A robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system

Abstract

This invention relates to a high-voltage power supply system for a robot with dual battery packs, belonging to the field of robot power supply. It includes two 48V battery packs, a logic control module, a relay group, a unidirectional conduction module, MOSFETs, and a charging device. The core functionality involves an MCU module controlling the relays to switch the battery packs in series, thereby achieving a dual-voltage platform power supply of 48V and 96V. Small loads are powered by the 48V platform, and large loads by the 96V platform. Both battery packs can be charged independently using a 48V charger, and the system can switch between high and low voltage sides without power loss even when the battery pack voltages are uneven. This invention solves the problems of existing robot systems, such as a single voltage platform, severe heat generation under high-power loads, and high wiring costs. It offers advantages such as strong compatibility, energy efficiency, high safety, and seamless switching, along with readily replaceable chips, reducing supply chain risks.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of robot power supply technology, and in particular to a high-voltage power supply system for a robot with dual battery packs. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of robotics technology, the types of loads are becoming increasingly diverse, ranging from low-power peripherals such as six-dimensional force sensors and cooling fans to high-power drive loads such as joint module motors. However, existing robot power supply systems have significant technical shortcomings:

[0003] The voltage platform is singular and inflexible: Most robots use a fixed 48V voltage platform, which cannot adapt to the power supply requirements of different power loads. Third-party peripherals need to be specially matched with the 48V platform, which is extremely limiting.

[0004] Low operating efficiency of high-power loads: When a 48V voltage platform drives a high-power load, a larger current is required to meet the power requirements. Excessive current will cause the load to heat up more and its performance to degrade. At the same time, the system wiring harness needs to be thickened, which will significantly increase material costs and increase the overall weight of the robot.

[0005] Insufficient power supply compatibility and safety: The existing system lacks a flexible voltage switching mechanism, and it is difficult to balance continuous load operation and reverse current protection during charging, which poses a safety hazard.

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a robot power supply system that can adapt to multiple voltage platforms, balance high-power load performance and cost control, and has high safety, in order to solve the pain points of existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the problems of existing robot power supply systems, such as a single voltage platform, defects in high-power load operation, high wiring harness costs, and insufficient safety, this invention provides a robot dual-battery-pack high-voltage power supply system. By switching the topology of the two battery packs, it achieves dual-voltage platform power supply, adapts to different power load requirements, reduces heat generation from high-power loads and wiring harness costs, and ensures charging safety and power supply continuity.

[0008] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0009] A high-voltage power supply system for a robot with dual battery packs includes a power supply unit, a control unit, a switching unit, a charging unit, and a load interface. The power supply unit includes battery pack 1 and battery pack 2. The control unit includes a BUCK module, an LDO module, and an MCU module. The BUCK module steps down 48V to 12V, and the LDO module steps down 12V to 3.3V and powers the MCU module. The MCU module has an ADC acquisition interface, a communication interface, and at least 10 I / O ports. The switching unit includes eight relays K1-K8 and four unidirectional conduction modules D1-D4. Relays K1... -K8 is independently controlled by IO ports 1-8 of the MCU module, and the unidirectional conduction module is used to prevent current backflow; the charging unit includes a 48V charging device and two MOSFETs Q1 and Q2, which are controlled by IO ports 9 and 10 of the MCU module, respectively; the load interface includes a 48V load interface and a 96V load interface; the relay is controlled by the MCU module to switch the two battery packs in series topology, thereby achieving a dual-voltage platform power supply of 48V and 96V, and supporting the 48V charger to charge the two battery packs separately and the uninterrupted switching between high and low sides of the battery packs.

[0010] As a further aspect of the present invention: the unidirectional conduction module consists of rectifier diodes D1-D4, with a withstand voltage ≥100V and a current ≥20A, which are connected in series in the positive and negative power supply circuits of the two battery packs respectively.

[0011] As a further aspect of the present invention: the output parameters of the BUCK module are 12V / 5A; the output parameters of the LDO module are 3.3V / 0.2A.

[0012] As a further aspect of the present invention: the relays K1-K8 are DC 12V control relays; the MOSFETs Q1-Q2 are N-channel enhancement-mode MOSFETs.

[0013] As a further embodiment of the present invention: the 48V load is a third-party peripheral device, which is one or more of a six-dimensional force sensor, a dexterous hand, a gripper, and a cooling fan; the 96V load is a robot joint module motor.

