Battery system and method of operation thereof

Abstract

The battery system and its operating method according to an embodiment of the present invention recognize and execute control logic updated from a control logic generation device in real time using a virtual machine, thereby enabling the execution of updated control logic without interrupting the battery management system, thereby providing software that enables highly efficient battery operation and management.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0101048, filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on August 2, 2023, and all of the contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a battery system and an operating method thereof, and more particularly to a battery system and an operating method thereof that are capable of updating a control program of a battery management device without interrupting battery monitoring during operation of the battery system. [Background technology]

[0003] An energy storage system (ESS) is a system that connects renewable energy, batteries that store power, and existing grid power. In recent years, smart grids and renewable energy have become more widespread, and as the efficiency and stability of power systems have become more important, the demand for energy storage systems to regulate power supply and demand and improve power quality has been increasing. Energy storage systems vary in output and capacity depending on the purpose of use. Multiple battery systems may be connected to form a large-capacity energy storage system.

[0004] For example, an energy storage system applied to a photovoltaic (PV) power generation system may include a battery section consisting of a number of batteries, a battery management system (BMS) for managing the batteries, a power conversion system (PCS), an energy management system (EMS), a DC-DC converter, etc.

[0005] Among them, the battery management system is a core component for managing batteries, and requires continuous system updates to efficiently manage batteries in operation at a site.

[0006] Therefore, in conventional battery management systems, software updates require an administrator to visit the site in person, suspend the operation of the battery system in operation, and then update the software.

[0007] However, in this case, compensation is required for interruption of use of the battery management system, and an on-site visit is required for software updates, which has the disadvantage of being inefficient and incurring time and material costs. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0008] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient battery system.

[0009] Another object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a highly efficient method for operating a battery system. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object, a battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure includes a plurality of slave BMSs and a master BMS connected to the plurality of slave BMSs, and during operation of the battery system, the master BMS identifies an application target of a control program input from outside for battery management, and transmits the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

[0011] Here, if the control program is a control program to be applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS can compare version information of each of the plurality of slave BMSs with version information of the control program, determine a specific slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program as the application target, and transmit the control program to the application target.

[0012] At this time, the master BMS can transmit the control program to the storage space to which it is applied.

[0013] On the other hand, the specific slave BMS can delete the control program previously stored in the first area of ​​the memory of the specific slave BMS, copy the control program stored in the memory space of the specific slave BMS, and store it in the second area of ​​the memory.

[0014] At this time, if the specific slave BMS receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS, it can copy the control program stored in the second area and store it in the first area.

[0015] Meanwhile, the plurality of slave BMSs may include at least one first slave BMS and a second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and the second slave BMS may be at a lower hierarchical level than the first slave BMS.

[0016] As a result, if the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS transfers the control program of the second slave BMS to the memory space of the first slave BMS, and the first slave BMS can transfer the control program of the second slave BMS, which was transferred to the memory space of the first slave BMS, to the memory space of the second slave BMS.

[0017] In addition, if the control program is a control program to be applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS can compare at least one version information individually received from the plurality of second slave BMSs with version information of at least one of the control programs, determine a specific second slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program as the application target, and transmit the at least one control program to the storage space of the application target.

[0018] In addition, the second slave BMS can delete the control program previously stored in the first area of ​​the memory of the second slave BMS, copy the control program stored in the memory space of the second slave BMS, and store it in the second area of ​​the memory.

[0019] At this time, if the second slave BMS receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS, it can copy the control program stored in the second area and store it in the first area.

[0020] Meanwhile, the storage space can include an external memory.

[0021] The first region may be an inactive region and the second region may be an active region.

[0022] To achieve the above object, according to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an operating method for a battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure, the method including the steps of: a master BMS acquiring a control program input from outside for battery management during operation of the battery system; the master BMS identifying targets to which the control program is applied; and the master BMS transmitting the control program corresponding to the target to the target.

[0023] Here, the step of the master BMS identifying each target of the control program may include, if the control program is a control program to be applied to a slave BMS, the step of the master BMS comparing version information of each of the multiple slave BMSs connected to the master BMS with version information of the control program, and the step of the master BMS determining a specific slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program as the target of application.

