Battery management device and method of operating the same

Abstract

A battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein includes a first communication unit configured to broadcast a wide-area signal for communication with a plurality of slave battery management systems (BMSs) to the plurality of slave BMSs, a second communication unit configured to transmit a direct signal for direct communication with a specific slave BMS among the plurality of slave BMSs to the specific slave BMS, and a controller configured to control operations of the first communication unit and the second communication unit.

Description

Cross-references to related applications

[0001] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0160245, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 20, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments disclosed herein relate to battery management devices and methods of operation thereof. Background Technology

[0003] In recent years, research and development of rechargeable batteries have been actively pursued. Here, rechargeable batteries are rechargeable / dischargeable batteries, 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 have a significantly higher energy density than traditional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, thus they have been used as power sources for mobile devices, and in recent years their application has expanded to electric vehicles, attracting considerable attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0004] As the industrial applications of batteries expand, battery management systems (BMS) for diagnosing battery safety are also constantly evolving. BMS can use various diagnostic algorithms to assess battery performance and execute appropriate controls based on the battery's state.

[0005] A Battery Management System (BMS) may include a master BMS and a slave BMS. The slave BMS can manage the battery modules based on status information about the battery modules included in the battery pack. The master BMS can receive status information about the battery modules from the slave BMS, measure voltage, current, and resistance values ​​on a per-pack basis, and monitor the status of the battery modules and cells included in the battery pack. Summary of the Invention

[0006] Technical issues A Battery Management System (BMS) may include multiple sensors for measuring the battery's state. The battery state values ​​measured by these sensors can be transmitted from one BMS to the main BMS. For this transmission, the sensors, slave BMS, and / or main BMS are typically wired together. However, the required number of lines increases when the number of battery cells or sensors is large.

[0007] Figure 1 This illustrates the communication scheme within a typical wireless battery management system (BMS). See also Figure 1To address the aforementioned issues, data is exchanged between the high-level BMS 10 and the low-level BMSs 12, 14, and 16 via optical communication, eliminating the need for separate lines and thus simplifying battery management. Here, the high-level BMS 10 can be the master BMS, and the respective low-level BMSs 12, 14, and 16 can be slave BMSs. For example, the high-level BMS 10 can transmit signals via a light-emitting diode 101 for transmitting optical signals, which can be received by the first low-level BMS 12 via a receiver 111. The communication between the first low-level BMS 12 and the second low-level BMS 14, as well as the data communication between the second low-level BMS 14 and the third low-level BMS 16, can be the same as the communication scheme between the high-level BMS 10 and the first low-level BMS 12.

[0008] However, the optical communication between the high-level BMS 10 and the low-level BMSs 12, 14, and 16 is daisy-chained. The high-level BMS 10 sends commands to the first low-level BMS 12, and the other low-level BMSs 14 and 16 receive commands sequentially through the first low-level BMS 12. In this case, the timing of command reception varies among the low-level BMSs 12, 14, and 16.

[0009] The technical problems addressed by the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those described above. Other unmentioned technical problems can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art through the following description.

[0010] Technical solution A battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein includes: a first communication unit configured to broadcast a wide-area signal for communicating with a plurality of slave battery management systems (BMS) to a plurality of slave BMS; a second communication unit configured to send a direct signal for directly communicating with a particular slave BMS among the plurality of slave BMS to the particular slave BMS; and a controller configured to control the operation of the first communication unit and the second communication unit.

[0011] In one embodiment, the first communication unit may further include a condenser lens configured to focus light at a specific point by reflecting a wide-area signal.

[0012] In one embodiment, the first communication unit may include a first light-emitting diode configured to transmit a wide-area signal, and the second communication unit may include a second light-emitting diode configured to transmit a direct signal.

[0013] In one embodiment, the first communication unit may further include a first switch configured to supply power to a first light-emitting diode, and the second communication unit may further include a second switch configured to supply power to a second light-emitting diode. The controller may also be configured to control the operation of at least one of the first switch and the second switch.

