Wake-up device and method for wireless battery management system

Abstract

Disclosed herein are an apparatus and a method for waking up a wireless battery management system, which may wake up a slave node of the wireless battery management system in a standby state using sound waves, and includes a master radio frequency (RF) node configured to output a resonant acoustic wave having a specified frequency and a specified digital signal pattern, and a slave RF node awakened upon receiving the resonant acoustic wave output from the master RF node.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0156518, filed on November 13, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a wake-up device and method for a wireless battery management system (BMS). Background Art

[0004] Generally, a battery management system (BMS) is a device that monitors the status of a battery pack and controls the batteries to operate safely and efficiently.

[0005] The BMS tracks important parameters such as power level, temperature, and state of charge, and uses this information to extend the overall life of the battery and reduce the risk of battery overheating, overcharging, and over-discharging.

[0006] Battery packs are used in a variety of applications, such as electric vehicles, renewable energy storage systems, cordless power tools, and drones.

[0007] In these applications, the BMS plays a critical role and is essential to ensure efficient and safe battery operation.

[0008] The existing BMS communicates with the battery set through wired communication, but the wired communication is complicated to install and maintain, and the reliability and flexibility of the existing BMS are limited. Therefore, a wireless BMS has recently received attention.

[0009] However, it is important to consider power consumption optimization in the wireless BMS, and the slave nodes in the wireless BMS have a disadvantage of consuming power because the slave nodes should periodically monitor the wake-up signal from the master node even in the standby state.

[0010] Therefore, there is a need for a method of reducing power consumption even when a slave node of a wireless BMS is in a standby state.

[0011] The above information disclosed in the art forming the background art of the present invention is only intended to enhance understanding of the background art of the present invention and therefore may include information that does not constitute related art. Summary of the invention

[0012] The present invention aims to provide a wake-up device and method for a wireless battery management system (BMS), which can use sound waves to wake up a slave node of the wireless BMS in a standby state.

[0013] The present invention also relates to providing a wake-up device and method for a wireless BMS, which can improve the power consumption optimization function of the wireless BMS by using low-power wake-up of sound waves.

[0014] However, the technical objectives to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objectives, and other objectives not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description of the present invention.

[0015] According to one aspect of the present invention, a wake-up device for a wireless BMS is provided, which includes a master radio frequency (RF) node configured to output a resonant sound wave having a specified frequency and a specified digital signal pattern, and a slave RF node that wakes up upon receiving the resonant sound wave output from the master RF node. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The following drawings attached to this specification illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description of the present disclosure, further describe aspects and features of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure should not be interpreted as being limited to the drawings:

[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wake-up device for a wireless battery management system (BMS) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a wake-up signal (or command) according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3 is an exemplary flow chart for describing a wake-up method of a wireless BMS according to a first embodiment of the present invention; and

[0020] Figure 4 is an exemplary flow chart for describing a wake-up method of a wireless BMS according to a second embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to the usual or dictionary meanings, and should be interpreted as meanings and concepts consistent with the technical idea of ​​the present disclosure based on the concept that the inventor may be his / her own lexicon compiler and appropriately define the terms to best explain the principle of his / her invention.

[0022] The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are only some embodiments of the present disclosure and do not represent all technical ideas, aspects and features of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modifications that can replace or modify the embodiments described herein when submitting this application.

[0023] It should be understood that when an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly connected to, or coupled to the other element or layer, or one or more intermediate elements or layers may also be present. When an element or layer is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there are no intermediate elements or layers. For example, when a first element is described as being "coupled to" or "connected to" a second element, the first element may be directly coupled to or connected to the second element, or the first element may be indirectly coupled to or connected to the second element via one or more intermediate elements.

[0024] In the accompanying drawings, for clarity, the sizes of various elements, layers, etc. may be exaggerated. The same reference numerals represent the same elements. As used herein, the term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items. In addition, when describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, the use of "may" relates to "one or more embodiments of the present disclosure". Expressions such as "at least one of ... " and "any one of ... " modify the entire element list when following the element list, without modifying the individual elements in the list. When phrases such as "at least one of A, B and C", "at least one of A, B or C", "at least one of the group selected from A, B and C" or "at least one of A, B and C" are used to specify the list of elements A, B and C, the phrase may refer to any and all suitable combinations or subsets of A, B and C, such as A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C. As used herein, the terms "use," "using," and "used" may be considered synonymous with the terms "utilize," "utilizing," and "utilized," respectively. As used herein, the terms "substantially," "about," and similar terms are used as terms of approximation rather than terms of degree, and are intended to take into account the inherent variations in measured or calculated values ​​that one of ordinary skill in the art would recognize.

