Power control device and method thereof

Abstract

A power control device according to embodiments of this document includes: a power control unit electrically connected to a battery and associated with a power supply; at least one area control unit electrically connected to the power control unit; and a terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit, wherein the power control unit can receive first power from the battery, transmit second power, which is at least a portion of the received first power, to at least one of the terminal device, the at least one area control unit, or any combination thereof, and operate the terminal device based on the second power.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0061774, filed on May 10, 2024, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0146468, filed on October 24, 2024, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to power control devices and methods. Background Technology

[0004] With the increasing prevalence of electric vehicles powered by electricity, research and development of new vehicle architectures are actively underway. For example, electric vehicles can be powered by rechargeable batteries. Here, rechargeable batteries are rechargeable batteries, which can be interpreted as including both conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and, more recently, lithium-ion batteries. Among rechargeable batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, and therefore are used as power sources for mobile devices. Recently, the application of lithium-ion batteries has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, and lithium-ion batteries are gaining attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0005] Vehicles are rapidly integrating with various information and communication technologies and are constantly evolving from existing hardware-based electronics to software-oriented devices. Therefore, recent vehicles include multiple electronic control units (ECUs) dedicated to specific functions within the vehicle, various sensors, cameras, radars, lidar devices, etc., requiring associated software code. Consequently, vehicle platforms are evolving towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs), where the vehicle's features and functions are primarily implemented through software.

[0006] With the development of software-defined vehicles (SDV), research is underway on technologies to reduce the complexity of the vehicle's circuitry and improve the efficiency of the resources required for power control. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Technical issues

[0008] The embodiments disclosed in this document provide a power control device and method for improving the stability of a power control device through data line redundancy.

[0009] The embodiments disclosed in this document provide a power control device and method for improving the stability of a power control device through redundancy of power transmission lines.

[0010] The embodiments disclosed in this document provide a power control device and method for reducing the resources required for power control by performing power control via a power control unit.

[0011] The embodiments disclosed in this document provide a power control device and method thereof that reduce the circuit complexity of a power control device by performing power control via a power control unit.

[0012] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems. Other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0013] Technical solution

[0014] The power control device according to the embodiments of this document includes a power control unit electrically connected to a battery and associated with a power source, at least one area control unit electrically connected to the power control unit, and a terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the power control unit is configured to receive first power from the battery, transmit second power, which is at least a portion of the received first power, to at least one of the terminal device, the at least one area control unit, or any combination thereof, and operate the terminal device based on the second power.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the terminal device can be electrically connected to the power control unit via a specific area control unit electrically connected to the terminal device in at least one area control unit, and can be configured to receive a third power from the specific area control unit, the third power being at least a portion of the second power received by the specific area control unit from the power control unit.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the terminal device may be electrically connected to a specific area control unit, which is one of the at least one area control unit. The terminal device is configured to receive the second power from the power control unit and to transmit the same data to both the power control unit and the specific area control unit.

[0018] According to the implementation, when the first data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the first data is transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the first data transmitted to the specific area control unit can be transmitted to the power control unit through the specific area control unit. And when the second data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the second data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the second data transmitted to the power control unit can be transmitted to the specific area control unit through the power control unit.

[0019] According to an implementation, the power control unit can be configured to monitor whether an abnormality occurs in the connection status between the power control unit and the terminal device based on a specified time period, and when an abnormality is determined to occur, transmit a notification signal related to the abnormality to the specific area control unit.

[0020] According to an implementation, the specific area control unit can be configured to control the terminal device in place of the power control unit based on receiving the notification signal.

[0021] According to an implementation, the first power supply path between the power control unit and the battery may be shorter than the second power supply path between the at least one area control unit and the battery.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the power control unit may include a converter circuit configured to change the voltage of the first power, a microcontroller unit (MCU), and a power-on-a-data-line (PoDL) circuit configured to transmit a second power and send or receive data, and the MCU may determine the power distribution between the first device included in the terminal device and the second device included in the terminal device.

[0023] According to an embodiment, the at least one area control unit may be electrically connected to at least one vehicle control device for operating the vehicle and included in the terminal device, and may be configured to control the at least one vehicle control device based on the second power received from the power control unit, or may be configured to transmit the second power to the at least one vehicle control device.

