Battery system and method of operating the same

Abstract

A battery system and a method of operating the same according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention recognize and execute updated control logic from a control logic generation device in real time by a virtual machine to enable the updated control logic to be executed without interrupting a battery management system, software capable of performing efficient battery management operations is thus provided.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0101048 filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 2, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery system and a method of operating the battery system, and more particularly, to a battery system capable of updating a control program of a battery management device during operation of the battery system without interrupting battery monitoring and a method of operating the battery system. Background Art

[0003] Energy storage systems (ESS) combine renewable energy, batteries for storing electricity, and existing system power. In recent years, as smart grids and renewable energy have become more prevalent and power system efficiency and stability have gained importance, the need for energy storage systems to control power supply and demand and improve power quality has increased. Energy storage systems vary in power output and capacity depending on their intended use. To create large-capacity energy storage systems, multiple battery systems can be interconnected.

[0004] For example, an energy storage system applied to a photovoltaic (PV) system may include a battery segment consisting of a plurality of batteries, a battery management system for battery management, a power conversion system (PCS) and an energy management system (EMS), and a DC-DC converter.

[0005] Among them, the battery management system is the core configuration for managing batteries, and it requires continuous system updates to efficiently manage batteries operating in the field.

[0006] In order to update the software, a typical battery management system requires an administrator to directly visit the site, interrupt the operation of the operating battery system, and then update the software.

[0007] However, in this case, it is basically necessary to compensate for the interruption of use of the battery management system, and an administrator is required to visit the site to update the software, so that time and material costs are incurred, which is inefficient. Summary of the Invention

[0008] [Technical Issues]

[0009] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-efficiency battery system to solve the above problems.

[0010] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for operating an efficient battery system to solve the above problems.

[0011] [Technical solution]

[0012] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a battery system including a plurality of battery management systems (BMSs) having a hierarchical structure, the battery system comprising: a plurality of slave BMSs; and a master BMS linked to the plurality of slave BMSs, wherein, during operation of the battery system, the master BMS identifies an application target of an externally input control program for battery management and transmits the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

[0013] Herein, when the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS may compare version information of each of a plurality of slave BMSs with version information of the control program, and determine a specific slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program as an application target, and send the control program to the application target.

[0014] In this case, the master BMS may transmit the control program to the storage space of the application target.

[0015] Meanwhile, the specific slave BMS may delete the control program pre-stored in the first area of ​​the memory of the specific slave BMS, and copy the control program stored in the storage space of the specific slave BMS and store the copied control program in the second area of ​​the memory.

[0016] In this case, when receiving the re-execution signal from the master BMS, the specific slave BMS may copy the control program stored in the second area and store the copied control program in the first area.

[0017] Meanwhile, the plurality of slave BMSs may include at least one first slave BMS and at least one second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and the second slave BMS may be a sub-level of the first slave BMS.

[0018] Correspondingly, when the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS can send the control program of the second slave BMS to the storage space of the first slave BMS, and the first slave BMS can send the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been sent to the storage space of the first slave BMS, to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

[0019] In addition, when the control program is a control program applied to a second slave BMS, the master BMS may compare version information of at least one control program individually received from a plurality of second slave BMSs with version information of at least one control program, and determine a specific second slave BMS having a version lower than the version information of the control program as an application target, and send the at least one control program to a storage space of the application target.

[0020] In addition, the second slave BMS may delete the control program pre-stored in the first region of the memory of the second slave BMS, copy the control program stored in the storage space of the second slave BMS, and store the copied control program in the second region of the memory.

[0021] In this case, when receiving the re-execution signal from the master BMS, the second slave BMS may copy the control program stored in the second region and store the copied control program in the first region.

[0022] Meanwhile, the storage space may include an external memory.

[0023] Furthermore, the first area may be an inactive area, and the second area may be an active area.

[0024] Another exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method of operating a battery system including a plurality of battery management systems (BMSs) having a hierarchical structure, the method comprising: obtaining, by a master BMS, an externally input control program for battery management during operation of the battery system; identifying, by the master BMS, each application target of the control program; and transmitting, by the master BMS, the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

[0025] In this article, identifying each application target of the control program by the master BMS may include: when the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS compares version information of each of a plurality of slave BMSs linked to the master BMS with version information of the control program; and determining, by the master BMS, a specific slave BMS having a version lower than the version information of the control program as an application target.

