Distributed battery management system

Abstract

The invention discloses a distributed battery management system, and belongs to the technical field of battery management, the system comprises a first control board, a high-voltage board and at least one second control board, the first control board and the high-voltage board are arranged in a power domain controller, the second control board is arranged in a battery pack, and the first control board is connected with the high-voltage board. The first control board is respectively connected with the high-voltage board and the second control board, the high-voltage board is further configured to be connected with each battery pack through a high-voltage power distribution module in the power domain controller, and the second control board is further configured to be connected with a battery module in the corresponding battery pack; the second control panel is used for collecting battery module parameters of the battery module in the corresponding battery pack and sending the battery module parameters to the first control panel; the high-voltage board is used for collecting battery pack parameters of each battery pack and sending the battery pack parameters to the first control board; and the first control panel is used for managing the battery pack according to the battery module parameters and the battery pack parameters. According to the scheme, the problems that the battery pack is heavy and the pack replacement cost is high are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of battery management technology, and in particular relates to a distributed battery management system. Background Technology

[0002] Current battery management systems (BMS) include centralized BMS and distributed BMS. Centralized BMS uses a single motherboard to handle all functions, including battery pack voltage sampling and equalization, temperature sampling, battery state estimation, and charge / discharge control. This motherboard integrates a microcontroller unit (MCU), an analog front-end (AFE), a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), relay control circuits, high-voltage sampling circuits, and communication modules. Mainstream distributed BMS consists of a motherboard and multiple slave boards, both housed within the battery pack. The motherboard processes data sampled by the slave boards, performs battery state estimation, charge / discharge control, fault diagnosis, high-voltage sampling, and relay driving. The slave boards handle individual cell voltage sampling and voltage equalization.

[0003] All of the above solutions place the battery management system inside the battery pack, which results in a large battery pack weight and high replacement costs. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments of this application provide a distributed battery management system, which can at least partially reduce the weight of the battery pack and lower the cost of battery pack replacement.

[0005] Other features and advantages of this application will become apparent from the following detailed description, or may be learned in part from practice of this application.

[0006] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this application, a distributed battery management system is provided, including a first control board, a high-voltage board, and at least one second control board, wherein the first control board and the high-voltage board are disposed in a power domain controller, the second control board is disposed in a battery pack, the first control board is connected to the high-voltage board and the second control board respectively, the high-voltage board is further configured to be connected to each battery pack via a high-voltage power distribution module in the power domain controller, and the second control board is further configured to be connected to the battery module in the corresponding battery pack; The second control board is used to collect the battery module parameters of the corresponding battery module in the battery pack and send the battery module parameters to the first control board. The high-voltage board is used to collect the battery pack parameters of each battery pack and send the battery pack parameters to the first control board; The first control board is used to manage the battery pack based on the battery module parameters and battery pack parameters.

[0007] In some embodiments, the second control board includes a slave board body, a slave board control unit, a first CAN communication unit, and multiple analog front-ends, wherein the slave board control unit, the first CAN communication unit, and the multiple analog front-ends are all disposed on the slave board body. The first control board includes a mainboard body, a mainboard control unit, and a second CAN communication unit. Both the mainboard control unit and the second CAN communication unit are located on the mainboard body. Each analog front-end is connected to a battery module in a one-to-one correspondence; The control unit on the board is connected to each analog front end and the first CAN communication unit respectively; The second CAN communication unit is connected to both the first CAN communication unit and the mainboard control unit.

[0008] In some embodiments, the second control board further includes a slave board connector disposed on the slave board body, the battery pack includes a first battery pack connector, the first battery pack connector includes CAN communication pins, and the first control board further includes a second battery pack connector disposed on the motherboard body, wherein... The board connector is connected to the first CAN communication unit and the CAN communication pin, respectively. The second battery pack connector is connected to the CAN communication pin and the second CAN communication unit, respectively.

[0009] In some embodiments, the number of second CAN communication units is the same as the number of battery packs, and each second CAN communication unit is connected to the first CAN communication unit of the corresponding battery pack in sequence via the second battery pack connector, the CAN communication pin of the first battery pack connector of the corresponding battery pack, and the slave board connector of the corresponding battery pack.

[0010] In some embodiments, the second control board further includes a daisy-chain bridging chip disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip being connected to each analog front end and the slave board control unit respectively.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first battery pack connector further includes a wake-up output pin, and the first control board further includes a power management integrated circuit. The wake-up output pin is connected to the slave board connector and the second battery pack connector, respectively, and the power management integrated circuit is connected to the second battery pack connector and the motherboard control unit, respectively.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second control board further includes a daisy-chain bridging chip disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip being connected to each analog front end and slave board connector respectively.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second control board further includes a temperature and humidity sensor disposed on the slave board body, and the temperature and humidity sensor is connected to the slave board connector.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second control board further includes a pressure sensor disposed on the slave board body, and the pressure sensor is connected to the slave board connector.

[0015] In some embodiments, the first battery pack connector further includes a power supply input pin, and the first control board further includes a power management integrated circuit and a high-side drive chip disposed on the motherboard body. The power management integrated circuit is connected to the slave board connector in sequence via the high-side drive chip, the second battery pack connector, and the power supply input pin.