[0024] According to another embodiment of this document, a power control method includes: supplying a first power from a battery to a power control unit electrically connected to the battery and associated with the power supply; transmitting a second power to at least one of a terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit, at least one area control unit electrically connected to the power control unit, or any combination thereof; and operating the terminal device based on the second power.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include: transmitting the second power from the power control unit to a specific area control unit electrically connected to the terminal device in at least one area control unit; and transmitting the third power from the specific area control unit to the terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit through the specific area control unit, wherein the third power is at least a portion of the second power received by the specific area control unit.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include: transmitting the second power from the power control unit to a specific area control unit electrically connected to the terminal device in the at least one area control unit; transmitting the second power from the specific area control unit to the terminal device; and transmitting the same data from the terminal device to the power control unit and the specific area control unit.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include: when the first data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the first data is transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, transmitting the first data that was transmitted to the specific area control unit from the specific area control unit to the power control unit; and when the second data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the second data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, transmitting the second data that was transmitted to the power control unit from the power control unit to the specific area control unit.

[0028] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include: monitoring the connection status between the power control unit and the terminal device for an abnormality based on a specified time period; and when an abnormality is determined to occur, transmitting a notification signal related to the abnormality to the specific area control unit through the power control unit.

[0029] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include, based on receiving the notification signal through the specific area control unit, having the specific area control unit control the terminal device instead of the power control unit.

[0030] According to an implementation, the first power supply path between the power control unit and the battery may be shorter than the second power supply path between the at least one area control unit and the battery.

[0031] According to an embodiment, the power control unit may include a converter circuit configured to change the voltage of the first power, a microcontroller unit (MCU), and a power-on-a-data-line (PoDL) circuit configured to transmit the second power and send or receive data, wherein the MCU may be configured to determine the power distribution between a first device included in the terminal device and a second device included in the terminal device.

[0032] According to an embodiment, the power control method may further include the following operations: controlling at least one vehicle control device based on the second power received from the power control device via at least one area control unit, or transmitting the second power to at least one vehicle control device, wherein the at least one area control unit is electrically connected to the at least one vehicle control device, and the at least one vehicle control device is used to operate a vehicle and is included in the terminal device.

[0033] Beneficial effects

[0034] This technology can improve the stability of power control devices by using data line redundancy.

[0035] Furthermore, this technology can improve the stability of power control devices through the redundancy of transmission lines.

[0036] Furthermore, this technology can reduce the resources required for power control by performing power control via a power control unit.

[0037] Furthermore, this technology can reduce the circuit complexity of the power control device by performing power control via the power control unit.

[0038] In addition, various effects that can be directly or indirectly identified through this document can be provided. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including an electric control device in an embodiment of the electric control device and method according to this document.

[0040] Figure 2 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating another architecture of a vehicle that includes an electric control device in an embodiment of the electric control device and method according to this document.

[0041] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the power control device in the power control apparatus and method according to embodiments of this document.

[0042] Figure 4 The structure of the power control unit in the power control device and method according to the embodiments of this document is shown.

[0043] Figure 5 The electrical connection relationships between components of the power control device in the power control device and method according to embodiments of this document are shown.

[0044] Figure 6 Electrical connections between components of a power control device in a power control device and method according to another embodiment of this document are shown.

[0045] Figure 7 Electrical connections between components of a power control device in a power control device and method according to another embodiment of this document are shown.

[0046] Figure 8 An example of the operation flow of a power control device for transmitting power to a terminal device in a power control device and method according to an embodiment of this document is shown.

[0047] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing a power control method according to an embodiment of this document. Detailed Implementation

[0048] In the following description, some embodiments described in this document are illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings, which show various embodiments of the embodiments described in this document. However, this is not intended to limit this disclosure to the specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives to the embodiments of this disclosure.

[0049] Furthermore, when affixing reference numerals to the constituent elements of the various figures, the same reference numerals are assigned as much as possible, even if the same constituent elements are shown in different figures. Additionally, when describing the various embodiments disclosed in this document, detailed descriptions of specific known configurations or functions that would hinder understanding of the embodiments of the invention will be omitted. The singular form of nouns corresponding to items may include a single item or multiple items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0050] When describing components of the embodiments disclosed in this document, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are intended only to distinguish components from other components, and the nature, order, or sequence of components may not be limited by the terms. Furthermore, unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this document, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the disclosed embodiments of this document pertain. Terms defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0051] Furthermore, in this disclosure, the expressions "greater than" or "less than" may be used to determine whether a specific condition is met or satisfied. However, this is merely a description used to indicate an example and does not exclude descriptions of "greater than or equal to" or "less than or equal to". A condition described as "greater than or equal to" may be replaced with "greater than", a condition described as "less than or equal to" may be replaced with "less than", and a condition described as "greater than or equal to and less than" may be replaced with "greater than and less than". Additionally, in the following text, "A" to "B" refers to at least one of the elements from A (inclusive) to B (inclusive).

[0052] In this document, each of the phrases “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 of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof.

[0053] In this document, when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as “connected,” “coupled,” or “joined” to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms “functionally” or “communically”, it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., via a wired connection) or wirelessly via a third component.

