Battery system, battery pack embedded with same, and battery pack monitoring method using same

Abstract

The invention discloses a battery system, a battery pack embedded with the battery system, and a battery pack monitoring method using the battery system. A battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include: a battery module; a slave battery management system (BMS) including an antenna, connected to the battery module from the BMS, sensing a state of the battery module and generating sensing information, and transmitting the sensing information as a wireless signal through the antenna; and a main BMS including a plurality of antennas, receiving a wireless signal as a plurality of wireless signals through the plurality of antennas, adjusting phases of the plurality of wireless signals and generating a plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase, synthesizing the plurality of first wireless signals and generating a second wireless signal, obtaining sensing information by using the second wireless signal, and transmitting the sensing information to the main BMS. And controlling the battery module by using the obtained sensing information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the priority and benefits of Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2023 - 0151461, filed on November 6, 2023, and Korean Patent Application No. 10 - 2024 - 0044701, filed on April 2, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The present invention relates to a battery system, a battery pack embedded with the battery system, and a method for monitoring a battery pack using the battery system. Background Art

[0004] For medium - sized and large - sized battery packs for use in battery packs (especially for automobiles and ESS), a plurality of battery modules may be included. Such a plurality of battery modules have a multi - module structure in which a plurality of battery modules are connected in series and / or in parallel with each other to increase the capacity and / or output of the battery pack.

[0005] Depending on the circuit logic or PCB configuration, a multi - structured battery pack can be implemented in various forms. In this case, a battery management system (BMS) mainly adopts a multi - slave structure in order to enhance the efficiency of monitoring and control. The multi - slave structure is configured to allow a plurality of slave BMSs to be respectively responsible for a plurality of battery modules constituting the battery pack, and to allow a master BMS to comprehensively control the plurality of slave BMSs.

[0006] In the related art, a wired communication mode is used between the master BMS and a plurality of slave BMSs inside the battery pack, but there are many problems, including complex communication lines, etc. Therefore, in recent years, there have been many attempts to use a wireless communication method for communication between the master BMS and a plurality of slave BMSs inside the battery pack.

[0007] On the other hand, inside the battery pack, due to the improved design of the heat transfer performance of various components and battery cells, the internal space of the pack is narrow, and the free space on the wireless communication side is insufficient, resulting in an increase in signal attenuation, thus reducing the reception sensitivity, and in severe cases, a shadow area appears and the reliability is reduced.

[0008] Therefore, a measure is needed to ensure wireless communication reliability in a narrow space due to the lack of free space inside the battery pack. Summary of the Invention

[0009] Technical Problem

[0010] The present invention attempts to provide a battery system, a battery pack embedded with the battery system, and a method for monitoring a battery pack using the battery system, which have enhanced reliability in wireless communication between a slave BMS and a master BMS.

[0011] Technical solution

[0012] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a battery system, which may include: a battery module; a slave battery management system (BMS), which includes an antenna, is connected to the battery module, senses the state of the battery module and generates sensing information, and transmits the sensing information as a wireless signal through the antenna; and a master BMS, which includes multiple antennas, receives the wireless signal as multiple wireless signals through the multiple antennas, adjusts the phases of the multiple wireless signals and generates multiple first wireless signals, synthesizes the multiple first wireless signals and generates a second wireless signal, obtains the sensing information by using the second wireless signal, and controls the battery module by using the obtained sensing information.

[0013] The multiple first wireless signals may have the same phase.

[0014] The master BMS may further include a phase shifter, which adjusts the phases of the multiple wireless signals received by the remaining antennas based on the phase of the wireless signal received by any one of the antennas among the multiple antennas to generate the multiple first wireless signals.

[0015] The master BMS may further include a phase shifter, which generates the multiple first wireless signals by adjusting the phases of the multiple wireless signals based on a predetermined reference phase.

[0016] The master BMS may further include a signal synthesizer, which receives the multiple first wireless signals, synthesizes the multiple first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal, and transmits the second wireless signal to a controller.

[0017] When there are multiple slave BMSs, the master BMS may further include a signal synthesizer that separately synthesizes the multiple first wireless signals for each slave BMS.