[0016] In some embodiments, the first control board further includes a first high-voltage board connector and a third CAN communication unit disposed on the motherboard body. The high-voltage board includes a high-voltage board body, a second high-voltage board connector, a fourth CAN communication unit, and a high-voltage board control unit. The second high-voltage board connector, the fourth CAN communication unit, and the high-voltage board control unit are disposed on the high-voltage board body. The high-voltage board control unit is connected to the motherboard control unit in sequence via the fourth CAN communication unit, the second high-voltage board connector, the first high-voltage board connector, and the third CAN communication unit.

[0017] In some embodiments, the high-voltage board further includes a high-voltage sampling circuit and a relay control circuit disposed on the high-voltage board body, both of which are connected to the high-voltage power distribution module.

[0018] In some embodiments, the first control board further includes a vehicle-side connector and a fifth CAN communication unit disposed on the main board body, the fifth CAN communication unit being connected to the vehicle-side connector and the main board control unit respectively.

[0019] In this application, a distributed battery management system includes a first control board, a high-voltage board, and at least one second control board. The first control board and the high-voltage board are located within a power domain controller, while the second control board is located within a battery pack. The first control board is connected to both the high-voltage board and the second control board. The high-voltage board is further configured to connect to each battery pack via a high-voltage power distribution module within the power domain controller, and the second control board is further configured to connect to the battery modules within the corresponding battery pack. The second control board is used to collect battery module parameters from the corresponding battery modules within the battery pack and send these parameters to the first control board. The high-voltage board is used to collect battery pack parameters from each battery pack and send these parameters to the first control board. The first control board is used to manage the battery pack based on the battery module parameters and the battery pack parameters. The above configuration achieves at least the following beneficial effects: 1. The battery pack only contains the slave board of the battery management system, eliminating the main board and high-voltage circuitry, reducing hardware redundancy and the weight of the battery pack. This facilitates diagnosis and replacement when a single battery module fails, resulting in lower replacement costs. 2. Traditional distributed battery management systems require numerous low-voltage wiring harnesses (including communication buses, power lines, wake-up lines, etc.) to be routed from the battery pack to the vehicle controller. These harnesses are long and heavy, and long distances can reduce connection reliability. This application transfers most of the wiring to the power domain controller and the connection between the power domain controller and the vehicle controller. Between the vehicle controllers, the power domain controller is usually installed close to the vehicle controller, thus greatly reducing the wiring harness length, lowering wiring harness cost and weight, and improving connection reliability; 3. It has good scalability. If the vehicle needs to increase its range, the number of battery packs can be increased directly. The newly added battery packs can be connected to the high-voltage system, and the parameters can be configured in the power domain controller software; 4. The functions of the main board and the high-voltage board are separated, which isolates the high and low voltage hardware, avoids mutual interference, is conducive to improving the accuracy of high-voltage sampling and insulation monitoring, and reduces the risk of voltage withstand testing of the battery management system.

[0020] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0021] 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. It is obvious that the drawings described below are merely some embodiments of this application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without any inventive effort. In the drawings: Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a centralized battery management system in related technologies is shown; Figure 2This diagram illustrates a structural schematic of a distributed battery management system in related technologies. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to some embodiments of this application is shown; Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to other embodiments of this application is shown; Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to other embodiments of this application is shown.

[0022] Explanation of icon numbers: 10-Power Domain Controller; 20-Battery Pack; 110-First Control Board; 120-High Voltage Board; 130-High Voltage Power Distribution Module; 111-Main Board Control Unit; 112-Second CAN Communication Unit; 113-Second Battery Pack Connector; 114-Power Management Integrated Circuit; 115-High-Side Driver Chip; 116-First High Voltage Board Connector; 117-Third CAN Communication Unit; 118-Vehicle End Connector; 119-Fifth CAN Communication Unit; 121-Second High Voltage Board Connector; 122-Fourth CAN Communication Unit; 123-High Voltage Board Control Unit; 124-High Voltage Sampling Circuit; 125-Relay Control Circuit; 210-Second Control Board; 220-Battery Module; 230-First Battery Pack Connector; 211-Slave Board Control Unit; 212-First CAN Communication Unit; 213-Analog Front End; 214-Slave Board Connector; 215-Daisy Chain Bridge Chip; 216-Temperature and Humidity Sensor; 217-Barrier Sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of this application, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of this application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] To better understand the technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this specification, the technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments of this specification and the specific features in the embodiments are detailed descriptions of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this specification, rather than limitations on the technical solutions of this specification. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of this specification and the technical features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0025] In this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, 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 limitation, the requirement defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes said element. The term "two or more" includes two or more cases.

[0026] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand this application, firstly, in conjunction with Figure 1 and Figure 2 A brief description of the application scenarios involved in this application is provided.

[0027] The main functions of the Battery Management System (BMS) in a vehicle include battery cell voltage sampling and equalization, temperature sampling, battery state estimation, charge and discharge control, and battery safety protection.

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a centralized battery management system in related technologies is shown. For example... Figure 1 As shown, the centralized battery management system uses a single motherboard to perform all functions such as battery pack voltage sampling and equalization, temperature sampling, battery state estimation, and charge / discharge control. This motherboard integrates all functional modules such as MCU, AFE, PMIC, relay control circuit, high-voltage sampling circuit, and communication.

