charging and discharging device

Abstract

To provide a charge / discharge device that can reduce costs and prevent momentary power dips during battery module switching. [Solution] The system comprises multiple battery modules 6 having the same CANID, a CANID converter 7 that converts the CANID of a battery module 6 to a different CANID, one of the battery modules 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is connected, and one of the battery modules 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is not connected, and a control device 8 that communicates with each other. The control device 8 is configured to send a chip-enable signal to the CANID converter 7 and to individually send a predetermined signal to each battery module 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is not connected. Each battery module 6 is configured to be started / stopped when a predetermined signal is input, and the CANID converter 7 outputs a predetermined signal to the connected battery module 6 based on the chip-enable signal received from the control device 8.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a charging and discharging device.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes a battery module group including a plurality of battery modules that perform CAN (Controller Area Network) communication using a common CAN_ID, a first switch that connects or disconnects between the battery modules and a connection path, and a communication control device that performs CAN communication with the plurality of battery modules. When switching the discharging battery module within one battery module group, after starting the discharge from the battery modules of other battery module groups, the discharging battery module is switched to prevent an instantaneous decrease in discharge power.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in such a charging and discharging device, a plurality of battery module groups and communication control devices for controlling each battery module group must be prepared, and information exchange between the plurality of communication control devices is required, resulting in complex processing and increased costs.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a charging and discharging device that can suppress costs and prevent an instantaneous decrease in power when switching battery modules.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides a control device that communicates with a plurality of battery modules having the same identifier and communicating using an identifier, an ID converter connected to any one of the plurality of battery modules and converting the identifier of this battery module to a different identifier, a battery module to which the ID converter is connected using the identifier converted by the ID converter, and any one of the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected, wherein the control device is configured to transmit an enable signal to the ID converter via a signal line and to individually transmit a predetermined signal to each of the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected via a signal line connected to each of them, each of the battery modules is configured to be started / stopped when a predetermined signal is input, and the ID converter outputs the predetermined signal to the connected battery module based on the enable signal received from the control device. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent momentary power dips during battery module switching while keeping costs down. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a charge / discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a time chart showing an example of the procedure for switching the battery module being discharged in a charge / discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] A charge / discharge device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of battery modules having the same identifier and communicating using an identifier; an ID converter connected to any one of the plurality of battery modules and converting the identifier of this battery module to a different identifier; a battery module to which the ID converter is connected using the identifier converted by the ID converter; and any one of the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected; and a control device that communicates with the device. The control device is configured to transmit an enable signal to the ID converter via a signal line and to individually transmit a predetermined signal to each battery module to which the ID converter is not connected via a signal line connected to each of them. Each battery module is configured to be started / stopped when a predetermined signal is input, and the ID converter is configured to output a predetermined signal to the connected battery module based on the enable signal received from the control device.

[0010] As a result, the charging and discharging device according to one embodiment of the present invention can prevent momentary power dips during battery module switching while keeping costs down. [Examples]

[0011] Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a charge / discharge device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail. In Figure 1, a charge / discharge device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is composed of a solar panel 2 as a power generation device, a solar converter 3, an inverter 4, a battery 5, a plurality of battery modules 6, a CANID converter 7 as an ID converter, and a control device 8.

[0012] In the charge / discharge device 1 according to this embodiment, the number of battery modules 6 is n (where n is a natural number). In this embodiment, in order to distinguish each of the multiple battery modules 6, the multiple battery modules 6 will be referred to as battery modules 6(1) to 6(n). When referring to any battery module without specifying one of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n), it will simply be written as "battery module 6".

[0013] In this embodiment, a reused battery module is used for the battery module 6. For example, in the charge / discharge device 1, multiple battery modules that were installed in vehicles of the same type are reused as the battery module 6.

[0014] Solar panel 2 is a power generation device that generates electricity using the energy of sunlight. In addition to solar power, power generation devices utilizing renewable energy sources such as wind, hydro, geothermal, and biomass can also be applied.

[0015] Solarcon 3 converts the electricity generated by solar panel 2 and supplies it to battery 5 and battery module 6.

[0016] The inverter 4 converts the power stored in the battery module 6 and supplies it to an electrical load (not shown). The electrical load consists of devices that have light-emitting elements as loads, such as lighting fixtures or electronic display boards. However, the electrical load is not limited to devices that have light-emitting elements as loads.

