Battery management device and method

Abstract

A battery management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may include a determination unit that determines an off-grid state of a battery pack, and a power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack when the battery pack is in the off-grid state.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] [CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] The embodiments disclosed in this document claim the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0096729, filed on July 22, 2021, and all contents disclosed in the documents of that Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE The embodiments disclosed herein relate to battery management apparatus and methods. [Background technology]

[0003] A secondary battery is generally used as a battery pack including a battery module in which a plurality of battery cells are connected in series and / or parallel, and the state and operation of the battery pack are managed and controlled by a battery management system.

[0004] Such battery packs control the charge and discharge power within the maximum power range and usually do not deviate from the set maximum power range. However, in the case of off-grid battery packs that are separated from the power system, it is necessary to discharge power that exceeds the maximum power in order to respond to instantaneous loads. However, to ensure the lifespan of the battery pack and the safety of users, it is necessary to allow power that exceeds the maximum power (hereinafter referred to as peak power) for a certain period of time. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] An object of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery management device and method that can effectively respond to off-grid situations and efficiently use power by controlling discharge power at peak power for a certain period of time when a battery pack is in an off-grid state.

[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 determination unit that determines an off-grid state of a battery pack, and a power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack when the battery pack is in the off-grid state.

[0008] According to an embodiment, the power control unit may control the discharge power at the peak power for a preset time.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the power control unit may control the discharge power at the peak power when the battery pack is discharged at or below the maximum power for a certain period of time or more.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the power control unit may control the battery pack so that, when the battery pack is discharged at the peak power for a preset time, the battery pack is not allowed to be discharged at the peak power for a certain time.

[0011] According to an embodiment, the power control unit may control the discharge power at the peak power when the SOC of the battery pack is equal to or greater than a reference value.

[0012] According to an embodiment, the determination unit may determine an off-grid state of the battery pack based on an input signal received from an external source.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the determination unit may determine that the battery pack is in an off-grid state when the input signal is in a high state.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the maximum power and the peak power may be values ​​calculated based on the temperature and SOC of the battery pack.

[0015] A battery management method according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a step of determining an off-grid state of a battery pack, and a step of controlling discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in the off-grid state of the battery pack.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the step of controlling the discharge power may include controlling the discharge power at the peak power for a preset time.

[0017] According to an embodiment, controlling the discharge power may control the discharge power at the peak power if the battery pack has been discharged at or below the maximum power for a certain period of time or more.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the step of controlling the discharge power may be controlled such that if the battery pack is discharged at the peak power for a reference time, the battery pack is not allowed to discharge at the peak power for a certain time.

[0019] According to an embodiment, controlling the discharge power may control the discharge power at the peak power when the SOC of the battery pack is equal to or greater than a reference value. Effect of the Invention

[0020] The battery management device and method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can effectively respond to off-grid situations and efficiently use power by controlling the discharge power at peak power for a certain period of time when the battery pack is in an off-grid state. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a battery control system including a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document. [Diagram 2] 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein; [Diagram 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein; [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein. [Diagram 5] 1 is a flow chart illustrating a battery management method according to one embodiment disclosed herein. [Figure 6] 1 is a block diagram showing a hardware configuration of a computer system implementing a battery management method according to an embodiment disclosed herein; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] Hereinafter, various embodiments disclosed in the present document will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this document, the same components in the drawings will be designated by the same reference numerals, and duplicate descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

[0023] Specific structural or functional descriptions of the various embodiments disclosed in this document are merely exemplary for purposes of describing the embodiments, and the various embodiments disclosed in this document may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in this document.

[0024] The terms "first," "second," "primary," or "second" used in the various embodiments may modify various components regardless of order and / or importance, and are not intended to limit the components. For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be named instead of a first component, without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0025] The terms used in this document are merely used to describe a particular embodiment and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. A singular expression can include a plural expression unless otherwise clearly defined in the context.