[0014] As a further aspect of the present invention: the MCU module is an STM32 series microcontroller with at least two independent ADC acquisition channels for real-time monitoring of the voltage status of the two battery packs.

[0015] As a further aspect of the present invention, the specific implementation of the dual-voltage platform power supply is as follows: when relays K1, K4, K6, and K8 are closed, battery pack 2 supplies power to a 48V load, and battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in series to supply power to a 96V load; when relays K2, K3, K5, and K7 are closed, battery pack 1 supplies power to a 48V load, and battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in series to supply power to a 96V load.

[0016] As a further aspect of the present invention: the charging unit operates as follows: when charging battery pack 2, relays K6, K8 and Q2 are closed, the charging current flows to battery pack 2 through Q2 and D4, and the logic system is continuously powered by battery pack 2; when charging battery pack 1, relays K2, K5 and Q1 are closed, the charging current flows to battery pack 1 through Q1 and D3, and the logic system is continuously powered by battery pack 1.

[0017] As a further aspect of the present invention: the MCU module performs voltage divider detection on the battery pack voltage through the ADC acquisition interface to obtain the total series voltage Va and the low-side battery pack voltage Vb, and calculates the high-side battery pack voltage by Va-Vb, thereby determining whether to trigger the pack switching logic.

[0018] As a further aspect of the present invention, the specific process of uninterrupted battery pack switching is as follows: first, close the power supply relay corresponding to the target low-side battery pack, use the unidirectional conduction module to isolate the reverse current, then disconnect the original series topology relay, and finally close the new series topology relay to realize the interchange of the high and low side positions of the battery pack, and the 48V load continues to supply power during the switching process.

[0019] The technical effects and advantages provided by the present invention in the above technical solution are as follows:

[0020] Multi-voltage platform compatibility: Enables dual-platform power supply of 48V and 96V, adapts to low-power peripherals and high-power drive loads, greatly improves robot peripheral compatibility, and reduces the adaptation cost of third-party devices;

[0021] Energy-saving, efficient and cost-reducing: When the 96V high-voltage platform drives a high-power load, the current is smaller under the same power, which reduces load heat and energy loss. At the same time, finer wire harnesses can be used to reduce material costs and reduce robot weight.

[0022] Power supply is safe and reliable: The unidirectional conduction module prevents backflow current between battery packs, the logic system works continuously during charging, and there is no risk of external discharge at the charging port, thus improving system safety.

[0023] Uninterrupted power supply guarantee: Supports uninterrupted switching between high and low battery pack sides to avoid robot function interruption during pack cutting and ensure continuous operation;

[0024] Strong technological independence: The circuit implementation is simple, the core chips are highly replaceable, and the supply chain risks are reduced;

[0025] Charging is convenient and flexible: Only one 48V charger is needed to charge both battery packs individually, without the need for additional high-voltage charging equipment, thus improving ease of use. Attached Figure Description

[0026] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall system circuit;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply topology for Mode 1 (low side of battery pack 2, high side of battery pack 1);

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply topology for Mode 2 (low side of battery pack 1, high side of battery pack 2);

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the charging mode of battery pack 2;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the charging mode of battery pack 1;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply topology under temporary parallel power supply conditions. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0034] It should be noted that the terms "vertical," "horizontal," "up," "down," "left," "right," and similar expressions used in this article are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only possible implementation.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains; the terminology used herein in the description of the invention is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the invention; the term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0036] This invention provides, for example Figure 1 The drawings described specifically depict a high-voltage power supply system for a robot with dual battery packs, comprising a power supply unit, a control unit, a switching unit, a charging unit, and a load interface, with the following specific structure:

[0037] Power supply unit: includes battery pack 1 and battery pack 2, both of which have a rated voltage of 48V and are used to provide basic power supply;

[0038] Control unit (logic system): includes a BUCK module, an LDO module, and an MCU module; the BUCK module steps down the 48V voltage to 12V (output current 5A), and the LDO module steps down the 12V voltage to 3.3V (output current 0.2A), both supplying power to the MCU module; the MCU module has an ADC acquisition interface, a communication interface, and 10 I / O ports, used to control relay on / off, MOSFET switching, and voltage signal acquisition;

[0039] Switching unit: includes 8 relays (K1-K8) and 4 unidirectional conduction modules (D1-D4); K1-K8 are independently controlled to switch on and off through IO ports 1-8 of the MCU module, respectively, to switch the series topology of the battery pack; D1-D4 are diodes to achieve unidirectional current conduction and prevent reverse current from flowing between battery packs;

[0040] Charging unit: includes a 48V charging device and two MOSFETs (Q1-Q2). Q1-Q2 are controlled by switches through IO ports 9-10 of the MCU module to control the on / off state of the charging circuit.