[0026] In this case, transmitting, by the master BMS, the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target may include transmitting, by the master BMS, the control program to a storage space of the application target.

[0027] In addition, the method may further include: when the control program of the specific slave BMS is stored in the storage space, deleting, by the specific slave BMS, the control program pre-stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and copying, by the specific slave BMS, the control program stored in the storage space of the specific slave BMS, and storing the copied control program in the second area of ​​the memory.

[0028] Furthermore, the method may further include: receiving, by the specific slave BMS, a re-execution signal from the master BMS; copying, by the specific slave BMS, the control program stored in the second region and storing the copied control program in the first region; and re-executing the specific slave BMS.

[0029] Meanwhile, the plurality of slave BMSs may include at least one first slave BMS and at least one second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and the second slave BMS is a sub-level of the first slave BMS.

[0030] Correspondingly, sending the control program corresponding to the application target by the master BMS to the application target may include: when the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, sending the control program of the second slave BMS by the master BMS to the storage space of the first slave BMS; and sending the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been sent to the storage space of the first slave BMS, by the first slave BMS to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

[0031] Furthermore, the method may also include: when the control program of the second slave BMS is stored in the storage space, deleting, by the second slave BMS, the control program pre-stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and copying, by the second slave BMS, the control program stored in the storage space of the second slave BMS, and storing the copied control program in the second area of ​​the memory.

[0032] Furthermore, the method may further include: when a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS, copying, by the second slave BMS, the control program stored in the second region; and storing, by the second slave BMS, the copied control program in the first region.

[0033] [Beneficial Effects]

[0034] A battery system and a method of operating the battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can continuously perform battery status monitoring by updating a battery management device without interrupting the operation of the battery. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an energy storage system to which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be applied.

[0036] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a general battery system.

[0037] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Figure 4 is a block diagram for illustrating a hardware structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] Figure 5 is a block diagram for illustrating a memory structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0040] Figure 6is a flowchart for illustrating a method of operating a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 7 is a flowchart for illustrating a method of updating a plurality of first slave BMSs in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 8 is a flowchart for illustrating a method of updating a plurality of second slave BMSs in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] 100: Battery System 110: BMS

[0044] 111: Master BMS 112: First slave BMS

[0045] 113: Second slave BMS120: External storage device

[0046] 130: Storage space 410: Memory

[0047] 411: First area 412: Second area

[0048] 420: Processor 430: Transceiver

[0049] 440: Input interface device 450: Output interface device

[0050] 460: Storage device 470: Bus DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] The present invention may undergo various modifications and may have many exemplary embodiments, and certain exemplary embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described in more detail in the detailed description. However, it is not intended to limit the present invention to specific exemplary embodiments, and it will be understood that the present invention includes all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives included in the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. When describing each figure, like reference numerals in the figures refer to the same or similar functions.

[0052] Terms such as first, second, A, and B are used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another component. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component can be named as the second component, and similarly, the second component can also be named as the first component. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple related description items or any one of the multiple related description items.

[0053] It should be understood that when a component is referred to as being “coupled” or “connected to” another component, the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but intervening elements may also be present. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being “directly coupled” or “directly connected to” another component, it should be understood that there are no intervening elements.

[0054] The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific exemplary embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless they have a clear opposite meaning in the context. In this application, it will be understood that the terms "including" and "having" are intended to specify the presence of the characteristics, quantities, steps, operations, constituent elements and parts or their combinations described in the specification, and do not exclude the possibility of pre-existing or adding one or more other characteristics, quantities, steps, operations, constituent elements and parts or their combinations.

[0055] All terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art unless they are defined differently. Terms defined in general dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings that match their meanings in the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted as ideal or overly formal meanings unless they are explicitly defined in this application.

[0056] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an energy storage system to which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be applied.

[0057] refer to Figure 1 , the battery used to store electricity in the energy storage system can generally be implemented in the form of a series / parallel combination of battery cells configuring multiple battery packs, and multiple battery packs configure a battery rack. In this article, the battery pack may also be referred to as a battery module, depending on the device or system in which the battery is used. For example, Figure 1 The battery #1, battery #2, ..., battery #N shown in the figure can be in the form of a battery pack or a battery rack.

