Battery module and electronic device

Abstract

The application discloses a battery module and an electronic device, and belongs to the battery field. The battery module provided by the application comprises a battery module and a discharge control module. The battery module comprises a plurality of battery units, and the discharge control module comprises a plurality of discharge switch switching unit. One battery unit is connected with one discharge switch switching unit, and the plurality of discharge switch switching units are connected with a discharge end. Each discharge switch switching unit comprises a discharge switch and a discharge controller. The input end of the discharge switch is connected with the battery unit, the output end of the discharge switch is connected with the discharge end, the input end of the discharge controller is connected with the battery unit, the output end of the discharge controller is connected with the discharge end, and the enable end of the discharge controller is connected with the control end of the discharge switch. In the case that the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in a conduction state. In the case that the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in a disconnected state.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of batteries, specifically relating to a battery module and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, in order to extend the usage time of electronic devices, it is very important to increase the total capacity of the battery modules of electronic devices and improve their battery life.

[0003] In related technologies, multiple battery cells are usually connected in parallel to increase the total capacity of the battery module.

[0004] However, connecting multiple battery cells in parallel within a battery module can easily lead to mutual charging and discharging between the multiple batteries, creating a short circuit risk. Utility Model Content

[0005] This application provides a battery module and electronic device that can switch the discharge of multiple battery cells through a discharge switch and a discharge controller connected to each battery cell, thereby avoiding the risk of short circuit caused by mutual charging and discharging between multiple battery cells.

[0006] In a first aspect, embodiments of this application provide a battery module having a discharge terminal. The battery module includes a battery module and a discharge control module connected to the battery module. The battery module includes multiple battery cells, and the discharge control module includes multiple discharge switching units. One battery cell is connected to one discharge switching unit, and multiple discharge switching units are all connected to the discharge terminal.

[0007] Each discharge switching unit includes a discharge switch and a discharge controller; the input terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the battery cell, the output terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the discharge terminal, the input terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the battery cell, the output terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the discharge terminal, and the enable terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch.

[0008] Specifically, when the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in the on state; when the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in the off state.

[0009] Secondly, embodiments of this application provide an electronic device, including: the battery module described in the first aspect.

[0010] In this embodiment, the battery module has a discharge terminal. The battery module includes a battery module and a discharge control module connected to the battery module. The battery module includes multiple battery cells, and the discharge control module includes multiple discharge switching units. One battery cell is connected to one discharge switching unit, and all discharge switching units are connected to the discharge terminal. Each discharge switching unit includes a discharge switch and a discharge controller. The input terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the battery cell, and the output terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the discharge terminal. The input terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the battery cell, and the output terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the discharge terminal. The enable terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch. When the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in a conducting state; when the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in a disconnected state. Thus, during the discharge process, since the discharge switch is in a disconnected state when the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the risk of short circuits caused by the discharge voltage charging the battery cells is avoided. Furthermore, by using the discharge switch and discharge controller connected to each battery cell, the switching discharge of multiple battery cells is achieved, avoiding the risk of short circuits caused by mutual charging and discharging between multiple battery cells. Attached Figure Description

[0011] Figure 1 Schematic structural diagrams of battery modules provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0012] Figure 2 Schematic structural diagrams of battery modules provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0013] Figure 3 Schematic structural diagrams of battery modules provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0014] Figure 4 Partial structural diagrams of a battery module provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0015] Figure 5 Partial structural diagrams of a battery module provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0016] Figure 6 Partial structural diagrams of a battery module provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0017] Figure 7 Partial structural diagrams of a battery module provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0018] Figure 8A Partial structural diagrams of a battery module provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0019] Figure 8B Schematic structural diagrams of battery modules provided for some embodiments of this application;

