Battery management device and method of operation thereof

Abstract

A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include a first relay connecting one end of a battery pack to one end of a load, a second relay connecting the other end of the battery pack to the other end of the load, a measurement unit measuring the voltages of the battery pack and the load, and a controller controlling operation of the first relay and the second relay, and acquiring the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention claims the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2022-0021121, filed on February 17, 2022, and all contents disclosed in the documents of the Korean patent application are incorporated as part of this specification. SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery management apparatus and method of operation. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries has been actively conducted. Here, secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, and include both conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and the more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of having a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and the like. In addition, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be small and lightweight, so they are used as power sources for mobile devices, and in recent years their range of use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, drawing attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0003] In the case of batteries, it is necessary to prevent fires and increase stability. International functional safety standards have been issued to prevent accidents caused by functional errors in electric or electronic devices that contain batteries, and devices that contain batteries are required to have various diagnostic circuits or software to meet these standards. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] It is an object of the embodiments disclosed herein to provide a battery management device and a method of operation thereof that can diagnose the internal and load connectivity of a battery pack.

[0005] One objective of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery management device and an operating method thereof that can diagnose both the connectivity of the battery pack side and the connectivity of the load side using a single voltage measurement device.

[0006] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include a first relay connecting one end of a battery pack to one end of a load, a second relay connecting the other end of the battery pack to the other end of the load, a measurement unit measuring the voltages of the battery pack and the load, and a controller controlling operation of the first relay and the second relay, and acquiring the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay.

[0008] In one embodiment, the controller can obtain the voltage of the battery pack when the first relay and the second relay are both opened.

[0009] In one embodiment, the controller can open the first relay and short the second relay to obtain a voltage at the load. In one embodiment, the measurement unit may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

[0010] In one embodiment, the controller may diagnose connectivity of the battery pack based on a voltage of the battery pack, and diagnose connectivity of the load based on a voltage of the load.

[0011] In one embodiment, the measurement unit may be located outside the battery pack. In one embodiment, the first relay may be a positive relay, and the second relay may be a negative relay.

[0012] In one embodiment, the controller can match the ground of the load and the ground of the battery pack by shorting the second relay. In one embodiment, the controller diagnoses the connectivity of the battery pack by opening all of the first relay and the second relay, diagnoses the connectivity of the load by shorting the second relay, and can short-circuit all of the first relay and the second relay when the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the battery pack and the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the load are normal.

[0013] In an embodiment, when the first relay and the second relay are both opened, a closed circuit may be formed between the measurement unit and the battery pack. In an embodiment, when the first relay is opened and the second relay is shorted, a closed circuit may be formed between the measurement unit and the load.

[0014] An operating method of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include steps of measuring voltages of a battery pack and a load, controlling operation of a first relay and a second relay, and obtaining the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on operation of the first relay and the second relay, wherein the first relay and the second relay may connect the battery pack and the load.

[0015] In one embodiment, the step of acquiring the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay can acquire the voltage of the battery pack when the first relay is open and the second relay is open.

[0016] In one embodiment, the step of acquiring the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay can acquire the voltage of the load when the first relay is open and the second relay is short-circuited.

[0017] In an embodiment, the method may further include diagnosing connectivity of the battery pack based on a voltage of the battery pack, and diagnosing connectivity of the load based on a voltage of the load. Effect of the Invention

[0018] The battery management device and its operating method according to an embodiment disclosed herein can diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack side and the load side. A battery management device and an operating method thereof according to an embodiment disclosed herein can measure the voltages of the battery pack side and the load side through a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack side and the load side based on the measured voltages.

[0019] The battery management device and its operating method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can diagnose the connectivity of both sides with a simplified circuit by matching the grounds of the battery pack side and the load side. In addition, this document may provide a variety of other benefits that may be perceived directly or indirectly. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a typical battery pack. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an environment including a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 3] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of measuring the voltage on the battery pack side according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 4]FIG. 2 illustrates an example of measuring the voltage on the load side according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 6] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operation method of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] Hereinafter, the embodiments disclosed in this document will be described in detail with reference to the exemplary drawings. When referring to components in each drawing, it should be noted that the same components are referred to by the same reference numerals as much as possible when they are displayed in other drawings. In addition, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this document, if a detailed description of related publicly known configurations or functions is deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this document, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0022] When describing components of the embodiments disclosed in this document, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b) and the like may be used. Such terms are merely used to distinguish the components from other components, and do not limit the essence, order, or procedure of the components. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong. Terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0023] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical battery pack. Referring to FIG. 1, a battery control system including a battery pack 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a host controller 2 included in a host system is shown.

