Charging circuit, charging control method and charger

Abstract

The invention relates to a charging circuit, a charging control method and a charger. The charging circuit comprises a charging control module, a charging interface, a first switch and a second switch. The charging interface is used for connecting the battery module. The first switch and the second switch are both connected with the charging control module, the first switch and the second switch are connected to the charging interface in series, the first switch is controlled to be switched on or switched off in a mode of common driving of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second switch is controlled to be switched on or switched off in a mode of common driving of the charging control module and the battery module. Therefore, according to the charging circuit provided by the invention, the charging interface adopts a double-switch series isolation mode, so that the safety of the charging circuit is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of battery charging technology, specifically to charging circuits, charging control methods, and chargers. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, commonly used charger interfaces use switches to control the power supply to charge or stop the battery pack. However, with the development of battery technology, the voltage and current of battery packs have increased significantly, and chargers also need to operate in high-voltage environments.

[0003] On the one hand, when the charger's switch malfunctions or its control fails, it will output high voltage, posing a safety risk to users. On the other hand, high voltage also increases the probability of switch damage, making it impossible to guarantee electrical safety. Therefore, how to ensure electrical safety when the charger's switch malfunctions or its control fails is a technical problem that urgently needs to be solved by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a charging circuit, a charging control method, and a charger. By employing dual-switch series isolation for the charging interface and providing at least two driving sources for each switch to achieve charging protection, the reliability of the charging isolation in the charging circuit can be improved, thereby enhancing the charging safety of the charging circuit.

[0005] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a charging circuit, comprising: a charging control module, a charging interface, a first switch, and a second switch. The charging interface is used to connect a battery module. Both the first and second switches are connected to the charging control module, and are connected in series to the charging interface. The first switch is controlled to be turned on or off by a combination of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second switch is also controlled to be turned on or off by a combination of the charging control module and the battery module.

[0006] Optionally, both the first switch and the second switch include a first driving terminal and a second driving terminal.

[0007] Optionally, the first driving terminal of the first switch is driven by one of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second driving terminal of the first switch is driven by the other of the charging control module and the battery module.

[0008] Optionally, the first driving terminal of the second switch is driven by one of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second driving terminal of the second switch is driven by the other of the charging control module and the battery module.

[0009] Optionally, the charging control module is connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch, and is used to output a first driving signal to the first switch.

[0010] Optionally, the charging control module is connected to the first or second drive terminal of the second switch to output a second drive signal to the second switch.

[0011] Optionally, it may also include a first power drive circuit and / or a second power drive circuit.

[0012] Optionally, the charging control module is connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch through the first power driving circuit, and is used to control the first power driving circuit to output or disconnect the first driving signal to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch.

[0013] Optionally, the charging control module is connected to the first or second drive terminal of the second switch via the second power drive circuit, and is used to control the second drive circuit to output or disconnect the output of the second drive signal to the first or second drive terminal of the second switch.

[0014] Optionally, the first or second driving terminal of the first switch is connected to the battery module via a charging interface to receive the first battery driving signal.

[0015] Optionally, the first or second driving terminal of the second switch is connected to the battery module via a charging interface to receive the second battery driving signal.

[0016] Optionally, the charging interface includes a third power drive circuit and / or a fourth power drive circuit.

[0017] Optionally, the first or second driving terminal of the first switch is connected to the battery module through the third power driving circuit to receive the first battery driving signal transmitted by the third power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module.

[0018] Optionally, the first or second driving terminal of the second switch is connected to the battery module through the fourth power driving circuit to receive the second battery driving signal transmitted by the fourth power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module.

[0019] Optionally, the first switch and the second switch are at least one of a relay, an IGBT, and a MOSFET.

[0020] A second aspect of this application provides a charging control method applied to a charging circuit as described in any of the above claims, comprising: detecting charging factors; when any charging factor does not meet the charging conditions, controlling a first switch and / or a second switch to disconnect by means of joint driving of a charging control module and a battery module; and / or, when all charging factors meet the charging conditions, controlling both the first switch and the second switch to conduct by means of joint driving of a charging control module and a battery module.

[0021] Optionally, the charging factors include a first charging factor corresponding to the battery module and a second charging factor corresponding to the charging circuit.

[0022] Optionally, the charging control module and the battery module are jointly driven in a manner that includes at least one of the following:

[0023] The first battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the first switch, and the first drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the first switch to be turned on or off.

[0024] The second battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the second switch, and the second drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the second switch, so as to control the second switch to be turned on or off.

[0025] Optionally, the first charging factor includes the performance parameters corresponding to the battery module, and the second charging factor includes the operating state of the devices in the charging circuit.

[0026] Optionally, the charging conditions include at least one of the following: the performance parameters of the battery module meet the parameter threshold; and the devices in the charging circuit are operating in a normal state.

[0027] A third aspect of this application provides a charger, including the charging circuit of any of the above claims, or a charging control method for implementing any of the above claims.

[0028] Optionally, the charger includes one of an AC / DC charger, a DC / DC charger, and an energy storage charger.

[0029] Optionally, the charger includes one of the following: multi-pack charger, multi-pack multi-mode charger, energy storage charger, and cascaded charging cabinet.

[0030] This application provides a charging circuit, a charging control method, and a charger. The charging circuit includes a charging control module, a charging interface, a first switch, and a second switch. The charging interface is used to connect a battery module. Both the first and second switches are connected to the charging control module, and are connected in series to the charging interface. The first switch is controlled to be turned on or off by the charging control module and the battery module working together, and the second switch is also controlled to be turned on or off by the charging control module and the battery module working together. Therefore, by using a dual-switch series isolation method for the charging interface and by having each switch worked together by the charging control module and the battery module, this application can handle various abnormal situations where switches cannot be turned off, thus better realizing the charging protection function. Therefore, this application can improve the reliability of the charging isolation of the charging circuit, thereby improving the charging safety of the charging circuit. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application. To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any creative effort.

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the charging circuit provided in an example embodiment of this application.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram illustrating a charging circuit as exemplified in an example embodiment of this application.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a charging control method provided in an example embodiment of this application.

[0035] The realization of the objectives, functional features, and advantages of this application will be further explained in conjunction with the embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings have illustrated specific embodiments of this application, which will be described in more detail below. These drawings and textual descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the concept in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of this application to those skilled in the art through reference to specific embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0036] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0037] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Optionally, components, features, and elements with the same names in different embodiments of this application may have the same meaning or different meanings, the specific meaning of which needs to be determined by its interpretation in that specific embodiment or further in conjunction with the context of that specific embodiment.