[0026] All terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, may have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art of the embodiments disclosed herein. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries may be interpreted as having the same or similar meaning as they have in the context of the relevant art, and unless expressly defined in this document, they are not interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense. In some cases, even if a term is defined in this document, it should not be interpreted to exclude the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0027] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a battery control system including a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0028] 1, a battery control system 1 may include a battery pack 10 and a host controller 20. The battery pack 10 may include a battery module 12, a sensor 14, a switching unit 16, and a battery management device 100. The battery pack 10 may include a plurality of battery modules 12, sensors 14, switching units 16, and battery management devices 100. The battery packs 10 may be connected in series or parallel and communicate with an externally provided host controller 20.

[0029] The battery module 12 may include one or more battery cells capable of being charged and discharged. In this case, the battery modules 12 may be connected in series or in parallel. The sensor 14 may detect the voltage of the battery pack 10 or the current flowing through the battery pack 10. In this case, the current detection signal may be transmitted to the battery management device 100. The switching unit 16 is connected in series to the (+) terminal side and the (-) terminal side of the battery module 12, and thus may control the flow of the charging and discharging current of the battery module 12. For example, the switching unit 16 may be at least one switch, a relay, a magnetic contactor, etc., depending on the specifications of the battery pack 10.

[0030] The battery management device 100 can monitor the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery pack 10 and control and manage it to prevent overcharging and over-discharging, etc., and for example, the battery management device 100 can be a battery management system (BMS) of the battery pack 10.

[0031] The battery management device 100 is an interface for receiving input of measured values ​​of various parameters, and may include a plurality of terminals and a circuit connected to the terminals for processing the input values. The battery management device 100 may also control the ON / OFF of a switching unit 16, such as a switch, relay, or contactor, and may be connected to a plurality of battery modules 12 to monitor the states of the battery cells.

[0032] Meanwhile, the battery management device 100 disclosed in this document can control the charging and discharging power of the battery pack 10 according to the voltage of the battery pack 10. For example, the battery management device 100 can calculate the maximum power and peak power of the battery pack. Also, the battery management device 100 can control the discharging power of the battery pack 10 according to the calculated maximum power and peak power. The configuration of the battery management device 100 will be described in detail later with reference to FIG. 2.

[0033] The upper controller 20 may transmit various control signals for the battery module 12 to the battery management device 100. For example, the upper controller 20 may be an inverter system. Thus, the operation of the battery management device 100 may be controlled based on the signals applied from the upper controller 20. In addition, the upper controller 20 may be connected to the battery management device 100 via a DC / DC port of the battery pack 10.

[0034] Meanwhile, the battery cells of the present disclosure may be configured to be included in a battery module 12 used in an electric vehicle. However, the battery pack 10 of FIG. 1 is not limited to such an application, and may include, for example, a battery rack of an energy storage system (ESS) instead of the battery pack 10 of FIG. 1.

[0035] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 2 , a battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein may include a determination unit 110 and a power control unit 120 .

[0037] The determination unit 110 may determine an off-grid state of the battery pack 10. In this case, the determination unit 110 may determine the off-grid state of the battery pack 10 based on an input signal received from the outside. For example, the determination unit 110 may determine that the battery pack 10 is in an off-grid state when the input signal is in a high state (e.g., when the input voltage is equal to or higher than a critical value).

[0038] For example, the determination unit 110 may determine the off-grid state of the battery pack 10 based on a voltage signal input from a higher-level controller (e.g., an inverter system) via a DC / DC port of the battery pack 10 described in Fig. 1. At this time, the input signal may be a signal for driving a black start function of the battery pack 10.

[0039] In an off-grid state of the battery pack 10, the power control unit 120 may control the discharge power to a peak power that is greater than the maximum power for charging and discharging the battery pack 10. Here, the maximum power and the peak power of the battery pack 10 may be values ​​calculated based on the temperature and SOC of the battery pack 10.