[0024] In this case, the step of the master BMS transmitting the control program corresponding to the application object to the application object may include the step of the master BMS transmitting the control program to the storage space of the application object.

[0025] In addition, the operating method of the battery system may further include a step in which, when a control program of a specific slave BMS is stored in the memory space, the specific slave BMS deletes the control program previously stored in a first area of ​​the memory, and a step in which the specific slave BMS copies the control program stored in the memory space of the specific slave BMS and stores it in a second area of ​​the memory.

[0026] The method for operating the battery system may also include a step in which the specific slave BMS receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS, a step in which the specific slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second area and stores it in the first area, and a step in which the specific slave BMS re-executes.

[0027] Meanwhile, the plurality of slave BMSs may include at least one first slave BMS and a second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure, and the second slave BMS may be at a lower hierarchical level than the first slave BMS.

[0028] Thus, the step of the master BMS transmitting the control program corresponding to the application object to the application object can include, if the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the step of the master BMS transmitting the control program of the second slave BMS to the memory space of the first slave BMS, and the step of the first slave BMS transmitting the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been transmitted to the memory space of the first slave BMS, to the memory space of the second slave BMS.

[0029] In addition, the operating method of the battery system may further include a step in which, when a control program of the second slave BMS is stored in the memory space, the second slave BMS deletes the control program previously stored in a first area of ​​the memory, and a step in which the second slave BMS copies the control program stored in the memory space of the second slave BMS and stores it in a second area of ​​the memory.

[0030] In this case, the operating method of the battery system may further include a step in which, if a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS, the second slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second area, and a step in which the second slave BMS stores the copied control program in the first area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0031] The battery system and the operating method thereof according to the embodiment of the present invention can continuously monitor the battery state by updating the battery management device without interrupting the operation of the battery. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0032] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an energy storage system to which embodiments of the present invention may be applied. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a typical battery system. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a memory structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the battery system according to the embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for updating a plurality of first slave BMSs in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method for updating a plurality of second slave BMSs in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0033] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, it is understood that this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific embodiments, but rather to include all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used to refer to like components throughout the drawings.

[0034] Terms such as "first," "second," "A," and "B" may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be designated as a second component, and similarly, a second component may be designated as a first component, without departing from the scope of the present invention. The term "and / or" includes a combination of multiple associated listed items or any one of multiple associated listed items.

[0035] When a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it is understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that there may be other components in between. Conversely, when a component is referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it is understood that there are no other components in between.

[0036] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expressions include the plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and are understood not to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0037] 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 this invention pertains. Terms as defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as having an ideal or overly formal meaning unless expressly defined in this application.

[0038] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an energy storage system to which embodiments of the present invention may be applied.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 1, a battery that serves to store power in an energy storage system may be embodied in a form in which a series / parallel combination of battery cells constitutes a number of battery packs, and a number of battery packs constitute a battery rack. Here, depending on the device or system in which the battery is used, the battery pack may also be called a battery module. For example, battery #1, battery #2, ..., battery #N shown in FIG. 1 may be in the form of a battery pack or a battery rack.

[0040] At this time, a battery management system (BMS) 1000 can be provided for each battery.

[0041] A battery management system 1000 (BMS) to which an embodiment of the present invention may be applied monitors the current, voltage, and temperature of each battery pack (or rack) that it manages, and can calculate the SOC (Status Of Charge) based on the monitoring results to control charging and discharging.

[0042] Meanwhile, a battery system controller (BSC) may be installed in each battery section, which includes a number of batteries and peripheral circuits and devices. As a result, the BSC 2000 can monitor and control control targets within the battery section, such as voltage, current, temperature, and circuit breakers. In addition, the BSC 2000 calculates the output of each DC-DC converter 5000 based on the monitored battery status information and transmits it to the DC-DC converter.

[0043] In addition, a power conversion system (PCS) 4000 provided for each battery section can control the charging and discharging of the battery by controlling the power supplied from the outside and the power supplied from the battery section to the outside. For example, the PCS 4000 can include a DC-AC inverter.