[0038] It should be understood that although the terms first, second, third, etc., may be used herein to describe various information, such information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish information of the same type from one another. For example, without departing from the scope of this document, first information may also be referred to as second information, and similarly, second information may also be referred to as first information. Depending on the context, the word "if," as used herein, can be interpreted as "when," "when," or "in response to determination." Furthermore, as used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to also include the plural forms unless the context indicates otherwise. It should be further understood that the terms "comprising," "including," indicate the presence of the stated feature, step, operation, element, component, item, kind, and / or group, but do not exclude the presence, occurrence, or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, items, kinds, and / or groups. The terms "or" and "and / or" as used herein are to be interpreted as inclusive, or mean any one or any combination thereof. Therefore, "A, B, or C" or "A, B, and / or C" means "any one of the following: A; B; C; A and B; A and C; B and C; A, B, and C". Exceptions to this definition will only occur if the combination of elements, functions, steps, or operations is inherently mutually exclusive in some way.

[0039] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowcharts of this application's embodiments are shown sequentially according to the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless explicitly stated herein, there is no strict order restriction on the execution of these steps, and they can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least some of the steps in the figures may include multiple sub-steps or multiple stages. These sub-steps or stages are not necessarily completed at the same time, but can be executed at different times, and their execution order is not necessarily sequential, but can be performed alternately or in turn with other steps or at least a portion of the sub-steps or stages of other steps.

[0040] It should be noted that step designations such as S21 and S22 are used in this document for the purpose of more clearly and concisely describing the corresponding content, and do not constitute a substantial limitation on the order. In specific implementation, those skilled in the art may execute S22 first and then S21, etc., but these should all be within the protection scope of this application.

[0041] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0042] In the following description, the use of suffixes such as "module," "part," or "unit" to denote elements is solely for the purpose of illustrative purposes and has no specific meaning in itself. Therefore, "module," "part," or "unit" may be used interchangeably.

[0043] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the charging circuit provided in an example embodiment of this application; Figure 2 This is a circuit diagram illustrating a charging circuit according to an example embodiment of this application. For a clearer description of the charging circuit provided in the example embodiment of this application, please refer to... Figures 1 to 2 .

[0044] See Figure 1 An example embodiment of this application provides a charging circuit, including: a charging control module M1, a charging interface, a first switch K301, and a second switch K302.

[0045] Both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are connected to the charging control module M1, and the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are connected in series to the charging interface so as to connect to the battery module M2 through the charging interface.

[0046] The charging circuit provided in this embodiment can achieve series isolation through the first switch K301 and the second switch K302. Thus, the charging circuit delivers current to the charging interface only when both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are normally turned on. Therefore, when there is no need to deliver current to the charging interface, if one of the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 is turned on due to failure / malfunction, the other open switch can also isolate the current of the charging circuit at this time (preventing the current from being delivered to the charging interface).

[0047] In some technologies, there are two main control methods for switches: software control and hardware control. Software control primarily uses software / MCU to directly output control signals according to control logic to control the switch's on / off state. Software control offers advantages such as high flexibility and ease of upgrades or adjustments. Hardware control, on the other hand, can use comparators to provide fixed threshold values ​​for comparison, thereby outputting a level to control the switch's on / off state. Hardware control offers more stable control performance. In some technologies, when a single switch is used for power on / off control of the charger interface, electrical safety cannot be guaranteed if the switch is damaged or the on / off control fails. Furthermore, the switch's operation relies entirely on software or hardware control; software or hardware failures can also cause abnormal switching or malfunction, again compromising electrical safety. In other words, single-switch isolated charging circuits in some technologies have shortcomings (even when the single switch fails / malfunctions, current is still supplied to the charging interface, resulting in low isolation reliability and low electrical safety). However, the charging circuit of this embodiment can overcome some of these shortcomings, providing more reliable charging isolation and better safety performance.

[0048] The first switch K301 is controlled to be turned on or off by being jointly driven by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2. The second switch K302 is also controlled to be turned on or off by being jointly driven by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2.

[0049] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 are jointly driven, including: the battery module M2 provides a battery drive signal to drive the switch, and the charging control module M1 provides a drive signal to drive the switch, thereby controlling the switch to be on or off. Optionally, when both the battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 and the drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 indicate that charging is allowed, the switch is controlled to be on. Optionally, when both the battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 and the drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 indicate that charging is prohibited, the switch is controlled to be off. Optionally, when either the battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 or the drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 indicates that charging is allowed, the switch is controlled to be off; that is, when either the battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 or the drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 indicates that charging is prohibited, the switch is controlled to be off. Optionally, when the charging interface is not connected to the battery module M2 (the battery pack is not connected to the charger), the charging interface can provide a battery drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited, and the switch is controlled to be off; that is, the battery drive signal at this time is provided after detecting that the battery module M2 is not connected.

[0050] In one embodiment, when both indicate that charging is prohibited, the specific forms of the battery drive signal and the drive signal may be the same or different; when both indicate that charging is permitted, the specific forms of the battery drive signal and the drive signal may be the same or different.

[0051] It is understandable that the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 can be driven by either hardware or software. Technicians can combine them according to actual needs to build a charging circuit, and no specific restrictions are made here.

[0052] Based on the above, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment can at least cope with the following abnormal situations where the switch cannot be disconnected, and achieve charging isolation:

[0053] (1) Only one switch fails: If one of the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 has a hardware failure that causes abnormal conduction, the other switch usually will not have a hardware failure that causes abnormal conduction at the same time. Thus, at least one of the two switches will maintain normal operation and can achieve charging isolation.

[0054] (2) Single switch failure: In the scenario where both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, if one of the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 fails due to a hardware failure and cannot be turned off, the other switch can be driven off by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 to achieve charging isolation.

[0055] (3) Single drive failure: In the scenario where both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, if either the charging control module M1 or the battery module M2 cannot provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to drive the first switch K301 and / or the second switch K302, the other of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 can provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to the first switch K301 and / or the second switch K302 to drive the first switch K301 and / or the second switch K302 to turn off, thereby achieving charging isolation;

[0056] (4) Single switch failure and single drive failure: In the scenario where both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, if one of the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 fails to turn off due to a hardware failure, and the charging control module M1 is unable to provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to drive the other switch, the battery module M2 can provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to the other switch to drive the other switch to turn off, thereby achieving charging isolation.

[0057] (5) Single switch failure and single drive failure: In the scenario where both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, if one of the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 fails to turn off due to a hardware failure, and the battery module M2 is unable to provide a battery drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to drive the other switch, the charging control module M1 can provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to the other switch to drive the other switch to turn off, thereby achieving charging isolation.

[0058] It should be understood that the possibility of both switches failing simultaneously or both drives failing simultaneously is extremely low. Therefore, this application can effectively improve the safety of the charging circuit.

