Battery exchange station and battery charging method using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same. The battery exchange station and the battery charging method using the same charge at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit according to a normal mode, a rapid mode, and a discharge mode, thereby enabling rapid charging of a target battery using an allocated power provided from a grid and charging power of the charged battery without a separate power reinforcement construction, and adjusts a drain current of a battery that has been fully charged according to a discharge mode, thereby preventing a decrease in the lifespan of the battery caused by a fully charged state being maintained for a long period of time. A highly efficient and low-cost battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same can be provided.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] This application claims the benefit of the filing date of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0143778 filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on October 26, 2021, 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 exchange station and a battery charging method using the same, and more particularly to a battery exchange station capable of rapid charging and a battery charging method using the same. [Background technology]

[0003] As environmental pollution has emerged as a global social issue, various countries are implementing various regulations, such as exhaust gas regulations, to restrict the use of fuel-powered vehicles.

[0004] As a result, the automotive industry is turning its attention to the development of electric vehicle technology, which are environmentally friendly vehicles that are highly energy efficient and can utilize existing electrical infrastructure.

[0005] In the field of technological development for the commercialization of electric vehicles, not only is it necessary to develop components, but it is also essential to build a battery charging infrastructure.

[0006] Conventional battery swapping stations (BSS) for charging batteries are often installed as an add-on to existing buildings and power facilities, such as convenience stores and public institutions.

[0007] This means that conventional battery swap stations are provided in such a way that a portion of the base amount of electricity provided to existing buildings is allocated to them.

[0008] Therefore, conventional battery exchange stations have the disadvantage that it is difficult to perform quick charging, which requires a large amount of instantaneous power, and additional power reinforcement work is required for quick charging. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE In order to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient and low-cost battery exchange station.

[0010] Another object of the present invention to solve the above problems is to provide a highly efficient and low-cost method for charging batteries using a battery exchange station. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve the above object, a battery exchange station according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an AC / DC conversion unit that charges at least one battery individually accommodated in a battery charging unit, and converts external power provided in AC form into DC form, a DC / DC conversion unit having one end connected to the AC / DC conversion unit and the other end individually connected to at least one of the battery charging units, and individually providing a portion of the external power input from the AC / DC conversion unit to the battery charging unit, and a control unit that is connected to the DC / DC conversion unit, controls the operation of the DC / DC depending on whether it is operating in a normal mode or a rapid mode, and when operating in the rapid mode, selects a target battery from among the at least one of the batteries and rapidly charges the target battery.

[0012] At this time, the control unit, when operating in the normal mode, can operate the DC / DC conversion unit in a buck mode to output a portion of the external power as is.

[0013] Furthermore, the DC / DC converter can be provided as a bidirectional DC / DC converter.

[0014] Meanwhile, when operating in the rapid mode, the control unit can induce a charging current toward the target battery by changing the operating mode of the other DC / DC conversion units, except for the specific DC / DC conversion unit connected to the target battery, to a boost mode, and setting the output voltage of the other DC / DC conversion units higher than the output voltage of the specific DC / DC conversion unit to switch the power transmission direction.

[0015] The control unit may also operate in a discharge mode if there is no use of the battery exchange station by a user for a preset downtime.

[0016] The battery exchange station may further include a switch that is individually connected between the battery charging unit and the DC / DC conversion unit and is switched to an ON state when the control unit is in a discharge mode to ground the battery.

[0017] To achieve the above object, a battery charging method according to another embodiment of the present invention charges at least one battery individually accommodated in a battery charging unit by a battery exchange station, and includes the steps of: charging at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit; checking whether a battery exchange request message transmitted from a user via an external server has been received; operating in a normal mode to charge the at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit if the battery exchange request message has not been received; checking whether any of the at least one batteries has been fully charged if the battery exchange request message is received; and selecting a battery with the highest charging rate among the at least one battery at the time the battery exchange request message was transmitted as a target battery, and operating in a rapid mode to rapidly charge the target battery if no such battery has been charged.

[0018] Here, the step of quickly charging the target battery may include a step of selecting, as the target battery, a battery having the highest charging rate among the at least one battery at the time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted, if there is no battery whose charging has been completed; a step of checking user's expected arrival time information to check whether the target battery can be fully charged within the user's expected arrival time; and a step of operating in the fast mode to quickly charge the target battery if the target battery can be fully charged within the expected arrival time.

[0019] Meanwhile, if charging of the target battery is not completed within the expected arrival time, the method may further include maintaining operation in the normal mode and charging at least one battery whose charging is not completed.

[0020] In this case, in the rapid mode, the operating mode of other DC / DC conversion units, except for a specific DC / DC conversion unit connected to the target battery in the battery exchange station, is changed to a boost mode, and the input voltage of the other DC / DC conversion units is set higher than the output voltage of the specific DC / DC conversion unit to switch the power transmission direction, thereby inducing a charging current toward the target battery.

[0021] In addition, in the normal mode, at least one DC / DC converter in the battery exchange station may be operated in a buck mode to evenly distribute and output the external power.