[0017] Battery 5 is composed of, for example, a lead-acid battery. Battery 5 is electrically connected to the control device 8 and the battery management devices 65 of each battery module 6, and supplies them with 12V power.

[0018] The battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) are connected in parallel to each other between the solar controller 3 and the inverter 4. Each battery module 6 has a storage battery 61, a switch 62, a CAN driver 63, an AND circuit 64, a storage battery management device 65, an ACC terminal 66, and an IG terminal 67.

[0019] In this embodiment, in order to distinguish which of the storage batteries 61, switches 62, CAN drivers 63, AND circuits 64, battery management devices 65, ACC terminals 66, and IG terminals 67 of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) they are, codes corresponding to the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) are attached to the storage batteries 61, switches 62, CAN drivers 63, AND circuits 64, battery management devices 65, ACC terminals 66, and IG terminals 67, and are denoted as storage batteries 61(1) to 61(n), switches 62(1) to 62(n), CAN drivers 63(1) to 63(n), AND circuits 64(1) to 64(n), battery management devices 65(1) to 65(n), ACC terminals 66(1) to 66(n), and IG terminals 67(1) to 67(n).

[0020] Regarding the storage batteries 61(1) to 61(n), switches 62(1) to 62(n), CAN drivers 63(1) to 63(n), AND circuits 64(1) to 64(n), battery management devices 65(1) to 65(n), ACC terminals 66(1) to 66(n), and IG terminals 67(1) to 67(n), when indicating any storage battery, switch, CAN driver, AND circuit, battery management device, ACC terminal, and IG terminal without specifying which of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) they are, they are simply denoted as "storage battery 61", "switch 62", "CAN driver 63", "AND circuit 64", "battery management device 65", "ACC terminal 66", and "IG terminal 67", respectively.

[0021] The storage battery 61 is composed of a rechargeable secondary battery such as a lithium-ion battery, for example. As the storage battery 61, for example, a reused lithium-ion battery mounted on a vehicle of the same vehicle type is used.

[0022] Each switch 62 is a switch capable of switching between an on state in which it connects the corresponding storage battery 61 to the solar controller 3 or the inverter 4 and an off state in which it disconnects them. The switching between the on state and the off state of each switch 62 is controlled by the corresponding battery management device 65.

[0023] Each CAN driver 63 controls CAN communication according to the CAN communication protocol and communicates with the CANID converter 7 or the control device 8. Each CAN driver 63 sends the information received via CAN communication to the corresponding battery management device 65, and transmits the information requested by the battery management device 65 via CAN communication. When CAN communication becomes possible, each CAN driver 63 outputs an ON signal to the corresponding AND circuit 64.

[0024] Each AND circuit 64 outputs the logical AND of the signal output from the corresponding CAN driver 63, the signal input to the corresponding ACC terminal 66, and the signal input to the corresponding IG terminal 67 to the corresponding battery management device 65. The battery management device 65 starts operating when the signal output from the AND circuit 64 is ON, and stops operating when it is OFF.

[0025] Each battery management device 65 monitors and manages the state of the corresponding battery 61, including its voltage and remaining capacity (SOC: state of charge). Each battery management device 65 controls the switching of the corresponding switch 62 to either the on or off state. Each battery management device 65 calculates the SOC based on the charge and discharge current of the corresponding battery 61.

[0026] The battery module 6 is designed for use in vehicles and is therefore designed to become operational after going through several vehicle states. The battery module 6 can be charged and discharged when a 12V power supply is provided, the ACC (accessory signal) input to the ACC terminal 66 is turned on, the IG (ignition signal) input to the IG terminal 67 is turned on, and CAN communication is enabled.

[0027] On the other hand, even if CAN communication is impossible due to duplicate CANIDs or other reasons, the battery module 6 is permitted to switch the ON switch 62 to the OFF state if both the accessory signal and the ignition signal are turned ON. Therefore, the control device 8 can forcibly disconnect the battery module 6 from the system using the chip enable signal described later.

[0028] When the accessory signal is turned on, the battery module 6 becomes capable of supplying power to peripheral devices other than the vehicle's engine.

[0029] When the ignition signal is turned on, the battery module 6 becomes capable of supplying power to the engine and other drivetrain components.

[0030] The CANID converter 7 is connected to one of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n). The CANID converter 7 converts the CANID, which is the identifier for CAN communication of the CAN driver 63 of the connected battery module 6, to enable CAN communication with the control device 8.