[0020] Figure 9 A schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided for some embodiments of this application.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0022] 10 - Battery module; Vout - Discharge terminal; GND - Ground terminal; C+ - Charging terminal; 100 - Battery module; 110 - Battery cell; 1101 - First battery cell; 1102 - Second battery cell; 1103 - Third battery cell; 200 - Discharge control module; 210 - Discharge switching unit; 211 - Discharge switch; 212 - Discharge controller; 2121 - First diode controller chip; 2122 - Comparator circuit; 2123 - Drive circuit; S - Source terminal; D - Drain terminal; 300 - Back EMF release circuit; 310 - Back EMF release switching unit; D1 - First diode; PM - PMOS transistor; R1 - First resistor; 400 - Charging control module; 410 - Charging control unit; 411 - Charging switch; 412 - Charging controller; 4121 - Second diode controller chip; R2 - Second resistor; D2 - Second diode; 510 - Single-group parallel switching switch; 90 - Electronic equipment. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application will be clearly described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] The terms "first," "second," etc., used in the specification and claims of this application are used to distinguish similar objects and not to describe a specific order or sequence. It should be understood that such use of data can be interchanged where appropriate so that embodiments of this application can be implemented in orders other than those illustrated or described herein, and the objects distinguished by "first," "second," etc., are generally of the same class and the number of objects is not limited; for example, a first object can be one or more. Furthermore, in the specification and claims, "and / or" indicates at least one of the connected objects, and the character " / " generally indicates that the preceding and following objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0025] The battery module and electronic device provided in this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, through specific embodiments and application scenarios.

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic structural diagram of a battery module provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0027] like Figure 1 As shown, this application embodiment provides a battery module 10, which has a discharge terminal Vout. The battery module 10 may include a battery module 100 and a discharge control module 200 connected to the battery module 100. The battery module 100 includes a plurality of battery cells 110, and the discharge control module 200 includes a plurality of discharge switching units 210. One battery cell 110 is connected to one discharge switching unit 210, and the plurality of discharge switching units 210 are all connected to the discharge terminal Vout.

[0028] Each discharge switching unit 210 includes a discharge switch 211 and a discharge controller 212. The input terminal of the discharge switch 211 is connected to the battery unit 110, and the output terminal of the discharge switch 211 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout. The input terminal of the discharge controller 212 is connected to the battery unit 110, and the output terminal of the discharge controller 212 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout. The enable terminal of the discharge controller 212 is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch 211. When the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch 211 is in the on state; when the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch 211 is in the off state.

[0029] The battery module 10 also has a ground terminal GND, the negative terminal of each battery cell 110 in the plurality of battery cells is grounded to GND, the positive terminal of one of the battery cells 110 is connected to the input terminal of one of the discharge switching units 210 in the plurality of discharge switching units, and the output terminals of the plurality of discharge switching units 210 are all connected to the discharge terminal Vout.

[0030] It should be noted that for each discharge switching unit 210, the battery voltage can be the voltage of the battery cell 110 connected to the discharge switching unit 210, the discharge voltage can be the voltage at the discharge terminal Vout, and the discharge voltage can be obtained from the battery voltage of the battery cell 110 with the largest battery voltage among multiple battery cells.

[0031] In the case where the discharge switching unit 210 includes a discharge switch 211 and a discharge controller 212, since the input terminal of the discharge controller 212 is connected to the battery cell 110, the input terminal of the discharge controller 212 can detect the battery voltage; the output terminal of the discharge controller 212 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, and the output terminal of the discharge controller 212 can detect the discharge voltage. For each discharge switching unit 210, when the discharge switch 211 is controlled by the discharge controller 212, if the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the enable signal output by the discharge controller 212 is used to turn on the discharge switch 211, putting the discharge switch 211 in the on state, and the battery cell 110 enters the discharge state; if the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge controller 212 does not output an enable signal, keeping the discharge switch 211 in the off state, avoiding the risk of short circuit caused by the discharge voltage output by other battery cells charging the battery cell. In this way, multiple battery cells can switch between discharges through the discharge switch 211 connected to each battery cell 110, avoiding the risk of short circuits in multiple battery cells.

[0032] In this way, during the discharge process, since the discharge switch is in the open state when the battery voltage is lower than the discharge voltage, the risk of short circuit caused by the discharge voltage charging the battery cell is avoided. Furthermore, the discharge switch and discharge controller connected to each battery cell enable the switching discharge of multiple battery cells, avoiding the risk of short circuit caused by mutual charging and discharging between multiple battery cells.

[0033] In some embodiments of this application, in order to flexibly expand the total capacity of the battery module 10, the number of battery cells 110 included in the battery module 100 can be set according to actual needs, and this application does not impose specific restrictions on this.

