A battery management system

Abstract

The application discloses a battery management system, which comprises at least one master control module provided with a plurality of sensors and a main processor; a master controller arranged in the master control module and configured to control duty cycle according to module temperature and estimated energy mismatch of the battery; a slave acquisition module having a first slave acquisition module connected with the master control module and a plurality of slave acquisition modules respectively; a slave function expansion module connected with the master control module and a plurality of slave function expansion modules respectively; and two module interconnectors arranged in the master control module and used for connecting the slave acquisition module and the slave function expansion module respectively.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of battery management systems, and more specifically, to a system and method for managing the energy storage of multiple energy storage devices (batteries). Background Technology

[0002] The energy storage field is currently expanding rapidly with the emergence of technologies such as electrochemical batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, and flow batteries. These energy storage systems typically consist of multiple energy storage devices (batteries) connected in series and parallel to meet the voltage, current, power, and energy levels required for the target application. To meet the demands of a vast array of applications, battery management systems (BMS) exhibit a high degree of diversity in terms of power and energy requirements, protection functions, and other characteristics.

[0003] Traditionally, battery management systems (BMS) have been designed to be customized for specific applications, which simplifies the design process and reduces material costs. However, with the diversification of energy storage technologies and the increasing variety of system sizes, functionalities, and communication protocols, this customization approach has revealed its limitations. Customizing for each new application extends development cycles and drives up costs, making it difficult to efficiently meet the rapidly evolving demands of the energy storage market.

[0004] US Patent Publication No. 9876367 discloses a modular battery management system device suitable for battery systems with primary and auxiliary loads. The system includes interchangeable slave modules connected to each battery, and a master control module that controls the entire system. Prior art slave configurations are designed to achieve scalability, supporting multiple battery modules connected in series. This architecture also facilitates independent control of the charging and disconnection of each module, enhancing the flexibility and modularity within the battery management system. However, the independent charging method used in traditional systems significantly increases costs when expanding to meet the larger battery capacity requirements of different application scenarios. This method requires adding extra components and complexity to each module, leading to escalating costs during system expansion.

[0005] US Patent Publication No. 9369169B2 discloses a modular solution for communication devices that decouples wireless communication modem devices from portable consumer electronics. This modular approach provides flexibility for product development and may accelerate the certification process for new product launches. However, this modular solution is only applicable to wireless communication modems and may not meet the diverse functionalities required by the current industry needs in energy storage applications.

[0006] Chinese Patent Publication No. 110703105 discloses a battery management system comprising multiple voltage acquisition modules and a control module, wherein each voltage acquisition module supports both outer and inner loops of the communication line. The voltage acquisition modules are daisy-chained. However, existing battery management systems can only detect communication fault points, typically limited to basic fault detection. This limitation hinders the system's ability to adapt to different scales and application scenarios due to its lack of advanced features such as balance management and thermal management. Without these features, the system may struggle to maintain optimal performance and safety in more demanding or diverse application scenarios.

[0007] Chinese Patent Publication No. 210778707U discloses a temperature-controlled energy storage battery management system, which includes an energy storage enclosure and a heat dissipation device arranged on the enclosure. Existing management systems primarily function as temperature controllers for energy storage systems and lack communication fault detection capabilities. This deficiency limits the system's ability to ensure robust communication fault tolerance, which is crucial for reliable operation in scalable energy storage applications. Summary of the Invention

[0008] To address the existing problems, the present invention provides a system and method for managing energy storage having multiple energy storage devices (batteries).

[0009] The technical solution of the present invention is: a solution for managing an energy storage system with multiple energy storage devices (batteries), comprising: at least one main control module equipped with multiple sensors and a main processor; and a main controller deployed within the main control module, configured to control the working cycle based on the module temperature and the energy mismatch estimated by the battery.

[0010] This invention discloses a system for managing energy storage having multiple energy storage devices (batteries), comprising: At least one main control module, equipped with multiple sensors and a main control processor; and The main controller, deployed within the main control module, is configured to control the duty cycle based on module temperature and battery energy mismatch estimates.

[0011] In this embodiment, the system further includes: Subordinate acquisition modules, wherein the first subordinate acquisition module is connected to the main control module and multiple subordinate acquisition modules respectively; Subordinate function expansion modules, wherein the first subordinate function expansion module is connected to the main control module and multiple subordinate function expansion modules respectively; Two interconnectors are deployed in the main control module, which are used to connect the slave acquisition module and the slave function expansion module, respectively.