[0025] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or parts should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or part from another element, component, region, layer or part. Therefore, without departing from the teaching of the exemplary embodiment, the first element, component, region, layer or part discussed below can be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or part.

[0026] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," etc. may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or features as shown in the figures. It will be understood that, in addition to the orientations depicted in the figures, spatially relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the drawings is turned over, elements described as being "below" or "below" other elements or features will be oriented as being "above" or "on" the other elements or features. Thus, the term "below" can cover both above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0027] The terms used herein are for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. As used herein, the singular forms "a" and "an" are intended to also include the plural forms, unless the context clearly states otherwise. It will be further understood that when used in this specification, the terms "includes", "including", "comprises" and / or "comprising" specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof.

[0028] In addition, any numerical range disclosed and / or listed herein is intended to include all sub-ranges of the same numerical precision contained in the listed range. For example, the range of "1.0 to 10.0" is intended to include all sub-ranges between the minimum value 1.0 and the maximum value 10.0 (and including the endpoints), that is, having a minimum value equal to or greater than 1.0 and a maximum value equal to or less than 10.0, such as 2.4 to 7.6. Any maximum numerical limit described herein is intended to include all lower numerical limits contained therein, and any minimum numerical limit described in this specification is intended to include all higher numerical limits contained therein. Therefore, the applicant reserves the right to modify this specification (including claims) to explicitly describe any sub-ranges contained in the range explicitly described herein.

[0029] Referring to two compared elements, features, etc. as "the same" may mean that they are "substantially the same." Thus, the phrase "substantially the same" may include situations with deviations that are considered low in the art (e.g., 5% or less). Additionally, when a parameter is referred to as being uniform in a given area, it may mean that it is uniform in terms of average value.

[0030] Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specified, each element may be in the singular or in the plural.

[0031] When any element is referred to as being disposed (or located or positioned) "on (or below)" or "over (or under)" a component, it may mean that the arbitrary element is placed in contact with the upper (or lower) surface of the component, and may also mean that another component may be interposed between the component and any arbitrary element disposed (or located or positioned) on (or under) the component.

[0032] In addition, it will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "coupled," "linked," or "connected" to another element, the elements may be directly "coupled," "linked," or "connected" to each other, or there may be an intermediate element between them through which the element may be "coupled," "linked," or "connected" to another element. In addition, when a part is referred to as being "electrically coupled" to another part, the part may be directly connected to the other part, or there may be an intermediate part therebetween so that the part and the other part are indirectly connected to each other.

[0033] Throughout the specification, unless otherwise specified, when "A and / or B" is stated, it means A, B, or A and B. That is, "and / or" includes any or all combinations of the listed multiple items. When "C to D" is stated, unless otherwise specified, it means C or greater and D or less.

[0034] Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an exemplary diagram showing a schematic configuration of a wake-up device for a wireless battery management system (BMS) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a wake-up signal (or command) according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Reference Figure 1 , the wireless BMS according to the present embodiment may include a master radio frequency (RF) node 100 and a plurality of slave RF nodes 200 .

[0036] For example, the master RF node 100 and the plurality of slave RF nodes 200 may be implemented in a battery pack case made of aluminum alloy.

[0037] The master RF node 100 may include an acoustic wave output module 110 , a first processor 120 , and a first RF module 130 .

[0038] The slave RF node 200 may include an acoustic wave receiving module 210 , a second processor 220 , and a second RF module 230 .

[0039] The sound wave output module 110 outputs (transmits) a resonant sound wave having a designated frequency and a designated digital signal pattern under the control of the first processor 120 .

[0040] For example, the sound wave output module 110 of the master RF node 100 may output (transmit) a resonant sound wave having a frequency of 40 kHz and a specified digital pattern. In this case, the specified frequency and the specified digital signal pattern applied to the sound wave (resonant sound wave) output from the sound wave output module 110 have the effect of providing robustness by distinguishing the sound wave (resonant sound wave) from naturally occurring sound waves (ie, external noise).