[0034] For example, taking a battery module 100 containing N battery cells 110 as an example, the battery voltage of the first battery cell 110 can be denoted as V1, the battery voltage of the second battery cell 110 can be denoted as V2, ..., and the battery voltage of the Nth battery cell 110 can be denoted as VN, where N is a positive integer greater than 1. The discharge voltage Vo at the discharge terminal Vout can be the maximum value of the battery voltages in the N battery cells 110, that is, Vo=MAX[V1,V2,...,VN], where N is a positive integer and MAX[] represents the maximum value function.

[0035] Assuming the battery voltage VX of the Xth battery cell 110 is the highest among the N battery cells 110, then the discharge voltage Vo at the discharge terminal Vout is equal to VX. In the discharge switching unit 210 connected to the Xth battery cell 110, the discharge switch 211 is in the ON state, and the battery voltage of the Xth battery cell 110 is used as the discharge voltage output, where X is at least one positive integer less than or equal to N. The battery voltages of the other battery cells 110 besides the Xth battery cell 110 are lower than the discharge voltage, and the corresponding discharge switches 211 are in the OFF state, effectively preventing mutual charging and discharging between battery cells and avoiding short circuits caused by the discharge voltage charging battery cells with lower voltages. When not discharging, all discharge switches remain in the OFF state to prevent large-current mutual charging and discharging between battery cells.

[0036] In some embodiments of this application, during the process of switching and discharging multiple battery cells using the output of the discharge switch 211, the discharge switch 211 may include a first NMOS transistor. The source terminal S of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell 110, the drain terminal D of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, and the gate terminal of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the enable terminal of the discharge controller 212. Since the internal resistance of the first NMOS transistor is very small, its heat dissipation power is also very small, resulting in very low power loss. This avoids the problem of high power loss in the battery module by avoiding the use of diode outputs to achieve switching and discharging of multiple battery cells.

[0037] In some embodiments of this application, in order to simplify the circuit connection, the discharge controller 212 may include a first diode controller chip 2121. The input terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the battery cell 110, the output terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, and the enable terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch 211.

[0038] The first diode controller chip 2121 can be a diode controller chip. The working process of the first diode controller chip includes: when the battery voltage at the input terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is greater than the discharge voltage at the output terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121, the enable signal output by the first diode controller chip 2121 is used to turn on the discharge switch 211.

[0039] For example, taking battery module 100 as an example, which includes three battery cells, such as Figure 2As shown, the battery module 100 includes a first battery unit 1101, a second battery unit 1102, and a third battery unit 1103; the negative terminal of the first battery unit 1101, the negative terminal of the second battery unit 1102, and the negative terminal of the third battery unit 1103 are grounded at GND; the positive terminals of the first battery unit 1101, the second battery unit 1102, and the third battery unit 1103 are each connected to a discharge switching unit 210.

[0040] Taking a discharge switching unit 210 connected to the first battery cell 1101 as an example, in a discharge switching unit 210, the discharge switch may include a first NMOS transistor, the source terminal S of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the positive terminal of the first battery cell 1101, the drain terminal D of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the discharge terminal Vout; the input terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the positive terminal of the first battery cell 1101, the output terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, and the enable terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is connected to the gate terminal of the first NMOS transistor.

[0041] Specifically, when the battery voltage at the input terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is greater than the discharge voltage at the output terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121, the enable signal output from the enable terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 is used to turn on the discharge switch.

[0042] The enable terminal of the first diode controller chip 2121 can automatically control the first NMOS transistor based on the voltage difference between the input and output terminals. When the load is connected and the battery module is powered on, the current flows through the body diode of the first NMOS transistor and conducts. When the input voltage of the first diode controller chip 2121 is greater than the output voltage, the first NMOS transistor can be fully turned on. Conversely, when the input voltage of the first diode controller chip 2121 is less than the output voltage, the first NMOS transistor is turned off.

[0043] When multiple battery packs are connected in parallel, such as Figure 2 For example, if three battery cells are connected in parallel, the system will automatically select the battery with the highest voltage at the discharge terminal and output the voltage. For other battery cells with lower voltage, due to the circuit characteristics of the diode controller chip, when the positive terminal voltage is lower than the negative terminal voltage, the output of the first NMOS transistor will be automatically turned off, and the body diode of the first NMOS transistor will also be unable to output voltage because the input voltage is lower than the output voltage.

[0044] In this way, by utilizing the circuit characteristics of the diode controller chip, multiple battery cells can switch between discharge, and the battery with the highest voltage can be automatically selected for output at the discharge end.