[0059] In one embodiment, a hardware failure of the switch can indicate that the switch cannot be driven off by either the charging control module M1 or the battery module M2 in any driving mode, or it can indicate that the switch has suffered organic damage.

[0060] In some technologies, the charging circuit includes a first switch K301 and a second switch K302. The first switch K301 can be driven to turn on or off via software control, and the second switch K302 can be controlled to turn on or off via hardware control to achieve charging isolation. However, in this technology, if both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, and a hardware failure in the second switch K302 prevents it from turning off, while the software control fails to provide a drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to drive the first switch K301, then charging isolation fails. Alternatively, if both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are currently on and need to be turned off, and a hardware failure in the first switch K301 prevents it from turning off, while the hardware control fails to control the second switch K302 to turn off, then charging isolation fails. Therefore, compared with this technology, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment has better charging isolation reliability and improved electrical safety.

[0061] In one embodiment, the first switch K301 receives a first battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 and a first drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 to turn on or off. The second switch K302 receives a second battery drive signal provided by the battery module M2 and a second drive signal provided by the charging control module M1 to turn on or off.

[0062] It should be understood that in a charging scenario, the first drive signal and the second drive signal can be control signals representing the same meaning (e.g., allowing charging or disabling charging), but the specific forms of the first drive signal and the second drive signal representing the same meaning can be the same or different. For example, when both the first drive signal and the second drive signal represent allowing charging or disabling charging, one of the first drive signal and the second drive signal can be at a high level or a low level, and the other of the first drive signal and the second drive signal can be in other forms. Optionally, the charging control module M1 can output the first drive signal and the second drive signal with different specific forms through two independent signal output units to form drive signal isolation. Thus, when one signal output unit of the charging control module M1 fails and causes a switch to fail to open, the other signal output unit of the charging control module M1 can normally drive the other switch to achieve disconnection (it can also achieve disconnection when the battery module M2 drive fails at the same time), which can further improve the reliability of charging isolation.

[0063] In one embodiment, in a charging scenario, the first battery drive signal and the second battery drive signal can be control signals representing the same meaning (e.g., allowing charging or disabling charging), but the specific forms of the first battery drive signal and the second battery drive signal representing the same meaning can be the same or different. For example, when both the first battery drive signal and the second battery drive signal represent allowing charging or disabling charging, one of the first battery drive signal and the second battery drive signal can be a high level or a low level, and the other of the first battery drive signal and the second battery drive signal can be in other forms. Optionally, the battery module M2 can enable the two independent signal output units of the charging interface to output first battery drive signals and second battery drive signals with different specific forms, so as to form drive signal isolation. Thus, when one signal output unit of the charging interface fails and causes a switch to fail to open, the other signal output unit of the charging interface can respond to the signal excitation of the battery module M2 to drive the other switch normally to achieve disconnection (disconnection can also be achieved when the charging control module M1 fails at the same time), which can further improve the reliability of charging isolation.

[0064] In one embodiment, the first battery drive signal can originate from the processing of a signal processing unit (e.g., the battery management system in battery module M2) or from a hardware circuit (a circuit composed of various connected electrical components). The source of the second battery drive signal can be referred to the above description.

[0065] In one embodiment, both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 may include a first driving terminal and a second driving terminal.

[0066] In one embodiment, the first driving terminal of the first switch K301 is connected to one of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 and is driven by the corresponding connected module. The second driving terminal of the first switch K301 is connected to the other of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 and is driven by the other connected module.

[0067] In one embodiment, when the first driving terminal and the second driving terminal of the first switch K301 are jointly driven to conduct by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 respectively, the first switch K301 closes to form an electrical path to transmit electrical energy to the second switch K302.

[0068] In one embodiment, the first driving terminal of the second switch K302 is connected to one of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 and is driven by the corresponding connected module. The second driving terminal of the second switch K302 is connected to the other of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 and is driven by the other connected module.

[0069] In one embodiment, when the first driving terminal and the second driving terminal of the second switch K302 are jointly driven to conduct by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 respectively, the second switch K302 closes to form an electrical path to receive the electrical energy transmitted by the first switch K301 and transmit the electrical energy to the charging interface.

[0070] In one embodiment, one of the first driving terminal and the second driving terminal of the first switch K301 can be a high-side driving terminal, and the other can be a low-side driving terminal. Similarly, one of the first driving terminal and the second driving terminal of the second switch K302 can be a high-side driving terminal, and the other can be a low-side driving terminal. Optionally, the high-side driving terminal corresponds to the high-voltage side, and the low-side driving terminal corresponds to the low-voltage side. Optionally, in the charging circuit provided in this embodiment, one driving terminal of the switch can be directly or indirectly driven by the battery module M2 as the low-voltage side, and the other driving terminal of the switch can be driven by the charging control module M1 as the high-voltage side.

[0071] In this example embodiment, by receiving drive signals from the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2 respectively from the two drive terminals of the same switch to control the switch's on / off state, the switch control can take into account both the working state of the charger and the working state of the battery pack. This ensures that the switch is turned on only when the charger and battery pack are in normal working state, and that if either the charger or the battery pack experiences a drive failure, the switch can be turned off promptly by the drive of another device. This effectively improves the control accuracy of the charging circuit, as well as the effectiveness of charging isolation and charging safety.

[0072] In one embodiment, the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch K301 is connected to the battery module M2 through a charging interface to receive the first battery driving signal.

[0073] In one embodiment, the first or second driving terminal of the second switch K302 is connected to the battery module M2 via a charging interface to receive the second battery driving signal.

[0074] In one embodiment, the battery drive signal can be directly output from the battery module M2 to the charging interface and then transmitted to the first or second drive terminal of the switch. Alternatively, it can be obtained by processing the charging demand signal (e.g., voltage signal, which can represent requesting charging, pausing charging, or prohibiting charging) provided by the battery module M2 through the charging interface.

[0075] In one embodiment, both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 can represent electronic components that realize on / off control. The first switch K301 and the second switch K302 can be at least one of a relay, an IGBT, and a MOSFET. Optionally, the relay includes a solid-state relay and an electromagnetic relay.

[0076] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 can represent a component or circuit that has the function of processing signals / information. It can process the signals / information and output a drive signal to the drive terminal of the switch to coordinate with the battery module M2 to control the switch to be turned on or off.

[0077] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 can be directly or indirectly connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch K301, and is used to output a first driving signal to the first switch K301.

[0078] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 is directly or indirectly connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302, and is used to output a second driving signal to the second switch K302.

[0079] In one embodiment, the first drive signal may come from a signal processing unit (e.g., an MCU, a comparator, etc.) or from a hardware circuit (a circuit composed of various electrical components connected together). The source of the second drive signal can be referred to the above description.