[0058] In this case, in each battery, a battery management system (BMS) 100 may be installed.

[0059] The BMS 1000 to which exemplary embodiments of the present invention may be applied may monitor current, voltage, and temperature of each battery pack (or battery rack) under its control, calculate a state of charge (SOC) based on the monitoring results, and control charging and discharging.

[0060] On the other hand, a battery system controller (BSC) can be installed in each battery segment, which includes multiple batteries and peripheral circuits and devices. Therefore, the BSC 2000 can monitor and control control targets within the battery segment, such as voltage, current, temperature, and circuit breakers. Furthermore, the BSC 2000 calculates the output of each DC-DC converter 5000 based on the monitored battery terminal status information and transmits the calculated output of each DC-DC converter 5000 to the DC-DC converter.

[0061] In addition, a power conversion system (PCS) 4000 installed in each battery segment can control the charging and discharging of the battery by controlling the power supplied from the outside and the power supplied from the battery segment to the outside. For example, the PCS 4000 may include a DC-AC inverter.

[0062] At the same time, it is possible to use the controller area network (CAN) or Ethernet (such as Figure 1 Communication is established between the BMS 1000, the BSC 2000, the PMS 3000 and the PCS 4000 (as illustrated by the dashed lines).

[0063] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a general battery system.

[0064] refer to Figure 2 ,A general battery system applied to an energy storage system (ESS) includes a plurality of BMSs that manage batteries according to a hierarchical structure of ,batteries.

[0065] Multiple BMSs need to continuously update their control programs to efficiently manage each battery cell. Therefore, a typical battery system obtains a higher version of the control program for at least one of the multiple BMSs from an external storage device and updates the corresponding BMS.

[0066] In this case, in order to obtain a higher version of the control program, it is basically necessary to re-execute the corresponding BMS. Therefore, after the system is shut down by the administrator, the battery system generally receives the control program corresponding to the BMS of the level to which the BMS belongs from the external storage device separately and updates the corresponding BMS.

[0067] Therefore, the general battery system has a disadvantage in that when a control program of at least one of a plurality of BMSs is updated to a higher version, the operation of the battery system is necessarily interrupted, making it difficult to monitor the status of the battery.

[0068] Thus, the present invention describes a battery system in which a control program of at least one of a plurality of BMSs can be updated without interrupting the operation of the battery system.

[0069] Figure 3is a block diagram of a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0070] refer to Figure 3 The battery system 100 can be applied to an energy storage system (ESS). Therefore, the battery system 100 can manage the status of batteries operating at a site.

[0071] More specifically, according to an exemplary embodiment, the battery system 100 may include a plurality of BMSs 110 for efficiently managing batteries.

[0072] A plurality of BMSs 110 may be provided to correspond to the unit cells provided in a hierarchical structure within the ESS. In this case, each of the plurality of BMSs 110 may include a control program for managing the state of the unit cells corresponding thereto. For example, the control program may be a software program of the BMS.

[0073] Therefore, each of the plurality of BMSs may operate through a control program to perform at least one of charge and discharge control, cell balancing, and state monitoring on the unit battery corresponding thereto.

[0074] According to an exemplary embodiment, the multiple BMSs 110 may include a master BMS 111, at least one first slave BMS 112, and a second slave BMS 113, with each unit battery being provided in a hierarchical structure. For example, the master BMS 111 may be a bank BMS (BBMS), which may include a control program for managing battery status on a bank-by-bank basis. Furthermore, the first slave BMS 112 may be a rack BMS (RBMS), which may include a control program for managing battery status on a rack-by-rack basis. Furthermore, the second slave BMS 113 may be a group BMS (PBMS or module BMS), which may manage battery status on a group or module basis.

[0075] The control program of each of the plurality of BMSs 110 may be continuously updated by an administrator for efficient management of each unit battery.

[0076] According to an exemplary embodiment, the master BMS 111 may be linked to the external storage device 120 via communication. For example, the master BMS 111 may be linked to the external storage device 120 via MAY communication. Thus, the master BMS 111 may obtain at least one control program stored on the external storage device 120 during operation of the battery system 100. Here, the external storage device 120 may be a PC of a dualization supplier.