[0044] Meanwhile, communication between the BMS1000, BSC2000, PMS3000, and PCS4000 can be performed using a CAN (Controller Area Network) or Ethernet (shown by dotted lines in FIG. 1).

[0045] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a typical battery system.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 2, a typical battery system applied to an energy storage system (ESS) includes multiple BMSs that manage batteries according to a hierarchical structure of the batteries.

[0047] Multiple BMSs require continuous updates of their control programs for efficient management of individual batteries. Therefore, a typical battery system acquires a higher version of the control program for at least one of the multiple BMSs from an external storage device and updates the corresponding BMS.

[0048] In this case, in order to acquire a higher version of the control program, the corresponding BMS must be re-executed. Therefore, in a typical battery system, after the system is shut down by an administrator, the control program corresponding to the BMS in the hierarchical level to which the corresponding BMS belongs is individually received from an external storage device, and the corresponding BMS is updated.

[0049] Therefore, in a typical battery system, when at least one of the control programs in multiple BMS is updated to a higher version, the operation of the battery system is always interrupted, making it difficult to monitor the battery status.

[0050] Therefore, in the present invention, a battery system that allows updating of the control program of at least one of a plurality of BMSs without interrupting the battery system will be described.

[0051] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] 3, the battery system 100 may be applied to an energy storage system (ESS), whereby the battery system 100 can manage the state of a battery during operation at a site.

[0053] More specifically, according to an embodiment, the battery system 100 may include a plurality of BMSs 110 for efficiently managing the batteries.

[0054] A plurality of BMSs 110 may be provided corresponding to unit batteries provided in a hierarchical structure in an energy storage system (ESS). In this case, each of the plurality of BMSs 110 may include a control program for managing the state of the corresponding unit battery. For example, the control program may be a software program for the BMS.

[0055] As a result, each of the multiple BMSs operates according to a control program and can perform at least one of charge / discharge control, cell balancing, and status monitoring for the unit battery corresponding to each of them.

[0056] According to an embodiment, the plurality of BMSs 110 may include a master BMS 111, at least one first slave BMS 112, and a second slave BMS 113 for each unit battery provided in a hierarchical structure. For example, the master BMS 111 may be a bank BMS (BBMS) and may include a control program for managing the battery status for each bank. The first slave BMS 112 may be a rack BMS (RBMS) and may include a control program for managing the battery status for each rack. The second slave BMS 113 may be a pack BMS (PBMS or module BMS) and may manage the battery status for each pack or module.

[0057] The control programs of each of the multiple BMSs 110 may be continuously updated by an administrator for efficient management of each unit battery.

[0058] According to the embodiment, the master BMS 111 can be connected to the external storage device 120 through communication. For example, the master BMS 111 can be connected to the external storage device 120 through CAN communication. This allows the master BMS 111 to acquire at least one control program stored in the external storage device 120 during operation of the battery system 100. Here, the external storage device 120 may be a PC of a dualized provider.

[0059] Furthermore, the control program may be an advanced version of the control program of at least one of the multiple BMSs 110. More specifically, the master BMS 111 can store the control program in a storage space (130 in FIG. 5). Here, the storage space 130 may include an external memory connected to a corresponding BMS among the multiple BMSs 100. For example, the storage space 130 may be provided in the form of physical hardware such as a hard disk drive (HDD), flash memory, EEPROM, or portable storage device.

[0060] Meanwhile, the master BMS 111 can be connected to each of the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113 via communication. As a result, the master BMS 111 can acquire and manage identification information of the individually stored control programs from each of the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113. As a result, when at least one control program is stored in the memory space 130 during operation of the battery system 100, the master BMS 111 can compare the identification information of the at least one control program with the identification information acquired individually from the multiple slave BMSs 112 and 113. As a result, the master BMS 111 can identify at least one target BMS to which at least one control program should be applied.

[0061] Then, the master BMS 111 can transmit at least one control program to the storage space 130 of the corresponding at least one target BMS. In this case, if the at least one target BMS includes a second slave BMS 113, the master BMS 111 can sequentially transmit at least one control program through a specific first slave BMS 112, which is the upper BMS of the second slave BMS 113.