[0018] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a battery pack embedded with a battery system, which may include: a housing that houses multiple battery modules and multiple slave BMSs; multiple antennas that include multiple antennas disposed at different positions relative to the housing; a master BMS that includes multiple wireless ports and is disposed at a part of the housing; and multiple connection parts that respectively and wiredly connect the multiple antennas to the multiple wireless ports.

[0019] The master BMS and the multiple antennas may be disposed on an inner surface of a plate that forms one surface of the housing.

[0020] The housing may include a partition that divides a space for accommodating a plurality of battery modules.

[0021] Multiple antennas may be provided at a portion of the partition.

[0022] The number of multiple antennas may be determined depending on the propagation environment inside the battery pack.

[0023] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for monitoring a battery pack using a battery system, the method may include: sensing the state of battery modules by a slave BMS and generating sensing information, and transmitting the sensing information as a wireless signal through an antenna; receiving the wireless signal as multiple wireless signals by a master BMS through multiple antennas; adjusting the phases of the multiple wireless signals by the master BMS, and generating multiple first wireless signals having the same phase; synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals by the master BMS to generate a second wireless signal; and obtaining the sensing information by using the second wireless signal, and controlling the battery modules by using the obtained sensing information.

[0024] Generating the first wireless signals may further include: adjusting the phases of the multiple wireless signals received by the remaining antennas based on the phase of the wireless signal received by any one of the antennas among the multiple antennas by a phase shifter to generate multiple first wireless signals having the same phase; and transmitting the multiple first wireless signals to a signal synthesizer by the phase shifter.

[0025] Generating the first wireless signals may further include generating multiple first wireless signals having the same phase by a phase shifter by adjusting the phases of the multiple wireless signals based on a predetermined reference phase, and transmitting the multiple first wireless signals to a signal synthesizer by the phase shifter.

[0026] Generating the second wireless signal may further include receiving the multiple first wireless signals by a signal synthesizer, synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal, and generating and transmitting the generated second wireless signal to a controller.

[0027] When there are multiple slave BMSs, generating the second wireless signal may further include distinguishing the multiple first wireless signals for each slave BMS, and synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals distinguished for each slave BMS.

[0028] Advantageous Effects

[0029] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, by removing a wireless communication shadow area inside the battery pack via multiple antennas, the path loss of the transmitted / received wireless signals is minimized to enhance the receiving sensitivity and enhance the reliability of wireless communication.

[0030] The effects that can be obtained in the present disclosure are not limited to the above effects, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other unmentioned effects from the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figures 2 to 4 is a diagram for describing communication between a BMS and a main BMS.

[0033] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a main BMS according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is a diagram for describing a phase shifter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 8 is a diagram for describing a signal synthesizer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 9 is a diagram for describing enhancing the reliability of wireless communication depending on an increase in the level of a wireless received signal.

[0037] Figure 10 is a diagram schematically showing the state of a battery pack 1 embedded with a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 11 is a diagram schematically showing a state in which one surface of a housing is separated according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 12 is a diagram showing the state of the battery pack taken along line A - A' Figure 10 of.

[0040] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of a battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 14 is a diagram showing the state of the battery pack taken along line B - B' Figure 13 of.

[0042] Figures 15 to 19 shows various exemplary embodiments showing the layout structure between a multi-antenna, a main BSM, and a plurality of connection parts according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] Figure 20 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring a battery pack using a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation Manner

[0044] When describing the exemplary embodiments disclosed in the present invention, if it is determined that the detailed description of the relevant known technology makes the key points of the exemplary embodiments of the present invention unclear, the detailed description will be omitted. In addition, the accompanying drawings are provided to help easily understand the exemplary embodiments disclosed in this specification, and the technical spirit disclosed in this specification is not limited by the drawings, and it will be recognized that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention.

[0045] Terms including ordinal numbers such as first and second are used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

[0046] It should be understood that when a component is described as "connected to" or "accessing" another component, the component can be directly connected to or access other components, or a third component can exist between them. In contrast, when a component is described as "directly connected to" or "directly accessing" another component, it is understood that there is no component between the component and the other component.