[0029] The disadvantages of centralized battery management systems include: the battery management system is located inside the battery pack, resulting in a heavy battery pack and high replacement costs; the sampling harness needs to be connected from each sampling point to the main control board, which is costly, heavy, and difficult to lay out, and the large number of harnesses concentrated together leads to a high failure rate and difficulty in fault location; long harnesses are prone to introducing electromagnetic interference, resulting in lower sampling accuracy; high-voltage and low-voltage lines are integrated on the main control board, which may interfere with each other and pose a risk of voltage withstand failure; the architecture has extremely poor scalability, and the entire hardware circuit needs to be redesigned if the battery pack specifications change.

[0030] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a distributed battery management system in related technologies is shown. For example... Figure 2As shown, a mainstream distributed battery management system includes a main board and multiple slave boards, both of which are located within the battery pack. The main board is used for processing data sampled by the slave boards, battery state estimation, charge and discharge control, fault diagnosis, high-voltage sampling, and relay driving, while the slave boards are used for functions such as individual cell voltage sampling and voltage equalization.

[0031] The disadvantages of mainstream distributed battery management systems include: the battery management system is located inside the battery pack, resulting in a heavy battery pack and high replacement costs; the battery management system requires a large number of low-voltage harnesses to be routed from the battery pack, including communication buses, power lines, wake-up lines, etc., which are long, heavy, and reduce connection reliability; this architecture is not conducive to battery pack expansion, and if it is necessary to increase the range (such as by adding a battery pack), the entire battery pack and the internal BMS hardware and software must be replaced; in this architecture, high voltage sampling and other functions are integrated on the motherboard, and the high and low voltages are not completely isolated, which may cause mutual interference, affecting the accuracy of high voltage sampling and insulation detection, and posing a higher risk to withstand voltage testing.

[0032] Based on the shortcomings of current centralized battery management systems and mainstream distributed battery management systems, this application proposes a new distributed battery management system. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to some embodiments of this application is shown. Figure 3 As shown, in some embodiments, the distributed battery management system may include: a first control board 110, a high-voltage board 120, and at least one second control board 210, wherein the first control board 110 and the high-voltage board 120 are disposed within the power domain controller 10, and the second control board 210 is disposed within the battery pack 20. The first control board 110 is connected to both the high-voltage board 120 and the second control board 210. The high-voltage board 120 is further configured to connect to each battery pack 20 via a high-voltage power distribution module 130 within the power domain controller 10. The second control board 210 is further configured to connect to the battery module 220 within the corresponding battery pack 20. The second control board 210 is used to collect battery module parameters of the battery module 220 within the corresponding battery pack 20 and send the battery module parameters to the first control board 110. The high-voltage board 120 is used to collect battery pack parameters of each battery pack 20 and send the battery pack parameters to the first control board 110. The first control board 110 is used to manage the battery pack 20 according to the battery module parameters and the battery pack parameters.

[0033] The first control board 110, which can be referred to as the motherboard, can be fixed inside the housing of the power domain controller 10. The first control board 110 can serve as the "brain" of the BMS, processing the parameters collected by the second control board 210 and the high-voltage board 120, estimating the state of the battery pack 20, controlling the charging and discharging of the battery pack 20, and diagnosing faults. It can also serve as the power supply and information relay station of the power domain controller 10, performing power management on modules such as the high-voltage board 120, battery disconnect unit (BDU), power distribution unit (PDU), direct current to direct current converter (DCDC), and direct current to alternating current converter (DCAC) within the power domain controller 10, so as to achieve efficient use of electrical energy.

[0034] The first control board 110 within the power domain controller 10 can also be connected to the vehicle-side controller or a charging pile. The vehicle-side controller may include the vehicle control unit (VCU) and other controllers. The first control board 110 can be responsible for the communication forwarding between other modules within the power domain controller 10 and the vehicle. The communication signals of each module within the power domain controller 10 can be connected to the first control board 110 through a connector, and then output to the vehicle-side through the first control board 110. The vehicle-side refers to the part of the vehicle other than the battery management system, battery pack, and power domain controller.

[0035] The second control board 210 within the battery pack 20 can be referred to as a slave board. One or more slave boards can be configured within each battery pack 20, and each slave board can include multiple analog front-ends (see...). Figure 1 The analog front-end (AFE) in the module 220 can be a battery sampling chip, responsible for functions such as voltage acquisition and voltage equalization of the battery module 220. Each analog front-end can be connected to one battery module 220 to acquire the battery module parameters of the corresponding battery module 220. The battery module parameters may include parameters such as the voltage of the battery module 220.

[0036] The high-voltage power distribution module 130 within the power domain controller 10 is an existing module in the power domain controller 10, which may include a battery pack circuit breaker unit, a power distribution unit, an insulation monitoring unit, etc. After the high-voltage board 120 is connected to the positive and negative terminals of each battery pack 20 via the high-voltage power distribution module 130, it can collect the battery pack parameters of each battery pack 20, such as voltage parameters.

[0037] It should be noted that the power domain controller 10 is one of the important components for power distribution and energy management in the vehicle. This application further modularizes the mainstream distributed battery management system architecture, placing only the slave board inside the battery pack 20, which is responsible for functions such as voltage sampling and voltage equalization of the battery module 220. The main board in the mainstream distributed battery management system is decomposed into a main board and a high-voltage board, and the main board and the high-voltage board are placed in the power domain controller 10 outside the battery pack 20. The high-voltage board is responsible for high-voltage sampling, insulation monitoring, relay control and other high-voltage system functions, while the main board is responsible for processing the sampled data, performing battery state estimation, charge and discharge control and fault diagnosis. The battery pack 20 is managed through the main board, slave board and high-voltage board.