[0024] 1, the battery pack 1 includes a chargeable and dischargeable battery module 10 consisting of one or more battery cells, a switching unit 14 connected in series to the (+) terminal side or (-) terminal side of the battery module 10 for controlling the flow of charge and discharge current of the battery module 10, and a battery management system 20 (e.g., RBMS) for monitoring the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery pack 1 and controlling and managing the same to prevent overcharging and overdischarging, etc. In this case, the battery pack 1 may include a plurality of battery modules 10, sensors 12, switching units 14, and battery management systems 20.

[0025] Here, the switching unit 14 is an element for controlling the flow of current for charging or discharging the multiple battery modules 10, and may be, for example, at least one relay, electromagnetic contactor, etc., depending on the specifications of the battery pack 1.

[0026] The battery management system 20 is an interface that receives input of measured values ​​of the various parameters described above, and may include a plurality of terminals and a circuit connected to the terminals for processing the input values. The battery management system 20 may also control ON / OFF of the switching unit 14, for example, a relay or a contactor, and may be connected to the battery modules 10 to monitor the state of each battery module 10. According to an embodiment, the battery management system 20 may include the battery management device 100 of FIG. 2. According to another embodiment, the battery management system 20 may be another system different from the battery management device 100 of FIG. 2. That is, the battery management device 100 of FIG. 2 may be included in the battery pack 1, or may be configured as another device outside the battery pack 1.

[0027] The upper controller 2 can transmit a control signal for the battery module 10 to the battery management system 20. Thus, the operation of the battery management system 20 can be controlled based on the signal applied from the upper controller 2.

[0028] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an environment including a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. 2, a battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein may include a first relay 110, a second relay 120, a measurement unit 130, and a controller 140. According to an embodiment, a battery pack 200 may be substantially the same as the battery pack 1 of FIG 1. According to other embodiments, the battery management device 100 may be included in the battery pack 200, or may be another device outside the battery pack 200.

[0029] The first relay 110 may connect the battery pack 200 and the load 300. For example, the first relay 110 may be a positive relay or a main relay. According to the embodiment, the operation of the first relay 110 may be controlled by the controller 140. According to the embodiment, the first relay 110 may include a BJT or a MOSFET.

[0030] The second relay 120 may connect the battery pack 200 and the load 300, unlike the first relay 110. For example, the second relay 120 may be a negative relay. According to the embodiment, the operation of the second relay 120 may be controlled by the controller 140. According to the embodiment, the second relay 120 may include a BJT or a MOSFET.

[0031] The measuring unit 130 can measure the voltages of the battery pack 200 and the load 300. For example, the measuring unit 130 can include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC).

[0032] According to the embodiment, the measurement unit 130 may be located outside the battery pack 200. For example, since the voltage of the battery pack 200 is high, the measurement unit 130 may measure the voltage of the battery pack 200 after the pressure reduction process. As another example, the measurement unit 130 may be located outside the battery pack 200 in order to reduce the voltage of the battery pack 200 and apply it to the measurement unit 130.

[0033] The controller 140 can control the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120. For example, the controller 140 can control the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120 by generating a control signal that controls the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120.

[0034] The controller 140 can acquire the voltage of the battery pack 200 or the voltage of the load 300 based on the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120. For example, the controller 140 can acquire the voltage of the battery pack 200 when the first relay 110 and the second relay 120 are all open. According to the embodiment, the controller 140 can open all of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120, and can acquire the voltage of the battery pack 200 via the measurement unit 130.

[0035] According to the embodiment, the controller 140 can obtain the voltage of the load 300 when the first relay 110 is opened and the second relay 120 is shorted. For example, the controller 140 can open the first relay 110 and short the second relay 120, and can obtain the voltage of the load 300 via the measurement unit 130. That is, when the second relay 120 is shorted, the grounds of the battery pack 200 and the load 300 can be matched, so that the measurement unit 130 can measure the voltage of the load 300 under the same condition as the voltage of the battery pack 200, and the controller 140 can obtain the voltage of the load 300 measured by the measurement unit 130. According to the embodiment, the controller 140 can match the grounds of the load 300 and the battery pack 200 by shorting the second relay 120.

[0036] The controller 140 can diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack 200 or the load 300 based on the acquired voltage of the battery pack 200 or the voltage of the load 300. For example, the controller 140 can diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack 200 based on the acquired voltage of the battery pack 200. As another example, the controller 140 can diagnose the connectivity of the load 300 based on the acquired voltage of the load 300.

[0037] According to the embodiment, when the acquired voltage of the battery pack 200 is less than the first set value, the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack 200. For example, when an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack 200, a voltage value lower than the previous voltage value of the battery pack 200 may be acquired, and therefore the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack 200.