[0062] Thereafter, when the target BMS is physically connected to the memory space 130, the loader can execute the loader, which can copy at least one control program stored in the memory space 130 and temporarily store it in an inactive area of ​​the memory in the target BMS. For example, the loader can be a boot loader.

[0063] The target BMS can then delete the control program that was previously stored in the active area in memory.

[0064] The master BMS 111 can then send a re-run signal to the target BMS, which can then transfer the control program temporarily stored in the inactive area to the active area in its memory.

[0065] Thereafter, the target BMS can execute the control program stored in the active area while being re-executed in response to the re-execution signal from the master BMS 111. As a result, the battery system according to the embodiment of the present invention can execute the updated control program without interrupting the battery system, thereby efficiently operating at least one battery constituting the energy storage system (ESS).

[0066] FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating the hardware structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the memory structure of a BMS in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0067] Referring to FIG. 4, each of the BMSs 111, 112, and 113 may include a memory 410, a processor 420, a transceiver 430, an input interface device 440, an output interface device 450, and a storage device 460.

[0068] According to an embodiment, each of the components 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, 460 individually contained within the multiple BMSs 110 can be connected by a bus 470 to communicate with each other.

[0069] Among the components 410, 420, 430, 440, 450, and 460, the memory 410 and the storage device 460 may be configured with at least one of a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory 410 may be configured with at least one of a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0070] 5, according to one embodiment, memory 410 provided as a volatile storage medium may include a first area 411 and a second area 412. For example, first area 411 may be an inactive area in which a control program for update received from a master BMS may be temporarily stored. Also, second area 412 may be an active area in which at least one program stored in second area 412 may be operated by processor 420. For example, second area 412 may store a pre-stored control program or a control program updated from first area 411.

[0071] According to another embodiment, memory 410, provided as a non-volatile storage medium, may contain at least one program command.

[0072] On the other hand, the storage device 460 may be replaced by a storage space 130 connected to multiple BMSs 110 depending on the embodiment.

[0073] The processor 420 may refer to a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or a dedicated processor on which methods according to embodiments of the present invention are performed.

[0074] The processor 420 is capable of executing at least one program command stored in the memory 410, which is provided as the non-volatile storage medium.

[0075] The transceiver 430 can provide a communication environment with the external storage device 120 and at least one of the multiple slave BMSs 110. According to an embodiment, the transceiver 430 can provide a wired or wireless network environment. For example, the transceiver 430 can perform CAN communication.

[0076] FIG. 6 is a flow chart for explaining a method of operating the battery system according to the embodiment of the present invention.

[0077] 6, the master BMS 111 in the battery system 100 can receive at least one control program from the external storage device 120 during operation of the battery system 100. Accordingly, the master BMS 111 can store the received at least one control program in the memory space 130 (S600). Here, the memory space 130 may be an external memory physically connected to the master BMS 111. For example, the master BMS 111 may be a Bank BMS (BBMS).

[0078] Then, the master BMS 111 can compare the identification information of at least one control program stored in the storage space 130 connected to the master BMS 111 with the identification information of the multiple BMSs 111, 112, and 113 managed by the master BMS 111 to identify a target BMS corresponding to each control program. More specifically, the identification information may include application target information and software version information. As a result, the master BMS 111 can extract at least one BMS corresponding to the application target of each control program from the multiple BMSs 111, 112, and 113 managed by the master BMS 111. For example, the target BMS may be any one of the master BMS 111, the first slave BMS 112, and the second slave BMS 113. Therefore, the master BMS 111 can select at least one BMS having a lower version than the corresponding control program from the extracted at least one BMS 110 as the target BMS.

[0079] According to one embodiment, if the target BMS is the master BMS 111 (S610), the master BMS 111 can delete the BMS control program pre-stored in the first area 411 of the memory 410. Then, the master 111 can copy the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130 and store it in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S620). In other words, the master BMS 111 can delete the BMS control program pre-stored in the first area 411 and download the corresponding control program stored in the storage space 130.