[0038] This application can achieve at least the following beneficial effects: 1. The battery pack only contains the slave board of the battery management system, eliminating the main board and high-voltage circuitry, reducing hardware redundancy and battery pack weight. This facilitates diagnosis and replacement when a single battery module fails, resulting in lower replacement costs. 2. Traditional distributed battery management systems require numerous low-voltage wiring harnesses (including communication buses, power lines, wake-up lines, etc.) to be routed from the battery pack to the vehicle controller. These harnesses are long and heavy, and long distances can reduce connection reliability. This application relocates most of the wiring to the power domain controller and between the power domain controller and the vehicle controller. The power domain controller is typically installed close to the vehicle controller in the vehicle, thus reducing wiring harness... 1. Significantly reduced length lowers wiring harness cost and weight, improving connection reliability; 2. Excellent scalability: if the vehicle needs increased range, the number of battery packs can be directly increased, the new battery packs can be connected to the high-voltage system, and parameters can be configured in the power domain controller software; 3. Differentiating the functions of the main board and high-voltage board isolates high and low voltage hardware, avoiding mutual interference, which is beneficial to improving the accuracy of high-voltage sampling and insulation monitoring, and reducing the system withstand voltage risk; 4. The power supply of each module in the power domain controller can be uniformly managed by the main board, and the sleep / wake-up and operating current of each module can be effectively controlled, enabling efficient use of electrical energy and improving electrical safety.

[0039] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to other embodiments of this application is shown. For example... Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the second control board 210 includes a slave board body (not shown), a slave board control unit 211, a first CAN communication unit 212, and a plurality of analog front-ends 213, all of which are disposed on the slave board body; the first control board 110 includes a main board body (not shown), a main board control unit 111, and a second CAN communication unit 112, all of which are disposed on the main board body, wherein each analog front-end 213 is connected to a battery module 220 in a one-to-one correspondence; the slave board control unit 211 is connected to each analog front-end 213 and the first CAN communication unit 212 respectively; the second CAN communication unit 112 is connected to the first CAN communication unit 212 and the main board control unit 111 respectively.

[0040] The slave board may include multiple analog front-ends 213, which can be battery sampling chips responsible for voltage acquisition and voltage equalization of the battery module 220. Each analog front-end 213 can be connected to a battery module 220 to acquire the battery module parameters of the corresponding battery module 220.

[0041] Both the first CAN communication unit 212 and the second CAN communication unit 112 can be CAN transceivers for bidirectional reliable data transmission.

[0042] The slave board control unit 211 in the slave board can handle simple processing of battery module parameters and send the processed data to the main board control unit 111 through the first CAN communication unit 212 of the slave board and the second CAN communication unit 112 of the main board. The main board control unit 111 then performs further processing on the processed data.

[0043] It should be noted that a battery pack 20 may be provided with one or more slave boards. The design of each module in the slave board may be the same, or the modules in each slave board may be added or removed according to the actual situation. For example, in the same battery pack, some slave boards include temperature and humidity sensors, while some slave boards do not include temperature and humidity sensors; some slave boards include air pressure sensors, while some slave boards do not include air pressure sensors. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] By designing the slave board control unit 211, the first CAN communication unit 212, the analog front end 213, the motherboard control unit 111, and the second CAN communication unit 112, reliable data transmission between the slave board and the motherboard is achieved.

[0045] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of a distributed battery management system according to other embodiments of this application is shown. For example... Figure 5As shown, in some embodiments, the second control board 210 may further include a slave board connector 214 disposed on the slave board body, the battery pack 20 includes a first battery pack connector 230, the first battery pack connector 230 includes CAN communication pins (not shown), and the first control board 110 further includes a second battery pack connector 113 disposed on the motherboard body, wherein the slave board connector 214 is connected to the first CAN communication unit 212 and the CAN communication pin respectively; the second battery pack connector 113 is connected to the CAN communication pin and the second CAN communication unit 112 respectively.

[0046] Understandably, after the slave board connector and the first battery pack connector are set, the data from the slave board control unit 211 can be output sequentially through the first CAN communication unit 212, the slave board connector 214 and the first battery pack connector 230 of the battery pack 20, and then input to the motherboard control unit 111 through the second battery pack connector 113 and the second CAN communication unit 112 of the motherboard.

[0047] To facilitate battery pack expansion, a sufficient number of CAN communication units and connector interfaces can be reserved on the mainboard based on the maximum battery pack configuration planned for the vehicle model. Sufficient interfaces are also reserved for the second battery pack connector on the mainboard. In non-top-spec configurations, the mainboard can utilize unmounted printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) components to control costs. Under this architecture, plug-and-play standardized battery packs can be designed, allowing automakers to flexibly procure battery packs from different suppliers, requiring only hardware and software interface adaptation, thus reducing automakers' dependence on battery suppliers.

[0048] In addition, the low-voltage signal from the battery pack can be directly connected to the main board of the power domain controller 10 via a connector, without the need for multi-level connector conversion, which simplifies and lightens the wiring harness.