[0077] In addition, the control program may be a higher version of the control program of at least one of the plurality of BMSs 110. More specifically, the master BMS 111 may store the control program in a storage space ( Figure 5Here, the storage space 130 may include an external memory connected to a corresponding BMS among the plurality of BMSs 100. For example, the storage space 130 may be provided in the form of physical hardware such as a hard disk drive (HDD), a flash memory, an EEPROM, or a removable storage device.

[0078] At the same time, the master BMS 111 can be linked to each of the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113 and communicate with the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113, respectively. Therefore, the master BMS 111 can obtain identification information of individually stored control programs from the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113, respectively, and manage the obtained identification information. Therefore, when at least one control program is stored in the storage space 130, the master BMS 111 can compare the identification information of the at least one control program with the identification information individually obtained from the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113 during operation of the battery system 100. Therefore, the master BMS 111 can identify at least one target BMS to which the at least one control program needs to be applied.

[0079] The master BMS 111 may then transmit at least one control program to the storage space 130 of the corresponding at least one target BMS. In this case, when the at least one target BMS includes the second slave BMS 113, the master BMS 111 may sequentially transmit at least one control program through the specific first slave BMS 112 that is a higher BMS than the corresponding second slave BMS 113.

[0080] Subsequently, the target BMS may execute a loader while being physically connected to the storage space 130. Thus, the loader may copy at least one control program stored in the storage space 130 and temporarily store the copied control program in an inactive area of ​​a memory within the target BMS. For example, the loader may be a bootloader.

[0081] The target BMS may then delete the control program that has been pre-stored in the active area of ​​the memory.

[0082] Thereafter, the master BMS 111 may transmit a re-execution signal to the target BMS. In response, the target BMS receiving the re-execution signal may transfer the control program temporarily stored in the inactive area to the active area of ​​the memory.

[0083] Thereafter, the target BMS may execute the control program stored in the active area while being re-executed by the re-execution signal of the master BMS 111. Therefore, the battery system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can efficiently operate at least one battery configuring the ESS by enabling execution of the updated control program without interrupting the battery system.

[0084] Figure 4 is a block diagram for illustrating a hardware structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is a block diagram for illustrating a memory structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0085] refer to Figure 4 The plurality of BMSs 111 , 112 , and 113 may each include a memory 410 , a processor 420 , a transceiver device 430 , an input interface device 440 , an output interface device 450 , and a storage device 460 .

[0086] According to an exemplary embodiment, each of the components 410 , 420 , 430 , 440 , 450 , and 460 individually included in the plurality of BMSs 110 may be connected through a bus 470 to communicate with one another.

[0087] Among components 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460, memory 410 and storage device 460 may be formed of at least one of a volatile storage medium and a nonvolatile storage medium. For example, memory 410 may be formed of at least one of a read-only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0088] refer to Figure 5 According to an exemplary embodiment, the memory 410 provided as a volatile storage medium may include a first area 411 and a second area 412. For example, the first area 411 may be an inactive area that may temporarily store a control program received from the master BMS for updating. In addition, the second area 412 may be an active area, and at least one program stored in the second area 412 may be operated by the processor 420. For example, the second area 412 may store a pre-stored control program or an updated control program from the first area 411.

[0089] According to another exemplary embodiment, the memory 410 provided as a nonvolatile storage medium may include at least one program command.

[0090] Meanwhile, in some exemplary embodiments, the storage device 460 may be replaced by the storage space 130 connected to the plurality of BMSs 110 .

[0091] The processor 420 may refer to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor, on which the method according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is performed.

[0092] The processor 420 may execute at least one program command stored in the memory 410 as a nonvolatile storage medium.

[0093] The transceiver 430 may provide a communication environment with the external storage device 120 and at least one of the plurality of slave BMSs 110. According to an exemplary embodiment, the transceiver 430 may provide a wired or wireless network environment. For example, the transceiver 430 may perform MAY communication.

[0094] Figure 6 is a flowchart for illustrating a method of operating a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] refer to Figure 6 During operation of the battery system 100, the master BMS 111 in the battery system 100 may receive at least one control program from the external storage device 120. The master BMS 111 may store the received at least one control program in the storage space 130 (S600). Herein, the storage space 130 may be an external memory physically connected to the master BMS 111. For example, the master BMS 111 may be a bank BMS (BBMS).