[0014] In one embodiment, the second communication unit may further include a receiver configured to receive diagnostic data about the battery generated from at least one of the BMS based on wide-area signals or direct signals.

[0015] In one embodiment, diagnostic data may include at least one of the battery's voltage, current, and temperature.

[0016] In one embodiment, the wide-area signal may include a block signal for blocking multiple daisy-chained communications between BMSs.

[0017] Operating a battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein includes: broadcasting a wide-area signal for communicating with a plurality of slave battery management systems (BMS) to a plurality of slave BMS; and reflecting the wide-area signal to simultaneously transmit the wide-area signal to the respective receivers of the plurality of slave BMS.

[0018] In one embodiment, the wide-area signal may include a blocking signal for blocking multiple daisy-chained communications between BMSs.

[0019] In one embodiment, the operating method may further include receiving diagnostic data about the battery generated from at least one of a plurality of BMSs based on wide-area signals.

[0020] In one embodiment, diagnostic data may include at least one of the battery's voltage, current, and temperature.

[0021] Beneficial effects The battery management device and its operating method according to various embodiments disclosed herein can transmit signals simultaneously to multiple slave BMSs by using wide-area light-emitting diodes. Therefore, time delays caused by daisy-chain communication signal transmission can be avoided.

[0022] The technical effects of the battery management device and its operating method according to the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to the effects described above. Other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art based on the disclosure herein. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This illustrates the communication scheme within a typical wireless battery management system (BMS).

[0024] Figure 2 This is a block diagram of a battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0025] Figure 3a A battery holder including a battery management device is shown according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0026] Figure 3b The configuration of a first communication unit according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0027] Figure 4 The process of controlling a switch based on a wide-area signal or direct signal, performed by a controller according to embodiments disclosed herein, is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0029] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computing system for implementing an operation method of a battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0030] In the description of the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals may be used to refer to the same or related elements. Detailed Implementation

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this description is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0032] 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, but include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions to corresponding embodiments. In the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to the same or related elements. It should be understood that the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more things, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0033] 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 mean any one of the items listed in the corresponding phrase or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as “first,” “second,” “first,” “second,” “A,” “B,” “(a),” or “(b)” are used only to distinguish the corresponding component from other components and do not otherwise limit these components (e.g., in terms of importance or order) unless otherwise stated.

[0034] In this document, it should be understood that when an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to, whether or not it carries the terms “operationally” or “communically”, as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “linked,” or “coupled to” or “connected to” another element (e.g., a second element), it means that the element can be directly (e.g., wired or wirelessly) or indirectly (e.g., via a third element) connected to the other element.

[0035] Methods according to various embodiments disclosed herein may be included in a computer program product to provide the method. 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 through an app store (e.g., downloaded or uploaded), or distributed directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be stored at least temporarily in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a relay server, or may be temporarily generated.

[0036] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, each of the above components (e.g., a module or program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, some of which may be individually disposed on other components. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, one or more of the above components or operations may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding components in the multiple components before integration. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the 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.

[0037] Figure 2 A battery holder including a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0038] See Figure 2 The battery management device 20 can exchange data with multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via wide area communication or direct communication. The battery management device 20 can simultaneously send diagnostic commands for battery diagnosis to multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via wide area communication, thereby resolving the time delay problem caused by the daisy-chain communication scheme.

[0039] According to one embodiment, the battery management device 20 may be a main BMS. Here, the main BMS can acquire status information generated by each BMS to monitor the status of each cell. Here, the status information may include at least one of the following: voltage, current, resistance, state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), and temperature of the battery pack, battery module, or individual cells.

[0040] In one embodiment, the battery management device 20 may be included in the main BMS, and operations performed in the battery management device 20 may also be performed in the main BMS. Operations performed in the battery management device 20 may also be performed in various devices such as the main BMS, servers, the cloud, chargers, chargers, and dischargers.