[0054] The methods disclosed in this document can be provided by including them in a computer program product. The computer program product can be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product can 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 directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product can be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a relay server.

[0055] According to various embodiments, each of the above-described components (e.g., modules or programs) may include one or more entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described 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, which are the same as or similar to the functions performed by the corresponding components of the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by modules, programs, or other components may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more operations may be performed in a different order, omitted, or performed by addition to one or more other operations.

[0056] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 1 to 9 This document describes in detail the implementation methods.

[0057] Figure 1 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including an electric control device in an embodiment of the electric control device and method according to this document.

[0058] refer to Figure 1 This includes electrical control devices (e.g., Figure 3 The vehicle 110 of the power control device 301 may include at least one first area controller (e.g., Figure 3 At least one area control unit 305 in the first area control unit 121, and the second area controller (e.g., Figure 3 At least one area control unit 305 in the second area control unit 122, and the third area controller (e.g., Figure 3 At least one of the third area control units in the area control unit 305) 123, and the fourth area controller (e.g., Figure 3 The system includes at least one fourth area control unit 124 in area control unit 305, a first terminal device 131 (e.g., terminal device 307), a second terminal device 132 (e.g., terminal device 307), a third terminal device 133 (e.g., terminal device 307), a fourth terminal device 134 (e.g., terminal device 307), a first actuator 141, a second actuator 142, a power control unit 150, a transmission and reception path 160, and additional elements 170 or any combination thereof.

[0059] exist Figure 1 In the diagram, a high-performance computer (HPC) is not shown, but the HPC may be electrically connected to the power control unit 150.

[0060] According to an embodiment, the power control device 301 may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle 110 according to a software-defined vehicle (SDV) architecture.

[0061] For example, the power control unit constituting the power control device 301 (e.g., Figure 3 The power control unit 303) 150, at least one area control unit (e.g., Figure 3 At least one area control unit 305 (e.g., a first area controller 121, a second area controller 122, a third area controller 123, and a fourth area controller 124) and a terminal device (e.g., Figure 3 Terminal devices 307 (e.g., first terminal device 131, second terminal device 132, third terminal device 133, and fourth terminal device 134) may be included in the components included in vehicle 110. Terminal devices 307 (e.g., first terminal device 131, second terminal device 132, third terminal device 133, and fourth terminal device 134) may include edge devices. Edge devices may include means or systems for processing or filtering data at the end of the system.

[0062] For example, the power control unit 150 can receive first power from the battery, which is one of the components of the vehicle 110.

[0063] For example, the power control unit 150 can transmit a second power, which is at least a part of the first power, from the power control unit 150 to at least one of the area control unit, terminal device 307, or any combination thereof.

[0064] According to one embodiment, at least one area control unit may be electrically connected to at least one vehicle control device, which is used to operate the vehicle and is included in the terminal device 307. The at least one area control unit may control the at least one vehicle control device based on second power received from the power control unit 150, or transmit the second power to the at least one vehicle control device.

[0065] According to an embodiment, at least one area control unit 305 included in the power control device 301 may include area controllers (e.g., a first area controller 121, a second area controller 122, a third area controller 123, and a fourth area controller 124).

[0066] For example, the components according to the SDV architecture can sequentially include a hierarchical structure of HPC, power control unit 150, area controller and terminal device.

[0067] As an example, the power control unit 150 can be electrically connected to the first area controller 121, the second area controller 122, the third area controller 123, and the fourth area controller 124, and can transmit various types of data to and receive various types of data from each area controller. The power control unit 150 can also be electrically connected to the HPC, and can transmit various types of data obtained from each area controller to the HPC, or can receive control commands from the HPC and transmit the control commands to each area controller.

[0068] As an example, the first area controller 121 can control the first terminal device 131, the second area controller 122 can control the second terminal device 132, the third area controller 123 can control the third terminal device 133, and the fourth area controller 124 can control the fourth terminal device 134.

[0069] For example, the terminal device may include at least one vehicle control device for operating the vehicle 110.

[0070] As an example, a first area controller 121 may control a first actuator 141, and a second area controller 122 may control a second actuator 142. For example, the first actuator 141 and the second actuator 142 may include at least one drive unit for driving the vehicle 110.

[0071] For example, the aforementioned components can perform communication based on a specified path via automotive Ethernet (e.g., transmit and receive path 160).

[0072] For example, HPC, power control units, or area controllers (e.g., first area controller 121, second area controller 122, third area controller 123, and fourth area controller 124) can communicate via automotive Ethernet.

[0073] At least one area controller 305 of the power control device 301 according to the embodiment may include area controllers (e.g., a first area controller 121, a second area controller 122, a third area controller 123, and a fourth area controller 124).

[0074] The power control unit 303 of the power control device 301 according to the embodiment may include a battery management system (BMS).