[0045] Moreover, the discharge control module 200 provided in the embodiments of the present application can also avoid the operation of manually switching the switch and the voltage drop problem during the switching of different battery power supplies, achieving seamless switching at the microsecond level.

[0046] For example, taking the battery module 100 including three battery cells as an example, as Figure 2 shown, the battery voltages of the first battery cell 1101, the second battery cell 1102, and the third battery cell 1103 are V1, V2, and V3 respectively. Assuming V1 < V2 < V3, during discharging, all three discharge switches 211 are opened. After the discharge switch 211 is opened, since the discharge voltage of the discharge terminal Vout is pulled up to V3, the battery voltages of the first battery cell 1101 and the second battery cell 1102 are lower than the discharge voltage. At this time, the two first diode controller chips connected to the first battery cell 1101 and the second battery cell 1102 turn off the corresponding two first NMOS transistors, stopping the discharging of the first battery cell 1101 and the second battery cell 1102. When the third battery cell 1103 continues to discharge and the battery voltage of the third battery cell 1103 drops to V2, the first diode controller chip connected to the second battery cell 1102 conducts the corresponding first NMOS transistor, and the second battery cell 1102 and the third battery cell 1103 discharge; when the battery voltages of the second battery cell 1102 and the third battery cell 1103 both drop to V1, the battery voltages of the first battery cell 1101, the second battery cell 1102, and the third battery cell 1103 are the same, and the first diode controller chip connected to the first battery cell 1101 conducts the corresponding first NMOS transistor.至此, all three discharge switches are opened, and the first battery cell 1101, the second battery cell 1102, and the third battery cell 1103 can discharge simultaneously. In this way, when the battery voltages tend to be the same, the discharge switching switch unit 210 can be opened simultaneously, providing current output at the same time, increasing the output power by several times. Moreover, each discharge switch can be automatically opened or closed according to the voltage situation, and there will be no voltage drop during the switching process, and the voltage drop problem during the switching of different battery power supplies is also avoided, achieving seamless switching at the microsecond level.

[0047] In some other embodiments of the present application, the present application can also use a comparator, an operational amplifier chip, a MOS driver chip, and other components to design a dedicated circuit to implement the function of the discharge controller. The function implemented is to compare the input voltage with the output voltage. When the input voltage is greater than the output voltage by a certain threshold, an enable signal is output to control the conduction of the first NMOS transistor. On the contrary, when the input voltage is less than the output voltage, the control of the first NMOS transistor is turned off.

[0048] For example, a discharge controller may include a comparator circuit and a drive circuit. The first input terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the battery cell, the second input terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the discharge terminal, the output terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the input terminal of the drive circuit, and the output terminal of the drive circuit is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch.

[0049] For example, taking battery module 100 as an example, which includes three battery cells, such as Figure 3 As shown, the battery module 100 includes a first battery unit 1101, a second battery unit 1102, and a third battery unit 1103; the negative terminal of the first battery unit 1101, the negative terminal of the second battery unit 1102, and the negative terminal of the third battery unit 1103 are grounded at GND; the positive terminals of the first battery unit 1101, the second battery unit 1102, and the third battery unit 1103 are each connected to a discharge switching unit 210.

[0050] like Figure 3 As shown, taking a discharge switching unit 210 connected to the first battery cell 1101 as an example, in a discharge switching unit 210, the discharge switch 211 can be a first NMOS transistor. The source terminal S of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the positive terminal of the first battery cell 1101, and the drain terminal D of the first NMOS transistor is connected to the discharge terminal Vout. The first input terminal of the comparator circuit 2122 is connected to the first battery cell 1101, the second input terminal of the comparator circuit 2122 is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, the output terminal of the comparator circuit 2122 is connected to the input terminal of the drive circuit 2123, and the output terminal of the drive circuit 2123 is connected to the gate terminal of the first NMOS transistor.

[0051] Thus, when the battery voltage at the first input terminal of comparator circuit 2122 is greater than the discharge voltage at the second input terminal of comparator circuit 2122, comparator circuit 2122 outputs an enable signal to drive circuit 2123, and drive circuit 2123 outputs a drive signal to turn on discharge switch 211, so that discharge switch 211 is in the on state and battery cell 110 enters the discharge state; when the battery voltage at the first input terminal of comparator circuit 2122 is less than the discharge voltage at the second input terminal of comparator circuit 2122, discharge switch 211 is in the off state, avoiding the risk of short circuit caused by the discharge voltage output by other battery cells charging the battery cell.

