Control system and control method

Abstract

A control system according to some embodiments disclosed herein includes: a plurality of battery racks, each including a plurality of battery packs and an intermediate management device configured to obtain battery data related to the plurality of battery packs; and a superior control device configured to process calculations relating to management functions of the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, generate a control command for controlling the management functions to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on a result of processing the calculations, and provide the control command to the intermediate management device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0114944, filed on August 30, 2023, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0004] This invention relates to a control system and a control method. Background Technology

[0005] In recent years, research and development of rechargeable batteries have been actively pursued. In this paper, rechargeable batteries, as rechargeable / dischargeable batteries, can be interpreted as including all traditional nickel (Ni) / cadmium (Cd) batteries, Ni / metal hydride (MH) batteries, and more recently, lithium-ion batteries. Among rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion batteries can achieve higher energy densities than traditional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, and can be manufactured to be smaller and lighter, thus allowing for high availability as power sources for mobile devices. In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have attracted attention as a next-generation energy storage medium because their applications are expanding to power electric vehicles.

[0006] Secondary batteries can be used in the power grid in the form of an energy storage system (ESS). Excess electricity from the grid can be stored in the ESS battery pack, which can then supply power to the grid when other areas experience power shortages. However, maintaining and managing multiple battery packs and / or racks within the grid ESS may require continuous firmware or software updates for the management devices. Therefore, including multiple management devices to manage the ESS can potentially lead to excessive costs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The embodiments disclosed herein are intended to provide a control system and control method in which the cost of maintaining and managing the power grid ESS can be reduced, and the ESS battery can be controlled directly and instantly.

[0009] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other unmentioned technical problems from the following description.

[0010] Technical solution

[0011] The control system according to some embodiments disclosed herein includes: a plurality of battery racks, each battery rack including a plurality of battery packs and an intermediate management device, the intermediate management device being configured to obtain battery data related to the plurality of battery packs; and a higher-level control device being configured to process calculations related to management functions of the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, generate control commands for controlling management functions to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on the results of the processed calculations, and provide the control commands to the intermediate management device.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the intermediate management device may include a gateway module and multiple functional modules. The gateway module is used to interface with and connect to the upper-level control device, and the multiple functional modules are used to execute management functions according to control commands.

[0013] According to some embodiments, each of the multiple battery packs may include multiple battery modules and a lower-level control device, and the lower-level control device may be configured to perform management functions on the multiple battery modules according to control commands sent from an intermediate management device.

[0014] According to some embodiments, the control system may also include multiple contactors configured to contact multiple battery racks respectively to exchange energy with the power grid.

[0015] According to some embodiments, the upper-level control device may also be configured to perform a status diagnostic function on multiple battery racks based on battery data, and generate a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the multiple contactors from the multiple battery racks based on the result of performing the status diagnostic function.

[0016] According to some embodiments, each of the plurality of battery racks may further include a circuit breaker, and the upper-level control device may also be configured to generate, together with a contactor disconnect command, a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the upper-level control device may also be configured to update the battery management software that provides function management via firmware over the air (FOTA) through a remote management server.

[0018] The control method according to some embodiments disclosed herein includes: obtaining battery data related to multiple battery packs in each of a plurality of battery racks through an intermediate management device of each of the plurality of battery racks; processing calculations related to management functions of the plurality of battery racks through a higher-level control device based on the battery data; generating control commands for controlling management functions to be applied to the plurality of battery racks through the higher-level control device based on the results of the processing calculations; and providing the control commands to the intermediate management device through the higher-level control device.

[0019] According to some embodiments, the intermediate management device may include a gateway module and multiple functional modules. The gateway module is used to interface with and connect to the upper-level control device, and the multiple functional modules are used to execute management functions according to control commands.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the control method may further include: performing management functions on multiple battery modules of each battery pack according to control commands sent from an intermediate management device via a lower-level control device of each battery pack.

[0021] According to some embodiments, the control method may also include contacting multiple battery racks with multiple contactors to exchange energy with the power grid.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the control method may further include: performing a status diagnostic function on a plurality of battery racks based on battery data via a higher-level control device; and generating a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the multiple contactors from the plurality of battery racks based on the result of performing the status diagnostic function via the higher-level control device.