[0096] The master BMS 111 can then compare the identification information of at least one control program stored in the storage space 130 connected to the master BMS 111 with the identification information of the multiple BMSs 111, 112, and 113 managed by the master BMS 111 to identify the target BMS corresponding to each control program. More specifically, the identification information may include application target information and software version information. Therefore, the master BMS 111 can extract at least one BMS corresponding to the application target of the corresponding control program from the multiple BMSs 111, 112, and 113 managed by the master BMS 111. For example, the target BMS can be any one of the master BMS 111, the first slave BMS 112, and the second slave BMS 113. Therefore, the master BMS 111 can select at least one BMS with a lower version of the corresponding control program from the extracted at least one BMS 110 as the target BMS.

[0097] According to an exemplary embodiment, when the target BMS is the master BMS 111 (S610), the master BMS 111 may delete the BMS control program pre-stored in the first area 411 of the memory 410. The master BMS 111 may then copy the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130 and store the copied control program in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S620). In other words, the master BMS 111 may delete the BMS control program pre-stored in the first area 411 and download the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130.

[0098] According to another exemplary embodiment, when the target BMS is at least one slave BMS (S610), the master BMS 111 may transmit each of the at least one control program to a specific first slave BMS 112 to which the corresponding target BMS belongs. Here, the at least one slave BMS may include at least one of the first slave BMS 112 and the second slave BMS 113. For example, the first slave BMS 112 may be a rack BMS (RBMS), and the second slave BMS may be a group (or module) BMS (PBMS).

[0099] More specifically, when the application target of the specific control program is at least one first slave BMS 112 (S630), the master BMS 111 may select at least one specific first slave BMS 112 having a version lower than the version information of the specific control program as the target BMS among the first slave BMSs 112 managed by the master BMS 111 (S631). The master BMS 111 may then transmit the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the master BMS 111 to the storage space 130 of the at least one specific first slave BMS 112 as the target BMS (S632).

[0100] Then, when the specific first slave BMS 112 recognizes the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific first slave BMS, the specific first slave BMS 112 may delete the BMS control program pre-stored in the first area 411 of the memory 410 of the specific first slave BMS (S633). Thereafter, the specific first slave BMS 112 may copy the specific control program pre-stored in the storage space 130 and store the copied specific control program in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S634). In other words, the specific first slave BMS 112 may download the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific first slave BMS.

[0101] Here, the first area 411 may be an active area, and the second area 412 may be an inactive area.

[0102] Meanwhile, when the application target of the specific control program is at least one second slave BMS 113 ( S630 ), the master BMS 111 may select at least one specific second slave BMS 113 having a version lower than the version information of the specific control program as a target BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 managed by the master BMS 111 ( S640 ).

[0103] The master BMS 111 may transmit at least one specific control program stored in the storage space 130 thereof to the storage space 130 of the specific first slave BMS 112 that is the higher BMS of each of the specific second slave BMSs 113 that is the target BMS ( S641 ).

[0104] The specific first slave BMS 112 may then transmit the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific first slave BMS 112 to the storage space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 ( S642 ).

[0105] Thereafter, upon identifying the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113, the specific second slave BMS 113 may delete the BMS control program previously stored in the first area 411 within the memory 410 of the specific second slave BMS 113 (S643). Thereafter, the specific second slave BMS 113 may copy the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 and store the copied specific control program in the second area 412 within the memory 410 of the specific second slave BMS 113 (S644). In other words, the specific second slave BMS 113 may update the program for managing the battery status by downloading the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113.

[0106] The master BMS 111 may then sequentially transmit a re-execution signal based on the hierarchical structure of the at least one target BMS. For example, the master BMS 111 may receive the re-execution signal in the order of the master BMS 111, the at least one first slave BMS 112, and the at least one second slave BMS 113 (S650).

[0107] The at least one target BMS that receives the re-execution signal may copy the specific control program stored in the second area 412 of the memory 410 of each of the target BMSs and store the copied specific control program in the first area 411 of the memory 410 (S660). Subsequently, at the time of re-execution (S670), the at least one target BMS may execute the updated control program in the first area 411, thereby updating the program of the target BMS without interrupting the operation of the battery system.