[0040] Specifically, when a set operating condition is satisfied, the power control unit 120 may control the discharge power of the battery pack 10 at the peak power for a preset time (e.g., 3 seconds). In this case, the power control unit 120 may control the discharge power at the peak power when the battery pack 10 has been discharged at a power equal to or lower than the maximum power for a certain time or more (e.g., 180 seconds).

[0041] In addition, if the battery pack 10 discharges at peak power for a preset time, the power control unit 120 may control the battery pack 10 so that it cannot discharge at the peak power for a certain period of time thereafter in order to ensure the life of the battery pack 10 and the safety of the user.

[0042] In addition, the power control unit 120 may control the discharge power at the peak power when the SOC of the battery pack 10 is equal to or higher than a reference value. For example, the power control unit 120 may discharge at the peak power only when the SOC of the battery pack 10 is equal to or higher than a minimum of 30%. However, the peak power control condition of the power control unit 120 is not limited thereto, and various factors such as voltage, temperature, capacity, and SOH may be included in the control condition in addition to the SOC.

[0043] In this manner, the battery management device 100 according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can effectively respond to off-grid situations and efficiently use power by controlling the discharge power at peak power for a certain period of time when the battery pack 10 is in an off-grid state.

[0044] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0045] 3, the horizontal axis indicates time (seconds) and the vertical axis indicates the discharge power (kW) of the battery pack 10. Each graph shown in FIG. 3 also indicates the maximum power (current power limit) (e.g., 7 kW) and peak power (available power limit) (e.g., 11 kW) of the battery pack 10.

[0046] 3, the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein may discharge the battery pack 10 up to a peak power of 11 kW in an off-grid state after a certain time (e.g., 180 seconds) has elapsed after the battery pack 10 discharges in a maximum power range of 7 kW, in an off-grid state. In this case, the battery management device 100 may discharge the battery pack 10 up to a peak power range of 11 kW again after discharging the battery pack 10 at the peak power for a preset time (e.g., 3 seconds).

[0047] In addition, the battery management device 100 according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can discharge at peak power again after a certain period of time (e.g., 180 seconds) has elapsed after discharging at peak power for a preset period of time.

[0048] FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating the operation of a battery management device according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0049] 4, the maximum power of the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is 7 kW and the peak power is 11 kW, for example. However, the maximum power and the peak power of the battery management device 100 disclosed herein are not limited thereto. In addition, in FIG. 4, T1 is the time when the battery pack 10 is discharged at the peak power, and T2 is the time when the battery pack 10 is discharged at a power lower than the maximum power.

[0050] First, the battery management device 100 may determine whether an input signal applied to the battery pack 10 is high (S11). That is, in step S11, if the input signal is in a high state (e.g., if the input voltage is equal to or greater than a critical value), it may be determined that the battery pack 10 is in an off-grid state.

[0051] Also, it is determined whether the current discharge power of the battery pack 10 is 7 kW or more (S12). If the discharge power of the battery pack 10 is less than 7 kW (NO), it is determined whether the current available power of the battery pack 10 is the maximum power of 7 kW (S13). If the available power of the battery pack 10 is 7 kW (YES), it is determined whether T2 is a certain time or more (180 seconds in the example of FIG. 4) (S14). Also, if T2 is 180 seconds or more (YES), it is determined whether the SOC of the battery pack 10 is a reference value or more (30% in the example of FIG. 4) (S15).

[0052] If the SOC of the battery pack 10 is 30% or more in step S15 (YES), the maximum available power of the battery pack 10 can be set to the peak power of 11 kW (S23). However, if any one of the conditions in steps S13 to S15 cannot be met (NO), the available power can be set to the maximum power of 7 kW after adding a count of T2 (S16) (S17).