[0049] In some embodiments, the number of second CAN communication units 112 is the same as the number of battery packs 20. Each second CAN communication unit 112 is connected to the first CAN communication unit 212 of the corresponding battery pack in sequence via the second battery pack connector 113, the CAN communication pin of the first battery pack connector 230 of the corresponding battery pack, and the slave board connector 214 of the corresponding battery pack.

[0050] It is understandable that when there are multiple battery packs 20, a second CAN communication unit 112 can be configured for each battery pack 20, and the second CAN communication unit 112 can transmit all the data from the slave boards of the corresponding battery pack 20 to the main board control unit 111.

[0051] By setting up a second CAN communication unit in the motherboard with the same number as the battery pack, mutual interference between battery packs is avoided, and the efficiency of data transmission is improved.

[0052] In some embodiments, the second control board 210 further includes a daisy-chain bridging chip 215 disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip 215 being connected to each analog front end 213 and the slave board control unit 211 respectively.

[0053] Understandably, multiple analog front-ends 213 on a slave board monitor different battery modules 220 within the corresponding battery pack, thus each analog front-end 213 operates at a different potential. For example, the analog front-end 213 monitoring the bottom battery module 220 operates at a 0V reference ground, while the analog front-end 213 monitoring the top battery module 220 operates at a high voltage of several hundred or even thousands of volts. If the signal from the analog front-end 213 monitoring the top battery module 220 is directly transmitted back to the slave board control unit 211 (operating at a low voltage ground) using a wire, a huge current will be generated, potentially damaging the slave board.

[0054] Daisy-chain bridging chips integrate capacitive or magnetic isolation technology, which allows digital signals (data) to pass through but blocks the current path between DC and different ground potentials. In this way, data can be transmitted safely and without loss between analog front-ends at different potentials.

[0055] Furthermore, if each analog front-end 213 is connected to the slave control unit 211 with a separate set of isolated communication lines, then multiple sets of isolated communication lines will be required for a battery pack 20 with multiple battery modules 220. Assuming the battery pack consists of 14 battery modules 220, multiple sets of isolated communication lines will be needed, resulting in complex wiring harnesses and high costs.

[0056] The daisy-chain bridging chip 215 only requires one set of communication lines (usually a pair of differential lines, such as CANPHY / CANPL) to connect all the analog front-ends 213 in series and connect them to the slave control unit 211. This greatly simplifies wiring and reduces the cost of the battery management system and the weight of the battery pack.

[0057] In a specific implementation, the analog front-end 213 can be connected to the mainboard control unit 111 in sequence via a daisy-chain bridge chip 215, a slave board control unit 211, a first CAN communication unit 212, a slave board connector 214, a CAN communication pin of a first battery pack connector 230, a second battery pack connector 113, and a second CAN communication unit 112, so as to transmit the data collected by the analog front-end 213 from the slave board to the mainboard via CAN communication.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first battery pack connector 230 may also include a wake-up output pin (not shown), and the first control board 110 may also include a power management integrated circuit 114. The wake-up output pin is connected to the slave board connector 214 and the second battery pack connector 113, respectively, and the power management integrated circuit 114 is connected to the second battery pack connector 113 and the main board control unit 111, respectively.

[0059] Among them, the power management integrated circuit 114 is an integrated circuit used for power conversion, voltage regulation and battery management in electronic devices. Its core functions include dynamic voltage regulation, power consumption optimization and multi-power supply timing control.

[0060] It should be noted that when the mainboard control unit 111, power management integrated circuit 114, and slave board control unit 211 enter sleep mode, the data monitored by the slave board may be abnormal. In this case, a wake-up signal can be transmitted to the power management integrated circuit 114 via the second battery pack connector 113 through the wake-up output pin to wake up the power management integrated circuit 114. The power management integrated circuit 114 then supplies power to the mainboard control unit 111. After being powered on, the mainboard control unit 111 can communicate with the vehicle-side controller and transmit fault alarm information to the user. By using a hard-wired reverse wake-up of the mainboard, both the power consumption of the battery management system and the timeliness of alarms can be improved.

[0061] In some embodiments, the second control board 210 further includes a daisy-chain bridging chip 215 disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip 215 being connected to each analog front end 213 and the slave board connector 214 respectively.

[0062] In a specific implementation, when the analog front end 213 detects abnormal battery module parameters, it can transmit a wake-up signal to the power management integrated circuit 114 in sequence through the daisy-chain bridging chip 215, the slave board connector 214, the wake-up output pin of the first battery pack connector 230, and the second battery pack connector 113. After the power management integrated circuit 114 is woken up, it supplies power to the main board control unit 111, enabling the main board control unit 111 to communicate with the vehicle-end controller and perform fault alarms.

[0063] In some embodiments, the second control board 210 further includes a temperature and humidity sensor 216 disposed on the slave board body, and the temperature and humidity sensor 216 is connected to the slave board connector 214.

[0064] A temperature and humidity sensor is a sensor device equipped with humidity-sensitive and temperature-sensitive elements, used to measure temperature and humidity. Humidity-sensitive elements are mainly divided into two categories: resistive and capacitive. Resistive humidity-sensitive elements are characterized by a film made of a moisture-sensitive material coated on a substrate. When water vapor in the air is adsorbed onto the moisture-sensitive film, the resistivity and resistance of the element change, and this characteristic can be used to measure humidity. Capacitive humidity-sensitive elements are generally made of polymer thin-film capacitors, with commonly used polymer materials including polystyrene, polyimide, and cellulose acetate butyrate. When the ambient humidity changes, the dielectric constant of the capacitor changes, causing its capacitance to change; the change in capacitance is directly proportional to the relative humidity.