[0012] In this embodiment, the master control module and the slave acquisition module are configured to perform state monitoring and control the energy content of each connected battery by setting an energy dissipation duty cycle, and the energy dissipation capability is scaled according to the thermal conductivity with the environment.

[0013] In this embodiment, the thermal conductivity is adjusted according to the size of the heat sink attached to the module, and can optionally be achieved through active cooling.

[0014] In this embodiment, the active cooling includes forced air cooling and water cooling.

[0015] In this embodiment, the main controller is configured to control the energy content based on parameters that are positively correlated with cooling power, such as module temperature and energy mismatch content.

[0016] In this embodiment, the energy dissipation duty cycle is positively correlated with the energy mismatch, but negatively correlated with the module temperature.

[0017] In this embodiment, the modules are connected by a module interconnect consisting of holes and boards on a printed circuit board. The interconnect forms mounting components, contact components, and positioning components, and has the same pattern on both sides.

[0018] In this embodiment, the center of the hole in each mounting component, the center of the hole in the contact component, and the center of the hole in the alignment component are all arranged on a symmetrical line parallel to the two sides of the circuit board.

[0019] In this embodiment, the holes of the mounting assembly and the contact assembly are plated through holes, have a crenellated joint, and a plug with plated edges and plated through holes.

[0020] In this embodiment, the center of the hole in the alignment component is an unplated hole.

[0021] In this embodiment, the modules are interconnected via interconnects by means of side-by-side coupling and direct soldering, or by side-by-side or stacked coupling with conductive pins inserted therebetween.

[0022] In this embodiment, the main control module is connected to the function expansion module through two full-duplex serial communication interfaces. The interfaces adopt a daisy-chain ring configuration, and the signals propagate in opposite directions.

[0023] In this embodiment, additional jumper bridges are inserted between the TX port and the R port and between the T port and the RX port on the interconnect of the functional expansion module to close the daisy-chain loop configuration.

[0024] In this embodiment, additional active and passive circuits are inserted between the TX port and the R port and between the T port and the RX port on each functional expansion module to close the daisy-chain configuration.

[0025] In this embodiment, the full-duplex serial communication interface adopts an addressing protocol that directly embeds address information into the transmitted message.

[0026] In this embodiment, the address information is used by the receiving device in the daisy-chain configuration to distinguish message type, source device, and target device.

[0027] This invention also discloses a method for managing an energy storage system having multiple energy storage devices (batteries), comprising the following steps: The battery pack undergoes its initial state monitoring by at least one main control module, including: Data is collected from multiple batteries and aggregated into a central system; Processing data; Control energy content; The duty cycle is controlled based on the energy mismatch estimated from the module temperature and battery; and The main control module provides communication interfaces, controllers, and drivers directly, or it can be implemented through at least one functional expansion module.

[0028] In this embodiment, the method further includes the following steps: When at least one slave acquisition module exists, perform secondary call status monitoring and energy content control.

[0029] In this embodiment, the method further includes the following steps: The modules are connected to the interconnects by parallel coupling and direct soldering, or by parallel or stacked coupling and inserting conductive pins between modules.

[0030] In this embodiment, the energy content control includes the following steps: Set the duty cycle for energy dissipation; and Control the energy content of each connected battery.

[0031] In this embodiment, the method further includes the following steps: Adjusting energy dissipation capacity.

[0032] In this embodiment, the adjustment of the energy dissipation capability includes the following steps: Active cooling can be used to manage energy dissipation.

[0033] In this embodiment, the optional use of active cooling to manage energy dissipation includes the following steps: Both forced air cooling and water cooling are available.

[0034] The beneficial effects of this invention are: This invention provides a system and method for managing energy storage with multiple energy storage devices (batteries). This system achieves multidimensional physical scalability in energy storage management while ensuring cost-effectiveness and design flexibility.

[0035] Another objective of this invention is to provide a system and method for managing energy storage of different sizes and application scenarios. Attached Figure Description

[0036] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the overall modular structure of a battery management system suitable for large-scale applications is shown.

[0037] Figure 2 A system balance thermal design diagram based on energy storage capacity is shown.

[0038] Figure 3 ab shows a schematic diagram of the balance control parameters.