[0075] exist Figure 1 In this document, the power control device 301 is described as being included in the vehicle 110, but this is merely an example, and the implementation of this document may not be limited to this. According to the implementation, the power control device 301 may be included in an electronic device outside the vehicle.

[0076] Figure 2 This is a conceptual diagram illustrating another structure of a vehicle including an electric control device in an embodiment of the electric control device and method according to this document.

[0077] exist Figure 2 In the middle, used with Figure 1 The description of the component with the same name in the above can be replaced with the one described above. Figure 1 Descriptions of those components.

[0078] refer to Figure 2 The vehicle 210 may include at least one of the following: a first terminal device 231, a second terminal device 232, a third terminal device 233, a fourth terminal device 234, a first actuator 241, a second actuator 242, a power control unit 250, a transmission / reception path 260, an additional element 270, or any combination thereof.

[0079] According to an embodiment, the power control device 301 may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle 110 according to a software-defined vehicle (SDV) architecture.

[0080] For example, with Figure 1 In comparison, according to Figure 2 Vehicle 210 may not include a zone controller. That is, even with an SDV architecture, vehicle 210 can be implemented by having a power control unit 250 directly control at least one terminal device, such as... Figure 2 As shown.

[0081] According to the embodiment, the power control unit 303 can transmit second power to terminal devices (e.g., first terminal device 131, second terminal device 132, third terminal device 133 and fourth terminal device 134).

[0082] exist Figure 2 In this document, the power control device 301 is described as being included in the vehicle 210, but this is merely an example, and the implementation of this document may not be limited to this. According to the implementation, the power control device 301 may be included in an electronic device outside the vehicle.

[0083] Figure 3 This is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of the power control device in the power control apparatus and method according to embodiments of this document.

[0084] Reference Figure 3 The power control device 301 may include a power control unit 303, at least one area control unit 305, and a terminal device 307.

[0085] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 may include circuitry connected to the battery and performing battery-related operations (e.g., circuit protection for overvoltage or overcurrent, power distribution, and power conversion).

[0086] According to an embodiment, at least one area control unit 305 may include circuitry for controlling modules (e.g., terminal devices) allocated according to specified criteria within the system (e.g., the area where the terminal device is placed).

[0087] According to an embodiment, the terminal device 307 includes means for performing the functions of an electronic device (e.g., a vehicle) including a power control device 301. For example, the terminal device 307 may manage communication between modules, control electronic devices, or perform data processing.

[0088] According to the implementation, the terminal device 307 may require power to operate. Power can be supplied from a battery.

[0089] Terminal device 307 should be electrically connected to the power supply line and the data communication line in order to receive power and transmit data.

[0090] The structure of the power control device 301 according to the embodiments of this document can reduce the complexity of the overall circuit wiring of the power control device 301 or increase the stability of the power control device 301.

[0091] The structure of the power control device 301 according to the embodiments of this document may include three structures. Hereinafter, refer to... Figures 5 to 7 The three structures of the power control device 301 are described.

[0092] Figure 4 The structure of the power control unit in the power control device and method according to the embodiments of this document is shown.

[0093] Reference Figure 4 The power control unit 303 can be connected to the battery 401. The power control unit 301 may include a converter circuit 403, a microcontroller unit (MCU) 405, and a power-on-data-line (PoDL) circuit 407. The PoDL circuit 407 may include circuitry for transmitting power and sending or receiving data. The PoDL circuit 407 may include circuitry for connecting to a terminal device (e.g., ...). Figure 3 Terminal device 307) or at least one area control unit (e.g., Figure 3 The power control unit 303 may include a PoDL line and automotive Ethernet circuitry for at least one area control unit 305. The power control unit 303 may include circuitry connected to the battery 401 and performing power-related operations of the battery 401 (e.g., power distribution, power conversion, and circuit protection against overvoltage or overcurrent).

[0094] According to one embodiment, battery 401 can be connected to converter circuit 403. Converter circuit 403 can change the voltage of the first power supplied from battery 401 to power control unit 303. For example, converter circuit 403 can change the first voltage of the first power to a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage.

[0095] Furthermore, based on the converter circuit 403, the power control unit 303 can be divided into a first part and a second part, and the first part and the second part can be electrically insulated from each other through an insulating layer so that they are not electrically connected to each other. The first part and the second part can be electrically connected to each other only through the converter circuit 403.

[0096] According to one implementation, the converter circuit 403 can transmit first power with a changed voltage to a microcontroller unit (MCU) 405. The MCU 405 can perform power-related operations and transmit control commands to the terminal device 307 or to the battery 401. For example, the MCU 405 can determine the power distribution between a first device included in the terminal device 307 and a second device included in the terminal device 307. In other words, the MCU 405 can determine the power distribution among multiple PoDL circuits 407.