[0080] According to another embodiment, when the target BMS is at least one slave BMS (S610), the master BMS 111 can transmit each of the at least one control program to a specific first slave BMS 112 to which the corresponding target BMS belongs. Here, the at least one slave BMS can include at least one of the first slave BMS 112 or the second slave BMS 113. For example, the first slave BMS 112 can be a rack BMS (RBMS), and the second slave BMS can be a pack (or module) BMS (PBMS).

[0081] More specifically, when a specific control program is to be applied to at least one first slave BMS 112 (S630), the master BMS 111 can select at least one specific first slave BMS 112 that has a lower version than the version information of the specific control program among the first slave BMSs 112 managed by the master BMS 111 as a target BMS (S631).Then, the master BMS 111 can transmit the specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the master BMS 111 to the storage space 130 of at least one specific first slave BMS 112, which is the target BMS (S632).

[0082] Thereafter, if the specific first slave BMS 112 recognizes the specific control program stored in memory space 130 of the specific first slave BMS, it can delete the BMS control program previously stored in first area 411 in memory 410 of the specific first slave BMS (S633). Thereafter, the specific first slave BMS 112 can copy the specific control program stored in memory space 130 and store it in second area 412 in memory 410 (S634). In other words, the specific first slave BMS 112 can download the corresponding control program stored in memory space 130 of the specific first slave BMS.

[0083] Here, the first region 411 may be an active region, and the second region 412 may be an inactive region.

[0084] Meanwhile, when the application target of a specific control program is at least one second slave BMS 113 (S630), the master BMS 111 can select at least one specific second slave BMS 113, which has a lower version than the version information of the specific control program, as a target BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 managed by the master BMS 111 (S640).Then, the master BMS 111 can transmit the at least one specific control program stored in the storage space 130 of the master BMS 111 to the storage space 130 of a specific first slave BMS 112, which is an upper BMS of each of the specific second slave BMSs 113, which is the target BMS (S641).

[0085] Thereafter, the specific first slave BMS 112 can transmit the specific control program stored in the memory space 130 of the specific first slave BMS 112 to the memory space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 (S642).

[0086] Thereafter, if the specific control program stored in memory space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 is recognized, the specific second slave BMS 113 can delete the BMS control program previously stored in first area 411 in memory 410 of the specific second slave BMS 113 (S643). Thereafter, the specific second slave BMS 113 can copy the specific control program stored in memory space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 and store it in second area 412 in memory 410 of the specific second slave BMS 113 (S644). In other words, the specific second slave BMS 113 can download the control program stored in memory space 130 of the specific second slave BMS 113 and update the program for battery state management.

[0087] Thereafter, the master BMS 111 can transmit the retry signal sequentially according to the hierarchical structure of at least one target BMS. For example, the master BMS 111 can receive the retry signal from the master BMS 111, at least one first slave BMS 112, and at least one second slave BMS 113 in that order (S650).

[0088] At least one target BMS that has received the re-execution signal can copy the specific control program stored in the second area 412 in its respective memory 410 and store it in the first area 411 in the memory 410 (S660). Thereafter, at least one target BMS can execute the updated control program in the first area 411 during re-execution (S670), thereby updating the program of the target BMS without interrupting the operation of the battery system.

[0089] FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for updating a plurality of first slave BMSs in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0090] 3 and 7, when the first slave BMS 112 receives a re-execution signal from the master BMS 111, it can update the specific control program from the first BMS (BMS #1) to the Nth BMS (BMS #N) of the first slave BMS 112, where N may be a natural number.

[0091] More specifically, when the first BMS of the first slave BMS 112 (S700) receives a retry signal from the master BMS 111, in other words, when the master BMS 111 sends a retry signal to the first BMS (S710), it can check whether a control program is stored in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S720). At this time, if a control program is stored in the second area 412, the first BMS can copy the control program stored in the second area 412 and store it in the first area 411 of the memory 410 (S730).

[0092] Thereafter, the first BMS is re-executed (S740) to activate the control program stored in the first area 411, thereby completing the update of the control program of the first BMS.