[0023] According to some embodiments, each of the plurality of battery racks may further include a circuit breaker, and generating a contactor disconnect command may include generating, together with the contactor disconnect command, a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

[0024] According to some embodiments, the control method may further include: updating the battery management software that provides function management via an over-the-air (FOTA) firmware update via a remote management server through an upper-level control device.

[0025] Beneficial effects

[0026] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, a control system and control method can be provided, wherein the cost of maintaining and managing the power grid ESS can be reduced, and the ESS battery can be controlled directly and instantly.

[0027] The technical effects of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects described above, and those skilled in the art will clearly understand other effects not mentioned based on the disclosure of this document. Attached Figure Description

[0028] Figure 1 Components of a power grid system according to some embodiments are shown.

[0029] Figure 2 Components of a control system according to some embodiments are shown.

[0030] Figure 3 Components of a battery holder according to some embodiments are shown.

[0031] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a structure in a control system, according to some embodiments, that also includes multiple contactors.

[0032] Figure 5 A conventional intermediate management device including self-computing processing capabilities is shown.

[0033] Figure 6 An intermediate management device, which does not include computational processing functions, is shown according to some embodiments.

[0034] Figure 7 A gateway block of an intermediate management device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0035] Figure 8 The operation of a control method according to some embodiments is illustrated. Detailed Implementation

[0036] In the following description, embodiments disclosed herein will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this specification is not intended to limit the disclosure of this document to the specific embodiments, and it should be construed as including various modifications, equivalents, and / or substitutions to the embodiments described herein.

[0037] It should be understood that the embodiments and terminology used herein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to the specific embodiments, and include various changes, equivalents, or substitutions to the corresponding embodiments. Regarding the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It should be understood that the singular form of the noun corresponding to an item may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0038] As used herein, each of the phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B or C,” “at least one of A, B and C,” and “at least one of A, B or C” can include any one or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together in the corresponding one of the phrases. Unless otherwise stated, terms such as “first,” “second,” “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” or “(b)” may be used simply to distinguish the corresponding parts from each other and do not limit the parts in any other way (e.g., in terms of importance or order).

[0039] In this document, it should be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “linked,” or “coupled to” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a second element) with or without the terms “operably” or “communically”, it means that the element can be connected to the other element directly (e.g., wired or wirelessly) or indirectly (e.g., via a third element).

[0040] Methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., an optical disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online via an app store (e.g., downloaded or uploaded), or directly between two user devices. If distributed online, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily generated or at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a relay server.

[0041] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, each of the above-described components (e.g., a module or program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately located in different components. According to various embodiments disclosed herein, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform one or more functions of the corresponding components in the multiple components in the same or similar manner as each of the multiple components performed one or more functions prior to integration. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more operations may be performed in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0042] Figure 1 Components of a power grid system according to some embodiments are shown.

[0043] refer to Figure 1 The power grid system 10 may include a remote management server 100, a control system 200, and a power grid 300. However, it is not limited to this; some components may be omitted from the power grid system 10, or other common components may be further included in the power grid system 10.

[0044] In grid system 10, electricity from an energy storage system (ESS) can be transmitted to grid 300, or electricity can be transmitted from grid 300 to the ESS. The energy exchange between the ESS and grid 300 can be controlled by control system 200.

[0045] The power grid 300 may include power generation facilities, transmission facilities, substation facilities, distribution facilities, etc., and may be implemented in the form of a smart grid that makes power distribution more intelligent and advanced. The power grid 300 can obtain power from and supply power to the ESS. According to one embodiment, the ESS may include multiple battery racks.

[0046] The control system 200 can control the overall operation of the ESS. The control system 200 can control the charging or discharging of the ESS and manage energy exchange with the power grid 300. The control system 200 may include control devices that perform energy management functions on the ESS. The control devices of the control system 200 can perform energy management functions by executing firmware and / or software.

[0047] The control system 200 can manage the ESS through a minimal control unit. According to one embodiment, the control system 200 may include a single top-level control unit and multiple auxiliary management units, rather than multiple independent units. In this case, the control structure of the control system 200 can be simplified, thereby reducing the cost of maintaining and repairing it.