[0097] Figure 5 The electrical connection relationships between components of the power control device in the power control device and method according to embodiments of this document are shown.

[0098] Reference Figure 5 Battery 401 can be electrically connected to power control unit 303. Since power control unit 303 performs the functions of both a regional control unit and a power control unit, it can be electrically connected to at least one terminal device (e.g., first terminal device 507, second terminal device 509) assigned to be managed by power control unit 303. However, at least one terminal device assigned to be managed by first regional control unit 501, at least one terminal device assigned to be managed by second regional control unit 503, and at least one terminal device assigned to be managed by third regional control unit 505 can be electrically connected to power control unit 303 via first regional control unit 501.

[0099] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 and at least one terminal device (e.g., a first terminal device 507 and a second terminal device 509) can transmit or receive power and send or receive data via a PoDL circuit (e.g., Figure 4 The PoDL circuits 407 are electrically connected to each other.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 may be electrically connected to at least one area control unit (e.g., a first area control unit 501, a second area control unit 503, and a third area control unit 505). The power control unit 303 and the at least one area control unit may be electrically connected to each other via a PoDL circuit.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 can receive first power from the battery 401 and transmit second power, which is at least a portion of the first power, to at least one terminal device (e.g., first terminal device 507 and second terminal device 509) assigned to be managed by the power control unit 303 via a PoDL circuit. Furthermore, at least one terminal device that has received the second power can receive data from or transmit data to the power control unit 303 via the PoDL circuit.

[0102] According to an embodiment, in order to supply power to at least one terminal device that is managed by a specific area control unit other than the power control unit 303 (e.g., a first area control unit 501, a second area control unit 503, or a third area control unit 505), the power control unit 303 may receive a first power from the battery 401 and transmit a second power to the specific area control unit.

[0103] According to an implementation, a specific area control unit can transmit a third power, which is at least a portion of the second power, to at least one terminal device managed by the specific area control unit via a PoDL circuit. At least one terminal device that has received the third power can receive data from or transmit data to the specific area control unit via the PoDL circuit.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the first power supply path between the power control unit 303 and the battery 401 can be shorter than the second power supply path between at least one area control unit and the battery 401. The power control unit 303 can reduce the resources required for power control and improve the stability of power control by receiving and controlling power before at least one area control unit.

[0105] According to the implementation, when power is managed by the power control device 301, the resources required for battery management may be less than those required for battery management when the power transmitted to the terminal device is not integrated and managed.

[0106] This is because the power control device 301 integrates and manages the power transmitted to the terminal device through the power control unit 303.

[0107] In particular, since the power allocated to each regional control unit can be centrally managed, resource utilization efficiency can be improved when the power transmitted to the terminal device is centrally managed by the power control unit 303, compared to the case where the power transmitted to the terminal device is not centrally managed.

[0108] In addition, according to Figure 5 In the embodiment shown, since the power control unit 303 also performs the role of a regional control unit, the number of required regional control units can be reduced, and correspondingly, the circuit complexity of the power control device 301 can be lower than the circuit complexity when the power control unit 303 does not perform the role of a regional control unit.

[0109] Figure 6 Electrical connections between components of a power control device in a power control device and method according to another embodiment of this document are shown.

[0110] Reference Figure 6 Battery 401 can be electrically connected to power control unit 303. Power control unit 303 can be electrically connected to at least one terminal device (e.g., first terminal device 607, second terminal device 609) included in the electronic device including power control unit 301 to establish dual data lines.

[0111] In other words, at least one terminal device electrically connected to the first area control unit 601 (e.g., the first terminal device 607 and the second terminal device 609), at least one terminal device connected to the second area control unit 603, and at least one terminal device connected to the third area control unit 605 can be electrically connected to the power control unit 303.

[0112] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 and at least one terminal device (e.g., first terminal device 607 and second terminal device 609) can transmit or receive power and send or receive data via a PoDL circuit (e.g., Figure 4 The PoDL circuits 407 are electrically connected to each other.

[0113] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 may be electrically connected to at least one area control unit (e.g., a first area control unit 501, a second area control unit 503, and a third area control unit 505). The power control unit 303 and the at least one area control unit may be electrically connected to each other via a PoDL circuit.

[0114] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 can receive first power from the battery 401, transmit second power, which is at least a part of the first power, to at least one terminal device included in the electronic device including the power control unit 301 via the PoDL circuit, and transmit the second power to each of at least one area control unit (e.g., first area control unit 501, second area control unit 503, and third area control unit 505) via the PoDL circuit.

[0115] At least one terminal device receiving the second power supply can transmit the same data to the power control unit 303 and the specific area control unit corresponding to the terminal device in at least one area control unit via the PoDL circuit. The power control unit 303 can control the power supply based on the data obtained from the at least one terminal device. The specific area control unit can control the function of the at least one terminal device based on the data obtained from the at least one terminal device.