[0041] The first processor 120 may control the sound wave output module 110 to periodically or non-periodically output (transmit) a resonant sound wave having a designated frequency and a designated digital signal pattern (hereinafter, which may be referred to as a designated resonant sound wave).

[0042] The first RF module 130 may perform RF communication with the plurality of slave RF nodes 200. The first RF module 130 may be activated only when performing RF communication with any one of the plurality of slave RF nodes 200, or may be always activated.

[0043] The resonant acoustic wave output (transmitted) from the acoustic wave output module 110 of the master RF node 100 is received by the acoustic wave receiving module 210 of the slave RF node 200 .

[0044] The acoustic wave receiving module 210 includes a sensor (e.g., a piezoelectric sensor) capable of receiving an acoustic wave. For example, the sensor (e.g., a piezoelectric sensor) capable of receiving an acoustic wave detects an acoustic wave (or a resonant acoustic wave) output (transmitted) from the acoustic wave output module 110 of the master RF node 100, converts the detected acoustic wave into an electrical signal, and outputs the electrical signal.

[0045] The second processor 220 analyzes whether a signal output from the acoustic wave receiving module 210 (ie, an electrical signal converted from the detected acoustic wave) is a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200 .

[0046] For example, Figure 2 As shown, the form of the wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200 may be implemented in a form including a “wake-up mode” and a “verification mode”.

[0047] However, it should be noted that in this embodiment Figure 2 The form of the wake-up signal (or command) shown is merely an example to aid understanding and is not intended to be limiting.

[0048] When analyzing the signal output from the sound wave receiving module 210 (i.e., the electrical signal converted from the detected sound wave), in the low power state, the second processor 220 monitors the signal pattern of the first time period (wake-up period) of the electrical signal converted from the received sound wave, and when the signal pattern is identified as a normal (i.e., designated) mode, changes the low power state.

[0049] Here, the concept of the low power state includes a low power mode operation state of the second processor 220 or an operation state using a low power core.

[0050] Then, when the second processor 220 monitors the signal pattern of the second time period (verification period) of the electrical signal converted from the received sound wave and identifies the signal pattern as a normal (i.e., specified) mode, the second processor 220 determines the signal as a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 from the RF node 200.

[0051] As a result of analyzing the signal output from the sound wave receiving module 210 (i.e., the electrical signal converted from the detected sound wave), when it is determined that the signal is a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200, the second processor 220 wakes up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200.

[0052] Reference Figure 2 , a wake-up signal (or command) according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a signal pattern of a first period (wake-up period) and a second period (verification period).

[0053] For example, when it is assumed that the signal pattern of the first time period (wake-up period) is "11110000" (for convenience, the binary code "F" is expressed in ASCII) and the signal pattern of the second time period (verification period) is "110011001011101111001011" (for convenience, the binary code "CBE" is expressed in ASCII), the entire signal pattern becomes "11110000110011001011101111001011".

[0054] However, as mentioned above, Figure 2 The form of the wake-up signal (or command) shown is only an exemplary form, and may be implemented using only a signal pattern of the first period or using a signal pattern including more periods.

[0055] Therefore, in the low power state, the second processor 220 only monitors the signal pattern (e.g., 11110000) of the first time period (wake-up period) of the electrical signal converted from the received sound wave, and when the signal pattern is identified as a normal (i.e., designated) pattern, changes the low power state.

[0056] Then, when the second processor 220 monitors the signal pattern of the second time period (verification period) of the electrical signal converted from the received sound wave and identifies the signal pattern as a normal (i.e., specified) pattern (e.g., 110011001011101111001011), the second processor 220 determines the signal as a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200, and wakes up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200.

[0057] Therefore, in this embodiment, the recognition accuracy of the wake-up signal (or command) can be improved while reducing (or optimizing) the power consumption of the second processor 220 (or the slave RF node).

[0058] Figure 3 is a flowchart for describing a wake-up method of a wireless BMS according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] refer to Figure 3 , the first processor 120 of the master RF node 100 outputs (transmits) a sound wave (resonant sound wave) having a specified frequency and a specified digital mode through the sound wave output module 110 ( S101 ).

[0060] The second processor 220 of the slave RF node 200 receives the acoustic wave (resonant acoustic wave) output (transmitted) from the master RF node 100 through the acoustic wave receiving module 210 ( S102 ).

[0061] The acoustic wave receiving module 210 of the slave RF node 200 converts the received acoustic wave (resonant acoustic wave) into an electrical signal ( S103 ). The electrical signal converted by the acoustic wave receiving module 210 is output to the second processor 220 .