[0065] It is understood that for a battery pack 20, there may be only one temperature and humidity sensor 216 or multiple temperature and humidity sensors 216. If only one temperature and humidity sensor 216 is set, it can be set in any one of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20, or it can be set in the second control board 210 located in the middle position. If multiple temperature and humidity sensors 216 are set, they can be set in each of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20, or they can be set in any number of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20. This application does not limit the specific setting position of the temperature and humidity sensor 216.

[0066] In the implementation process, when the temperature and humidity sensor 216 detects an abnormal temperature of the battery pack 20 or battery module 220, or an abnormal humidity of the battery pack 20 or battery module 220, it sequentially transmits a wake-up signal to the power management integrated circuit 114 through the board connector 214, the wake-up output pin of the first battery pack connector 230, and the second battery pack connector 113. After being woken up, the power management integrated circuit 114 supplies power to the main board control unit 111, enabling the main board control unit 111 to communicate with the vehicle-side controller and issue a fault alarm.

[0067] In some embodiments, the second control board 210 further includes a pressure sensor 217 disposed on the slave board body, and the pressure sensor 217 is connected to the slave board connector 214.

[0068] A barometric pressure sensor is a device that senses gas pressure and converts it into an output signal. It has wide and important applications in many fields, including industry, meteorology, aerospace, and automotive electronics. There are several types of barometric pressure sensors, the most common being piezoresistive, piezoelectric, and capacitive. Piezoresistive sensors utilize the piezoresistive effect: when air pressure acts on an elastic diaphragm, the diaphragm strains, causing a change in the resistance of the piezoresistive material. The air pressure value is obtained by measuring this change in resistance. Piezoelectric sensors are based on the piezoelectric effect; certain crystals generate an electric charge when subjected to pressure, and the amount of charge reflects the air pressure. Capacitive pressure sensors work by changing the distance or area between capacitor plates due to changes in air pressure, thus causing a change in capacitance, which is used to measure air pressure.

[0069] It is understood that for a battery pack 20, only one pressure sensor 217 or multiple pressure sensors 217 can be provided. If only one pressure sensor 217 is provided, it can be set in any one of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20, or it can be set in the second control board 210 located in the middle position. If multiple pressure sensors 217 are provided, they can be set in each of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20, or they can be set in any number of the second control boards 210 corresponding to the battery pack 20. This application does not limit the specific setting position of the pressure sensor 217.

[0070] In the implementation process, when the air pressure sensor 217 detects an abnormal air pressure in the battery pack 20 or battery module 220, it transmits a wake-up signal to the power management integrated circuit 114 through the board connector 214, the wake-up output pin of the first battery pack connector 230, and the second battery pack connector 113 in sequence. After the power management integrated circuit 114 is woken up, it supplies power to the main board control unit 111, enabling the main board control unit 111 to communicate with the vehicle-end controller and perform fault alarms.

[0071] Compared to CAN wake-up, hard-wired wake-up can wake up the main board in time when the slave control unit 211 is in sleep mode, and transmit fault alarm information to the user. This not only reduces the power consumption of the battery management system, but also improves the timeliness of alarms.

[0072] It is understandable that the power supply scheme for the second control board 210 can be either directly powered by the battery module 220 or powered by the first control board 110.

[0073] In some embodiments, the first battery pack connector 230 further includes a power supply input pin (not shown), and the first control board 110 further includes a power management integrated circuit 114 and a high-side driver chip 115 disposed on the motherboard body. The power management integrated circuit 114 is connected to the slave board connector 214 in sequence via the high-side driver chip 115, the second battery pack connector 113, and the power supply input pin.

[0074] High-side driver chips are integrated circuits specifically designed to control high-side switches, playing a crucial role in various fields such as automotive electronics, industrial automation, and consumer electronics. The main function of a high-side driver chip is to control the on / off state of power switches such as high-side MOSFETs or IGBTs by providing a stable drive signal, thereby achieving efficient power management. High-side driver chips typically integrate multiple protection functions such as overcurrent protection, overtemperature protection, and undervoltage lockout to ensure rapid power cut-off under abnormal operating conditions, protecting the load and the chip itself from damage. Furthermore, high-side driver chips often feature high input impedance and low output impedance, enabling them to effectively drive high-power loads while minimizing energy loss.

[0075] In the implementation process, the power management integrated circuit 114 is connected to the slave board connector 214 sequentially via the high-side driver chip 115, the second battery pack connector 113, and the power supply input pin, thereby providing power to various modules in the slave board (such as the analog front-end 213, the slave board control unit 211, the first CAN communication unit 212, etc.). Specifically, the power supply voltage conversion and on / off control can be achieved through the power management integrated circuit 114 and the high-side driver chip 115 respectively.

[0076] In some embodiments, the first control board 110 further includes a first high-voltage board connector 116 and a third CAN communication unit 117 disposed on the motherboard body. The high-voltage board 120 includes a high-voltage board 120 body, a second high-voltage board connector 121, a fourth CAN communication unit 122 and a high-voltage board control unit 123. The second high-voltage board connector 121, the fourth CAN communication unit 122 and the high-voltage board control unit 123 are disposed on the high-voltage board 120 body. The high-voltage board control unit 123 is connected to the motherboard control unit 111 in sequence via the fourth CAN communication unit 122, the second high-voltage board connector 121, the first high-voltage board connector 116 and the third CAN communication unit 117.