[0116] For example, one of the first terminal devices 607 or the second terminal device 609 that receives the second power can transmit data related to the sensing value of a terminal device to the power control unit 303, and transmit the same data related to the sensing value to the first area control unit 601, which is electrically connected to the first terminal device 607 to manage the first terminal device 607.

[0117] According to the implementation method, the stability of the power control device 301 can be increased by using data line redundancy.

[0118] For example, when first data is transmitted from the terminal device to a specific area control unit instead of from the terminal device to the power control unit 303, the specific area control unit can transmit the first data transmitted to it to the power control unit. Similarly, when second data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit 303 but not from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the power control unit 303 can transmit the second data transmitted to it to the specific area control unit. By making the data lines redundant, even in the event of a line fault or loss of communication (LoC), the power control device 301 can also transmit data to the power control unit 303 or at least one area control unit.

[0119] Furthermore, according to the implementation, since power can be transmitted to the terminal device via at least one area control unit, a backup path for power transmission can be ensured, thereby increasing the stability of the power control device 301.

[0120] For example, when the second power is not transmitted from the power control unit 303 to the terminal device (e.g., the first terminal device 607 and the second terminal device 609), the power control unit 303 may transmit power to the terminal device via a specific area control unit (e.g., the first area control unit 601).

[0121] Additionally, the power control unit 303 can monitor the connection status between itself and the terminal device at predetermined intervals to check for any abnormalities. If an abnormality is detected, the power control unit 303 can transmit a notification signal regarding the abnormality to a specific area control unit. Upon receiving the notification signal, the specific area control unit can then control the terminal device in place of the power control unit.

[0122] According to the implementation, the first power supply path between the power control unit 303 and the battery 401 can be shorter than the second power supply path between at least one area control unit and the battery 401. By receiving and controlling power before at least one area control unit, the power control unit 303 can reduce the resources consumed by power control and improve the stability of power control.

[0123] According to the implementation, when power is managed by the power control device 301, the resources required for battery management may be less than those required for battery management when the power transmitted to the terminal device is not integrated and managed.

[0124] This is because the power control device 301 integrates and manages the power transmitted to the terminal device through the power control unit 303.

[0125] In particular, since the power allocated to each regional control unit can also be centrally managed, resource utilization efficiency can be improved when the power transmitted to the terminal device through the power control unit 303 is centrally managed compared to the case where the power transmitted to the terminal device is not centrally managed.

[0126] Figure 7 Electrical connections between components of a power control device in a power control device and method according to another embodiment of this document are shown.

[0127] Reference Figure 7 Battery 401 can be electrically connected to power control unit 303. Although not shown, power control unit 303 can be electrically connected to HPC. Power control unit 303 can be electrically connected to at least one area control unit (e.g., first area control unit 701, second area control unit 703, third area control unit 705, and fourth area control unit 707).

[0128] At least one area control unit may be electrically connected to at least one terminal device assigned to be managed by the at least one area control unit. For example, a first area control unit 701 may be electrically connected to a first terminal device 709. A second area control unit 703 may be electrically connected to a second terminal device 711. A third area control unit 705 may be electrically connected to a third terminal device 715. A fourth area control unit 707 may be electrically connected to a fourth terminal device 713.

[0129] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 and at least one area control unit can transmit or receive power and send or receive data via a PoDL circuit (e.g., Figure 4 The PoDL circuits 407 are electrically connected to each other.

[0130] According to an embodiment, the power control unit 303 can receive first power from the battery 401 and transmit second power, which is at least a part of the first power, to at least one area control unit via the PoDL circuit.

[0131] According to an embodiment, at least one area control unit can transmit third power, which is at least a part of the second power, to a terminal device via the PoDL circuit.

[0132] At least one terminal device receiving third power can receive data from a region control unit electrically connected to at least one terminal device, or transmit data to a region control unit electrically connected to at least one terminal device via a PoDL circuit.

[0133] When power is managed through the power control device 301, the resources required for battery management may be less than those required for battery management when the power transmitted to the terminal device is not integrated and managed.

[0134] This is because the power control device 301 integrates and manages the power transmitted to the terminal device through the power control unit 303.

[0135] In particular, since the power allocated to each regional control unit can also be managed jointly, when the power transmitted to the terminal device is managed in an integrated manner through the power control unit 303, resource utilization efficiency can be improved compared to when the power transmitted to the terminal device is not managed in an integrated manner.

[0136] According to the implementation method, although in Figure 7 Not shown in the text, but even in such cases Figure 7 In the structure of the power control device 301 shown, data lines or power lines can also be redundant.