[0052] Furthermore, in practical applications, taking the battery module powering electronic devices such as electric bicycles as an example, the load of the battery module can be an inductive load such as the electric bicycle motor. When the electric bicycle brakes suddenly or rides downhill, the motor generates a back electromotive force (EMF) much higher than the voltage of the battery module, which is equivalent to the motor generating electricity. If the back EMF has no channel to be released, it can easily damage the discharge switch 211 and the discharge controller 212. Based on this, some embodiments of this application can also provide a back EMF release circuit to release this energy, and the back EMF energy is fed back to the battery module through the back EMF release circuit, avoiding damage to the discharge switch 211 and the discharge controller 212 in the discharge switching unit 210 by the back EMF energy.

[0053] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, the battery module 10 also includes a back EMF release circuit 300, which includes multiple back EMF release switch units 310. One battery unit 110 is connected to one back EMF release switch unit 310, and all multiple back EMF release switch units 310 are connected to the discharge terminal Vout.

[0054] In the event that the inductive load connected to the discharge terminal Vout generates a back electromotive force voltage, the back electromotive force energy is fed back to the battery module through the back electromotive force release circuit 300, so as to avoid the back electromotive force energy damaging the discharge switch 211 and discharge controller 212 in the discharge switching unit 210.

[0055] In this way, the back EMF release circuit solves the problem of damage to the discharge circuit caused by the back EMF generated by inductive loads such as motors during operation. At the same time, the back EMF is returned to the battery module in the form of electrical energy, avoiding energy waste.

[0056] like Figure 4 As shown, each back EMF release switch unit 310 includes a first diode D1 and a PMOS transistor PM; the anode of the first diode D1 is connected to the battery cell 110, the cathode of the first diode D1 is connected to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor PM, the source terminal S of the PMOS transistor is connected to the discharge terminal Vout, and the drain terminal D of the PMOS transistor PM is connected to the battery cell 110; wherein, the gate terminals of multiple PMOS transistors PM in the multiple back EMF release switch units 310 are connected together.

[0057] Each back EMF release switch unit 310 further includes a first resistor R1, and the cathode of the first diode D1 is connected to the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor via the first resistor R1. In practical applications, the first resistor R1 is used to protect the PMOS transistor and prevent the gate terminal of the PMOS transistor from being left floating.

[0058] When the back electromotive force voltage generated by the load connected to the discharge terminal Vout is greater than the highest battery voltage of the battery module, the discharge switch in the battery module is controlled by the first diode controller chip, and the discharge switch connected to each battery cell is in the off state, so the back electromotive force voltage cannot be released through the discharge switch.

[0059] In this embodiment, a back EMF release circuit 300 can be added between the battery module 100 and the discharge terminal Vout to recharge the battery module with back EMF energy. The back EMF release circuit 300 includes multiple back EMF release switch units 310, with each battery cell 110 connected to one back EMF release switch unit 310. The switches in the back EMF release switch units 310 are PMOS transistors, and the gates of the PMOS transistors in each back EMF release switch unit 310 are connected together. The positive terminal of each battery cell 110 is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor through a first diode D1. Therefore, the gate voltage V0 of the PMOS transistor is equal to the highest battery voltage MAX[V1,V2,V3] in each battery cell minus the voltage drop Vt of the first diode D1. The voltage drop Vt of the first diode D1 can be between 0.3V and 0.7V.

[0060] When the load connected to the discharge terminal Vout does not generate back electromotive force, the source voltage Vs of the PMOS transistor is equal to the discharge voltage MAX[V1,V2,V3], and the gate voltage V0 of the PMOS transistor is equal to MAX[V1,V2,V3]-Vt. The source voltage Vs of the PMOS transistor is only higher than the gate voltage V0 of the PMOS transistor by the voltage drop of one diode (0.3V-0.7V), which does not meet the conduction condition of the PMOS transistor, and the back electromotive force release switch unit 310 does not turn on.