[0062] When the signal output from the sound wave receiving module 210 (i.e., the electrical signal converted from the detected sound wave) is a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200, the second processor 220 of the slave RF node 200 wakes up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200 (S104).

[0063] Figure 4 is a flowchart for describing a wake-up method of a wireless BMS according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] In the low power state, the second processor 220 of the slave RF node 200 monitors a signal pattern of a first period (awake period) of a signal (ie, an electric signal converted from a detected sound wave) output through the sound wave receiving module 210 ( S201 ).

[0065] As a result of monitoring (S201), when the signal pattern of the first time period (wake-up period) is identified as a normal (i.e., designated) mode (yes in S202), the second processor 220 releases the low power state and monitors the signal pattern of the second time period (verification period) of the electrical signal converted from the received sound wave (S203).

[0066] As a result of monitoring (S203), the signal pattern of the second time period (verification period) is identified as a normal (i.e., specified) mode (yes in S204), and the second processor 220 determines the received sound wave as a wake-up signal (or command) for waking up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200, and wakes up the second RF module 230 of the slave RF node 200 (S205).

[0067] Therefore, in this embodiment, the sum of the power consumed by the second processor 220 and the acoustic wave receiving module 210 is at a level of several microwatts (μW), so that it can be seen that power consumption can be significantly reduced compared to the existing level of several milliwatts (mW).

[0068] For example, in the present embodiment, by using the sound wave receiving module 210 (e.g., a piezoelectric sensor), a simplified circuit configuration is possible compared to the existing RF transmission / reception circuit, and since there is no complex modulation / demodulation processing such as the RF transmission / reception circuit, the power consumption is low, and the characteristics of the sound waves are used to perform communication over a short distance, so that the power consumption is low, and the sound waves are converted into electrical energy using vibration or pressure changes, so that no additional power supply is required (or only a very small amount of power is required). In addition, since the electrical signal converted from the sound wave can be read immediately, there is an advantage that a signal processing process that consumes a lot of power is not required. Therefore, using the existing RF communication consumes several mW of power for wake-up, but in the present embodiment, the recognition accuracy of the wake-up signal (or command) can be improved while consuming only a few μW of power.

[0069] Hereinafter, the effects of the present invention compared with the existing wake-up method through RF communication will be described in more detail.

[0070] First, the existing wake-up method requires the slave RF node to periodically monitor the RF signal from the master RF node, so that there is a problem of constant power consumption even in the standby state. However, in the present invention, when the master node outputs (transmits) a resonant sound wave with a specific frequency and a specific digital mode, an electrical signal generated by the sound wave receiving module 210 (e.g., a piezoelectric sensor) is used to monitor the wake-up signal (or command), so that even in a low-power state, the slave RF node can monitor the wake-up signal (or command), which has the effect of significantly reducing power consumption, extending battery life, and improving the overall efficiency of the system.

[0071] In addition, the existing wake-up method using RF signals has the problem of being significantly affected by external environmental changes and being disturbed by internal noise due to the characteristics of RF signals. However, in the present invention, since a resonant sound wave with a specific frequency and a specific digital pattern is used, the resonant sound wave is significantly different from a natural analog pattern, thereby having a robust effect against noise and external environmental changes.

[0072] In addition, there is no low-power period in the existing wake-up method using RF signals, but in the present invention, by implementing the acoustic wave signal pattern in the form of a "wake-up" period and a "verification" period, in the low-power state, only the signal pattern of the "wake-up" period is monitored, and when the corresponding signal pattern is detected, the low-power state is changed to identify the signal pattern of the "verification" period, so that there is an effect of improving the power efficiency of the entire system by reducing the power consumption of the processor.

[0073] The embodiments described herein can also be implemented by, for example, methods or processes, devices, software programs, data streams or signals. Even when only discussed in a single form of embodiment in context (e.g., discussed only as a method), the embodiment features discussed can also be implemented in other forms (e.g., devices or programs). The device can be implemented in suitable hardware, software and firmware. The method can be implemented in a device such as a processor, which is generally referred to as a processing device, including, for example, a computer, a microprocessor, an integrated circuit or a programmable logic device. Examples of processors also include communication devices, such as computers, cellular phones, portable / personal digital assistants ("PDAs") and other devices that facilitate information communication between end users.