[0039] Figure 4 Figure ab shows a top view of the circuit board interconnect in this invention.

[0040] Figure 5 Figure ac shows a side view of the circuit board interconnect of the present invention.

[0041] Figure 6 The digital communication interface connecting adjacent modules is shown.

[0042] Figure 7 ab illustrates bypass schemes applicable to different module modes.

[0043] Figure 8 ab shows the electronic circuitry for the built-in terminal of the daisy chain loop in direction 1.

[0044] Figure 9 ab shows the electronic circuitry used for the internal termination of the daisy chain loop in direction 2.

[0045] Figure 10 The message structure of the Daisy Chain Digital Interface Protocol is shown.

[0046] Figure 11-13 An example of message propagation in a daisy link mouth is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0047] The master control module of this invention connects to multiple slave acquisition modules via slave acquisition ports, enabling the management of energy storage systems with a higher number of batteries. Each slave acquisition module is equipped with two identical interconnects, allowing it to connect to another slave module or master control module, thus enhancing modularity. Furthermore, the master control module can connect to functional expansion modules via dedicated ports, supporting extended functions such as advanced communication interfaces and cooling fan control to meet diverse application requirements. Functional expansion modules are also equipped with two identical interconnects, allowing connection to other functional expansion modules or master control modules, significantly improving the flexibility and scalability of the battery management system in multi-scenario applications and greatly accelerating the product launch cycle for emerging battery-driven applications. For large-scale energy storage systems, multiple master control modules are interconnected via a communication bus and uniformly managed by a central control unit (CE). Each master control module and the central control unit are assigned a unique device address, allowing for precise identification of source and target devices through address information in communication messages. Figure 1 This demonstrates a modular architecture for a battery management system optimized for large-scale applications, enabling centralized control across modules.

[0048] Battery balancing is a crucial function provided by the battery management system (BMS). In traditional passive balancing, high-energy-content series-connected batteries are discharged using a fixed-resistance discharge circuit to dissipate excess energy. The average power is essentially a fixed function of V² / R. Therefore, a temperature-controlled balancing system with optimized thermal design, as disclosed in this invention, is required. Each master-slave acquisition module employs a dissipation device to achieve energy balance among the series-connected batteries. Simultaneously, the temperature of the dissipation device on the module is monitored by an onboard temperature sensor. The master module controller controls the average dissipation power by adjusting the duty cycle, a process limited by the module's preset maximum allowable temperature. The BMS can adapt to varying dissipation power requirements or battery size by implementing appropriate thermal management strategies (such as adjusting the size of the dissipation device heatsink). Figure 2 The method is illustrated by a graph relating thermal balance design to energy storage scale.

[0049] The temperature control technology employed in this invention aims to optimize the compensation speed for energy imbalances in series-connected batteries within a battery system. Heat dissipation balance is achieved by adjusting the average power, a process dynamically adjusted based on the thermal state and control commands of the battery management system, thereby significantly improving the balancing speed of the battery pack.

[0050] The controller assesses real-time energy dissipation requirements and constraints using battery energy mismatch estimation inputs and data from onboard temperature sensors. The system calculates the duty cycle for battery energy dissipation and the output power to the thermal regulation unit. This process is based on a set of rules relating control system parameters and specifications, and its operating principle can be compared to... Figure 3The fuzzy logic implementation shown in ab is as follows: the energy mismatch is positively correlated with the module temperature, affecting the heat dissipation power; while the heat dissipation duty cycle is positively correlated with the energy mismatch, but negatively correlated with the module temperature.

[0051] The interconnects at the edges of this invention are used to connect adjacent components. For example... Figure 4 As shown in Figure a, the interconnect is composed of holes on a printed circuit board and a metal plate, with the same pattern on both sides. Mounting holes 402 and contact points 406 are formed by plated through-holes and plated edges, creating a bastion-like joint structure. Positioning holes 404 are unplated and used for aligning the board positions during assembly. In the board-edge interconnect assembly, the center points of mounting holes 402, positioning holes 404, and contact holes 406 are all located on a baseline (S) parallel to the board edge (B). The position of this line (S) is offset relative to the board edge. At the same offset from (S), the center point of the bastion-like plate lies on a straight line (A). Plated through-holes or blind holes are provided on the straight line (A), which, depending on the assembly process, can form bolts and enhance the mechanical strength of the solder joints. Figure 4 b shows the state when the edges of the two circuit boards are aligned and connected. The line (S) represents the pattern symmetry line running through the two modules (M1 and M2) from the top view.