[0041] Multiple BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can respectively measure the state of corresponding battery cells 220, 240, and 260. Here, each of battery cells 220, 240, and 260 can represent a group comprising one or more battery cells. For example, each of battery cells 220, 240, and 260 may include one or more battery modules or one or more battery cells. Although Figure 2 The diagram shows three slave BMSs, but the number of slave BMSs is not limited to this.

[0042] Multiple BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can generate diagnostic data for corresponding battery cells 220, 240, and 260, respectively. Here, the diagnostic data may include at least one of voltage, current, and temperature for each cell included in each battery cell 220, 240, and 260. For example, the first BMS 22 can generate diagnostic data for diagnosing the state of cells 221 and 222 included in the first battery cell 220. According to one embodiment, cells 221 and 222 may include, but are not limited to, lithium-ion batteries, lithium-ion polymer batteries, nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries, nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) batteries, lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, nickel-cobalt-manganese oxide (NCM) batteries, etc. Although... Figure 2 The diagram shows that the first battery cell 220 includes cells 221 and 222, but this is only for ease of description. The second battery cell 240 and the third battery cell 260 may also include multiple cells.

[0043] In one embodiment, multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can be daisy-chained. Here, the daisy-chaining method can include connecting multiple devices via a bus connection. For example, the first slave BMS 22 can be connected to the second slave BMS 24, and the second slave BMS 24 can be connected to the third slave BMS 26. Third diagnostic data generated in the third slave BMS 26 can be transmitted to the first slave BMS 22 via the second slave BMS 24, and the first slave BMS 22 can send the third diagnostic data to the battery management device 20.

[0044] In one embodiment, the daisy-chained connections between the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can be wired or wireless. For wireless communication, data can be exchanged between the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via optical communication.

[0045] The following describes the optical and direct communication between the battery management device 20 and the BMSs 22, 24 and 26.

[0046] The battery management device 20 may include a first communication unit 200, a second communication unit 202, and a controller 204.

[0047] The first communication unit 200 can broadcast wide-area signals to multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26. The first communication unit 200 can broadcast wide-area signals to multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via wide-area communication.

[0048] Wide-area communication can refer to a one-to-many communication method between the first communication unit 200 and multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26. The wide-area signal can be a signal indicating that the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 are measuring the status of their respective battery cells 220, 240, and 260. Since the first communication unit 200 can broadcast the wide-area signal to the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26, the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can simultaneously receive the wide-area signal. Therefore, the time delay caused by signal transmission in daisy-chain communication between slave BMSs can be avoided.

[0049] In one embodiment, the signal may include a blocking signal. Here, the blocking signal may be a signal used to block daisy-chain communication between BMS22, 24, and 26. Because the wide-area signal includes a blocking signal, wide-area signal transmission between multiple BMS22, 24, and 26 is prevented, thereby preventing redundant transmission of the wide-area signal. For example, when the first BMS22 receives a wide-area signal including a blocking signal, the first BMS22 will not send the wide-area signal to the second BMS24, thereby preventing the second BMS24 from redundantly receiving the wide-area signal.

[0050] The second communication unit 202 can send direct signals to a specific slave BMS among the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26. The second communication unit 202 can send direct signals to a specific slave BMS among the multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via direct communication. Here, a specific slave BMS can refer to a slave BMS connected to the battery management device 20 in a daisy-chain manner; hereinafter, it is assumed that the specific slave BMS is the first slave BMS 22.

[0051] Direct communication can be a one-to-one daisy-chain communication between the second communication unit 202 and the first slave BMS 22, and can also be with... Figure 1 Advanced BMS 10 (see Figure 1 ) and the first low-level BMS 12 (see Figure 1 The communication methods between them are the same.