[0074] According to the present invention, a slave node of a wireless battery management system (BMS) in a standby state can be awakened using sound waves.

[0075] In addition, according to the present invention, the power consumption optimization function of the wireless BMS can be improved by using low-power wake-up of sound waves.

[0076] However, the effects obtainable by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other technical effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the above description of the present invention.

[0077] Although the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, these embodiments are merely illustrative, and it should be understood that those skilled in the art can derive various modifications and other equivalent embodiments based on these embodiments. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should be limited by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A wake-up device for a wireless battery management system, comprising: A main radio frequency (RF) node is configured to output a resonant acoustic wave having a specified frequency and a specified digital signal pattern; as well as A slave RF node is awakened upon receiving the resonant acoustic wave output from the master RF node.

2. The wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein: The master RF node includes an acoustic wave output module configured to output the resonant acoustic wave having the designated frequency and the designated digital signal pattern under the control of the first processor.

3. The wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein: The slave RF node includes an acoustic wave receiving module configured to receive the resonant acoustic wave output from the master RF node.

4. The wake-up device according to claim 3, wherein: The sound wave receiving module is a sensor configured to convert a received resonant sound wave into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal, and includes a piezoelectric sensor.

5. The wake-up device according to claim 1, wherein: The slave RF node includes a second processor configured to analyze whether an electric signal converted from the resonant acoustic wave received through the acoustic wave receiving module is a wake-up signal for waking up a second RF module of the slave RF node.

6. The wake-up device according to claim 5, wherein: The wake-up signal includes: a signal pattern for releasing a first period of a low power state of the second processor of the slave RF node; and A signal pattern for a second period of time for wake-up command authentication of the second RF module of the slave RF node.

7. The wake-up device according to claim 5, wherein: The second processor: monitoring a signal pattern of the first period of the electrical signal converted from the resonant sound wave received by the sound wave receiving module in a low power state, and releasing the low power state when the signal pattern is recognized as a normal pattern; as well as The signal pattern of the second period is monitored, and when the signal pattern is identified as a normal pattern, the electrical signal is determined as the wake-up signal for waking up the second RF module of the slave RF node, and the second RF module of the slave RF node is woken up.

8. The wake-up device according to claim 7, wherein: The low power state comprises a low power mode operating state of the second processor or an operating state using a low power core.

9. A method for waking up a wireless battery management system, comprising: The main radio frequency (RF) node of the wireless battery management system outputs a resonant sound wave having a specified frequency and a specified digital signal pattern; as well as The slave RF node receives the resonant sound wave output from the master RF node for wake-up.

10. The wake-up method according to claim 9, wherein: When outputting the resonant sound wave, the first processor of the main RF node controls the sound wave output module to output the resonant sound wave having the designated frequency and the designated digital signal pattern.

11. The wake-up method according to claim 9, wherein: When receiving the resonant acoustic wave, the second processor of the slave RF node receives the resonant acoustic wave output from the master RF node through an acoustic wave receiving module.

12. The wake-up method according to claim 11, wherein: The sound wave receiving module is a sensor configured to convert a received resonant sound wave into an electrical signal and output the electrical signal, and includes a piezoelectric sensor.

13. The wake-up method according to claim 9, wherein: Receiving the resonant acoustic wave for wake-up includes analyzing, by a second processor of the slave RF node, whether an electrical signal converted from the resonant acoustic wave received through the acoustic wave receiving module is a wake-up signal for waking up a second RF module of the slave RF node.

14. The wake-up method according to claim 13, wherein: The wake-up signal includes: a signal pattern for releasing a first period of a low power state of the second processor of the slave RF node; and A signal pattern for a second period of time for wake-up command authentication of the second RF module of the slave RF node.

15. The wake-up method according to claim 13, wherein: Receiving the resonant sound wave for awakening includes: monitoring, by the second processor in a low power state, a signal pattern of the first period of the electric signal converted from the resonant sound wave received by the sound wave receiving module, and releasing the low power state when the signal pattern is recognized as a normal pattern; and The second processor monitors the signal pattern of the second time period, and when the signal pattern is identified as a normal pattern, determines the electrical signal as the wake-up signal for waking up the second RF module of the slave RF node, and wakes up the second RF module of the slave RF node.

16. The wake-up method according to claim 15, wherein: The low power state comprises a low power mode operating state of the second processor or an operating state using a low power core.

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