[0077] Among them, the third CAN communication unit 117 and the fourth CAN communication unit 122 can be CAN transceivers for bidirectional reliable data transmission.

[0078] The high-voltage board control unit 123 can handle simple processing of battery pack parameters and send the processed data to the main board control unit 111 through the fourth CAN communication unit 122 of the high-voltage board 120, the second high-voltage board connector 121, the first high-voltage board connector 116 of the main board and the third CAN communication unit 117. The main board control unit 111 then performs further processing on the processed data.

[0079] Through the design of the first high-voltage board connector 116, the third CAN communication unit 117, the second high-voltage board connector 121, the fourth CAN communication unit 122, and the high-voltage board control unit 123, reliable data transmission between the high-voltage board 120 and the motherboard is achieved.

[0080] In some embodiments, the first control board 110 further includes a first power management integrated circuit and a first high-side driver chip, both of which are disposed on the main board body. The high-voltage board 120 further includes a second power management integrated circuit and a second high-side driver chip, both of which are disposed on the high-voltage board 120. The first power management integrated circuit and the first high-side driver chip are both connected to the first high-voltage board connector 116. The first high-voltage board connector 116 is connected to the second high-voltage board connector 121. The second high-voltage board connector 121 is connected to the second power management integrated circuit and the second high-side driver chip respectively. The second high-side driver chip is connected to the high-voltage board control unit 123 and the fourth CAN communication unit 122 respectively. The second high-side driver chip can also be connected to other modules within the high-voltage board 120.

[0081] In the implementation process, the first power management integrated circuit is connected to the high-voltage board control unit 123 in sequence via the first high-side driver chip, the first high-voltage board connector 116, the second high-voltage board connector 121, the second power management integrated circuit, and the second high-side driver chip, so as to supply power to the high-voltage board control unit 123; the first power management integrated circuit is also connected to the fourth CAN communication unit 122 in sequence via the first high-side driver chip, the first high-voltage board connector 116, the second high-voltage board connector 121, the second power management integrated circuit, and the second high-side driver chip, so as to supply power to the fourth CAN communication unit 122.

[0082] The second power management integrated circuit can convert the voltage output by the first power management integrated circuit, for example, converting the 12V voltage output by the first power management integrated circuit into 5V or 3V voltage. The second high-side driver chip can control the switching of the converted voltage to supply power to the various modules in the high-voltage board 120 (such as the high-voltage board control unit 123, the fourth CAN communication unit 122, etc.).

[0083] In some embodiments, the high-voltage board 120 further includes a high-voltage sampling circuit 124 and a relay control circuit 125 disposed on the body of the high-voltage board 120, and both the high-voltage sampling circuit 124 and the relay control circuit 125 are connected to the high-voltage power distribution module 130.

[0084] Among them, the high-voltage power distribution module 130 in the power domain controller 10 is an existing module in the power domain controller 10. It may include modules such as battery pack circuit breaker unit (not labeled), power distribution unit (not labeled), and insulation monitoring unit (not labeled). The high-voltage sampling circuit 124 can be connected to the battery pack circuit breaker unit and the power distribution unit to realize the high-voltage sampling function. The relay control circuit 125 can be connected to the battery pack circuit breaker unit and the power distribution unit to realize relay control and other functions.

[0085] In the implementation process, the power domain controller 10 also includes a DC-DC converter (not shown) and a DC-AC converter (not shown). The first power management integrated circuit is connected to the DC-DC converter and the DC-AC converter in sequence via the first high-side driver chip 115 and the first high-voltage board connector 116 to provide power to the DC-DC converter and the DC-AC converter.

[0086] The power supply to each module within the power domain controller 10 is centrally managed by the motherboard. The sleep / wake-up and operating current of each module can be effectively controlled, improving the efficiency of power utilization and the safety of power use.

[0087] In some embodiments, the first control board 110 further includes a vehicle-side connector 118 and a fifth CAN communication unit 119 disposed on the main board body. The fifth CAN communication unit 119 is connected to the vehicle-side connector 118 and the main board control unit 111, respectively.

[0088] Understandably, the vehicle-side connector 118 is used to connect other components in the vehicle besides the battery management system, battery pack, and power domain controller, or to a charging station. The battery pack information output by the mainboard control unit 111 can be sent sequentially through the fifth CAN communication unit 119 and the vehicle-side connector 118 to other components in the vehicle besides the battery management system, vehicle domain controller, and battery pack, or to a charging station.

[0089] Taking the vehicle controller as an example, which is the component in a vehicle other than the battery management system, vehicle domain controller, and battery pack, the vehicle controller serves as the decision-making center of a new energy vehicle, responsible for coordinating core functions such as the powertrain, energy management, and safety control. After receiving information from the battery pack, the vehicle controller can perform vehicle powertrain control, vehicle energy management, and safety control based on this information.