[0047] In the present invention, it should be understood that the terms "comprising" or "having" indicate the presence of the features, quantities, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude the possibility of the pre-existence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0048] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Refer to Figure 1 , a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of battery modules 100-1 to 100-3, a plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-3, and a master BMS 300. In Figure 1 , the battery system 10 is shown to include three slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-3 and three battery modules 100-1 to 100-3, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The battery system 10 may include one or more battery modules and one or more slave BMSs. Hereinafter, the plurality of battery modules 100-1 to 100-3 are collectively referred to and described as the battery module 100, and the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-3 are collectively referred to and described as the slave BMS 200.

[0051] The battery module 100 refers to a battery assembly in which battery cells are bundled and placed in a predetermined number to protect the battery cells from external impacts, heat, vibrations, etc., and a plurality of battery cells included in the battery module 100 are electrically connected in series and / or in parallel with each other.

[0052] The slave battery management system (BMS) 200 includes antennas 210 (210-1, 210-2, and 210-3). The slave BMS 200 can be connected to the battery module 100, sense the state of the battery module 100, generate sensing information, and transmit the sensing information as a wireless signal through the antenna 210. Here, the sensing information can be information about the voltage, current, temperature of the battery module 100 connected to the slave BMS 200, and the individual voltages of a plurality of battery cells constituting the battery module 100, etc.

[0053] The master BMS 300 receives the wireless signal transmitted by the slave BMS 200 to obtain the sensing information of the battery module 100, and performs charge state (SOC), health state (SOH), power limit, cell balancing, fault diagnosis, cooling control, etc. of the battery module 100 by using the obtained sensing information.

[0054] The master BMS 300 can receive the wireless signal transmitted from the slave BMS 200 as a plurality of wireless signals through the multi-antennas 310 (310-1, 310-2, and 310-3), and generate a plurality of first wireless signals by adjusting the phases of the plurality of wireless signals. According to an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of first wireless signals may have the same phase.

[0055] The master BMS 300 can generate a second wireless signal by combining the plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase, obtain the sensing information of the battery module 100 by using the second wireless signal, and control the battery module 100 by using the obtained sensing information.

[0056] According to an exemplary embodiment, the slave BMS 200 and the master BMS 300 can transmit and receive wireless signals through short-range wireless communication. For example, the slave BMS 200 and the master BMS 300 can transmit and receive wireless signals through radio frequency (RF), near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, etc.

[0057] Figures 2 to 4 is a diagram for describing the communication between the slave BMS and the master BMS.

[0058] Figure 2 illustrates the communication between one slave BMS and the master BMS. Figure 2 (a) to Figure 2(d) shows the wireless signals received by the multiple antennas 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4 of the main BMS 300, respectively.

[0059] Reference Figure 2 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the main BMS 300 can receive the wireless signals transmitted by the slave BMS 200 as multiple wireless signals through the multiple antennas 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, and 310-4.

[0060] Figure 3 And Figure 4 shows the communication between the multiple slave BMSs and the main BMS.

[0061] Reference Figure 3 , each of the multiple antennas 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3 of the main BMS 300 can receive the same number of wireless signals as the number of the multiple slave BMSs 200-1, 200-2, and 200-3. In this case, since the signals transmitted by the corresponding slave BMSs 200-1, 200-2, and 200-3 are transmitted using different frequencies, interference does not occur between the signals transmitted by the multiple slave BMSs 200-1, 200-2, and 200-3.

[0062] Reference Figure 3 And Figure 4 , as the number of antennas of the multiple antennas 310 increases, the number of wireless signals received by the main BMS 300 increases.

[0063] For example, as shown in Figure 3 , when the multiple antennas 310 include three antennas 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3, the main BMS 300 receives the wireless signals transmitted by one slave BMS 200-1 by using the three antennas 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3. Therefore, when the multiple antennas 310 include three antennas, the main BMS 300 receives the wireless signals transmitted by one slave BMS 200-1 as three wireless signals.