[0048] The remote management server 100 can remotely manage the energy management functions performed by the control system 200. According to one embodiment, energy management functions can be provided by executing energy management software / firmware, and the remote management server 100 can manage updates to the energy management software / firmware. According to one embodiment, the remote management server 100 can update the management software / firmware of the control system 200 via firmware over-the-air (FOTA).

[0049] FOTA (Firmware Over-The-Air) updates can be conveniently provided when the control system 200 includes multiple control devices. However, multiple control devices require costly MCUs and peripherals to meet security and stability requirements while supporting FOTA, making the inclusion of multiple independent control devices in the control system 200 potentially inefficient in terms of cost. On the other hand, when the control system 200 includes a top-level control device and multiple auxiliary management devices, cost efficiency can be improved, and the sub-battery elements of the ESS can be directly and instantly controlled by a single top-level control device.

[0050] Figure 2 Components of a control system according to some embodiments are shown.

[0051] refer to Figure 2The control system 200 may include a higher-level control device 210 and multiple battery racks 220. However, it is not limited to this; some components may be omitted from the control system 200, or other common components may be further included in the control system 200.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the upper-level control device 210 of the control system 200 and multiple battery racks 220 can be electrically connected to each other via device-to-device communication. Device-to-device communication methods may include general purpose input / output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), etc.

[0053] The upper-level control device 210 may have a structure for executing instructions that implement the operation of the control system 200. The upper-level control device 210 may be implemented using an array of multiple logic gates or a general-purpose microprocessor for processing various calculations, and may include a single processor or multiple processors. For example, the upper-level control device 210 may be implemented as at least one of a microprocessor, CPU, GPU, and AP.

[0054] The upper-level control device 210 can operate together with a memory configured to store various data, instructions, software, mobile applications, computer programs, etc. The memory can be configured separately from or integrated with the upper-level control device 210. The upper-level control device 210 can execute instructions stored in the memory to perform various calculations. For example, the memory can be implemented as a non-volatile memory device such as ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, PRAM, MRAM, RRAM, FRAM, etc., or as a volatile memory device such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, RRAM, HDD, SSD, SD, Micro-SD, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0055] Multiple battery racks 220 can implement an ESS (Emerging Service Life). According to one embodiment, each of the multiple battery racks 220 may include multiple battery modules and an intermediate management device. The connection between the multiple battery racks 220 can be a combination of one or more series connections and one or more parallel connections. According to one embodiment, the multiple battery racks 220 can be connected in series. The multiple battery racks 220 can be connected to the power grid 300 via multiple contactors.

[0056] Each of the multiple battery racks 220 may include multiple battery packs and an intermediate management device configured to acquire battery data associated with the multiple battery packs. The multiple battery packs in each battery rack can be managed by the intermediate management device, which can operate according to control commands from a higher-level control device 210. The intermediate management device may include sensors for acquiring battery data from the multiple battery packs. According to one embodiment, the battery data may include voltage data, current data, temperature data, etc., and the sensors of the intermediate management device may include voltage sensors, current sensors, temperature sensors, etc.

[0057] The upper-level control device 210 can be configured to process calculations related to the management functions of multiple battery racks based on battery data. When battery data obtained from an intermediate management device is provided to the upper-level control device 210, the upper-level control device 210 can process calculations related to the management functions based on the battery data. According to one embodiment, the upper-level control device 210 can process calculations for estimating the state of charge (SOC) and / or state of health (SOH) of multiple battery packs and / or multiple battery racks 220 based on voltage data.

[0058] The upper-level control unit 210 can be configured to generate control commands for managing functions to be applied to multiple battery racks 220 based on the results of processing calculations. For example, when the management function limits the output voltage of multiple battery packs and / or multiple battery racks 220 based on SOC and / or SOH, the upper-level control unit 210 can generate control commands for setting an upper limit on the output voltage.

[0059] The upper-level control device 210 can be configured to provide control commands to the intermediate management device. For example, the upper-level control device 210 can provide a control command to the intermediate management device for setting an upper limit on the output voltage, and the intermediate management device can then, in response to the control command, limit the voltage output by the multiple battery packs to below the upper limit.