[0093] The first BMS can then transmit a retry completion signal to the master BMS 111 (S750). This allows the master BMS 111 to transmit a retry signal to the second BMS in the first slave BMS 112 (S760). The master BMS 111 can then control the repeat of steps S710 to S760 up to the Nth BMS in the first slave BMS 112 (S770).

[0094] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for updating a plurality of second slave BMSs in a battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0095] 8, multiple second slave BMSs 113 can be managed by a specific first slave BMS 112. In other words, the multiple second slave BMSs 113 are subordinate BMSs of the specific first slave BMS 112. Therefore, the second slave BMS 113 can receive a re-execution signal from the specific first slave BMS 112 after step S750 in FIG. 7. Therefore, the second slave BMS 113 can update the specific control program for the first to Nth BMSs of the second slave BMSs 113.

[0096] More specifically, when the first BMS of the second slave BMS 113 (S800) receives a retry signal from the master BMS 111, in other words, when a specific first slave BMS 112 sends a retry signal to the first BMS of the second slave BMS 113 (S810), the first BMS can check whether a control program is stored in the second area 412 of the memory 410 (S820). If a control program is stored in the second area 412, the first BMS can copy the control program stored in the second area 412 and store it in the first area 411 (S830).

[0097] Thereafter, the first BMS is re-executed (S840) to activate the control program stored in the first area 411 in the memory 410, thereby completing the update of the control program of the first BMS.

[0098] Thereafter, the first BMS can transmit a retry completion signal to the specific first slave BMS 112 (S850). As a result, the specific first slave BMS 112 can transmit a retry signal to the second BMS among the second slave BMSs 113 (S860). Thereafter, the specific first slave BMS 112 can control the repeat of steps S810 to S860 up to the N-th BMS among the plurality of second slave BMSs 113 (S870).

[0099] Thereafter, when the control program update of a specific first slave BMS 112 is completed up to the Nth BMS of the second slave BMS, the specific first slave BMS 112 can perform step S760 of FIG. 7 to continuously update the control program of the first slave BMS 112.

[0100] The battery system and its operating method according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above.

[0101] A battery system and an operating method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention can provide a battery system and an operating method thereof that enable highly efficient battery operation and management by updating the control program of a battery management system (BMS) without interrupting battery monitoring while the battery system is operating.

[0102] The operations of the method according to the embodiment of the present invention may be embodied as a computer-readable program or code on a computer-readable recording medium. The computer-readable recording medium may include any type of storage device in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. The computer-readable recording medium may also be distributed among computer systems connected via a network, so that the computer-readable program or code may be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0103] Furthermore, the computer-readable recording medium may include a hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as a ROM, RAM, flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine language code, such as that produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that may be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0104] Some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of an apparatus, but they may also be described in terms of a corresponding method, where a block or apparatus corresponds to a method step or feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may be described in terms of a corresponding block or item or feature of a corresponding apparatus. Some or all of the method steps may be performed by (or using) a hardware apparatus, such as, for example, a microprocessor, a programmable computer, or an electronic circuit. In some embodiments, one or more of the most important method steps may be performed by such an apparatus.

[0105] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0106] 100: Battery system 110:BMS 111: Master BMS 112: First slave BMS 113: Second slave BMS 120: External storage device 130: Memory space 410:Memory 411: First Area 412: Second Area 420: Processor 430: Transmitter / receiver 440: Input interface device 450: Output interface device 460:Storage device 470: Bus

Claims

1. A battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure, A plurality of slave BMSs; and a master BMS connected to the plurality of slave BMSs; A battery system in which the master BMS identifies an application target of a control program input from outside for battery management during operation of the battery system, and transmits the control program corresponding to the application target to the application target.

2. The master BMS: If the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, comparing version information of each of the plurality of slave BMSs with version information of the control program; The battery system of claim 1 , wherein a specific slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program is determined as the application target, and the control program is transmitted to the application target.

3. The master BMS: The battery system according to claim 2 , wherein the control program is transmitted to the storage space of the application target.