[0108] Figure 7 is a flowchart for illustrating a method of updating a plurality of first slave BMSs in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 7 When the first slave BMS 112 receives the re-execution signal from the master BMS 111 , the first slave BMS 112 may perform an update of a specific control program of the first BMS (BMS# 1 ) to the Nth BMS (BMS#N) among the first slave BMSs 112 . Herein, N is a natural number.

[0110] More specifically, when the first BMS in the first slave BMS 112 (S700) receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS 111, that is, when the master BMS 111 transmits the re-execution signal to the first BMS (S710), the first BMS may check whether the control program is stored in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S720). In this case, if the control program is stored in the second area 412, the first BMS may copy the control program stored in the second area 412 and store the copied control program in the first area 411 of the memory 410 (S730).

[0111] Thereafter, the first BMS may be re-executed ( S740 ), and the control program stored in the first area 411 may be activated to complete the update of the control program of the first BMS.

[0112] Thereafter, the first BMS may transmit a re-execution completion signal to the master BMS 111 (S750). In response, the master BMS 111 may transmit a re-execution signal to the second BMS in the first slave BMS 112 (S760). Thereafter, the master BMS 111 may control operations S710 to S760 to be repeatedly performed until the Nth BMS in the first slave BMS 112 (S770).

[0113] Figure 8 is a flowchart for illustrating a method of updating a plurality of second slave BMSs in a battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0114] refer to Figure 8 , the plurality of second slave BMSs 113 can be managed by the specific first slave BMS 112. In other words, the plurality of second slave BMSs 113 are subordinate BMSs of the specific first slave BMS 112. Therefore, the second slave BMSs 113 can be managed by the specific first slave BMS 112. Figure 7 After operation S750 , the re-execution signal is received from the specific first slave BMS 112 . Therefore, the second slave BMS 113 may perform the update of the specific control program targeting the first to N-th BMSs among the second slave BMSs 113 .

[0115] More specifically, when the first BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 (S800) receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS 111, that is, when the specific first slave BMS 1112 transmits the re-execution signal to the first BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 (S810), the first BMS may check whether the control program is stored in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S820). In this case, if the control program is stored in the second area 412, the first BMS may copy the control program stored in the second area 412 and store the copied control program in the first area 411 of the memory 410 (S830).

[0116] Thereafter, the first BMS may be re-executed ( S840 ), and the control program stored in the first area 411 may be activated to complete the update of the control program of the first BMS.

[0117] Thereafter, the first BMS may transmit a re-execution completion signal to the specific first slave BMS 112 (S850). In response, the specific first slave BMS 112 may transmit a re-execution signal to the second BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 (S860). Thereafter, the specific first slave BMS 112 may control operations S810 to S860 to be repeatedly performed until the Nth BMS among the plurality of second slave BMSs 113 (S870).

[0118] Then, when the update of the control program of the Nth BMS in the second slave BMS is completed, the specific first slave BMS 112 may perform Figure 7 Operation S760 is performed to continue updating the control program of the first slave BMS 112 .

[0119] The battery system and the method of operating the battery system according to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention are described above.

[0120] According to a battery system and a method of operating the battery system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, efficient battery management operation may be achieved by updating a control program of a battery management system (BMS) during operation of the battery system without interrupting monitoring of batteries.

[0121] The operation of the method of the exemplary embodiment of the present invention can be implemented as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording devices in which data readable by a computer system is stored. In addition, the computer-readable recording medium can be distributed among network-connected computer systems to store and execute the computer-readable program or code in a distributed manner.

[0122] In addition, the computer readable recording medium may include hardware devices such as ROM, RAM and flash memory, which are specially configured to store and execute program commands. These program commands may include not only machine language codes such as those generated by a compiler, but also high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer through an interpreter, etc.

[0123] Although some aspects of the present invention have been described in the context of apparatuses, they may also be presented as descriptions based on corresponding methods, where blocks or apparatuses correspond to method operations or features of method operations. Similarly, aspects described in the context of methods may also refer to corresponding blocks or items or features of corresponding apparatuses. Some or all of the method operations may be performed by (or using) hardware devices, such as, for example, microprocessors, programmable computers, or electronic circuits. In some exemplary embodiments, one or more of the most important method operations may be performed by such apparatuses.