[0080] In one embodiment, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment may include a power drive circuit. The charging control module M1 can be indirectly connected to the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the switch through the power drive circuit. Optionally, the power drive circuit can perform voltage transformation, thereby boosting or bucking the voltage of the initial drive signal to output a target drive signal suitable for driving the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the switch. Optionally, the meaning of the drive signal before and after passing through the power drive circuit does not change (charging is allowed or charging is prohibited), but the voltage magnitude or form of the signal changes. For example, the power drive circuit amplifies the voltage (or level) amplitude of the first drive signal and outputs it to the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the first switch K301 to drive the first switch K301 (the same applies to the second switch K302).

[0081] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit connected to the charging control module M1 may include at least one of a single switch, a switch group, a drive transformer, a bootstrap circuit, a comparator, etc.

[0082] In one embodiment, when the power drive circuit connected to the charging control module M1 is a switch, the high-voltage side can provide at least two switches connected to the high-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and / or the high-side drive terminal of the second switch K302 (for example, providing two switches respectively connected to the high-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and the high-side drive terminal of the second switch K302), and the low-voltage side can provide at least one switch connected to the low-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and / or the low-side drive terminal of the second switch K302.

[0083] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit connected to the charging control module M1 can use a drive transformer (which needs to be driven by a signal sent by the MCU in the charging circuit).

[0084] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit connected to the charging control module M1 can use a bootstrap circuit to drive the high-side drive terminal and / or low-side drive terminal of the switch.

[0085] In one embodiment, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment may include a first power drive circuit and / or a second power drive circuit.

[0086] In one optional embodiment, the charging control module M1 can be connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch K301 via a first power driving circuit, for controlling the first power driving circuit to output or disconnect the first driving signal to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch K301. The charging control module M1 can also be connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302 via a second power driving circuit, for controlling the second driving circuit to output or disconnect the second driving signal to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302; alternatively, the charging control module M1 can be directly connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302, for outputting the second driving signal to the second switch K302.

[0087] In one optional embodiment, the charging control module M1 can be directly connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch K301 to output a first driving signal to the first switch K301. The charging control module M1 is connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302 via a second power driving circuit to control the second driving circuit to output or disconnect a second driving signal to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302; alternatively, the charging control module M1 can be directly connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the second switch K302 to output a second driving signal to the second switch K302.

[0088] In an optional embodiment, the charging control module M1 can be connected to the first or second driving terminal of the first switch K301 and the first or second driving terminal of the second switch K302 via a first power drive circuit or a second power drive circuit.

[0089] In one embodiment, the "control" of the power drive circuit by the charging control module M1 can be achieved by specifically outputting a certain drive signal (such as a level signal) to drive the power drive circuit (e.g., to drive the switch to open or close), thereby indirectly driving the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the switch connected to the power drive circuit to be turned on or off.

[0090] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 can use software control to output a drive signal to directly or indirectly drive the first or second drive terminal of the first switch K301 and / or the first or second drive terminal of the second switch K302. For example, the charging control module M1 includes an MCU, and a single I / O interface of the MCU can output drive signals to jointly drive the first or second drive terminal of the first switch K301 and the first or second drive terminal of the second switch K302; or, the MCU can output drive signals through dual I / O interfaces to drive the first or second drive terminal of the first switch K301 and the first or second drive terminal of the second switch K302 respectively.

[0091] In one embodiment, the charging control module M1 can be connected to the power supply terminal.

[0092] The charging interface is used to connect to the battery module M2.

[0093] In one embodiment, when the charging circuit is working normally, the battery module M2 can be charged through the charging interface.

[0094] In one embodiment, after the charging interface is connected to the battery module M2, it can receive a battery drive signal fed back by the battery module M2. The battery drive signal can indicate whether charging is prohibited or permitted. Optionally, the battery drive signal can be a level signal or data communication information.

[0095] In one embodiment, the charging interface and the battery module M2 can be either fixedly connected or detachably connected.

[0096] In one embodiment, the charging circuit may include at least one charging interface. Each charging interface may be connected to one or more battery modules M2.

[0097] In one embodiment, the charging interface may include a simple signal transmission channel to directly transmit the battery drive signal fed back by the battery module M2 to the first or second drive terminal of the switch, or it may include a power drive circuit, such that the first or second drive terminal of the switch is connected to the battery module M2 through the power drive circuit. Optionally, the power drive circuit can perform voltage transformation, thereby transforming (boosting or bucking) or comparing the voltage of the charging demand signal fed back by the battery module M2 to output a target battery drive signal suitable for driving the first or second drive terminal of the switch. Optionally, the meaning of the drive signal before and after passing through the power drive circuit does not change (charging allowed or charging prohibited), but the voltage magnitude or form of the signal changes. For example, the power drive circuit compares the charging request signal (e.g., voltage signal) fed back by the battery module M2 with a standard voltage, and outputs a battery drive signal indicating that charging is allowed to the first or second drive terminal of the switch when the voltage is less than the standard voltage, or outputs a battery drive signal indicating that charging is prohibited to the first or second drive terminal of the switch when the voltage is greater than the standard voltage.

[0098] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit included in the charging interface may include at least one of a single switch, a switch group, a drive transformer, a bootstrap circuit, a comparator, etc.

[0099] In one embodiment, when the power drive circuit included in the charging interface is a switch, the high-voltage side can provide at least two switches connected to the high-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and / or the high-side drive terminal of the second switch K302 (for example, two switches are provided to be connected to the high-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and the high-side drive terminal of the second switch K302 respectively), and the low-voltage side can provide at least one switch connected to the low-side drive terminal of the first switch K301 and / or the low-side drive terminal of the second switch K302.

[0100] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit included in the charging interface can be driven by a drive transformer, which is driven by a signal sent by the battery module M2; optionally, the battery module M2 also includes a battery management system (mentioned below) for outputting a signal indicating whether the battery module M2 allows or disables charging.

[0101] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit included in the charging interface may use a bootstrap circuit to drive the high-side drive terminal and / or the low-side drive terminal of the switch.

[0102] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit included in the charging interface may use a comparator. After the battery module M2 sends a level signal to compare with a standard voltage, it outputs a battery drive signal (voltage signal) indicating that charging is allowed to the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the switch, or outputs a battery drive signal (voltage signal) indicating that charging is prohibited to the first drive terminal or the second drive terminal of the switch.

[0103] In one embodiment, the charging interface may include a third power drive circuit and / or a fourth power drive circuit.