[0060] In this way, the intermediate management device can perform various management functions on multiple battery packs based on control commands provided by the upper-level control device 210, without including processing functions. Therefore, the multiple intermediate management devices can have a relatively simple structure, do not require periodic software updates, and directly and instantly control multiple battery packs due to the simplified control structure.

[0061] Figure 3 Components of a battery holder according to some embodiments are shown.

[0062] refer to Figure 3The multiple battery racks 220 may include a first battery rack 221 to a fourth battery rack 224. In this document, the number of four battery racks is merely an example, and the multiple battery racks 220 may include five or more battery racks.

[0063] Each of the multiple battery racks 220 may include multiple battery packs and an intermediate management device. For example, the first battery rack 221 may include an intermediate management device 2210 and first battery packs 2211 through fourth battery packs 2244. Similarly, the first battery rack 221 may include five or more battery packs. The connection between the multiple battery packs may be a combination of one or more series connections and one or more parallel connections.

[0064] According to one embodiment, each of the multiple battery packs may include multiple battery modules and a lower-level control device, and the lower-level control device may be configured to perform management functions on the multiple battery modules according to control commands sent from an intermediate management device. This control command transmission structure between groups and modules makes the control command transmission structure between racks and groups more specific. According to the provisions of the control command transmission structure, battery module units and battery pack units can be managed uniformly through control commands from the upper-level control device 210.

[0065] Figure 4 The diagram illustrates a structure in a control system, according to some embodiments, that also includes multiple contactors.

[0066] refer to Figure 4 The control system 200 may also include a plurality of contactors 230. According to one embodiment, the plurality of contactors 230 may be configured to contact a plurality of battery racks 220 respectively to exchange energy with the power grid 300.

[0067] Multiple contactors 230 can be connected to multiple battery racks 220 respectively. A first contactor 231 can be connected to a first battery rack 221, a second contactor 232 can be connected to a second battery rack 222, and other contactors can also be connected to their respective battery racks.

[0068] The upper-level control device 210 can control the opening / closing of multiple contactors 230. For example, when the first battery rack 221 is connected to the power grid 300, the upper-level control device 210 can control the first contactor 231 to connect the first battery rack 221 to the power grid 300. According to one embodiment, when a fault occurs in any of the multiple battery racks 220 and the power grid 300, the upper-level control device 210 can disconnect multiple contactors 230 to electrically protect the other.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the upper-level control device 210 can be configured to perform a status diagnostic function on a plurality of battery racks 220 based on battery data, and generate a contactor disconnection command for disconnecting at least some of the plurality of contactors 230 from the plurality of battery racks 220 based on the result of the status diagnostic function. For example, when it is determined based on battery data that a voltage behavior error has occurred in a second battery rack 222, the upper-level control device 210 can provide a control command to an intermediate management device of the second battery rack 222 for disconnecting the second contactor 232.

[0070] According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of battery racks 220 may further include a circuit breaker, and the upper-level control device 210 may be configured to generate, together with a contactor disconnect command, a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the battery rack corresponding to at least some contactors disconnected from the plurality of battery racks 220. For example, when a contactor disconnect command is generated for disconnecting the second contactor 232, the upper-level control device 210 may also generate a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the second battery rack 222, and provide the contactor disconnect command and the disconnect command to an intermediate management device.

[0071] Figure 5 A conventional intermediate management device including self-computing processing capabilities is shown.

[0072] refer to Figure 5 This illustrates a conventional intermediate management device 500 that includes self-computing processing capabilities. The conventional intermediate management device 500 may include various functional blocks, particularly an MCU block 512 relating to computational processing capabilities.

[0073] The conventional intermediate management device 500 may include not only the MCU block 512, but also the power block 502, Ethernet block 504, memory block 506, upper-level interface block 508, lower-level interface block 510, control block 514, sensing block 516, fan control block 518, LED control block 520, emergency stop block 522, and hardwire block 524.

[0074] When the conventional intermediate management device 500 includes MCU block 512, there may be an excessive number of MCUs on the power grid ESS control system, and the cost of maintaining and managing them may increase. In particular, when providing FOTA-type software / firmware updates, the hardware supporting FOTA for many MCUs may be costly.