[0061] When the load connected to the discharge terminal Vout generates a back electromotive force, the source voltage Vs of the PMOS transistor is equal to the back electromotive force voltage. The back electromotive force voltage is much greater than the maximum battery voltage MAX[V1,V2,V3]. For example, the back electromotive force voltage exceeds the maximum battery voltage 3V, which meets the conduction condition of the PMOS transistor. The back electromotive force release switch unit 310 is turned on, so that the back electromotive force is released to the positive terminal of the battery cell, completing the energy recovery.

[0062] In this way, when the load connected to the discharge terminal Vout generates a back electromotive force, the back electromotive force release circuit 300 is turned on by the first diode D1 and the PMOS transistor PM, so that the back electromotive force is released to the positive terminal of the battery cell, and the back electromotive force energy is recharged to the battery cell, thus avoiding damage to the discharge switch 211 and discharge controller 212 in the discharge switching unit 210 by the back electromotive force energy.

[0063] In some embodiments of this application, in order to achieve charging of the battery module 10, such as Figure 5 As shown, the battery module 10 has a charging terminal C+, and the battery module 10 also includes a charging control module 400. One end of the charging control module 400 is connected to the battery module 100, and the other end of the charging control module 400 is connected to the charging terminal C+. The charging control module 400 includes a plurality of charging control units 410. One of the battery cells 110 is connected to one of the charging control units 410, and each of the charging control units 410 is connected to the charging terminal C+.

[0064] In this way, charging any number of battery cells can be achieved through multiple charging control units, and the risk of short circuits caused by multiple battery cells charging and discharging each other can also be avoided.

[0065] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, the charging control unit 410 includes a charging switch 411 and a charging controller 412. The input terminal of the charging switch 411 is connected to the charging terminal C+, and the output terminal of the charging switch 411 is connected to the battery cell 110. The input terminal of the charging controller 412 is connected to the charging terminal C+, and the output terminal of the charging controller 412 is connected to the battery cell. The enable terminal of the charging controller 412 is connected to the control terminal of the charging switch 411. When the charging voltage is greater than the battery voltage, the charging switch is in the on state; when the charging voltage is less than the battery voltage, the charging switch is in the off state.

[0066] Specifically, when the charging voltage at the input terminal of the charging controller 412 is greater than the battery voltage at the output terminal of the charging controller 412, the charging switch 411 is in the ON state; when the charging voltage at the input terminal of the charging controller 412 is less than the battery voltage at the output terminal of the charging controller 412, the charging switch 411 is in the OFF state.

[0067] For example, such as Figure 6 As shown, the charging controller 412 includes a second diode controller chip 4121. The input terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121 is connected to the charging terminal C+, the output terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121 is connected to the battery cell, and the enable terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121 is connected to the control terminal of the charging switch 411.

[0068] Specifically, when the charging voltage at the input terminal of the second diode controller chip is greater than the battery voltage at the output terminal of the first diode controller chip, the enable signal output by the second diode controller chip is used to turn on the charging switch.

[0069] In practical applications, the charging switch 411 may include a second NMOS transistor. The source terminal S of the second NMOS transistor is respectively connected to the input terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121 and the charging terminal C+ of the battery module 10. The drain terminal D of the second NMOS transistor is respectively connected to the output terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121 and the positive electrode of the battery cell 110. The gate terminal of the second NMOS transistor is connected to the enable terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121.

[0070] During the charging process, the charging switch 411 is turned on by the enable signal output from the enable terminal of the second diode controller chip 4121, effectively preventing mutual charging and discharging between battery cells during charging. The charger can charge each battery cell according to the charging stage of the lithium battery. At the same time, the charging switch 411 may include a second NMOS transistor. Since the internal resistance of the second NMOS transistor is very small and the thermal dissipation power is also very small, the charging loss is small and the charging efficiency is high.

[0071] The charging control unit 410 may further include a second resistor R2. The second resistor R2 is connected in parallel with the charging switch 411. One end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the source terminal of the second NMOS transistor, and one end of the second resistor R2 is connected to the drain terminal of the second NMOS transistor. The second resistor R2 may be a resistor of more than 1 kΩ, which is used to ensure that the second NMOS transistor is completely turned off when the charger is disconnected, prevent reverse current or overcharging, and at the same time suppress false triggering caused by noise or voltage transients, enhancing the circuit stability.