4. The specific slave BMS is Deleting a control program pre-stored in a first area of ​​a memory of the specific slave BMS; The battery system according to claim 2 , wherein the control program stored in the storage space of the specific slave BMS is copied and stored in the second area of ​​the memory.

5. The specific slave BMS is The battery system according to claim 4 , wherein, when a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS, the control program stored in the second area is copied and stored in the first area.

6. The plurality of slave BMSs include: At least one first slave BMS and a second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure; The battery system according to claim 1 , wherein the second slave BMS is a lower hierarchy of the first slave BMS.

7. The master BMS: If the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, transmitting a control program of the second slave BMS to a storage space of the first slave BMS; The first slave BMS, The battery system according to claim 6 , wherein the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been transmitted to the storage space of the first slave BMS, is transmitted to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

8. The master BMS: If the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, comparing at least one version information individually received from the plurality of second slave BMSs with version information of at least one of the control programs; The battery system according to claim 6, wherein a specific second slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program is determined as the target of application, and the at least one control program is transmitted to the storage space of the target of application.

9. The second slave BMS Deleting a control program previously stored in a first area of ​​a memory of the second slave BMS; The battery system according to claim 7 , wherein the control program stored in the storage space of the second slave BMS is copied and stored in the second area of ​​the memory.

10. The second slave BMS The battery system according to claim 9 , wherein, when a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS, the control program stored in the second area is copied and stored in the first area.

11. The battery system of claim 2 or 8, wherein the storage space includes an external memory.

12. 10. The battery system of claim 4, wherein the first region is an inactive region and the second region is an active region.

13. A method for operating a battery system including a plurality of BMSs having a hierarchical structure, comprising: a master BMS acquiring an externally input control program for battery management during operation of the battery system; The master BMS identifies each of the control program application targets; and A method for operating a battery system, comprising a step in which the master BMS transmits a control program corresponding to the application to the application.

14. The step of the master BMS identifying each of the application targets of the control program includes: If the control program is a control program applied to a slave BMS, the master BMS compares version information of the control program with version information of each of a plurality of slave BMSs connected to the master BMS; and The method of claim 13 , further comprising the step of determining, by the master BMS, a specific slave BMS having a lower version than the version information of the control program as the target of application.

15. The step of the master BMS transmitting a control program corresponding to the application object to the application object, The method for operating a battery system according to claim 14 , further comprising the step of the master BMS transmitting the control program to the storage space of the application.

16. When a control program of a specific slave BMS is stored in the storage space, the specific slave BMS deletes the control program previously stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and 15. The method for operating a battery system according to claim 14, further comprising the step of the specific slave BMS copying the control program stored in the storage space of the specific slave BMS and storing the copy in the second area of ​​the memory.

17. the particular slave BMS receiving a retry signal from the master BMS; The specific slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second area and stores the copy in the first area; and The method for operating a battery system according to claim 16, further comprising the step of re-executing the particular slave BMS.

18. The plurality of slave BMSs include: At least one first slave BMS and a second slave BMS having a hierarchical structure; The method for operating a battery system according to claim 14 , wherein the second slave BMS is a lower hierarchy of the first slave BMS.

19. The step of the master BMS transmitting a control program corresponding to the application object to the application object, If the control program is a control program applied to the second slave BMS, the master BMS transmits the control program of the second slave BMS to the storage space of the first slave BMS; and 19. The method for operating a battery system according to claim 18, further comprising a step of transmitting, by the first slave BMS, the control program of the second slave BMS, which has been transmitted to the storage space of the first slave BMS, to the storage space of the second slave BMS.

20. When the control program of the second slave BMS is stored in the storage space, the second slave BMS deletes the control program previously stored in the first area of ​​the memory; and 20. The method for operating a battery system according to claim 19, further comprising the step of the second slave BMS copying the control program stored in the memory space of the second slave BMS and storing the copy in the second area of ​​the memory.

21. When a re-execution signal is received from the master BMS, the second slave BMS copies the control program stored in the second area; and The method for operating a battery system according to claim 20, further comprising the step of the second slave BMS storing the copied control program in the first area.

Images