[0052] Modules can be assembled using different methods. Figure 5 a and Figure 5 b shows a cross-sectional view at contact point 406 in the side-by-side coupling configuration. Figure 5 a describes the direct welding method. Figure 5 b illustrates the coupling method with the inserted conductive pin—in which an isolator may or may not exist between the two modules. Figure 5 c illustrates a stacked coupling method that requires isolators between modules.

[0053] The functional expansion modules in this invention are connected in a cascaded configuration. A daisy-chain communication method is designed for communication between modules. Each module is equipped with two full-duplex communication interfaces for connecting adjacent modules in a conventional configuration (such as...). Figure 6 (As shown). For modules with only one interface or without an interface transceiver, a bypass route is configured. For example... Figure 7 As shown in ab, the two full-duplex communication interfaces are in opposite directions in the daisy-chain data stream. Each functional expansion module has bypass paths (R) and (T) as channels for returning signals to the corresponding receive and transmit ports of the main control module.

[0054] In a daisy-chain configuration, data propagates unidirectionally through each communication interface, returning to the main control module upon reaching the last expansion module, and vice versa. If an interface channel or device experiences an interruption or failure, the remaining interface channels with the opposite propagation direction will serve as redundant paths or immediate paths for retry requests. To return signals to the main control module, additional wiring is required in the end expansion modules. This can be achieved by directly adding jumpers to bridge R with TX1 and T with RX2 in the end expansion modules. See also... Figure 8 ab and Figure 9 The scheme shown in ab involves inserting additional electronic circuitry into the communication lines of the expansion module to achieve built-in terminal matching.

[0055] Similar to other digital communication interfaces, the transmit port (TX) is the dominant drive signal port, while the receive port (RX) is a high-impedance input port. The voltage levels of ground (GND) and power supply (VCC) correspond to the low and high levels of the digital logic, respectively. In daisy-chain communication interface 1, the TX1 signal from the end expansion module is returned to the main control module via the R line. This is achieved by inserting circuit module E and the ground port on either side of the expansion module. At the end expansion module, the D port in circuit E is floating, and the collector voltage of Q2 connected to the R port will follow the signal changes of the TX1 port. In the intermediate module, the D port is connected to ground, and the collector voltage of Q1 is always at ground potential, which is the same as the emitter potential of Q1 and Q2. At this time, the collector voltage of Q2 follows the R port potential. Therefore, the entire R line and the RX1 port of the main control module follow the TX1 signal level of the end expansion module. Similarly, in daisy-chain communication interface 2, the TX2 signal from the main control module is transmitted to the RX2 port of the end expansion module via the T line. This function can be achieved by inserting a medium-impedance Z-link between the T-line and RX2 line of each expansion module. The TX2 signal of the main control module is coupled to the RX2 line of the end expansion module via the T-line and Z-link. The RX2 port of the intermediate module is connected to the TX2 port of the adjacent expansion module. In this case, the RX2 line of the intermediate module will mainly carry the TX2 drive signal from the adjacent module. Therefore, the TX2 signal of the main control module can only be effectively received by the end expansion module.

[0056] In a daisy-chain configuration, messages sent by the source module propagate through each intermediate module to the target module. The message uses an address identification system to distinguish between the initiator and the target of the data or command. For example... Figure 10As shown, the message begins with the destination address (ADDR(D)), followed by the source address (ADDR(S)). The receiving device first determines whether the destination address matches its predefined or pre-assigned identifier. If they match, the module continues to parse the message and perform corresponding operations; if they do not match, the message is immediately forwarded to the next device. When the source device receives a message with its own source address from the daisy chain, the module terminates propagation and triggers a fault handler based on the message type. Furthermore, as... Figure 11 As shown, address configuration in a daisy chain can be achieved by sending a broadcast message using a predefined group address (ADDR(G)) at the target address. If the group address does not match the module, the message is forwarded to the next device; if the group address matches, an address is assigned to the module based on the address content in the data or command field. The address value in the broadcast message is incremented and propagated to the next device. The number of devices in the module group can be determined by evaluating the address content received by the source device. When using group (broadcast) addresses, a similar method can be used to identify the relative position of the target device in the daisy chain (e.g., ...). Figure 12 As shown), or in data communication under aggregation mode (such as... Figure 13 (As shown).