[0053] Meanwhile, in step S12, if the discharge power of the battery pack 10 is 7 kW or more (YES), it is determined whether T1 is less than a preset time (3 seconds in the example of FIG. 4) (S18). If T1 is less than 3 seconds (YES), it is determined whether the current available power is 7 kW or more (S19). If the available power of the battery pack 10 is 7 kW or more (YES), the maximum available power of the battery pack 10 can be set to 11 kW, which is the peak power (S23). Meanwhile, if the battery pack 10 does not satisfy any one of the conditions of steps S18 and S19 (NO), the process proceeds to step S20, where the count of T1 is initialized and the count of T2 is added (S21). Also, the available power of the battery pack 10 is set to the maximum power (S22).

[0054] Meanwhile, in step S23, when the available power of the battery pack 10 is set to 11 kW, which is the peak power, the count of T2 is initialized (S24) and the count of T1 can be added (S25). In this manner, the battery management device 100 according to an embodiment disclosed herein can efficiently control the power of the battery pack 10 during off-grid operation by discharging at the peak power for a set time when the SOC of the battery pack 10 is equal to or greater than a reference value after a certain time has elapsed since the battery pack 10 was discharged at the maximum power range.

[0055] FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a battery management method according to one embodiment disclosed herein.

[0056] 5, the battery management method according to an embodiment disclosed herein may first determine an off-grid state of the battery pack (S110). In this case, in step S110, the off-grid state of the battery pack 10 may be determined based on an input signal received from the outside. For example, in step S110, it may be determined that the battery pack 10 is in an off-grid state when the input signal is in a high state (e.g., when the input voltage is equal to or greater than a critical value).

[0057] For example, in step S110, the off-grid state of the battery pack 10 may be determined based on a voltage signal input from a higher-level controller (e.g., an inverter system) via a DC / DC port of the battery pack 10 described in Fig. 1. At this time, the input signal may be a signal for driving a blackstart function of the battery pack 10.

[0058] In addition, in the off-grid state of the battery pack, the discharge power can be controlled to a peak power that is greater than the maximum power for charging and discharging the battery pack (S120). Here, the maximum power and the peak power of the battery pack 10 may be values ​​calculated based on the temperature and SOC of the battery pack 10.

[0059] Specifically, in step S120, if the set operating conditions are satisfied, the discharge power of the battery pack 10 may be controlled at the peak power for a preset time (e.g., 3 seconds). In this case, in step S120, if the time during which the battery pack 10 is discharged at or below the maximum power is equal to or longer than a certain time (e.g., 180 seconds), the discharge power may be controlled at the peak power.

[0060] In addition, in step S120, if the battery pack 10 is discharged at the peak power for a preset time, in order to ensure the life of the battery pack 10 and the safety of the user, it is possible to control so that the battery pack 10 is not discharged at the peak power for a certain period of time thereafter.

[0061] Also, in step S120, the discharge power may be controlled at the peak power when the SOC of the battery pack 10 is equal to or greater than a reference value. For example, in step S120, the discharge may be performed at the peak power only when the SOC of the battery pack 10 is equal to or greater than a minimum of 30%. However, the peak power control condition in step S120 is not limited thereto, and various factors such as voltage, temperature, capacity, and SOH may be included in the control condition in addition to the SOC.

[0062] In this manner, the battery management method according to one embodiment disclosed in this document can effectively respond to off-grid situations and efficiently use power by controlling the discharge power at peak power for a certain period of time when the battery pack is in an off-grid state.

[0063] FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a computer system for implementing a battery management method according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0064] Referring to FIG. 6, a computer 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.

[0065] The MCU 1010 may be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., a battery maximum / peak power calculation program, a battery pack power control program, etc.) stored in the memory 1020, processes various data including the battery pack voltage and charge / discharge power through such programs, and performs the functions of the battery management device shown in FIG. 2 described above.

[0066] The memory 1020 can store various programs related to calculation of maximum and peak power of the battery pack, charge / discharge power control, etc. The memory 1020 can also store various data such as the voltage and power of the battery pack.

[0067] 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.