[0072] For example, as Figure 6 shown, taking the battery module 100 including three battery cells as an example, the battery voltages of the first battery cell 1101, the second battery cell 1102, and the third battery cell 1103 are V1, V2, and V3 respectively. In the initial state, it is assumed that V1 < V2 < V3. During charging, when the charger is just inserted into the charging terminal C+ of the battery module 10, all three charging switches 411 are open. When the three charging switches 411 are open, the charging voltage V C+ of the charging terminal C+ becomes lower following the lowest battery voltage V1, making the battery voltages of the second battery cell 1102 and the third battery cell 1103 higher than the charging voltage V C+ of the charging terminal C+. At this time, the two second diode controller chips 4121 connected to the second battery cell 1102 and the third battery cell 1103 turn off the corresponding charging switches 411, stopping the charging of the second battery cell 1102 and the third battery cell 1103, and only charging the first battery cell 1101.

[0073] When the battery voltage V1 of the first battery unit 1101 rises until it exceeds the battery voltage V2 of the second battery unit 1102, according to the characteristics of the second diode controller chip 4121 connected to the second battery unit 1102, the input voltage is higher than the output voltage at this time, the charging switch 411 corresponding to the second battery unit 1102 is turned on, and the first battery unit 1101 and the second battery unit 1102 are charged at the same time.

[0074] When the battery voltage V1 of the first battery unit 1101 and the battery voltage V2 of the second battery unit 1102 rise until they exceed the battery voltage V3 of the third battery unit 1103, similarly, according to the characteristics of the second diode controller chip 4121 connected to the third battery unit 1103, the input voltage is now higher than the output voltage, and the charging switch 411 corresponding to the third battery unit 1103 is turned on. At this point, all three charging switches 411 are turned on, and the first battery unit 1101, the second battery unit 1102 and the third battery unit 1103 are charged at the same time. The charging process continues until the battery is fully charged.

[0075] In this way, a single charger can charge any number of battery cells, and during charging, it can support the multi-stage charging method of lithium batteries until each battery cell is fully charged. At the same time, it ensures that when not charging, the battery packs will not charge and discharge each other with high current.

[0076] In some other embodiments of this application, to simplify the circuit, a diode may be used as the charging control unit. For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the charging control unit 410 includes a second diode D2; the positive terminal of the second diode D2 is connected to the charging terminal C+, and the negative terminal of the second diode D2 is connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell 110.

[0077] In this way, the unidirectional second diode D2 is used to prevent mutual charging and discharging between battery cells during charging. This method is easy to implement, the charging control unit circuit is relatively simple, and the charger can charge each battery pack according to the charging stages of lithium batteries. However, the voltage drop of the second diode D2 is relatively large, for example, 0.3V-0.7V. Therefore, in high-current charging scenarios, the heat dissipation power is large, and the heat generation is significant, requiring proper heat dissipation measures.

[0078] In practical applications, the number of battery cells can be arbitrarily increased according to usage needs, thereby expanding the capacity of the battery module. This makes it flexible and convenient to use, while avoiding the risks of mutual charging and discharging.

[0079] like Figure 8AAs shown, in practical applications, a battery cell 110 can be connected to a single-group parallel switching switch 510. The single-group parallel switching switch 510 can include a discharge switching switch unit 210, a back EMF release switch unit 310, and a charging control unit 410. The discharge switching switch unit 210 solves the problem of mutual charging and discharging between battery cells due to inconsistent battery voltages during discharge when multiple battery cells are connected in parallel, avoiding manual switching operations and voltage drops during power supply switching between different battery cells, achieving seamless switching at the microsecond level. The back EMF release switch unit 310 solves the problem of damage to the discharge circuit caused by back EMF generated by inductive loads such as motors during operation, allowing the back EMF to be returned to the battery pack as electrical energy, avoiding energy waste. The charging control unit 410 solves the problem of mutual charging and discharging between battery cells due to inconsistent battery voltages during charging.

[0080] like Figure 8B As shown, in practical applications, each battery cell 110 can be connected to a single-group parallel switching switch 510. The number of battery cells 110 and the number of single-group parallel switching switches 510 can be arbitrarily expanded as needed, solving the problem that the number of parallel battery cells cannot be arbitrarily combined and expanded.

[0081] In addition, such as Figure 9 As shown, this application provides an electronic device 90, which includes the battery module 10 provided in any of the above embodiments.

[0082] It should be noted that the electronic device 90 provided in this application embodiment includes the battery module 10 provided in any of the above embodiments, and can realize all the functions of the battery module 10 provided in any of the above embodiments. To avoid repetition, it will not be described again here.