[0104] In one optional embodiment, the first or second driving terminal of the first switch K301 can be connected to the battery module M2 via a third power driving circuit to receive a first battery driving signal transmitted by the third power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module M2. Similarly, the first or second driving terminal of the second switch K302 can be connected to the battery module M2 via a fourth power driving circuit to receive a second battery driving signal transmitted by the fourth power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module M2.

[0105] In one optional embodiment, the first or second driving terminal of the first switch K301 and the first or second driving terminal of the second switch K302 can both be connected to the battery module M2 through the same third or fourth power driving circuit, for receiving the first battery driving signal and / or the second battery driving signal transmitted by the third or fourth power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module M2. Optionally, the first battery driving signal and the second battery driving signal can be the same signal.

[0106] In one embodiment, the "driving" of the battery module M2 can be achieved by outputting a certain driving signal (such as a level signal) to drive the power driving circuit to output a battery driving signal, thereby indirectly driving the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the switch connected to the power driving circuit to be turned on or off.

[0107] In one embodiment, the battery module M2 can represent a rechargeable electrical appliance, such as a battery pack, other functional devices configured with rechargeable batteries, etc. Optionally, the battery pack can be composed of multiple battery groups and can include a battery management system. Optionally, the battery management system can perform self-tests on the battery pack and send charging demand signals back to the connected charging interface.

[0108] In this example embodiment, the charging circuit can optionally use a power drive circuit to drive the switch to achieve the switching on and off. Designers can selectively adjust and select, based on the actual circuit requirements and considerations, the power drive circuit, the connection method of the switch's drive terminal, the drive signal, and the form of the drive signal, etc., to obtain a simple, efficient, and safe charging circuit design and achieve reliable protection for the charging circuit.

[0109] In one embodiment, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment can be configured in a charger. Optionally, the charger may include one of an AC / DC charger, a DC / DC charger, an energy storage charger, etc. Optionally, the charger may include one of a multi-pack charger, a multi-pack multi-mode charger, an energy storage charger, or a cascaded charging cabinet. Optionally, the charger can be configured with a corresponding number of the aforementioned charging circuits during design, according to the expected number of battery modules to be charged.

[0110] An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a charging circuit, including: a charging control module M1, a charging interface, a first switch K301, and a second switch K302. The charging interface is used to connect to a battery module M2. Both the first switch K301 and the second switch K302 are connected to the charging control module M1, and are connected in series to the charging interface. The first switch K301 is controlled to be turned on or off by the joint drive of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2, and the second switch K302 is also controlled to be turned on or off by the joint drive of the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2. Therefore, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment achieves charging protection function by using a dual-switch series isolation method for the charging interface and by having each switch jointly driven by the charging control module M1 and the battery module M2. It can cope with various abnormal situations where the switches cannot be turned off, thus improving the reliability of the charging isolation of the charging circuit and thereby improving the charging safety of the charging circuit.

[0111] Based on the foregoing technical concept of this application, the foregoing embodiments will be described in detail below through specific examples.

[0112] like Figure 2 As shown, this application exemplifies a charging circuit, which can be configured in a charger, including a battery pack interface (charging interface), a first relay K301', a second relay K302', and a microcontroller unit (MCU) (charging control module). The first relay K301' and the second relay K302' are connected in series to the battery interface, which is used to connect to the battery pack. The battery interface is connected to the first and second power drive circuits of the charging circuit. The first and second power drive circuits process the battery level signal received from the battery pack and output a battery drive signal to the first relay K301' and the second relay K302'. The MCU is connected to the third and fourth power drive circuits via I / O, respectively, to process the signal output from the MCU's I / O port and output a drive signal to the first relay K301' and the second relay K302'. Both the first relay K301' and the second relay K302' are driven and controlled to turn on or off by the drive signal provided by the MCU and the battery drive signal provided by the battery pack.

[0113] Both the battery interface and the battery pack include communication ports (not shown in the figure) and are connected to each other through these ports. The communication port of the battery pack corresponds to different grounding resistance values ​​in normal and abnormal states. The communication port of the battery interface has a normal voltage. After the communication port of the battery interface is connected to the communication port of the battery pack, the communication port of the battery interface can pull down or pull up the normal voltage according to the grounding resistance corresponding to the normal state of the battery pack to obtain an initial battery level signal indicating that charging is allowed; or, the communication port of the battery interface can pull down or pull up the normal voltage according to the grounding resistance corresponding to the abnormal state of the battery pack to obtain an initial battery level signal indicating that charging is prohibited.

[0114] In other words, the initial battery level signal output from the communication port of the battery interface can characterize the high and low level signals provided by the hardware circuitry of the battery pack.

[0115] Among them, the I / O ports of the microcontroller MCU control the first and second power drive circuits to output drive signals that enable or disable charging, and the third and fourth power drive circuits are used to compare the received initial battery level signal with the standard voltage and output high and low level signals (battery drive signals) that indicate whether charging is enabled or disabled.

[0116] Among them, the high-side drive terminal of the first relay K301' is driven by the first I / O interface of the microcontroller single MCU, and receives the high and low level signals (first drive signals) indicating that charging is allowed or prohibited from charging output by the first I / O interface. The low-side drive terminal of the first relay K301' is driven by the communication port of the battery pack to receive the initial battery level signal output by the communication port of the battery interface, so that the high and low level signals (battery drive signals) indicating that charging is allowed or prohibited from charging output by the third power drive circuit are generated.

[0117] Similarly, the high-side drive terminal of the second relay K302' is driven by the second I / O interface of the microcontroller MCU, receiving the high or low level signal (second drive signal) indicating that charging is allowed or prohibited from being charged output by the second I / O interface. The low-side drive terminal of the second relay K302' is driven by the communication port of the battery pack to receive the initial battery level signal output by the communication port of the battery interface, so that the high or low level signal (battery drive signal) indicating that charging is allowed or prohibited from being charged output by the fourth power drive circuit is generated.

[0118] In one embodiment, the power drive circuit is only provided at the connection point between the charging interface and the battery interface, and no power drive circuit is provided at the microcontroller unit (MCU). The drive signal can be directly output to the corresponding relay, and vice versa.

[0119] Optionally, the initial battery level signal includes three states: the first is a high-level state indicating that charging is prohibited (e.g., abnormal battery pack voltage of 4V), the second is a low-level state indicating that charging is permitted (e.g., normal battery pack connection voltage of 2V), and the third is a high-level state indicating that the battery has been removed (e.g., normal voltage of 5V after the battery pack has been removed). Optionally, the communication port circuit of the battery pack has R1 / R2 grounded, the predefined resistor for the normal state (charging permitted) of the battery pack is R1, and the resistor for the abnormal state (charging prohibited) is R2; the communication port circuit of the battery interface is connected to V1 and R3 pull-up. Taking V1 as 5V as an example, after the battery pack is connected to the battery interface, the voltage of the communication port of the charging interface in the normal state (charging permitted) is pulled down from 5V to V2 (e.g., 2V, initial battery level signal), and the voltage of the communication port of the charging interface in the abnormal state (charging prohibited) is pulled down to V3 (e.g., 4V, initial battery level signal); when the communication port of the battery interface is not connected to the communication port of the battery pack, the voltage of the communication port of the charging interface is V1, i.e., 5V.