[0057] The present invention is not limited to the embodiments and accompanying drawings shown above. The specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for managing energy storage in multiple energy storage devices, characterized in that, include: At least one main control module, which is equipped with multiple sensors and a main control processor; as well as The main controller is deployed within the main control module and is configured to control the duty cycle based on the module temperature and battery energy mismatch estimate.

2. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 1, characterized in that, The system further includes: Subordinate acquisition modules, wherein the first subordinate acquisition module is connected to the main control module and multiple subordinate acquisition modules respectively; Subordinate function expansion modules, wherein the first subordinate function expansion module is connected to the main control module and multiple subordinate function expansion modules respectively; Two interconnectors are deployed in the main control module, which are used to connect the slave acquisition module and the slave function expansion module, respectively.

3. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main control module and the slave acquisition module are configured to perform state monitoring and control the energy content of each connected battery by setting the energy dissipation duty cycle, and the energy dissipation capability is scaled according to the thermal conductivity with the environment.

4. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 3, characterized in that, The thermal conductivity is adjusted according to the size of the heat sink attached to the module and can optionally be achieved through active cooling.

5. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 4, characterized in that, The active cooling includes forced air cooling and water cooling.

6. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main controller is configured to control the energy content based on parameters that are positively correlated with cooling power, such as module temperature and energy mismatch content.

7. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 6, characterized in that, The energy dissipation duty cycle is positively correlated with the energy mismatch, but negatively correlated with the module temperature.

8. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 2, characterized in that, The modules are connected by module interconnects consisting of holes and boards on a printed circuit board. The interconnects form mounting components, contact components, and positioning components, and have the same pattern on both sides.

9. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 8, characterized in that, The center of the hole in each mounting component, the center of the hole in the contact component, and the center of the hole in the alignment component are all arranged on a symmetrical line parallel to the two edges of the circuit board.

10. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 9, characterized in that, The mounting assembly and contact assembly have plated through holes, have a basalt-like joint, and a plug with plated edges and plated through holes.

11. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 9, characterized in that, The center of the hole in the alignment component is an unplated hole.

12. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 8, characterized in that, The modules are interconnected via interconnects by means of side-by-side coupling and direct soldering, or by side-by-side or stacked coupling with conductive pins inserted therebetween.

13. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 2, characterized in that, The main control module is connected to the function expansion module through two full-duplex serial communication interfaces. The interfaces adopt a daisy-chain ring configuration, and the signals propagate in opposite directions.

14. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 13, characterized in that, Additional jumper bridges are inserted between the TX and R ports and between the T and RX ports on the interconnect of the functional expansion module to close the daisy-chain loop configuration.

15. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 14, characterized in that, Additional active and passive circuits are inserted between the TX and R ports and between the T and RX ports on each functional expansion module to close the daisy-chain configuration.

16. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 13, characterized in that, The full-duplex serial communication interface adopts an addressing protocol that directly embeds address information into the transmitted message.

17. The system for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 16, characterized in that, The address information is used by the receiving device in the daisy-chain configuration to distinguish message type, source device, and destination device.

18. A method for managing energy storage in multiple energy storage devices, comprising the following steps: The battery pack undergoes its initial state monitoring by at least one main control module, including: Data is collected from multiple batteries and aggregated into a central system; Processing data; Control energy content; The duty cycle is controlled based on the energy mismatch estimated from the module temperature and battery; and The main control module provides communication interfaces, controllers, and drivers directly, or it can be implemented through at least one functional expansion module.

19. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps: When at least one slave acquisition module exists, perform secondary call status monitoring and energy content control.

20. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 18, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps: The modules are connected to the interconnects by parallel coupling and direct soldering, or by parallel or stacked coupling and inserting conductive pins between modules.

21. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 18, characterized in that, The energy content control includes the following steps: Set the duty cycle for energy dissipation; and Control the energy content of each connected battery.

22. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 21, characterized in that, The method further includes the following steps: Adjusting energy dissipation capacity.

23. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 22, characterized in that, The adjustment of the energy dissipation capability includes the following steps: Active cooling can be used to manage energy dissipation.

24. The method for managing energy storage of multiple energy storage devices according to claim 23, characterized in that, The optional use of active cooling to manage energy dissipation includes the following steps: Both forced air cooling and water cooling are available.

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