[0052] In one embodiment, the second communication unit 202 may further include a receiver (not shown). The receiver can receive diagnostic data about the battery generated from at least one of the BMSs 22, 24, and 26 based on wide-area signals or direct signals. The receiver can receive the diagnostic data via daisy-chain communication and can communicate with... Figure 1 Advanced BMS 10 (see Figure 1 ) and the first low-level BMS 12 (see Figure 1 The communication methods between them are the same. For example, when each of the multiple BMS 22, 24 and 26 generates diagnostic data based on wide-area signals, the first BMS 22 can receive the diagnostic data generated by the other BMS 24 and 26 through daisy-chain communication and send this diagnostic data to the receiver.

[0053] Here, the receiver receives diagnostic data generated based on wide-area signals via daisy-chain communication to minimize power consumption. As described below, wide-area LEDs may be required for broadcasting wide-area signals. Wide-area LEDs have a wider transmission range and stronger signal than LEDs using daisy-chain communication, and therefore may have higher power consumption. Therefore, the battery management device 20 can minimize power consumption by receiving diagnostic data generated after simultaneously transmitting wide-area signals from multiple BMSs 22, 24, and 26 via daisy-chain communication.

[0054] The controller 204 can control the operation of the first communication unit 200 and the second communication unit 202. In one embodiment, the controller 204 can generate wide-area signals and / or direct signals, and control the operation of the first communication unit 200 and / or the second communication unit 202 according to the type of the generated signal. For example, the controller 204 can generate a wide-area signal and control the first communication unit 200 to perform the operation of transmitting the generated wide-area signal. The controller 204 can generate a direct signal and control the second communication unit 202 to perform the operation of transmitting the generated direct signal.

[0055] The following will refer to Figure 3a and Figure 3b This describes matters related to broadcast wide-area signals.

[0056] Figure 3a A battery holder including a battery management device is shown according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0057] See Figure 3a The structure of the battery rack 30 for broadcasting wide-area signals via the battery management device 20 is shown.

[0058] The battery rack 30 may include a battery management device 20, a tray 32 containing multiple battery cells, and a carrier 34 for protecting the aforementioned components. Each tray 32 may include BMSs 22, 24, and 26, and battery cells 220, 240, and 260. In the battery rack 30, the battery management device 20 and each tray 32 may be arranged vertically. The carrier 34 may have a hexahedral structure, and a portion of the carrier 34 may be a door 36 for inserting or removing the battery management device 20 and the tray 32. The battery management device 20 may be a main BMS, capable of sending wide-area signals to the slave BMSs included in each tray 32.

[0059] The first communication unit 200 of the battery management device 20 can transmit wide-area signals to the slave BMSs included in each tray 32. The wide-area signals can be transmitted to the slave BMSs in each tray 32 via the first light-emitting diode 300 of the first communication unit 200. Here, the wide-area signal can be infrared (IR) light emitted by the first light-emitting diode 300. Figure 3a In this context, we assume that the wide-area signal is infrared.

[0060] In one embodiment, the structure of the battery holder 30 may include components that promote IR reflection. For example, the door 36 of the battery holder 30 may include components that promote reflection. The inner side of the door 36 may be coated with a coating that promotes IR reflection, thereby increasing IR reflectivity. The coating applied to the inner side of the door 36 may be a coating capable of reflecting about 50% to about 100% of IR rays. By using a coating to increase the reflectivity for wide-area signals, the transmission of wide-area signals can be further promoted. Although for the sake of description, Figure 3a The diagram shows the inside of door 36 coated with paint, but this disclosure is not limited thereto; the paint that promotes IR reflection may be applied to the entire inside of carrier 34 or a portion thereof.

[0061] Figure 3b The configuration of a first communication unit according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0062] See Figure 3b The first communication unit 200 and / or each of the multiple BMS 22, 24 and 26 may include components for broadcasting wide-area signals.

[0063] The first communication unit 200 may include a first light-emitting diode (LED) 300. The first LED 300 may be a broadband LED. Here, the broadband LED may include a lens for expanding the emission range, thereby emitting a wide-area signal in 360 degrees. By selecting a broadband LED as the first LED 300, the emission range and emission intensity of the wide-area signal can be improved.