[0120] Optionally, the first and second power drive circuits include at least a first drive switch Q320 and a second drive switch Q321. The first drive switch Q320 and the second drive switch Q321 receive outputs from the I / O ports of the microcontroller unit (MCU) and are directly or indirectly connected to the control terminals of the first drive switch Q320 and the second drive switch Q321 to control the output of drive signals indicating whether charging is enabled or disabled. Specifically, the first terminal of the first drive switch Q320 receives a first signal source, and the second terminal of the first drive switch Q320 is connected to the high-side drive terminal of the first relay K301'; the first terminal of the second drive switch Q321 receives the first signal source, and the second terminal of the second drive switch Q321 is connected to the high-side drive terminal of the second relay K302'.

[0121] Optionally, the third and fourth power drive circuits include at least a comparator, a third drive switch Q309, and a fourth drive switch Q315. The comparator's input terminal receives an initial battery level signal, and its output terminal is directly or indirectly connected to the control terminals of the third drive switch Q309 and the fourth drive switch Q315. The first terminal of the third drive switch Q309 receives a second signal source, and its second terminal is connected to the low-side drive terminal of the first relay K301'. Similarly, the first terminal of the fourth drive switch Q315 receives a second signal source, and its second terminal is connected to the low-side drive terminal of the second relay K302'.

[0122] Optionally, see Figure 2After the battery pack is connected to the battery interface, the charger's microcontroller MCU outputs a first signal source through the I / O port to the first terminal of the first drive switch Q320 and the first terminal of the second drive switch Q321 to control their on / off state. This controls the second terminal of the first drive switch Q320 and the second terminal of the second drive switch Q321 to output the first signal source signal to the high-side drive terminal of the first relay K301' and the high-side drive terminal of the second relay K302', respectively (for example, outputting a signal indicating that charging is allowed when the drive switch is on, and outputting a signal indicating that charging is prohibited when the drive switch is off). The battery interface compares the initial battery level signal with a standard voltage (e.g., 2.5V) using a comparator, and then outputs a high level to control the third drive switch Q309 and the fourth drive switch Q315 to conduct. This allows the second signal source (i.e., high / low level signals indicating charging permission) to be output to the low-side drive terminal of the first relay K301' and the second relay K302', respectively, through the second terminals of the third drive switch Q309 and the fourth drive switch Q315. Alternatively, the output low level controls the third drive switch Q309 and the fourth drive switch Q315 to be deactivated. This allows the second signal source (i.e., high / low level signals indicating charging prohibition) to be output to the low-side drive terminal of the first relay K301' through the second terminal of the third drive switch Q309, and the third signal source (i.e., high / low level signals indicating charging prohibition) to be output to the low-side drive terminal of the second relay K302' through the second terminal of the fourth drive switch Q315.

[0123] Optionally, when the battery pack is in a normal state, the communication port of the charging interface outputs V2 (e.g., 2V). After comparing this with the comparator's preset comparison voltage value (e.g., 2.5V), the comparator outputs a high level, and the third drive switch Q309 and / or the fourth drive switch Q315 are turned on. When the battery pack is in an abnormal state, the communication port of the charging interface outputs V3 (e.g., 4V). After comparing this with the comparator's preset comparison voltage value (e.g., 2.5V), the comparator outputs a low level, and the third drive switch Q309 and / or the fourth drive switch Q315 are turned off. When the battery pack is removed, the communication port of the charging interface outputs V1 (5V). After comparing this with the comparator's preset comparison voltage value (e.g., 2.5V), the comparator outputs a low level, and the third drive switch Q309 and / or the fourth drive switch Q315 are turned off.

[0124] Understandably, the way a microcontroller outputs high and low level signals is a software control method, while the high and low level signal matching comparator and other circuits (battery drive signals) provided by the communication interface of the battery pack or charging circuit are hardware control methods.

[0125] Optionally, both the first drive switch Q309 and the second drive switch Q315 can be transistors, triodes, etc. The hardware circuit formed by the charging circuit and the battery pack controls the high and low terminals of the two relays through the on / off switching of the first drive switch Q309 and the second drive switch Q315 and the software control signal output of the charging circuit, thereby controlling the on / off switching of the two relays.

[0126] Therefore, in this example charging circuit, when both the battery pack and the charging circuit are allowed to charge, the communication port of the battery pack can output a high-level signal to drive the first drive switch Q309 and / or the second drive switch Q315 to conduct. This, combined with the charging circuit's microcontroller's first I / O interface outputting a charging-allowed level signal and the second I / O interface outputting a charging-allowed level signal, causes the first relay K301' and the second relay K302' to conduct, thereby opening the power delivery channel from the charging circuit to the battery pack. When the battery pack is not connected or the battery pack is in an abnormal state, no power should be output from the charging circuit; that is, the first relay K301' and the second relay K302' should be controlled to be in an open state. Assuming that only a single relay in the hardware loop fails (conducts / breaks down) (the microcontroller's control is not failed, and the drive provided by the battery pack is not failed), the other relay can be disconnected by the battery drive signal of the battery pack and the drive signal of the microcontroller's single MCU. Since the two relays are connected in series, the isolation function of the relays can still be maintained. Alternatively, assuming that a single relay in the hardware loop fails (conducts) and the drive signal of the microcontroller unit (MCU) also fails (software control fails), the other relay will still disconnect due to the abnormal state of the battery pack or the battery pack not being inserted, thus maintaining the relay's isolation function. Furthermore, the probability of both relays and the software failing simultaneously is extremely low. Therefore, the charging circuit in this example, by employing a dual-relay series isolation method for the battery interface and by having each relay jointly driven by the MCU and the battery pack, achieves charging protection. This can handle various abnormal situations where relays cannot disconnect, thus improving the reliability of the charging isolation and consequently enhancing the charging safety of the charging circuit.

[0127] Furthermore, for chargers of high-voltage battery packs, the output voltage is high, and the switch at the battery pack interface is prone to damage. Also, the output voltage of a high-voltage charger exceeds 42V, the safe voltage for the human body. Therefore, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment can avoid the safety risks caused by switch malfunction and ensure electrical safety. In other words, the charging circuit provided in this embodiment can ensure that even if a single isolation device at the battery interface of the high-voltage charger fails, or if a single isolation device failure is combined with software control failure, the switch isolation at the battery interface will not fail. It can maintain the switch open, isolating the charging power, thus ensuring that the exposed charger interface (with the battery pack removed) is without power and guarantees safety.