[0090] In this application, multiple connectors are set on the main board. The internal connectors enable power supply and communication to the high-voltage board and other modules in the power domain controller. The external connectors mainly include a second battery pack connector and a vehicle-end connector. The second battery pack connector is used to access the CAN communication signal and reverse wake-up signal of the battery pack end, etc., and the vehicle-end connector is used to access the low-voltage power supply signal, CAN communication signal, wake-up signal and fast charging signal in the charging gun of the vehicle end.

[0091] The second battery pack connector and the vehicle-side connector can be integrated with the power domain controller's external connectors in a "one-in-one" design, extending outside the power domain controller through openings in the controller's housing. This means that low-voltage signals from both the vehicle and battery pack sides can directly enter the power domain controller's mainboard via the connector, eliminating the need for multiple connector transitions. This reduces the number of connectors, saves wiring space within the domain controller, and simplifies and lightweights the wiring harness.

[0092] It should be noted that the descriptions of each embodiment in the above embodiments have different focuses. For parts that are not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0093] The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this application, and are not intended to limit them. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the spirit and scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application.

[0094] Although preferred embodiments have been described in this specification, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this specification.

[0095] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this specification without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if such modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims and their equivalents, this specification is also intended to include such modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A distributed battery management system, characterized in that, The system includes a first control board, a high-voltage board, and at least one second control board. The first control board and the high-voltage board are disposed within a power domain controller, and the second control board is disposed within a battery pack. The first control board is connected to the high-voltage board and the second control board, respectively. The high-voltage board is further configured to be connected to each battery pack via a high-voltage power distribution module within the power domain controller, and the second control board is further configured to be connected to a battery module within the corresponding battery pack. The second control board is used to collect battery module parameters of the corresponding battery module in the battery pack and send the battery module parameters to the first control board; The high-voltage board is used to collect the battery pack parameters of each battery pack and send the battery pack parameters to the first control board; The first control board is used to manage the battery pack according to the battery module parameters and the battery pack parameters.

2. The distributed battery management system according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second control board includes a slave board body, a slave board control unit, a first CAN communication unit, and multiple analog front-ends, wherein the slave board control unit, the first CAN communication unit, and the multiple analog front-ends are all disposed on the slave board body; The first control board includes a motherboard body, a motherboard control unit, and a second CAN communication unit. Both the motherboard control unit and the second CAN communication unit are mounted on the motherboard body. Each of the simulated front-ends is connected to a battery module in a one-to-one correspondence. The slave board control unit is connected to each of the analog front-ends and the first CAN communication unit respectively; The second CAN communication unit is connected to both the first CAN communication unit and the motherboard control unit.

3. The distributed battery management system according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second control board further includes a slave board connector disposed on the slave board body. The battery pack includes a first battery pack connector, which includes CAN communication pins. The first control board further includes a second battery pack connector disposed on the motherboard body. The slave board connector is connected to the first CAN communication unit and the CAN communication pin, respectively. The second battery pack connector is connected to the CAN communication pin and the second CAN communication unit, respectively.

4. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The number of the second CAN communication units is the same as the number of the battery packs. Each second CAN communication unit is connected to the first CAN communication unit of the corresponding battery pack in sequence via the second battery pack connector, the CAN communication pin of the first battery pack connector of the corresponding battery pack, and the slave board connector of the corresponding battery pack.

5. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The second control board also includes a daisy-chain bridging chip disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip being connected to each of the analog front-ends and the slave board control unit respectively.

6. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first battery pack connector further includes a wake-up output pin, and the first control board further includes a power management integrated circuit. The wake-up output pin is connected to the slave board connector and the second battery pack connector, respectively, and the power management integrated circuit is connected to the second battery pack connector and the motherboard control unit, respectively.

7. The distributed battery management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second control board also includes a daisy-chain bridging chip disposed on the slave board body, the daisy-chain bridging chip being connected to each of the analog front-ends and the slave board connector respectively.

8. The distributed battery management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second control board also includes a temperature and humidity sensor disposed on the slave board body, and the temperature and humidity sensor is connected to the slave board connector.

9. The distributed battery management system according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second control board also includes a pressure sensor disposed on the slave board body, and the pressure sensor is connected to the slave board connector.

10. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first battery pack connector further includes a power supply input pin, and the first control board further includes a power management integrated circuit and a high-side drive chip disposed on the motherboard body. The power management integrated circuit is connected to the slave board connector in sequence via the high-side drive chip, the second battery pack connector, and the power supply input pin.

11. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first control board further includes a first high-voltage board connector and a third CAN communication unit disposed on the motherboard body. The high-voltage board includes a high-voltage board body, a second high-voltage board connector, a fourth CAN communication unit, and a high-voltage board control unit. The second high-voltage board connector, the fourth CAN communication unit, and the high-voltage board control unit are disposed on the high-voltage board body. The high-voltage board control unit is connected to the motherboard control unit in sequence via the fourth CAN communication unit, the second high-voltage board connector, the first high-voltage board connector, and the third CAN communication unit.

12. The distributed battery management system according to claim 11, characterized in that, The high-voltage board also includes a high-voltage sampling circuit and a relay control circuit disposed on the high-voltage board body, and both the high-voltage sampling circuit and the relay control circuit are connected to the high-voltage power distribution module.

13. The distributed battery management system according to claim 3, characterized in that, The first control board also includes a vehicle-end connector and a fifth CAN communication unit disposed on the main board body. The fifth CAN communication unit is connected to the vehicle-end connector and the main board control unit, respectively.

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