[0137] For example, at least one terminal device receiving third power can transmit the same data to the management area control unit (the area control unit assigned to manage the terminal device) and the standby area control unit (the area control unit assigned to perform standby management of the terminal device) via the PoDL circuit.

[0138] For example, when data is not transmitted from a terminal device (e.g., first terminal device 709) to a management area control unit (e.g., first area control unit 701) and is transmitted to a backup area control unit (e.g., second area control unit 703), the data transmitted to the backup area control unit can be transmitted through the backup area control unit to at least one of the management area control unit, the power control unit 303, or a combination thereof.

[0139] For example, the power control unit 303 can transmit power to the terminal device (e.g., the first terminal device 709) through the management area control unit (e.g., the first area control unit 701), and when power is not transmitted through the management area control unit, the power control unit 303 can transmit power to the terminal device through the backup area control unit (e.g., the second area control unit 703).

[0140] According to the implementation, the first power supply path between the power control unit 303 and the battery 401 may be shorter than the second power supply path between at least one area control unit and the battery 401. By receiving and controlling power before at least one area control unit, the power control unit 303 can reduce the resources consumed by power control and improve the stability of power control.

[0141] Figure 8 An example of the operation flow of a power control device for transmitting power to a terminal device in a power control device and method according to an embodiment of this document is shown.

[0142] In the following text, it is assumed that... Figure 3 The power control device 301 includes at least one processor that performs Figure 4 The processing. Furthermore, in Figure 4 In the description, the operation described as being performed by the power control device 301 can be understood as being controlled by at least one processor included in the power control device 301.

[0143] refer to Figure 8 In the first operation 801, the power control device 301 according to the embodiment can supply first power from the battery to the power control unit 303. The power control unit 303 can be electrically connected to the battery and can be associated with the power supply.

[0144] In the second operation 803, the power control device 301 according to the embodiment transmits second power, which is at least a part of the first power, from the power control unit 303 to at least one of the terminal device 307 electrically connected to the power control unit, at least one of the area control unit 305 electrically connected to the power control unit 303, or any combination thereof.

[0145] In the third operation 805, the power control device 301 according to the embodiment can operate the terminal device 307 based on the second power.

[0146] Figure 9 This is a block diagram illustrating the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing a power control method according to an embodiment of this document.

[0147] refer to Figure 9 The computing system 900 according to the disclosed embodiments of this document may include an MCU 910, a memory 920, an input / output I / F 930, and a communication I / F 940.

[0148] MCU 910 can execute various programs stored in memory 920 (e.g., battery cell data collection program, graphics generation program, data analysis program, data decomposition algorithm, normalization program, battery cell diagnostic program, etc.), process various information including battery cell characteristic data, possible variables, etc., through these programs, and execute the aforementioned... Figures 1 to 8 The processor of the power control device 301 shown has the functions of this device.

[0149] The memory 920 can store various programs, such as battery cell data collection programs, graphics generation programs, data analysis programs, data decomposition algorithms, normalization programs, battery cell diagnostic programs, etc.

[0150] Multiple such memories 920 can be provided as needed. The memory 920 can be volatile or non-volatile. As volatile memory, the memory 920 can be RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. As non-volatile memory, the memory 920 can be ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. The examples of memory 920 listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0151] The Input / Output I / F 930 can provide an interface that allows data to be transferred and received between input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel and output devices (not shown) such as a display and MCU 910.

[0152] The communication I / F 940 is configured to transmit and receive various data with and from a server, and can be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, electronic device 301 can transmit various information to and receive various information from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F 940, including the shape model of a battery cell.

[0153] In this way, a computer program according to the disclosed embodiments of this document can be implemented to perform, for example, actions by being recorded in memory 920 and processed by MCU 910. Figure 3 The module for each function shown.

[0154] While all components constituting the disclosed embodiments of this document have been described above as being combined into one or more operations, the disclosed embodiments of this document are not necessarily limited to these embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the disclosed embodiments of this document, all components may be selectively combined and operated as one or more.

[0155] Furthermore, unless otherwise expressly stated, the terms "comprising," "configured," or "having" above mean that they may include the corresponding components 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 disclosed embodiments of this document pertain. Common terms, such as those defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted as consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0156] The above-described disclosure outlines features of several embodiments, enabling those skilled in the art to better understand aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that this disclosure can be readily used as a basis for designing or modifying other structures to achieve the same purpose or the same advantages as the embodiments described in this document. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that such equivalent configurations do not depart from the scope of this disclosure, and that various changes, substitutions, and modifications can be made to this document without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A power control device, the power control device comprising: A power control unit, which is electrically connected to the battery and associated with the power supply; At least one area control unit, the at least one area control unit being electrically connected to the power control unit; as well as Terminal device, the terminal device being electrically connected to the power control unit, The power control unit is configured as follows: Receive first power from the battery; Transmit second power, as at least a portion of the received first power, to at least one of the terminal device, the at least one area control unit, or any combination thereof; and The terminal device is operated based on the second power source.