[0128] In addition, this embodiment may also provide a charger having at least one charging circuit as described above internally.

[0129] In one embodiment, the charger may include one of the following: AC / DC charger, DC / DC charger, energy storage charger, etc.

[0130] In one embodiment, the charger includes one of the following: a multi-pack charger, a multi-pack multi-mode charger, an energy storage charger, or a cascaded charging cabinet. Optionally, when a multi-pack charger charges multiple battery packs, it can charge them in a cyclic manner or determine at least one battery pack to be charged preferentially according to a charging priority rule.

[0131] This embodiment provides a charger internally configured with at least one charging circuit as described above. The charging circuit achieves charging protection by employing a dual-relay series isolation method for the battery interface, and by having each relay jointly driven by the charging control module and the battery module. This enables it to handle various abnormal situations where relays fail to disconnect. Therefore, the charger in this embodiment offers better reliability in charging isolation and improved charging safety.

[0132] Figure 3 This is a schematic flowchart of a charging control method provided in an example embodiment of this application. For a clear description of the charging control method provided in the example embodiment of this application, please refer to... Figure 3 .

[0133] An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a charging control method applied to a charging circuit as described in the foregoing exemplary embodiments, comprising:

[0134] S21: Detects charging factors;

[0135] In one embodiment, the charging factors include a first charging factor corresponding to the battery module and a second charging factor corresponding to the charging circuit.

[0136] In one embodiment, the first charging factor includes the performance parameters of the battery module, the charging control signal sent by the battery module, the battery usage status, etc., and the second charging factor includes the working status of the devices in the charging circuit, the overall working status of the charging circuit, the battery connection status of the charging interface, and the signals received from the battery module, etc.

[0137] In one embodiment, the performance parameters corresponding to the battery module can be parameters that characterize the working state of the battery module, such as the resistance value of the charging interface of the battery module, the temperature value of the battery module, and the charging rate. Optionally, the battery module has a self-test function, which can determine the performance parameters or output a battery control signal based on the self-test result, or can simultaneously send a signal prohibiting charging / abnormal signal to the charging circuit through the signal terminal for controlling the charging circuit (e.g., controlling the charging control module in the charging circuit, or controlling the switch in the charging circuit related to charging conduction control).

[0138] In one embodiment, the charging circuit may have a self-test function, which can determine various operating states based on the self-test results, such as the operating states of the devices in the charging circuit, the overall operating state of the charging circuit, and the battery connection state of the charging interface.

[0139] In one embodiment, the charging circuit receives signals from the battery module, such as signals (analog / digital) indicating that charging is prohibited or permitted by the battery module.

[0140] S22: When any charging factor does not meet the charging conditions, the first switch and / or the second switch are controlled to be disconnected by the joint drive of the charging control module and the battery module; and / or, when all charging factors meet the charging conditions, the first switch and the second switch are controlled to be turned on by the joint drive of the charging control module and the battery module.

[0141] In one embodiment, the charging conditions include at least one of the following: the performance parameters corresponding to the battery module meet the parameter threshold; the battery usage status of the battery module corresponds to a healthy state; the charging control signal sent by the battery module is the same as the signal indicating that charging is allowed or the signal controlling the charging switch to be turned on; the operating state of the devices in the charging circuit is normal; the overall operating state of the charging circuit is normal, and the battery access status of the charging interface indicates that the battery has been connected; the signal received from the battery module is the signal indicating that charging is allowed or the signal controlling the charging switch to be turned on.

[0142] In one embodiment, the performance parameters corresponding to the battery module meet parameter thresholds, such as the resistance value of the charging interface of the battery module being the same as the resistance value representing the allowable charging, the temperature value of the battery module being the same as the temperature value representing the allowable charging, and the charging rate of the battery module being not less than the minimum allowable charging rate.

[0143] In one embodiment, the battery usage status of the battery module corresponds to a health status, which can characterize that the battery is not in a risky situation. For example, the voltage value of the battery module is not the voltage value corresponding to a slight undervoltage, and the number of charging cycles of the battery module has not exceeded the limit (theoretical lifespan, which may still be usable even if the theoretical lifespan is exceeded).

[0144] In one embodiment, the charging control module and the battery module are driven together in a manner that includes at least one of the following:

[0145] The first battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the first switch, and the first drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the first switch to be turned on or off.

[0146] The second battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the second switch, and the second drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the second switch, so as to control the second switch to be turned on or off.

[0147] The first switch is driven by obtaining a battery drive signal based on a first charging factor corresponding to the battery module, and the second switch is driven by obtaining a drive signal based on a second charging factor of the charging control module; or, the second switch is driven by obtaining a battery drive signal based on a first charging factor corresponding to the battery module, and the first switch is driven by obtaining a drive signal based on a second charging factor of the charging control module.

[0148] In one embodiment, a first battery drive signal is obtained based on a first charging factor to drive a first switch, and a first drive signal is obtained based on a second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the on or off state of the first switch, including at least one of the following:

[0149] A first battery drive signal representing the permission to charge is obtained based on a first charging factor to drive a first switch, and a first drive signal representing the permission to charge is obtained based on a second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the first switch to be turned on.

[0150] A first battery drive signal, representing that charging is allowed, is obtained based on a first charging factor to drive the first switch; a first drive signal, representing that charging is prohibited or abnormal, is obtained based on a second charging factor to drive the first switch to control the first switch to open.

[0151] A first battery drive signal, representing a prohibition of charging or an abnormality, is obtained based on a first charging factor to drive the first switch; a first drive signal, representing an allowance, is obtained based on a second charging factor to drive the first switch, thereby controlling the first switch to open.

[0152] The first battery drive signal, which indicates that charging is prohibited or abnormal, is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the first switch, and the first drive signal, which indicates that charging is prohibited or abnormal, is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the first switch to be turned off.

[0153] In one embodiment, a second battery drive signal is obtained based on a first charging factor to drive a second switch, and a second drive signal is obtained based on a second charging factor to drive the second switch, so as to control the on or off state of the second switch. The control logic of the first switch described above can be referred to, and will not be repeated here.

[0154] An exemplary embodiment of this application provides a charging control method applied to a charging circuit as described in the foregoing example, comprising: S21: detecting charging factors; S22: when any charging factor does not meet the charging conditions, controlling the first switch and / or the second switch to disconnect by means of joint driving of the charging control module and the battery module; and / or, when all charging factors meet the charging conditions, controlling both the first switch and the second switch to conduct by means of joint driving of the charging control module and the battery module. Therefore, the method provided by this embodiment can provide a control strategy for the charging circuit to achieve dual-switch series isolation, so that the charging circuit can realize the charging protection function and can cope with various abnormal situations where the switches cannot be disconnected. Therefore, this embodiment can improve the reliability of the charging isolation of the charging circuit, and thus improve the charging safety of the charging circuit.