[0064] In one embodiment, the first communication unit 200 may further include a emitting condenser lens 310. The mirror surface of the emitting condenser lens 310 may have a semi-elliptical arch structure. A first light-emitting diode 300 may be located at the first focal point of the emitting condenser lens 310. Since the first light-emitting diode 300 is located at the first focal point of the semi-elliptical arch structure, the IR rays emitted by the first light-emitting diode 300 can be reflected by the emitting condenser lens 310 and concentrated at the second focal point 312. Therefore, by using the emitting condenser lens 310 to reflect the IR rays, the emission direction of the IR rays can be changed to face the receivers 320, 340, and 360. Here, the first receiver 320 may be included in the first slave BMS 22, and the second receiver 340 and the third receiver 360 may be included in the second slave BMS 24 and the third slave BMS 26, respectively.

[0065] Each of the multiple BMSs 22, 24, and 26 may include a receiver for receiving wide-area signals. In one embodiment, receivers 320, 340, and 360 can easily receive wide-area signals using receiving condensers 314 and 316 corresponding to the transmitting condenser 310. To ensure that the IR line focused at the second focal point 312 reaches the receiving range of receivers 320, 340, and 360, the receiving condensers 314 and 316 can be arranged according to the location and receiving range of the second focal point 312 and receivers 320, 340, and 360. The aforementioned transmitting condenser 310 and receiving condensers 314 and 316 can be arranged to avoid interfering with the paths of wide-area communication and / or direct communication.

[0066] Although for the sake of ease of description, Figure 3b The diagram illustrates the transmission of wide-area signals to receivers 320, 340, and 360 via a focusing group including a first receiving focusing lens 314 and a second receiving focusing lens 316. However, this disclosure is not limited to this and may include multiple focusing groups, which may be arranged to correspond to the respective receiving ranges of receivers 320, 340, and 360.

[0067] Figure 4 The process of controlling a switch based on a wide-area signal or direct signal, performed by a controller according to embodiments disclosed herein, is illustrated.

[0068] See Figure 4The first communication unit 200 may include a first light-emitting diode 300 and a first switch 302. The second communication unit 202 may include a second light-emitting diode 400 and a second switch 402. Here, when the first switch 302 is turned on, a wide-area signal can be transmitted, while when the second switch 402 is turned on, a direct signal can be transmitted via daisy-chain communication.

[0069] The controller 204 can control the operation of the first switch 302 and the second switch 402. For example, when the advanced processor generates a wide-area signal, the controller 204 can control the first switch 302 to turn on and control the second switch 402 to turn off.

[0070] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating an operation method of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0071] See Figure 5 In operation 500, the battery management device 20 can generate wide-area signals or direct signals.

[0072] In operation 502, battery management device 20 can send the generated signal to at least one slave BMS. Battery management device 20 can broadcast wide-area signals to multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26. Battery management device 20 can send a direct signal to the first slave BMS 22.

[0073] In operation 504, at least one slave BMS can measure the state of the battery cell based on the generated signal. Multiple slave BMSs 22, 24, and 26 can simultaneously measure the state of the battery cell corresponding to each slave BMS based on a wide-area signal. The first slave BMS 22 can measure the state of the first battery cell 220 based on a direct signal. In one embodiment, the first slave BMS 22 can transmit the direct signal to the second slave BMS 24 via daisy-chain communication, and the second slave BMS 24 can transmit the direct signal to the third slave BMS 26 via daisy-chain communication.

[0074] In one embodiment, the controller 204 of the battery management device 20 can control the operation of the first communication unit 200 and the second communication unit 202 based on wide-area signals or direct signals. The controller 204 can control the operation of the first switch 302 of the first communication unit 200 to turn it on based on wide-area signals. The controller 204 can control the operation of the second switch 402 of the second communication unit 202 to turn it on based on direct signals.

[0075] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computing system for implementing an operation method of a battery management device according to embodiments disclosed herein.