[0083] The electronic device 90 can be a device powered by the battery module 10. For example, the electronic device 90 can be, but is not limited to, electric bicycles, tricycles, electric cars, portable outdoor power supplies, etc. This application does not limit the specific type of electronic device.

[0084] It should be noted that, in this document, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes that element. Furthermore, it should be noted that the scope of the methods and apparatuses in the embodiments of this application is not limited to performing functions in the order shown or discussed, but may also include performing functions substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order, depending on the functions involved. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described with reference to certain examples may be combined in other examples.

[0085] The embodiments of this application have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. The specific embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not restrictive. Those skilled in the art can make many other forms under the guidance of this application without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all of these forms are within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A battery module, the battery module having a discharge terminal, characterized in that, The battery module includes: a battery module and a discharge control module connected to the battery module; the battery module includes multiple battery cells, and the discharge control module includes multiple discharge switching units; one battery cell is connected to one discharge switching unit, and multiple discharge switching units are all connected to a discharge terminal. Each discharge switching unit includes a discharge switch and a discharge controller; the input terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the battery cell, the output terminal of the discharge switch is connected to the discharge terminal, the input terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the battery cell, the output terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the discharge terminal, and the enable terminal of the discharge controller is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch. Specifically, when the battery voltage is greater than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in the on state; when the battery voltage is less than the discharge voltage, the discharge switch is in the off state.

2. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge controller includes a first diode controller chip, the input terminal of which is connected to the battery cell, the output terminal of which is connected to the discharge terminal, and the enable terminal of which is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch. Specifically, when the battery voltage at the input terminal of the first diode controller chip is greater than the discharge voltage at the output terminal of the first diode controller chip, the enable signal output by the enable terminal of the first diode controller chip is used to turn on the discharge switch.

3. The battery module according to claim 1, characterized in that, The discharge controller includes a comparator circuit and a drive circuit. The first input terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the battery cell, the second input terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the discharge terminal, the output terminal of the comparator circuit is connected to the input terminal of the drive circuit, and the output terminal of the drive circuit is connected to the control terminal of the discharge switch.

4. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The battery module also includes a back EMF release circuit, which includes multiple back EMF release switch units. Each battery unit is connected to one back EMF release switch unit, and all multiple back EMF release switch units are connected to the discharge terminal.

5. The battery module according to claim 4, characterized in that, Each of the back EMF release switch units includes a first diode and a PMOS transistor; the anode of the first diode is connected to the battery cell, the cathode of the first diode is connected to the gate of the PMOS transistor, the source of the PMOS transistor is connected to the discharge terminal, and the drain of the PMOS transistor is connected to the battery cell; wherein the gates of multiple PMOS transistors in the multiple back EMF release switch units are connected together.

6. The battery module according to any one of claims 1-3, characterized in that, The battery module has a charging terminal, and the battery module also includes a charging control module. One end of the charging control module is connected to the battery module, and the other end of the charging control module is connected to the charging terminal. The charging control module includes multiple charging control units; one of the battery units is connected to one of the charging control units, and all the charging control units are connected to the charging terminal.

7. The battery module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The charging control unit includes a charging switch and a charging controller; the input terminal of the charging switch is connected to the charging terminal, and the output terminal of the charging switch is connected to the battery cell; the input terminal of the charging controller is connected to the charging terminal, and the output terminal of the charging controller is connected to the battery cell; the enable terminal of the charging controller is connected to the control terminal of the charging switch; wherein, when the charging voltage is greater than the battery voltage, the charging switch is in a conducting state; when the charging voltage is less than the battery voltage, the charging switch is in a disconnected state.

8. The battery module according to claim 7, characterized in that, The charging controller includes a second diode controller chip, the input terminal of which is connected to the charging terminal, the output terminal of which is connected to the battery cell, and the enable terminal of which is connected to the control terminal of the charging switch. Specifically, when the charging voltage at the input terminal of the second diode controller chip is greater than the battery voltage at the output terminal of the first diode controller chip, the enable signal output by the second diode controller chip is used to turn on the charging switch.

9. The battery module according to claim 6, characterized in that, The charging control unit includes a second diode; the positive terminal of the second diode is connected to the charging terminal, and the negative terminal of the second diode is connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The battery module according to any one of claims 1-9.

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