[0075] Figure 6 An intermediate management device, which does not include computational processing functions, is shown according to some embodiments.

[0076] refer to Figure 6The diagram shows an intermediate management device 600 without computational processing capabilities. The intermediate management device 600 can execute the results of processing calculations from the higher-level control device 210 without performing its own computational processing.

[0077] Compared to a conventional intermediate management device 500, intermediate management device 600 may not include the MCU block 512 or memory block 506 and its associated upper-level interface block 508. In intermediate management device 600, the conventional Ethernet block 504 can be replaced by a gateway block 604. In particular, compared to a conventional power block 502, the size of the power block 602 in intermediate management device 600 can be significantly reduced.

[0078] According to one embodiment, the intermediate management device 600 may include a gateway module (gateway block 604) for interface connection with the upper-level control device 210 and multiple functional modules for performing management functions according to control commands. For example, the multiple functional modules may include a control block 614, a sensing block 616, a fan control block 618, an LED control block 620, an emergency stop block 622, and a hardwired block 624. The multiple functional modules may perform simple functions such as on / off only according to control commands from the upper-level control device 210, rather than providing active control functions.

[0079] According to one embodiment, the intermediate management device 600 may further include a simplified power module (power block 602) due to the omission of computational processing functions. When compared to a conventional power block 502, the size of the power block (power module) 602 can be significantly reduced due to the omission of the MCU block 512. According to one embodiment, the capacity of the power module 602 may be less than 50%, 30%, 20%, 10%, or 5% of the capacity of the conventional power block 502.

[0080] Figure 7 A gateway block of an intermediate management device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0081] refer to Figure 7 The diagram illustrates the structure and function of the gateway block 604 of the intermediate management device 600. The gateway block 604 can be implemented as a gateway IC.

[0082] The gateway IC can primarily function as a communication device, and secondarily includes memory, control, and sensing functions. The memory function can be omitted. Gateway block 604 can operate based on externally supplied power. For example, by omitting MCU block 512, excess power can be supplied to the gateway IC, and any remaining power can be fed back to the outside of the gateway IC.

[0083] The gateway IC can include master and slave communication, with master communication performed by the gateway IC's communication module. Additionally, it can provide CAN communication and communication monitoring functions. Associated with control and sensing functions, the gateway IC can transmit control signals and feedback signals from devices such as contactors, fans, LEDs, and fuses to the intermediate management device 600, and can also transmit signals related to current measurement to the intermediate management device 600.

[0084] Figure 8 The operation of a control method according to some embodiments is illustrated.

[0085] refer to Figure 8 The control method 800 may include operations 810 to 840. However, it is not limited thereto; some operations may be omitted and other general operations may be added, and the operations of the control method 800 may be performed in a different order than that shown.

[0086] Control method 800 may include operations processed by control system 200 in a time sequence. Therefore, the matters described above with respect to control system 200, even if omitted below, can be equivalently applied to control method 800.

[0087] The operations 810 to 840 of the control method 800 can be performed by the upper-level control device 210 of the control system 200 and the multiple battery racks 220.

[0088] In operation 810, the control system 200 can obtain battery data related to multiple battery packs in each of the multiple battery racks through an intermediate management device in each of the multiple battery racks.

[0089] In operation 820, the control system 200 can process calculations related to the management functions of multiple battery racks based on battery data through a higher-level control device.

[0090] In operation 830, the control system 200 can generate control commands for controlling the management functions to be applied to multiple battery racks based on the results of processing calculations by the superior control device.

[0091] In operation 840, the control system 200 can provide control commands to the intermediate management device through the superior control device.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the control method 800 can be implemented as a computer program stored in a computer-readable storage medium. That is, the computer program may include instructions for implementing the control method 800, and these instructions may be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. The computer program may include a mobile application.

[0093] According to one embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes; optical media such as optical disc read-only memories (CD-ROMs) and digital multifunction discs (DVDs); magneto-optical media such as floppy disks; and hardware devices, particularly configured to store and execute program instructions, such as read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), and flash memory. Computer program instructions may include machine language code created by a compiler and high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter.