[0041] Load interfaces include 48V load interfaces (for connecting logic systems, third-party peripherals, and other small loads) and 96V load interfaces (for connecting joint modules and other large loads).

[0042] Workflow details:

[0043] When only relays K1, K4, K6, and K8 are engaged, battery pack 2 provides 48V to the logic system. Battery pack 2 and battery pack 1, connected in series, provide 96V power to the joint module. (Battery pack 2 is on the low side, and battery pack 1 is on the high side). Figure 2 .

[0044] When only relays K2, K3, K5, and K7 are engaged, battery pack 1 provides 48V to the logic system. Battery packs 1 and 2, connected in series, provide 96V to the joint module. (Battery pack 1 is on the low side, and battery pack 2 is on the high side). Figure 3 .

[0045] When only relays K6 and K8 are engaged and Q2 is closed, the charger charges battery pack 2. (And the logic system can operate simultaneously during charging.) Figure 4 .

[0046] When only relays K2 and K5 are engaged and Q1 is closed, the charger charges battery pack 1. (And the logic system can operate simultaneously during charging.) Figure 5 .

[0047] Because of the presence of D3, the charging current is always unidirectional when charging battery pack 1 or battery 2, which greatly increases safety.

[0048] Battery pack voltage calculation: Since AD ​​sampling 1 and AD sampling 2 collect voltage through voltage divider detection, the voltage at point A and the voltage at point B can be obtained through calculation. The voltage at point A is represented by Va, which is the series voltage of the battery pack, and the voltage at point B is represented by Vb, which is the low-side battery pack voltage.

[0049] Table 1: Battery Pack Voltage Data under Different Modes

[0050]

[0051] Uninterrupted power cut-off (uninterrupted system power supply):

[0052] Because the low-side battery pack supplies power to both the system (48V) and the module (96V), while the high-side battery pack only supplies power to the module (96V), the low-side battery pack discharges faster. Therefore, when the voltage of the low-side battery pack is lower than that of the high-side battery pack, the high and low-side battery packs can be interchanged by switching relays, and the system can maintain basic functions without power interruption when changing battery packs.

[0053] When in Figure 2 In this power supply mode, battery pack 2 is the low-side battery pack, so its discharge rate is greater than that of battery pack 1. Therefore, battery pack 2 loses power faster. When the voltage of battery pack 2 drops below the voltage of battery pack 1 to a certain extent, relays K1 and K4 are disconnected, and then relays K2 and K5 are closed. The power supply topology at this time is as follows: Figure 6 :

[0054] Figure 6Because of the two unidirectional conduction modules D3 and D4, even if battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in parallel, there will be no backflow current between them due to the voltage difference between the battery packs. In this case, the battery pack with the higher voltage (battery pack 1) provides power to the system.

[0055] At this point, disconnect relays K8 and K6, and then close relays K7 and K3. The power supply mode is then switched to [mode name missing]. Figure 3 The power supply mode is now complete. The packet switching operation is finished, and the power supply scheme has changed from [previous mode]. Figure 2 The solution in the middle has been switched to Figure 3 The power supply scheme in the middle.

[0056] When in Figure 3 In this power supply mode, battery pack 1 is the low-side battery pack, so its discharge rate is greater than that of battery pack 2. Therefore, battery pack 1 loses power faster. When the voltage of battery pack 1 drops below the voltage of battery pack 2 to a certain extent, relays K3 and K7 are disconnected, and then relays K6 and K8 are closed. The power supply topology at this time is as follows: Figure 6 :

[0057] Figure 6 Because of the two unidirectional conduction modules D3 and D4, even if battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in parallel, there will be no backflow current between them due to the voltage difference between the battery packs. In this case, the battery pack with the higher voltage (battery pack 2) provides power to the system.

[0058] At this point, disconnect relays K2 and K5, and then close relays K4 and K1. The power supply mode is then switched to [mode name missing]. Figure 2 The power supply mode is now complete. The packet switching operation is finished, and the power supply scheme has changed from [previous mode]. Figure 3 The solution in the middle has been switched to Figure 2 The power supply scheme in the middle.