[0155] In addition, this embodiment also provides a charger, including a charging circuit as described in the example embodiment, and the charging control method described above can be applied to the charging circuit.

[0156] In one embodiment, the charger may include one of the following: AC / DC charger, DC / DC charger, energy storage charger, etc.

[0157] In one embodiment, the charger includes one of the following: a multi-pack charger, a multi-pack multi-mode charger, an energy storage charger, or a cascaded charging cabinet. Optionally, when a multi-pack charger charges multiple battery packs, it can charge them in a cyclic manner or determine at least one battery pack to be charged preferentially according to a charging priority rule.

[0158] This embodiment provides a charger, including a charging circuit as described in the example embodiment, and the charging control method described above can be applied to the charging circuit. The charging circuit includes dual relays connected in series with the battery interface, a charging control module, and a charging interface for connecting an external battery module. Through the charging control method described above, each relay can be driven jointly by the charging control module and the battery module, thereby enabling the charger to have charging protection functions and cope with various abnormal situations where relays cannot be disconnected. Therefore, the charger in this embodiment has better reliability in charging isolation and improved charging safety.

[0159] The steps in the method of this application embodiment can be adjusted, combined, or deleted according to actual needs.

[0160] The units in the device of this application embodiment can be merged, divided, and deleted according to actual needs.

[0161] In this application, the same or similar terms, concepts, technical solutions and / or application scenario descriptions are generally described in detail only when they appear for the first time. When they appear again, they are generally not repeated for the sake of brevity. When understanding the technical solutions and other contents of this application, the same or similar terms, concepts, technical solutions and / or application scenario descriptions that are not described in detail later can be referred to their previous relevant detailed descriptions.

[0162] In this application, the descriptions of the various embodiments have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail or recorded in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions of other embodiments.

[0163] The technical features of the present application can be combined in any way. For the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of the present application.

[0164] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that the methods of the above embodiments can be implemented by means of software plus necessary general-purpose hardware platforms. Of course, they can also be implemented by hardware, but in many cases the former is a better implementation method. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application, in essence, or the part that contributes to the prior art, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium (such as ROM / RAM, magnetic disk, optical disk) as described above, and includes several instructions to cause a terminal device (which may be a mobile phone, computer, server, controlled terminal, or network device, etc.) to execute the methods of each embodiment of this application.

[0165] In the above embodiments, implementation can be achieved, in whole or in part, through software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product. A computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the flow or function according to the embodiments of this application is generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, storage disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid-state disk (SSD)).

[0166] The above are merely preferred embodiments of this application and do not limit the patent scope of this application. Any equivalent structural or procedural transformations made using the content of this application's specification and drawings, or direct or indirect applications in other related technical fields, are similarly included within the patent protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A charging circuit, characterized in that, include: Charging control module, charging interface, first switch and second switch; The charging interface is used to connect the battery module; Both the first switch and the second switch are connected to the charging control module. The first switch and the second switch are connected in series to the charging interface. The first switch is controlled to be turned on or off by the charging control module and the battery module. The second switch is also controlled to be turned on or off by the charging control module and the battery module.

2. The charging circuit according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both the first switch and the second switch include a first driving terminal and a second driving terminal; The first driving terminal of the first switch is driven by one of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second driving terminal of the first switch is driven by the other of the charging control module and the battery module; The first driving terminal of the second switch is driven by one of the charging control module and the battery module, and the second driving terminal of the second switch is driven by the other of the charging control module and the battery module.

3. The charging circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The charging control module is connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch and is used to output a first driving signal to the first switch. The charging control module is connected to the first or second driving terminal of the second switch and is used to output a second driving signal to the second switch.

4. The charging circuit according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes a first power drive circuit and / or a second power drive circuit; The charging control module is connected to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch via the first power driving circuit, and is used to control the first power driving circuit to output or disconnect the first driving signal to the first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch; and / or The charging control module is connected to the first or second driving terminal of the second switch via the second power drive circuit, and is used to control the second drive circuit to output or disconnect the second drive signal to the first or second driving terminal of the second switch.

5. The charging circuit according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first or second driving terminal of the first switch is connected to the battery module through the charging interface to receive the first battery driving signal. The first or second driving terminal of the second switch is connected to the battery module through the charging interface to receive the second battery driving signal.

6. The charging circuit according to claim 5, characterized in that, The charging interface includes a third power drive circuit and / or a fourth power drive circuit. The first driving terminal or the second driving terminal of the first switch is connected to the battery module through the third power driving circuit, and is used to receive the first battery driving signal transmitted by the third power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module. And / or, The first or second driving terminal of the second switch is connected to the battery module through the fourth power driving circuit, and is used to receive the second battery driving signal transmitted by the fourth power driving circuit after being driven by the battery module.

7. The charging circuit according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The first switch and the second switch are at least one of relay, IGBT, and MOSFET.

8. A charging control method, characterized in that, Applied to the charging circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising: Detect charging factors; When any of the charging factors fails to meet the charging conditions, the first switch and / or the second switch are disconnected by the joint drive of the charging control module and the battery module; and / or, When all charging factors meet the charging conditions, the first switch and the second switch are both turned on by the joint drive of the charging control module and the battery module.

9. The charging control method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The charging factors include a first charging factor corresponding to the battery module and a second charging factor corresponding to the charging circuit. The charging control module and the battery module are driven together in a manner that includes at least one of the following: The first battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the first switch, and the first drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the first switch, so as to control the first switch to be turned on or off. The second battery drive signal is obtained based on the first charging factor to drive the second switch, and the second drive signal is obtained based on the second charging factor to drive the second switch, so as to control the second switch to be turned on or off.

10. The charging control method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The first charging factor includes the performance parameters corresponding to the battery module, and the second charging factor includes the operating state of the devices in the charging circuit; The charging conditions include at least one of the following: The performance parameters of the battery module meet the parameter thresholds; the devices in the charging circuit are in normal working condition.

11. A charger, characterized in that, It includes a charging circuit as described in any one of claims 1 to 7, or is used to implement a charging control method as described in any one of claims 8 to 10.

12. The charger according to claim 11, characterized in that, The charger includes one of the following: AC / DC charger, DC / DC charger, and energy storage charger.

13. The charger according to claim 12, characterized in that, The charger includes one of the following: multi-pack charger, multi-pack multi-mode charger, energy storage charger, and cascaded charging cabinet.

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