[0124] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred exemplary embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the appended patent claims.

Claims

1. A battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure, the battery system comprising: Multiple slave BMSs; as well as a master BMS, the master BMS being linked to the plurality of slave BMSs, During operation of the battery system, the master BMS identifies an application target of an externally input control program for battery management and transmits the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

2. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: When the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS compares version information of each of the plurality of slave BMSs with version information of the control program, and A specific slave BMS having a version lower than the version information of the control program is determined as the application target, and the control program is transmitted to the application target.

3. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein: The master BMS sends the control program to the storage space of the application target.

4. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein: The specific slave BMS deletes a control program pre-stored in a first area of ​​a memory of the specific slave BMS, and copies a control program stored in a storage space of the specific slave BMS and stores the copied control program in a second area of ​​the memory.

5. The battery system according to claim 4, wherein: When receiving a re-execution signal from the master BMS, the specific slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second area and stores the copied control program in the first area.

6. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of slave BMSs include at least one first slave BMS and at least one second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and The second slave BMS is a sub-level of the first slave BMS.

7. The battery system according to claim 6, wherein: When the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS transmits the control program of the second slave BMS to a storage space of the first slave BMS, and The first slave BMS transmits the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been transmitted to the storage space of the first slave BMS, to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

8. The battery system according to claim 6, wherein: When the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS compares version information of at least one control program individually received from the plurality of second slave BMSs with the version information of the at least one control program, and A specific second slave BMS having a version lower than the version information of the control program is determined as the application target, and the at least one control program is transmitted to a storage space of the application target.

9. The battery system according to claim 7, wherein: The second slave BMS deletes a control program pre-stored in a first area of ​​a memory of the second slave BMS, copies the control program stored in the storage space of the second slave BMS, and stores the copied control program in a second area of ​​the memory.

10. The battery system according to claim 9, wherein: When receiving a re-execution signal from the master BMS, the second slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second region and stores the copied control program in the first region.

11. The battery system according to any one of claims 2 and 8, wherein: The storage space includes an external memory.

12. The battery system according to any one of claims 4 and 9, wherein: The first area is an inactive area, and the second area is an active area.

13. A method of operating a battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure, the method comprising: a control program for obtaining, by a master BMS, external input for battery management during operation of the battery system; identifying, by the master BMS, each application target of the control program; and The master BMS transmits a control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: Each application target of the control program identified by the master BMS includes: When the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS compares version information of each of a plurality of slave BMSs linked to the master BMS with the version information of the control program; and A specific slave BMS having a version lower than the version information of the control program is determined by the master BMS as the application target.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein Transmitting, by the master BMS, the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target includes transmitting, by the master BMS, the control program to a storage space of the application target.

16. The method according to claim 14, further comprising: when the control program of the specific slave BMS is stored in the storage space, deleting, by the specific slave BMS, the control program pre-stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and The control program stored in the storage space of the specific slave BMS is copied by the specific slave BMS, and the copied control program is stored in the second area of ​​the memory.

17. The method according to claim 16, further comprising: receiving, by the specific slave BMS, a re-execution signal from the master BMS; copying, by the specific slave BMS, the control program stored in the second area and storing the copied control program in the first area; and Re-execute the specific slave BMS.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein The plurality of slave BMSs include at least one first slave BMS and at least one second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and The second slave BMS is a sub-level of the first slave BMS.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein The master BMS sending the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target includes: When the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS transmits the control program of the second slave BMS to the storage space of the first slave BMS; and The control program of the second slave BMS, which has been transmitted to the storage space of the first slave BMS, is transmitted by the first slave BMS to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

20. The method according to claim 19, further comprising: when the control program of the second slave BMS is stored in the storage space, deleting, by the second slave BMS, the control program pre-stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and The control program stored in the storage space of the second slave BMS is copied by the second slave BMS, and the copied control program is stored in a second area of ​​the memory.

21. The method according to claim 20, further comprising: copying, by the second slave BMS, the control program stored in the second area when a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS; and The copied control program is stored in the first area by the second slave BMS.

Images