[0064] On the other hand, as shown in Figure 4 , when the multiple antennas 310 include five antennas 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, and 310-5, the main BMS 300 receives the wireless signals transmitted by one slave BMS 200-1 by using the five antennas 310-1, 310-2, 310-3, 310-4, and 310-5. Therefore, when the multiple antennas 310 include five antennas, the main BMS 300 receives the wireless signals transmitted by one slave BMS 200-1 as five wireless signals.

[0065] That is, as the number of antennas of the multi-antenna 310 increases, the number of wireless signals received by the main BMS 300 increases, and as the number of wireless signals received by the main BMS 300 increases, the number of signals for signal synthesis increases. Therefore, the level of the synthesized signal increases, thereby enhancing the reliability of wireless communication.

[0066] Figure 5 is a block diagram of a main BMS according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Reference Figure 5 , the main BMS 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may further include a phase shifter 320, a signal synthesizer 330, and a controller 340 in addition to the multi-antenna 310.

[0068] The phase shifter 320 may generate a first wireless signal by shifting the phases of multiple wireless signals and send the multiple first wireless signals to the signal synthesizer 330.

[0069] The signal synthesizer 330 may generate a second wireless signal by synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals and send the second wireless signal to the controller 340.

[0070] The controller 340 may receive the second wireless signal and obtain sensing information about the state of the battery module 100 by using the second wireless signal. In addition, the controller 340 may control the battery module 100 by using the obtained sensing information.

[0071] For example, the controller 340 communicates with a control circuit that controls the operation of an electronic load 2 outside the battery pack to control the charging and discharging operations of the battery system 10. The electronic load 2 may include an inverter, an on-board charger (OBC), a DC-DC converter, etc. For example, when power should be supplied from the battery system 10 to the inverter, the controller 340 may close a relay that provides an electrical connection between the battery system 10 and the inverter and control the discharging operation of the battery system 10 based on the sensing information of the multiple battery modules 100.

[0072] Figure 6 and Figure 7 is a diagram for describing a phase shifter according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] Reference Figure 6 , when synthesizing multiple wireless signals without phase correction by the phase shifter 320, signals with opposite phases may be synthesized, so the level of the wireless signal may be attenuated by offset interference between the signals.

[0074] Therefore, as Figure 7As shown in [the figure], the phase shifter 320 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention prevents signals from being offset by correcting the phase of the signals synthesized by the signal synthesizer 330, thereby preventing the horizontal attenuation of wireless signals and enhancing the reliability of wireless communication.

[0075] According to an exemplary embodiment, based on the phase of the wireless signal received by any one of the multiple antennas 310-1, 310-2, …, 310-N in the multi-antenna 310, the phase shifter 320 adjusts the phases of the multiple wireless signals received by the remaining antennas (all antennas except 310-n) to generate multiple first wireless signals. In this case, the multiple first wireless signals may have the same phase. For example, when the phase of the wireless signal received by any one of the multi-antenna, such as 310-1, is 180°, the phases of the remaining antennas 310-2 to 310-N may be corrected to 180°.

[0076] According to an exemplary embodiment, the phase shifter 320 adjusts the phases of the multiple wireless signals to a predetermined reference phase to generate multiple first wireless signals. Here, the reference phase may be any one of 0° to 360°. For example, as Figure 7 shown in [the figure], the phase shifter 320 may correct all the phases of the multiple wireless signals to 0°.

[0077] According to an exemplary embodiment, the reference phase may be a set value stored in the phase shifter 320, or may be set and input by the user whenever the phase shifter 320 operates. In this case, the reference phase input by the user may be received from an external device such as a user terminal or a superior controller through the controller 340.

[0078] Figure 8 is a diagram for describing a signal synthesizer according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] Refer to Figure 8 , the signal synthesizer 330 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention receives multiple first wireless signals and synthesizes the multiple first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal.

[0080] As Figure 8 shown in [the figure], the second wireless signal generated by synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals by the signal synthesizer 330 has an increased signal level compared to the first wireless signal.

[0081] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the battery system includes multiple slave BMSs 200, the signal synthesizer 330 may distinguish and synthesize the multiple first wireless signals for each slave BMS 200.

[0082] Figure 9It is a diagram for describing enhancing the reliability of wireless communication depending on an increase in the level of a wireless received signal.