[0059] This circuit design is simple to implement and highly reliable. The circuit design allows for high chip substitutability. It supports multiple platform power supply voltages, enhancing compatibility. The high-voltage platform for the joint modules allows for lower current draw while achieving the same power output, resulting in more energy-efficient robots, higher efficiency, lower wiring costs, and less heat generation in the joint modules. It significantly improves the safety of robot charging (the charging port does not discharge externally). It can automatically switch between high and low-side battery packs and adjust the output voltage of the low-side battery pack (powered by the logic system). It enables uninterrupted pack switching (the logic system, peripherals, sensors, and communication devices can all continue to operate during pack switching). A single 48V charger can be used to charge both battery packs individually.

[0060] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the details of the exemplary embodiments described above, and that the invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be considered in all respects as exemplary and non-limiting, and the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Thus, it is intended that all variations falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims be included within the present invention.

[0061] Furthermore, it should be understood that although this specification describes embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This way of describing the specification is only for clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions in each embodiment have been appropriately combined to form other embodiments that are easy for those skilled in the art to understand.

Claims

1. A high-voltage power supply system for a robot with dual battery packs, characterized in that, The system includes a power supply unit, a control unit, a switching unit, a charging unit, and a load interface. The power supply unit includes battery pack 1 and battery pack 2. The control unit includes a BUCK module, an LDO module, and an MCU module. The BUCK module steps down 48V to 12V, and the LDO module steps down 12V to 3.3V and powers the MCU module. The MCU module has an ADC acquisition interface, a communication interface, and at least 10 I / O ports. The switching unit includes eight relays K1-K8 and four unidirectional conduction modules D1-D4. Relays K1-K8 are respectively controlled by M... The CU module's I / O ports 1-8 are independently controlled for on / off switching. The unidirectional conduction module is used to prevent reverse current flow. The charging unit includes a 48V charging device and two MOSFETs Q1 and Q2, which are controlled by the MCU module's I / O ports 9 and 10, respectively. The load interface includes a 48V load interface and a 96V load interface. The MCU module controls the relays to switch the two battery packs in series, thereby achieving a dual-voltage platform power supply of 48V and 96V. It also supports the 48V charger to charge the two battery packs independently and the battery packs to switch between high and low voltage sides without interruption of power supply. The specific implementation of the dual-voltage platform power supply is as follows: when relays K1, K4, K6, and K8 are closed, battery pack 2 supplies power to a 48V load, and battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in series to supply power to a 96V load; when relays K2, K3, K5, and K7 are closed, battery pack 1 supplies power to a 48V load, and battery pack 1 and battery pack 2 are connected in series to supply power to a 96V load. The charging unit operates as follows: When charging battery pack 2, relays K6 and K8 and MOSFET Q2 are closed, and the charging current flows to battery pack 2 through MOSFET Q2 and unidirectional conduction module D4, while the logic system is continuously powered by battery pack 2; when charging battery pack 1, relays K2 and K5 and MOSFET Q1 are closed, and the charging current flows to battery pack 1 through MOSFET Q1 and unidirectional conduction module D3, while the logic system is continuously powered by battery pack 1.

2. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The unidirectional conduction module consists of rectifier diodes D1-D4, with a withstand voltage ≥100V and a current ≥20A, which are connected in series in the positive and negative power supply circuits of the two battery packs respectively.

3. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The BUCK module outputs 12V / 5A; the LDO module outputs 3.3V / 0.2A.

4. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The relays K1-K8 are DC 12V control relays; the MOSFETs Q1 and Q2 are N-channel enhancement-type MOSFETs.

5. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The 48V load is a third-party peripheral device, which is one or more of a six-dimensional force sensor, a dexterous hand, a gripper, and a cooling fan; the 96V load is a robot joint module motor.

6. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The MCU module uses an STM32 series microcontroller and has at least two independent ADC acquisition channels for real-time monitoring of the voltage status of the two battery packs.

7. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The MCU module performs voltage divider detection on the battery pack voltage through the ADC acquisition interface to obtain the total series voltage Va and the low-side battery pack voltage Vb. By calculating Va-Vb, the high-side battery pack voltage is obtained, and then it is determined whether to trigger the pack switching logic.

8. The robot dual-battery pack high-voltage power supply system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The specific process for uninterrupted battery pack switching is as follows: First, close the power supply relay corresponding to the target low-side battery pack, use the unidirectional conduction module to isolate the reverse current, then disconnect the original series topology relay, and finally close the new series topology relay to realize the swapping of the high and low side positions of the battery pack. During the switching process, the 48V load continues to supply power.

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