[0076] See Figure 6 The computing system 60 according to the embodiments disclosed herein may include a microcontroller unit (MCU) 600, a memory 610, an input / output interface (I / F) 620, and a communication interface (I / F) 630.

[0077] The MCU 600 can be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., battery voltage analysis programs, etc.) stored in the memory 610, processes various data through these programs, and performs other tasks. Figures 2 to 4 The battery management device 20 shown above performs the aforementioned functions.

[0078] The memory 610 can store various programs related to the operation of the battery management device 20. Furthermore, the memory 610 can store operational data of the battery management device 20.

[0079] Multiple memories 610 may be provided as needed. Memory 610 may be volatile or non-volatile. As volatile memory, memory 610 may employ random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), etc. As non-volatile memory, memory 610 may employ read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically rewritable read-only memory (EAROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, etc. The examples of memory 610 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these.

[0080] The Input / Output I / F 620 can provide an interface for connecting input devices (not shown), such as a keyboard, mouse, touch panel, etc., and output devices (not shown), such as a display, to the MCU 600 to send and receive data.

[0081] The Communication I / F 630 is a component capable of sending / receiving various types of data to / from a server, and can be various types of devices capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, the Communication I / F 630 can be used to send / receive programs or various data for resistance measurement and fault diagnosis to / from a separately provided external server.

[0082] The terms "comprising," "constituting," or "having," as used above, unless otherwise stated, indicate that the corresponding component may be inherent and should therefore be understood to include, rather than exclude, other components. 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, unless otherwise defined. General terms, such as words as defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted as having the same meaning as in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning, unless expressly defined herein.

[0083] The above description is merely an exemplary description of the technical concept disclosed herein. Various modifications and variations can be conceived by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein pertain without departing from the basic characteristics of the disclosed embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are intended to describe, not limit, the technical spirit of the disclosed embodiments, and the scope of the technical spirit disclosed herein is not limited by 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 document.

Claims

1. A battery management device, comprising: The first communication unit is configured to broadcast wide-area signals for communicating with multiple slave battery management systems (BMS) to the multiple slave BMS; The second communication unit is configured to send a direct signal for direct communication with a specific slave BMS among the plurality of slave BMSs to the specific slave BMS; as well as The controller is configured to control the operation of the first communication unit and the operation of the second communication unit.

2. The battery management device according to claim 1, wherein, The first communication unit further includes a condenser lens configured to focus light onto a specific point by reflecting the wide-area signal.

3. The battery management device according to claim 1, wherein, The first communication unit includes a first light-emitting diode configured to transmit the wide-area signal, and the second communication unit includes a second light-emitting diode configured to transmit the direct signal.

4. The battery management device according to claim 3, wherein, The first communication unit further includes a first switch configured to supply power to the first light-emitting diode, the second communication unit further includes a second switch configured to supply power to the second light-emitting diode, and the controller is further configured to control the operation of at least one of the first switch and the second switch.

5. The battery management device according to claim 1, wherein, The second communication unit includes a receiver configured to receive diagnostic data about the battery generated by at least one of the plurality of BMS based on the wide-area signal or the direct signal.

6. The battery management device according to claim 5, wherein, The diagnostic data includes at least one of the battery's voltage, current, and temperature.

7. The battery management device according to claim 1, wherein, The wide-area signal includes a blocking signal used to block daisy-chain communication between the plurality of BMSs.

8. A method of operating a battery management device, the method comprising: Wide-area signals used for communication with multiple slave battery management systems (BMS) are broadcast to the multiple slave BMS; as well as The wide-area signal is reflected to simultaneously transmit the wide-area signal to the respective receivers of the plurality of BMS.

9. The operating method according to claim 8, wherein, The wide-area signal includes a blocking signal used to block daisy-chain communication between the plurality of BMSs.

10. The operating method according to claim 8, further comprising: Receive diagnostic data about the battery generated by at least one of the plurality of BMS based on the wide-area signal.

11. The operating method according to claim 10, wherein, The diagnostic data includes at least one of the battery's voltage, current, and temperature.

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