[0031] The CANID converter 7 includes a first CAN driver 71, a second CAN driver 72, and a CANID setting switch 73.

[0032] The first CAN driver 71 controls CAN communication according to the CAN communication protocol and communicates with the CAN driver 63 of the battery module 6. The first CAN driver 71 sends the information received via CAN communication to the second CAN driver 72, and sends the information received from the second CAN driver 72 to the CAN driver 63 via CAN communication.

[0033] The second CAN driver 72 controls CAN communication according to the CAN communication protocol and communicates with the control device 8. The second CAN driver 72 sends the information received via CAN communication to the first CAN driver 71, and transmits the information received from the first CAN driver 71 to the control device 8 via CAN communication.

[0034] The CANID setting switch 73 sets the CANID used by the second CAN driver 72 for CAN communication with the CAN driver 81 of the control unit 8. The CANID is set on the CANID setting switch 73 by a hardware switch, such as a DIP switch. The CANID may be pre-set or set on the CANID setting switch 73 by a signal from the control unit 8, etc.

[0035] The CANID set by the CANID setting switch 73 is set so as not to overlap with the CANIDs of the CAN drivers 63(1) to 63(n) of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n). In other words, the CANID converter 7 is set to a CANID different from the CANIDs of the CAN drivers 63(1) to 63(n).

[0036] In this way, the CANID converter 7 is connected to one of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n), and CAN communication with the control device 8 is performed using the CANID set in the CANID setting switch 73. Therefore, even if the CANIDs of the CAN drivers 63(1) to 63(n) of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) are the same, the control device 8 can communicate simultaneously with the battery module 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is connected and with one of the other battery modules 6 via CAN communication.

[0037] The control unit 8 is composed of a computer unit comprising a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), ROM (Read Only Memory), input ports, and output ports. The ROM of the computer unit stores various constants and other data, along with a program that enables the computer unit to function as the control unit 8. In other words, the CPU executes the program stored in the ROM using the RAM as a working area, thereby enabling the computer unit to function as the control unit 8 in this embodiment.

[0038] The control device 8 has a CAN driver 81. The CAN driver 81 controls CAN communication according to the CAN communication protocol and communicates with the second CAN driver 72 of the CANID converter 7 or the CAN driver 63 of the battery module 6.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control device 8 is electrically connected to the CANID converter 7 via a signal line. The control device 8 outputs a chip enable signal, such as CE1, via this signal line to the CANID converter 7, which serves as an enable signal to switch between starting and stopping the connected battery module 6.

[0040] The CANID converter 7 splits the input chip-enabled signal CE1 into two and outputs them to the ACC terminal 66 and IG terminal 67 of the battery module 6. The CANID converter 7 may also output the chip-enabled signal to the ACC terminal 66 first, and then to the IG terminal 67.

[0041] The control device 8 is electrically connected via signal lines to the ACC terminal 66 and IG terminal 67 of the battery module 6, to which the CANID converter 7 is not connected. The control device 8 outputs chip-enabled signals, such as CE2 to CEn, via these signal lines.

[0042] The control device 8 controls the startup and shutdown of battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) using chip-enabled signals CE1 to CEn.

[0043] The control device 8 communicates via CAN with the battery management device 65 of any one of the battery modules 6 via the CANID converter 7. The control device 8 also communicates via CAN with the battery management device 65 of any one of the battery modules 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is not connected. The control device 8 controls the charging and discharging of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) by individually controlling the battery management devices 65(1) to 65(n) via CAN communication.

[0044] The control device 8 controls the battery management devices 65(1) to 65(n) respectively to selectively charge the batteries 61(1) to 61(n) of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) with the power generated by the solar panel 2, or to selectively output the power from the batteries 61(1) to 61(n) of the battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) to the electrical load via the inverter 4.

[0045] The control device 8 stores, for example, the State of Charge (SOC) of the battery modules 6 corresponding to the chip-enable signals CE1 to CEn. When outputting power to an electrical load via the inverter 4, it activates and discharges the battery module 6 with the highest stored SOC among the battery modules 6 that are not connected to the CANID converter 7, using the chip-enable signal.

[0046] When the State of Charge (SOC) of a battery module 6 that is being discharged falls below a predetermined value, the control device 8 switches the battery module 6 to which the discharged battery module 6 is located, to the battery module 6 with the highest stored SOC among the battery modules 6 that are not connected to the CANID converter 7.