2. The power control device of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device is electrically connected to the power control unit via a specific area control unit electrically connected to the terminal device in at least one area control unit, and is configured to receive a third power from the specific area control unit, the third power being at least a portion of the second power received by the specific area control unit from the power control unit.

3. The power control device of claim 1, wherein, The terminal device is electrically connected to a specific area control unit, which is one of the at least one area control unit, and is configured to receive the second power from the power control unit and to transmit the same data to both the power control unit and the specific area control unit.

4. The power control device of claim 3, wherein, When the first data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the first data is transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the first data transmitted to the specific area control unit is transmitted to the power control unit through the specific area control unit, and When the second data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the second data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the second data transmitted to the power control unit is transmitted to the specific area control unit through the power control unit.

5. The power control device of claim 3, wherein, The power control unit is configured to: Based on a specified time period, monitor whether any abnormalities occur in the connection status between the power control unit and the terminal device; and When the anomaly is determined to have occurred, a notification signal related to the anomaly is transmitted to the specific area control unit.

6. The power control device of claim 5, wherein, The specific area control unit is configured to control the terminal device in place of the power control unit based on receiving the notification signal.

7. The power control device of claim 1, wherein, The first power supply path between the power control unit and the battery is shorter than the second power supply path between the at least one area control unit and the battery.

8. The power control device of claim 1, wherein, The power control unit includes: A converter circuit configured to change the voltage of the first power source; Microcontroller unit (MCU); and A power-on-data-line (PoDL) circuit, configured to transmit the second power and transmit or receive data, and The MCU determines the power distribution between the first device included in the terminal device and the second device included in the terminal device.

9. The power control device of claim 1, wherein, The at least one area control unit is electrically connected to at least one vehicle control device for operating the vehicle and included in the terminal device, and is configured to control the at least one vehicle control device based on the second power received from the power control unit, or to transmit the second power to the at least one vehicle control device.

10. A power control method, the power control method comprising the following operations: A first power is supplied from the battery to a power control unit that is electrically connected to the battery and associated with the power supply; A second power is transmitted from the power control unit to at least one of a terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit, at least one area control unit electrically connected to the power control unit, or any combination thereof, wherein the second power is at least a portion of the first power received; as well as The terminal device is operated based on the second power source.

11. The power control method according to claim 10, further comprising the following operations: Transmit the second power from the power control unit to a specific area control unit electrically connected to the terminal device in the at least one area control unit; and A third power is transmitted from the specific area control unit to a terminal device electrically connected to the power control unit via the specific area control unit, the third power being at least a portion of the second power received by the specific area control unit from the power control unit.

12. The power control method according to claim 10, further comprising the following operations: The second power is transmitted from the power control unit to a specific area control unit that is electrically connected to the terminal device in the at least one area control unit; The second power is transmitted from the specific area control unit to the terminal device; as well as The same data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the specific area control unit.

13. The power control method according to claim 12, further comprising the following operations: When the first data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the first data is transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the first data that was originally intended for the specific area control unit will be transmitted from the specific area control unit to the power control unit; and When the second data is transmitted from the terminal device to the power control unit and the second data is not transmitted from the terminal device to the specific area control unit, the second data that was transmitted to the power control unit will be transmitted from the power control unit to the specific area control unit.

14. The power control method according to claim 12, further comprising the following operations: The power control unit monitors the connection status between the power control unit and the terminal device for any abnormalities over a specified time period; and If the power control unit determines that the abnormality has occurred, a notification signal related to the abnormality is transmitted to the specific area control unit.

15. The power control method according to claim 14, further comprising the following operations: Based on the notification signal received through the specific area control unit, the specific area control unit controls the terminal device instead of the power control unit.

16. The power control method of claim 10, wherein, The first power supply path between the power control unit and the battery is shorter than the second power supply path between the at least one area control unit and the battery.

17. The power control method of claim 10, wherein, The power control unit includes: A converter circuit configured to change the voltage of the first power source; Microcontroller unit (MCU); and A power-on-data-line (PoDL) circuit, configured to transmit the second power and transmit or receive data, and The MCU is configured to determine the power distribution between a first device included in the terminal device and a second device included in the terminal device.

18. The power control method according to claim 10, further comprising the following operations: The at least one area control unit, which is electrically connected to at least one vehicle control device, controls the at least one vehicle control device based on the second power received from the power control unit, or transmits the second power to the at least one vehicle control device, the at least one vehicle control device being used to operate the vehicle and included in the terminal device.

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