim 11, wherein: The environmental conditions include temperature.

13. The battery monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein: The second upstream communication port is coupled to an upstream bridging communication device, and the second downstream communication port is coupled to a downstream bridging communication device; In the information upstream mode, the second slave communication module is operable to receive information from the downstream bridging communication device at the second downstream communication port, and is further operable to transmit the information received from the downstream bridging communication device to the upstream bridging communication device through the second upstream communication port; and In the information downstream mode, the second slave communication module is operable to receive information from the upstream bridging communication device at the second upstream communication port, and is further operable to transmit the information received from the upstream bridging communication device to the downstream bridging communication device through the second downstream communication port.

14. The battery monitoring system according to claim 8, wherein: Each of the plurality of bridge communication devices is operable to receive status information of a corresponding battery of the plurality of batteries from a corresponding battery monitoring device, and the bottom bridge communication device is operable to send the first command or the second command to other bridge communication devices of the plurality of bridge communication devices, The first command is configured to instruct each of the other bridge communication devices to send the status information to the controller in the information downstream mode, and the second command is configured to instruct each of the other bridge communication devices to send the status information to the controller in the information upstream mode.

15. The battery monitoring system according to claim 14, wherein: The plurality of bridging communication devices include a first group of bridging communication devices, a second group of bridging communication devices, and an intermediate bridging communication device coupled between the first group of bridging communication devices and the second group of bridging communication devices, wherein if the intermediate bridging device fails, the bottom bridging communication device is operable to send the first command to the first group of bridging communication devices and send the second command to the second group of bridging communication devices.

16. A method for monitoring the status of a plurality of batteries, the plurality of batteries comprising a first battery and a second battery, wherein: The method comprises: receiving a command from a controller using a first master communication module in a bottom bridging communication device of a plurality of bridging communication devices, the bottom bridging communication device being configured to receive first information about a state of the first battery from a first battery monitoring device that monitors a state of the first battery; In response to the received instruction, configuring the first slave communication module of the bottom bridge communication device to operate in a command upstream mode or a command downstream mode; If the first slave communication module operates in the command upstream mode, transmitting a first command through a first upstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device using the first slave communication module; If the first slave communication module operates in the command downstream mode, transmitting a second command through the first downstream communication port of the bottom bridge communication device using the first slave communication module; receiving the first command or the second command using a second bridge communication device among the plurality of bridge communication devices, the second bridge communication device being configured to receive second information about the status of the second battery from a second battery monitoring device that monitors the status of the second battery; In response to the one command, configuring the second slave communication module of the second bridge communication device to operate in an information upstream mode or an information downstream mode; If the second slave communication module operates in the information downstream mode, transmitting the second information to the controller through the second downstream communication port of the second bridge communication device; and If the second slave communication module operates in the information upstream mode, the second information is transmitted to the controller through the second upstream communication port of the second bridge communication device.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The second bridging communication device comprises a second main communication module, a pin coupled to the second main communication module, and a measurement circuit coupled to the pin, and wherein the method further comprises: If the second master communication module is disabled, information about the environmental status of the second battery is received from an external device through the pin using the measurement circuit.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein: The second upstream communication port is coupled to an upstream bridging communication device, the second downstream communication port is coupled to a downstream bridging communication device, and wherein the method further comprises: In the information upstream mode, using the second slave communication module to receive information from the downstream bridge communication device at the second downstream communication port, and transmitting the information from the downstream bridge communication device to the upstream bridge communication device through the second upstream communication port; and In the information downstream mode, the second slave communication module is used to receive information from the upstream bridging communication device at the second upstream communication port, and transmit the information from the upstream bridging communication device to the downstream bridging communication device through the second downstream communication port.

19. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: receiving, using each of the plurality of bridge communication devices, status information of a corresponding battery of the plurality of batteries; as well as using the bottom bridging communication device to send the first command or the second command to other bridging communication devices in the plurality of bridging communication devices, The first command instructs each of the other bridge communication devices to send the status information to the controller in the information downstream mode, and the second command instructs each of the other bridge communication devices to send the status information to the controller in the information upstream mode.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein: The method further includes: if there is a failure in an intermediate bridging communication device of the plurality of bridging communication devices, performing a plurality of operations, the plurality of operations comprising: sending the first command to a first group of bridging communication devices among the plurality of bridging communication devices using the bottom bridging communication device; and The second command is sent using the bottom bridging communication device to a second group of bridging communication devices of the plurality of bridging communication devices, wherein the first group of bridging communication devices is coupled to the second group of bridging communication devices through the intermediate communication device.

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