[0038] According to the embodiment, when the acquired voltage of the load 300 exceeds the second set value, the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load 300. For example, when an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load 300, a voltage value higher than a conventional voltage value applied to the load 300 may be acquired, and therefore the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load 300.

[0039] According to the embodiment, the controller 140 may diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack 200 and the load 300 before shorting all of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120. For example, the controller 140 may diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack 200 by opening all of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120, diagnose the connectivity of the load 300 by shorting the second relay 120, and determine whether to connect the battery pack 200 and the load 300 based on the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the battery pack 200 and the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the load 300. As another example, when the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the battery pack 200 and the diagnosis result of the connectivity of the load 300 are all normal, the controller 140 may short all of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120 to connect the battery pack 200 and the load 300. As another example, when at least one of the diagnosis results of the connectivity of the battery pack 200 and the diagnosis results of the connectivity of the load 300 is not normal, the controller 140 does not connect the battery pack 200 and the load 300. In this case, the controller 140 may transmit information regarding the connectivity of the battery pack 200 or the load 300 to an external device (e.g., the upper controller 2 in FIG. 1) or provide information to a user that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack 200 or the load 300.

[0040] According to the embodiment, when the first relay 110 and the second relay 120 are both opened, the measurement unit 130 and the battery pack 200 may form a closed circuit. According to the embodiment, when the first relay 110 is opened and the second relay 120 is shorted, the measurement unit 130 and the load 300 may form a closed circuit.

[0041] The battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document can diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack side and the load side. A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can measure the voltages of the battery pack side and the load side through a single analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack side and the load side based on the measured voltages.

[0042] A battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein can diagnose the connectivity of both sides with a simplified circuit by matching the grounds of the battery pack side and the load side.

[0043] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of measuring the voltage on the battery pack side according to an embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 3, the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed in this document can measure the voltage on the battery pack 200 side and acquire the measured voltage.

[0044] According to an embodiment, a controller (controller 140 in FIG. 2) can open the first relay 110 and the second relay 120, the voltage of the battery pack 200 can be measured via the ADC 131, and the measured voltage can be acquired by the controller (controller 140 in FIG. 2).

[0045] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of measuring the voltage on the load side according to one embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 4, the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed in this document can measure the voltage on the load 300 side and obtain the measured voltage.

[0046] According to an embodiment, a controller (controller 140 in FIG. 2) can open the first relay 110 and short the second relay 120, the voltage of the load 300 can be measured via the ADC 131, and the measured voltage can be obtained by the controller (controller 140 in FIG. 2).

[0047] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operation of a battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed herein. 5, an operating method of the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein may include a step of measuring a voltage of a battery pack and a load (S110), a step of controlling an operation of a first relay and a second relay (S120), and a step of acquiring a voltage of the battery pack or a voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay (S130). According to an embodiment, the operation shown in FIG. 5 may be performed via the battery management device 100 of FIG. 2.

[0048] In the step of measuring the voltages of the battery pack and the load (S110), the measurement unit 130 can measure the voltages of the battery pack and the load. For example, the measurement unit 130 can include an ADC.

[0049] In the step (S120) of controlling the operation of the first relay and the second relay, the controller 140 can control the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120. For example, the controller 140 can control the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120 by generating a control signal that controls the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120.

[0050] In the step (S130) of acquiring the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120, the controller 140 can acquire the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120. For example, the controller 140 can acquire the voltage of the battery pack when the first relay 110 is open and the second relay 120 is open. In another example, the controller 140 can acquire the voltage of the load when the first relay 110 is open and the second relay 120 is short-circuited. According to the embodiment, the controller 140 can control the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120, and can acquire the voltage of the battery pack or the voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay 110 and the second relay 120.

[0051] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a method of operating the battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. Referring to FIG. 6, the operating method of the battery management device 100 according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may further include a step (S210) of diagnosing the connectivity of the battery pack based on the voltage of the battery pack, and a step (S220) of diagnosing the connectivity of the load based on the voltage of the load.

[0052] In the step of diagnosing the connectivity of the battery pack based on the voltage of the battery pack (S210), the controller 140 can diagnose the connectivity of the battery pack based on the voltage of the battery pack acquired from the measurement unit 130. For example, the controller 140 can diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack when the acquired voltage of the battery pack is less than a first set value. According to the embodiment, when an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack, a voltage value lower than a conventional voltage value of the battery pack may be acquired, and therefore the controller 140 can diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the battery pack.