[0047] When the control device 8 switches the battery module 6 to be discharged, it starts up the battery module 6 to which the CANID converter 7 is connected and discharges it, then stops the battery module 6 that is currently discharging, and then starts up the battery module 6 to which it will be switched and discharges it.

[0048] The control device 8 switches the battery module 6 to be discharged, for example, as shown in Figure 2. Figure 2 shows a case where the CANID converter 7 is connected to battery module 6(1), and the battery module 6 to be discharged is switched from battery module 6(2) to battery module 6(3).

[0049] First, the 12V power supply to battery modules 6(1) to 6(n) is turned on. When the control unit 8 turns on the chip enable signal CE2 to start battery module 6(2), the signals input to ACC terminal 66(2) and IG terminal 67(2) are turned on.

[0050] Next, when the CAN driver 63(2) enables CAN communication, the battery module 6(2) is activated and becomes ready for charging and discharging.

[0051] Subsequently, when the State of Control (SOC) of battery module 6(2) decreases and the control device 8 determines that switching of battery module 6 is necessary, it turns on the chip-enable signal CE1 to activate battery module 6(1), and the signals input to the ACC terminal 66(1) and the IG terminal 67(1) via the CANID converter 7 are turned on.

[0052] When CAN communication becomes possible via the CAN driver 63(1), the battery module 6(1) is activated and becomes ready for charging and discharging.

[0053] When the battery module 6(1) becomes ready for charging and discharging, the control device 8 turns off the chip enable signal CE2 at time t1, turning off the signals input to the ACC terminal 66(2) and the IG terminal 67(2), and the battery module 6(2) stops.

[0054] When the control device 8 turns on the chip-enable signal CE3 to start the battery module 6(3), the signals input to the ACC terminal 66(3) and the signals input to the IG terminal 67(3) are turned on.

[0055] When CAN communication becomes possible via the CAN driver 63(3), the battery module 6(3) is activated and becomes ready for charging and discharging at time t2.

[0056] When the control device 8 turns off the chip-enable signal CE1, the signals input to the ACC terminal 66(1) and the IG terminal 67(1) are turned off, and the battery module 6(1) stops.

[0057] Thus, when switching between battery modules 6 that are discharging, since the CANIDs of the battery modules 6 are the same, the battery module 6 that is currently discharging must be stopped before the battery module 6 to be switched to is started, resulting in a period of power interruption as shown from t1 to t2 in Figure 2.

[0058] In this embodiment, before switching the battery module 6, the CANID converter 7 is activated, and the switching is performed while the battery module 6 is discharging, thus preventing momentary power dips.

[0059] Furthermore, since only one CANID converter 7 is needed for the battery module 6 that discharges during a momentary power dip, costs can be reduced.

[0060] While embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0061] 1 Charge / discharge device 6 Battery Modules 7. CANID Converter (ID Converter) 8 Control device 61 Storage Battery 62 switches 63 CAN driver 64 AND gate 65 Storage battery management device 66 ACC terminal 67 IG terminal 71. First CAN Driver 72. Second CAN driver 73 CANID setting switch 81 CAN driver

Claims

1. Multiple battery modules having the same identifier that communicate using the identifier, An ID converter connected to one of the aforementioned plurality of battery modules, which converts the identifier of this battery module to a different identifier, The system comprises a battery module to which the ID converter is connected, and one of the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected, using an identifier converted by the ID converter, and a control device for communication. The control device is configured to transmit an enable signal to the ID converter via a signal line, and to individually transmit a predetermined signal to each of the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected via the signal lines connected to each of them. Each of the aforementioned battery modules is configured to be started / stopped when a predetermined signal is input, The ID converter is a charge / discharge device that outputs a predetermined signal to the connected battery module based on the enable signal received from the control device.

2. Each of the aforementioned battery modules is a battery module for use in a vehicle. The charge / discharge device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined signals are an accessory signal and an ignition signal.

3. The charge / discharge device according to claim 2, wherein the ID converter outputs the accessory signal and the ignition signal to the battery module in that order based on the enable signal received from the control device.

4. The charge / discharge device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, when the control device switches the battery module to which the ID converter is connected among the battery modules to which the ID converter is not connected, the control device activates the battery module to which the ID converter is connected before performing the battery module switch, and performs the switch while this battery module is discharging.

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