[0083] In Figure 9 the curve graph, the horizontal axis indicates the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) [dB] of wireless communication, and the vertical axis indicates the probability of occurrence of an error in wireless communication.

[0084] Referring to Figure 9 (a), it can be confirmed that when the level of the received signal is -80 dBm, the probability of occurrence of an error in wireless communication is 10 -2 , and referring to Figure 9 (b), it can be confirmed that when the level of the received signal is -73 dBm, the probability of occurrence of an error in wireless communication is 10 -6 .

[0085] That is, when the level of the received signal increases by 7 dB, compared with the lowest reception sensitivity, the margin of the input signal increases, so the probability of occurrence of an error in wireless communication is reduced to the same as that of 10 -4 . Therefore, the information included in the signal is excellently delivered without distortion, so when the level of the wireless received signal increases, the reliability of wireless communication is enhanced.

[0086] Hereinafter, the battery pack 1 implemented by the battery system 10 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Figures 10 to 19 .

[0087] Figure 10 is a diagram schematically showing a state when observing one plate constituting one surface of the housing in the B direction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, Figure 11 is a diagram schematically showing a state of one plate constituting one surface of the housing in the B direction according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 12 is a diagram schematically showing the state of the battery pack taken along line A-A' of Figure 10 .

[0088] Referring to Figures 10 to 12 , the battery pack 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in a form in which a plurality of battery modules 100-1 to 100-6, a plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6, and a main BMS 300 are accommodated inside or provided in a housing 400.

[0089] Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 12 , the housing 400 may include an internal space for accommodating a plurality of battery modules 100-1 to 100-6. According to an exemplary embodiment, the housing 400 may be configured of an insulator. For example, as Figures 10 to 12As shown, the housing 400 can be implemented as a box in the form of a hollow rectangular parallelepiped. However, the shape and size of the housing 400 are not limited thereto, and can be freely changed as needed. In Figures 10 to 12 it shows that six battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 are accommodated in the internal space of the housing 400. However, the number of battery modules 100 accommodated in the housing 400 is not limited thereto, and the number of battery modules 100 can be freely changed as needed.

[0090] Referring to Figure 10 and Figure 12 , a plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6 can be electrically connected to the plurality of battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 accommodated in the internal space of the housing 400 respectively. In addition, antennas 210 (210-1 to 210-6) can be connected to the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6 respectively. According to an exemplary embodiment, the antenna 210 connected to each of the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6 can be located on one surface of each of the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6, and is implemented to be exposed to the outside or embedded.

[0091] Referring to Figures 10 to 12 , the main BMS 300 and the multi-antenna 310 can be provided on an inner surface of a plate 410 constituting one surface of the housing 400. According to an exemplary embodiment, the main BMS 300 can also be provided on an outer surface of the plate 410 constituting one surface of the housing 400. In this case, the main BMS 300 can be provided on the outer surface in a direction facing the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6 or the antenna 210.

[0092] In Figures 10 to 12 it shows that the plate 410 constitutes the upper surface of the housing, and the main BMS 300 is embedded and installed in the plate 410. However, the position where the main BMS 300 is provided relative to the housing 400 is not limited thereto, and can be freely changed as needed.

[0093] For example, the main BMS 300 can be provided on the inner surface or the outer surface of the plate 410. In this case, the plate 410 can constitute the outer surface in a direction facing the antenna 210, which is connected to each of the plurality of slave BMSs 200-1 to 200-6 among the outer surfaces included in the housing 400. Alternatively, the main BMS 300 can also be provided outside the housing 400. Alternatively, the main BMS 300 can also be provided on the outer surface or the inner surface of the housing 400.

[0094] The main BMS 300 may include a plurality of wireless ports and may be disposed at a portion of the housing 400. In this case, the portion of the housing 400 where the main BMS 300 is disposed may be an inner surface or an inner space of the housing 400.

[0095] For example, as Figure 11 shown, the main BMS 300 may be disposed on an inner surface of a plate 410 constituting the housing 400. That is, the main BMS 300 may be installed in a state of being embedded in the plate 410. In this case, a plurality of antennas 311 may be commonly disposed on an inner surface of the plate 410 of the housing 400 where the main BMS 300 is disposed. However, the position where the plurality of antennas 311 are disposed is not limited thereto, and the position where the plurality of antennas 311 are disposed with respect to the housing 400 may be determined depending on the propagation environment inside the battery pack 1.