[0068] 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 transmit and receive data.

[0069] The communication I / F 1040 is configured to be capable of transmitting and receiving various data to and from a server, and may be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, the communication I / F 1040 may transmit and receive programs and various data for calculating the power of the battery pack and controlling the charging and discharging power from a separately provided external server.

[0070] In this manner, a computer program according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may be recorded in memory 1020 and processed by MCU 1010 to be embodied as a module that performs each function shown in FIG. 2, for example.

[0071] Although it has been described above that all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document are combined into one or operate in combination, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. In other words, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all components can be selectively combined into one or more components and operate.

[0072] In addition, the terms "comprise", "constitute" or "have" described above mean that the relevant element may be present, unless otherwise specified, and should be interpreted as including other elements, not excluding other elements. All terms, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted as consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as idealized or overly formal, unless expressly defined in this document.

[0073] The above description is merely an illustrative example of the technical ideas disclosed in this document, and a person having ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong may make various modifications and variations within the scope of the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to explain, not to limit, the technical ideas of the embodiments disclosed in this document, and the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this document is not limited by such embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed in this document should be interpreted according to the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document. [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1 Battery Control System 10 Battery Pack 12 Battery Module 14 Sensors 16 Switching section 20 Upper controller 100 Battery Management Device 110 Judgment section 120 Power Control Unit 1000 Computer Systems 1010 MCU 1020 Memory 1030 Input / Output Interface 1040 Communication I / F

Claims

1. A determination unit that determines an off-grid state of the battery pack; and A power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack. Including, The power control unit controls discharge power at the maximum power when the battery pack is in an off-grid state and the time during which the battery pack is discharged at or below the maximum power is less than a certain period of time.

2. A determination unit that determines an off-grid state of a battery pack; and A power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack. Including, The power control unit controls the discharge power at the peak power when the battery pack is discharged at or below the maximum power for a certain period of time or more.

3. A determination unit that determines an off-grid state of the battery pack; and A power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack. Including, The power control unit controls the battery pack so that, when the battery pack is discharged at the peak power for a preset time, the battery pack is not discharged at the peak power for a certain time.

4. A determination unit that determines an off-grid state of the battery pack; and A power control unit that controls discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack. Including, The power control unit controls the discharge power at the peak power when the SOC of the battery pack is equal to or higher than a reference value.

5. A battery management device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the power control unit controls the discharge power at the peak power for a predetermined time period.

6. The battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the determination unit determines an off-grid state of the battery pack based on an input signal received from an outside.

7. The battery management device of claim 6 , wherein the determination unit determines that the battery pack is in an off-grid state when the input signal is in a high state.

8. 5. The battery management device according to claim 1, wherein the maximum power and the peak power are values ​​calculated based on a temperature and an SOC of the battery pack.

9. determining an off-grid status of the battery pack; and controlling discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack; Including, The step of controlling the discharge power includes controlling the discharge power at the maximum power if the time during which the battery pack is discharged at or below the maximum power in an off-grid state is less than a certain time.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining an off-grid state of the battery pack; and controlling discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack; Including, The step of controlling the discharge power includes controlling the discharge power at the peak power when the battery pack is discharged at or below the maximum power for a predetermined period of time or more.

11. A method for determining an off-grid state of a battery pack, comprising: controlling discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack; Including, The step of controlling the discharge power includes controlling the battery pack so that, if the battery pack is discharged at the peak power for a reference time, the battery pack is not allowed to discharge at the peak power for a certain time.

12. A method for determining an off-grid state of a battery pack, comprising: controlling discharge power at a peak power greater than a maximum power of the battery pack in an off-grid state of the battery pack; Including, The step of controlling the discharge power comprises controlling the discharge power at the peak power when an SOC of the battery pack is equal to or greater than a reference value.

13. A battery management method described in any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the step of controlling the discharge power controls the discharge power at the peak power for a predetermined time.

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