[0094] Unless otherwise stated, terms such as “comprising,” “constituting,” or “having” above may mean that the corresponding component may be inherent and should therefore be interpreted as further including rather than excluding other components. Unless otherwise defined, all terms including technical or scientific terms have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein pertain. Terms in general use, as defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted as having the same meaning as in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless they are clearly defined in this document.

[0095] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept of this disclosure, and various modifications and variations will be possible for those skilled in the art to which the embodiments of this disclosure pertain. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are intended to describe, and not limit, the technical spirit of the embodiments disclosed herein, and the scope of the technical spirit of this disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical spirit disclosed herein should be interpreted by the appended claims, and all technical spirit within the same scope should be understood to be included within the scope of this disclosure.

[0096] [Description of reference numerals in the attached figures]

[0097] 10: Power Grid System 100: Remote Management Server

[0098] 200: Control System; 300: Power Grid

[0099] 210: Upper-level control device; 220: Multiple battery packs

[0100] 230: Multiple contactors; 600: Intermediate management device

[0101] 604: Gateway Module; 800: Control Method

Claims

1. A control system, comprising: Multiple battery racks, each battery rack including multiple battery packs and an intermediate management device, the intermediate management device being configured to obtain battery data associated with the multiple battery packs; as well as A higher-level control device is configured to process calculations related to the management functions of the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, generate control commands for controlling the management functions to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on the results of the processing calculations, and provide the control commands to the intermediate management device.

2. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The intermediate management device includes a gateway module and multiple functional modules. The gateway module is used to interface with the upper-level control device, and the multiple functional modules are used to execute the management functions according to the control commands.

3. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, Each of the multiple battery packs includes multiple battery modules and a lower-level control device, and The lower-level control device is configured to perform the management function on the plurality of battery modules according to the control command sent from the intermediate management device.

4. The control system according to claim 1 further includes a plurality of contactors configured to contact the plurality of battery racks respectively to exchange energy with the power grid.

5. The control system according to claim 4, wherein, The higher-level control device is also configured to: Perform status diagnostics on the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data; and Based on the results of performing the status diagnostic function, a contactor separation command is generated for separating at least some of the multiple contactors from the multiple battery holders.

6. The control system according to claim 5, wherein, Each of the plurality of battery racks also includes a circuit breaker, and The upper-level control device is also configured to generate, together with the contactor disconnect command, a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that have been disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

7. The control system according to claim 1, wherein, The higher-level control device is also configured to update the battery management software that provides the management of the aforementioned functions via an over-the-air firmware update through a remote management server.

8. A control method, comprising: Battery data associated with multiple battery packs in each of the multiple battery racks is obtained through an intermediate management device in each of the multiple battery racks; The upper-level control device processes calculations related to the management functions of the multiple battery racks based on the battery data; The higher-level control device generates control commands based on the results of the processing calculations to control the management functions to be applied to the multiple battery racks; as well as The control command is provided to the intermediate management device through the higher-level control device.

9. The control method according to claim 8, wherein, The intermediate management device includes a gateway module and multiple functional modules. The gateway module is used to interface with the upper-level control device, and the multiple functional modules are used to execute the management functions according to the control commands.

10. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising: The management function is performed on multiple battery modules of each battery pack by the lower-level control device of each battery pack according to the control commands sent from the intermediate management device.

11. The control method according to claim 8 further includes contacting the plurality of battery racks with a plurality of contactors to exchange energy with the power grid.

12. The control method according to claim 11, further comprising: The upper-level control device performs a status diagnostic function on the multiple battery racks based on the battery data. as well as The higher-level control device generates a contactor separation command to detach at least some of the multiple contactors from the multiple battery racks based on the result of executing the status diagnostic function.

13. The control method according to claim 12, wherein, Each of the plurality of battery racks also includes a circuit breaker, and Generating the contactor disconnect command includes generating, together with the contactor disconnect command, a disconnect command for disconnecting the circuit breaker of the battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that have been disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

14. The control method according to claim 8, further comprising: The battery management software that provides the aforementioned function management is updated via an over-the-air firmware update through the aforementioned upper-level control device and a remote management server.

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