[0096] The multi-antenna 310 may include a plurality of antennas 311 disposed at different positions with respect to the housing 400. According to an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 may be implemented in the form of chips disposed inside or outside the housing 400.

[0097] According to an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of antennas 311 may be disposed on an inner surface of a plate 410 constituting the housing 400. For example, as Figure 11 shown, the multi-antenna 310 may include eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8, and all eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8 may be disposed on one surface of the plate 410. Here, one surface of the plate 410 is a surface facing the inner space of the housing 400. In this case, the eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8 may be disposed at different non-overlapping positions on one surface of the plate 410. However, the number and position of the plurality of antennas 311 are not limited thereto, and may be freely changed as needed.

[0098] According to an exemplary embodiment, the number of the plurality of antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 may be determined depending on the propagation environment inside the battery pack 1. For example, when the propagation environment inside the battery pack 1 is excellent, the multi-antenna 310 may include two antennas. On the other hand, when the propagation environment inside the battery pack 1 is not excellent, the multi-antenna 310 may also include eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8. That is, as the propagation environment inside the battery pack 1 is more excellent, the number of antennas included in the multi-antenna 310 decreases.

[0099] Multiple connection parts 312 for connecting multiple antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 and the main BMS 300 may respectively and wire-connect the multiple antennas 311 to multiple wireless ports of the main BMS 300. According to an exemplary embodiment, the multiple connection parts 312 may be implemented as RF coaxial cables.

[0100] Figure 13 is a cross-sectional view of the battery pack 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 14 shows a state of the battery pack 1 taken along line B-B'. Figure 13 of the battery pack 1.

[0101] Reference Figure 13 , the housing 400 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include multiple spaces that respectively and individually accommodate multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6. In this case, the multiple spaces inside the housing 400 may be formed by partition members 420 (420-1 and 420-2).

[0102] Reference Figure 14 , the multiple antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may be disposed at a portion of the partition member 420-1 formed inside the housing 400. That is, in addition to the plate 410 constituting one surface of the housing 400, the multiple antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 may also be disposed in the internal space of the housing 400. In this case, the multiple antennas 311 disposed at the portion of the partition member 420-1 may be implemented to be located on one surface of the partition member 420-1 and exposed to the outside, or in a form embedded in the partition member 420-1 (e.g., chip form).

[0103] For ease of description, Figures 10 to 14 the state of the battery pack according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is exaggeratedly shown.

[0104] In Figure 10 , Figure 12 and Figure 13 , it is shown that there are blank spaces between the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 accommodated inside the housing, but for ease of description, this is exaggeratedly shown, and the present invention is not limited thereto and may be freely changed as needed. For example, the blank spaces between the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 may be filled with a specific structure, or may also be accommodated inside the housing 400 such that there are no blank spaces between the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6.

[0105] In addition, in Figure 10 , Figure 12 and Figure 13In [the figure], blank spaces are shown to exist between the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 and the housing 400, and between the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 and the partitions 410-1 and 410-2. However, for ease of description, this is exaggeratedly shown, and the present invention is not limited thereto and can be freely changed as needed. For example, the multiple battery modules 100-1 to 100-6 can be accommodated in the internal space of the housing 400 such that there is no blank space.

[0106] Figures 15 to 19 Various exemplary embodiments of the layout structure among the multi-antenna 310, the main BMS 300, and the multiple connection parts 312 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention are shown.

[0107] As Figures 15 to 19 shown in [the figure], the battery pack 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can have various exemplary embodiments according to the number of the multiple antennas 311 included in the multi-antenna 310 and the positions where the multiple antennas 311 are respectively disposed with respect to the housing 400.