[0053] In the step of diagnosing the connectivity of the load based on the voltage of the load (S220), the controller 140 may diagnose the connectivity of the load based on the voltage of the load acquired from the measurement unit 130. For example, the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load when the acquired voltage of the load exceeds a second set value. According to the embodiment, when an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load, a voltage value higher than a conventional voltage value applied to the load may be acquired, and therefore the controller 140 may diagnose that an abnormality has occurred in the connectivity of the load.

[0054] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a computing system for performing the method of operating a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 7, a computing system 1000 according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include an MCU 1010, a memory 1020, an input / output I / F 1030, and a communication I / F 1040.

[0056] The MCU 1010 may be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., a battery pack voltage or current collection program, a relay control program, a battery pack or load connectivity diagnosis program, etc.) stored in the memory 1020, processes various information including the battery pack voltage and the load voltage through such programs, and performs the functions of the battery management device shown in FIG. 2 described above.

[0057] The memory 1020 can store various programs related to the collection and diagnosis of battery log information, and can also store various information such as the battery current, voltage, battery pack voltage, and load voltage.

[0058] A plurality of such memories 1020 may be provided as necessary. The memory 1020 may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory. The memory 1020 as a volatile memory may be a RAM, a DRAM, an SRAM, or the like. The memory 1020 as a non-volatile memory may be a ROM, a PROM, an EAROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, or the like. The examples of the memory 1020 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these examples.

[0059] The input / output I / F 1030 can provide an interface that connects input devices (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and output devices such as a display (not shown), to the MCU 1010 to enable data transmission and reception.

[0060] The communication I / F 1040 is configured to be able to transmit and receive various data to and from a server, and may be any of various devices capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, the battery management device can transmit and receive information such as a relay control program and various types of battery pack voltages, currents, and load voltages from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F 1040.

[0061] In this manner, a computer program according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may be recorded in memory 1020 and processed by MCU 1010 to be realized, for example, as a module performing each function shown in FIG. 2.

[0062] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and various modifications and variations may be made by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0063] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to explain, not to limit, the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this document. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed in this document should be interpreted according to the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

Claims

1. a first relay connecting one end of the battery pack and one end of a load; a second relay connecting the other end of the battery pack and the other end of the load; a measurement unit for measuring a voltage of the battery pack and the load; a controller that controls an operation of the first relay and the second relay and obtains a voltage of the battery pack or a voltage of the load based on the operation of the first relay and the second relay; A battery management device comprising:

2. The controller: The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the voltage of the battery pack is obtained when the first relay and the second relay are all opened.

3. The controller: The battery management device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a first relay that is opened; a second relay that is shorted; and a voltage of the load that is acquired.

4. The measurement unit includes: The battery management device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising an analog-to-digital converter.

5. The controller: Diagnosing connectivity of the battery pack based on a voltage of the battery pack; The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the connectivity of the load is diagnosed based on a voltage of the load.

6. The measurement unit includes: The battery management device of claim 1 or 2, which is located outside the battery pack.

7. The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the first relay is a positive relay, and the second relay is a negative relay.

8. The controller: The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein the second relay is short-circuited to match the ground of the load with the ground of the battery pack.

9. The controller: diagnosing connectivity of the battery pack by opening all of the first relay and the second relay; shorting the second relay to diagnose connectivity of the load; 3 . The battery management device according to claim 1 , further comprising: a first relay and a second relay that are short-circuited when a diagnosis result of the connectivity of the battery pack and a diagnosis result of the connectivity of the load are normal.

10. The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein when the first relay and the second relay are all opened, a closed circuit is formed between the measurement unit and the battery pack.

11. The battery management device according to claim 1 , wherein when the first relay is opened and the second relay is short-circuited, a closed circuit is formed between the measurement unit and the load.

12. measuring the voltage of the battery pack and the load; Controlling operation of a first relay and a second relay; acquiring a voltage of the battery pack or a voltage of the load based on operations of the first relay and the second relay; Including, The first relay and the second relay connect the battery pack and the load.

13. The step of acquiring a voltage of the battery pack or a voltage of the load based on an operation of the first relay and the second relay includes: The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 12 , further comprising obtaining a voltage of the battery pack when the first relay is open and the second relay is open.

14. The step of acquiring a voltage of the battery pack or a voltage of the load based on an operation of the first relay and the second relay includes: The method for operating a battery management device according to claim 12 or 13, further comprising the step of acquiring a voltage of the load when the first relay is open and the second relay is short-circuited.

15. diagnosing connectivity of the battery pack based on a voltage of the battery pack; The method of claim 12 or 13, further comprising the step of: diagnosing connectivity of the load based on a voltage of the load.

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