[0108] For example, as Figure 15 shown in [the figure], the multi-antenna 310 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can include eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8, and all eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8 can be commonly disposed on the plate 410 forming one surface of the housing 400 together with the main BMS 300. In this case, the main BMS 300 can be implemented in the form of a chip and installed in a state embedded in the center of the plate 410, and the eight corresponding antennas 311-1 to 311-8 can be disposed to be spaced apart along the outer circumferential surface of the plate 410, and the eight antennas 311-1 to 311-8 can be respectively connected to the main BMS 300 through the multiple connection parts 312-1 to 312-8.

[0109] Alternatively, as Figure 16 shown in [the figure], the multi-antenna 310 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can include four antennas 311-1 to 311-4, and can be commonly disposed on the plate 410 forming one surface of the housing 400 together with the main BMS 300. In this case, the main BMS 300 can be implemented in the form of a chip and disposed at the center of the plate 410, and the four antennas 311-1 to 311-4 can be disposed to face the corresponding surfaces of the main BMS 300. In this case, the four antennas 311-1 to 311-4 can be respectively connected to the main BMS 300 through the multiple connection parts 312-1 to 312-4.

[0110] Alternatively, as Figure 17As shown, the multi-antenna 310 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include four antennas 311-1 to 311-4, and may be disposed together with the main BMS 300 on a board 410 that forms one surface of the housing 400. In this case, the main BMS 300 may be implemented in the form of a chip and disposed at the center of the board 410, and the four antennas 311-1 to 311-4 may be arranged to correspond to the respective corners of the board 410, and the four antennas 311-1 to 311-4 may be respectively connected to the main BMS 300 through a plurality of connection portions 312-1 to 312-4.

[0111] Alternatively, as Figure 18 and Figure 19 shown, the multi-antenna 310 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include two antennas 311-1 and 311-2, and may be disposed together with the main BMS 300 on a board 410 that forms one surface of the housing 400, and may be connected to the main BMS 300 through two connection portions 312-1 and 312-2.

[0112] Figure 20 is a flowchart of a method for monitoring a battery pack using a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0113] Referring to Figure 20 , a method for monitoring a battery pack using a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a wireless signal transmission step S100, a wireless signal reception step S200, a first wireless signal generation step S300, a second wireless signal generation step S400, and a battery module control step S500.

[0114] In the wireless signal transmission step S100, the BMS 200 may sense the state of the battery module 100 and generate sensing information, and transmit the sensing information as a wireless signal through the antenna 210.

[0115] In the wireless signal reception step S200, the main BMS 300 may receive the wireless signal as a plurality of wireless signals through the multi-antenna 310.

[0116] Here, the multi-antenna 310 may include more antennas 310-1, 310-2, …, 310-N than the antenna 210 included in the BMS 200.

[0117] In the first wireless signal generation step S300, the main BMS 300 adjusts the phases of the plurality of wireless signals to generate a plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase.

[0118] According to an exemplary embodiment, the first wireless signal generation step S300 of generating a first wireless signal by the phase shifter 320 based on the phase of a wireless signal received by any one of the antennas 310-1, 310-2, …, 310-N in the multi-antenna 310 may further include a step S311 of generating a plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase, and a step S312 of the phase shifter 320 sending the plurality of first wireless signals to the signal synthesizer 330 by adjusting the phases of the plurality of wireless signals received by the remaining antennas (all antennas except 310-n) to generate the plurality of first wireless signals.

[0119] According to an exemplary embodiment, the first wireless signal generation step S300 may further include a step S321 of generating a plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase by adjusting the phases of the plurality of wireless signals to a predetermined reference phase, and a step S322 of the phase shifter 320 sending the plurality of first wireless signals to the signal synthesizer 330.

[0120] In the second wireless signal generation step S400, the main BMS 300 synthesizes the plurality of first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal.

[0121] According to an exemplary embodiment, the second wireless signal generation step S400 may further include a step S411 of the signal synthesizer 330 receiving the plurality of first wireless signals and synthesizing the plurality of first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal, and a step S412 of generating the second wireless signal and sending the generated second wireless signal to the controller 340.

[0122] According to an exemplary embodiment, the second wireless signal generation step S400 may further include a step S421 of distinguishing the plurality of first wireless signals for each slave BMS 200 when there are a plurality of slave BMSs 200, and a step S422 of synthesizing the plurality of first wireless signals distinguished for each slave BMS 200.

[0123] In the battery module control step S500, sensing information may be obtained by using the second wireless signal, and the battery module 100 may be controlled by using the obtained sensing information.

[0124] Although the exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, it should be understood that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A battery system, comprising: a battery module; a slave battery management system (BMS), the slave BMS including an antenna, the slave BMS being connected to the battery module, sensing a state of the battery module and generating sensing information, and transmitting the sensing information as a wireless signal through the antenna; and a master BMS, the master BMS including multiple antennas, the master BMS receiving the wireless signal as multiple wireless signals through the multiple antennas, adjusting phases of the multiple wireless signals and generating multiple first wireless signals, synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals and generating a second wireless signal, obtaining the sensing information by using the second wireless signal, and controlling the battery module by using the obtained sensing information.

2. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: the multiple first wireless signals have the same phase as each other.

3. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: the master BMS further includes a phase shifter, the phase shifter adjusting phases of the multiple wireless signals received by the remaining antennas based on a phase of a wireless signal received by any one of the antennas among the multiple antennas to generate the multiple first wireless signals.

4. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: the master BMS further includes a phase shifter, the phase shifter generating the multiple first wireless signals by adjusting phases of the multiple wireless signals based on a predetermined reference phase.

5. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: the master BMS further includes a signal synthesizer, the signal synthesizer receiving the multiple first wireless signals, synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal, and transmitting the second wireless signal to a controller.

6. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: when there are multiple slave BMSs, the master BMS further includes a signal synthesizer, the signal synthesizer separately synthesizing the multiple first wireless signals for each slave BMS.

7. A battery pack embedded with a battery system, comprising: a housing, the housing accommodating multiple battery modules and multiple slave BMSs; multiple antennas, the multiple antennas including multiple antennas disposed at different positions relative to the housing; a master BMS, the master BMS including multiple wireless ports and being disposed at a part of the housing; and multiple connection parts, the multiple connection parts respectively and wire-connecting the multiple antennas to the multiple wireless ports.

8. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: the master BMS and the multiple antennas are disposed on an inner surface of a plate constituting one surface of the housing.

9. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: the housing includes a separator, the separator separating a space for accommodating the multiple battery modules.

10. The battery pack according to claim 9, wherein: the multiple antennas are disposed at a part of the separator.

11. The battery pack according to claim 7, wherein: the number of the multiple antennas is determined depending on a propagation environment inside the battery pack.

12. A battery pack monitoring method using a battery system, the method comprising: Sensing the state of a battery module by a slave BMS and generating sensed information, and transmitting the sensed information as a wireless signal via an antenna; Receiving, by a master BMS, the wireless signal as a plurality of wireless signals via a multi-antenna; Adjusting, by the master BMS, the phases of the plurality of wireless signals and generating a plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase; Synthesizing, by the master BMS, the plurality of first wireless signals to generate a second wireless signal; And Obtaining the sensed information by using the second wireless signal and controlling the battery module by using the obtained sensed information.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Generating the first wireless signals further comprises: Adjusting, by a phase shifter, the phases of the plurality of wireless signals received by the remaining antennas based on the phase of the wireless signal received by any one of the antennas among the multi-antenna to generate the plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase, and Transmitting, by the phase shifter, the plurality of first wireless signals to a signal synthesizer.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Generating the first wireless signals further comprises: Generating, by the phase shifter, the plurality of first wireless signals having the same phase by adjusting the phases of the plurality of wireless signals based on a predetermined reference phase, and Transmitting, by the phase shifter, the plurality of first wireless signals to the signal synthesizer.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein: Generating the second wireless signal further comprises: Receiving, by the signal synthesizer, the plurality of first wireless signals, synthesizing the plurality of first wireless signals to generate the second wireless signal, and Generating the second wireless signal and transmitting the generated second wireless signal to a controller.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein: When there are a plurality of slave BMSs, Generating the second wireless signal further comprises: Distinguishing the plurality of first wireless signals for each slave BMS, and Synthesizing the plurality of first wireless signals distinguished for each slave BMS.

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