[0022] Meanwhile, if there is a battery that has been fully charged, the method may further include maintaining operation in the normal mode and charging at least one battery that has not been fully charged.

[0023] The method may further include operating the battery exchange station in a discharge mode when a preset downtime is reached.

[0024] In this case, the step of operating in the discharge mode may include a step of determining whether or not the fully charged battery exists; if the fully charged battery exists, a step of determining whether or not there is a battery being charged among at least one battery other than the fully charged battery; and if there is no battery being charged, a step of discharging the fully charged battery at a battery drain magnitude.

[0025] Here, the battery drain may be the maximum current that can be discharged at one time from the battery.

[0026] The method may further include the step of switching a direction of output power of a DC / DC converter in the battery exchange station connected to the battery whose charging is completed, when at least one battery other than the battery whose charging is completed is being charged, and charging the at least one battery whose charging is being charged in the general mode.

[0027] Meanwhile, if there is no battery that has been fully charged, the method may further include operating in the normal mode to charge at least one battery that has not been fully charged.

[0028] The battery charging method may further include switching to a general mode and operating when the fully charged battery is replaced by a user. Effect of the Invention

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same charge at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit according to a normal mode, a rapid mode, and a discharge mode, thereby enabling rapid charging of a target battery using the allocated power provided from the grid and the charging power of the charged battery without a separate power reinforcement work, and by adjusting the drain current of a battery that has completed charging according to the discharge mode, a highly efficient and low-cost battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same can be provided, which prevents a reduction in the lifespan of a battery caused by the battery remaining in a fully charged state for a long period of time. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0030] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] 2 is a hardware block diagram of a control unit in a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a battery charging method using a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a flow chart of a battery charging method in a discharge mode of a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0031] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and has 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 embodiment, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present invention. Similar reference numerals are used for similar components while describing each drawing.

[0032] Terms such as first, second, A, B, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component, and similarly, a second component may be named 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 of multiple associated listed items.

[0033] When a component is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the component may be directly coupled or connected to the other component, but that there may be other components in between. In contrast, when a component is referred to as being "directly coupled" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0034] The terms used in this application are merely used to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "include" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and are not intended to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0035] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. 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.

[0036] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, the battery exchange station D can charge at least one battery acquired from a user and provide the charged battery to the user.

[0039] More specifically, the battery exchange station D may be provided with at least one facility that provides electric power. Thus, the battery exchange station D may receive the allocated power from the facility via a grid. Here, the allocated power may be power allocated from the facility to charge at least one battery accommodated in the battery exchange station D.

[0040] Hereinafter, the battery exchange station D according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail by its components.

[0041] The battery exchange station D may include a battery charging unit (not shown), an AC / DC conversion unit 1000 , a DC / DC conversion unit 3000 , a switch unit 5000 and a control unit 7000 .

[0042] In addition, the battery exchange station D may be linked to an external server, so that the battery exchange station D may receive a battery exchange request message from a user via the external server.

[0043] The battery charging unit (not shown) is provided in a plurality of units and can accommodate at least one battery that is externally inserted by a user. Thus, the battery exchange station D can charge at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit (not shown). For example, the battery accommodated in the battery charging unit (not shown) may have a voltage of 100V, a current capacity of 30000mAh, and a power amount of 3000Wh.

[0044] In addition, the battery exchange station D can provide a fully charged battery among the batteries accommodated in at least one battery charger (not shown) to a user.

[0045] A maximum charging current can be set in the battery charging unit (not shown), so that the control unit 7000, which will be described later, can prevent the battery from being fully charged and degraded before the user arrives at the battery exchange station D when operating in the fast mode.

[0046] A plurality of AC / DC converters 1000 may be provided and may be individually connected to a battery charger (not shown) via DC / DC converters 3000, which will be described later.

[0047] In other words, one end of the AC / DC converter 1000 may be connected to the grid, and the other end may be individually connected to the DC / DC converter 3000, which will be described later. Thus, the AC / DC converter 1000 may individually transfer the allocated power provided through the grid of the facility to a battery charger (not shown) via the DC / DC converter 3000.

[0048] According to the embodiment, the AC / DC converter 1000 can divide the allocated power provided from the grid and provide it to the DC / DC converter 3000 according to the amount of power distributed by the control unit 7000. Thus, the DC / DC converter 3000 can transmit the divided amount of power to each battery charger (not shown).

[0049] At this time, the AC / DC converter 1000 can convert the type of the allocated power provided through the grid. For example, the AC / DC converter 1000 can convert the allocated power in the form of AC provided through the grid into DC and provide it separately to a battery charger (not shown). Thus, a battery that is accommodated in the battery charger (not shown) and uses a DC power source can be charged.

[0050] As described above, one end of the DC / DC converter 3000 may be individually connected to the AC / DC converter 1000 and the other end may be individually connected to a battery charging unit (not shown). Thus, the DC / DC converter 3000 may stably supply the DC power received from the AC / DC converter 1000 to a battery accommodated in the battery charging unit (not shown). For example, the DC / DC converter 3000 may be provided as a bidirectional DC / DC converter.

[0051] In addition, the DC / DC converter 3000 may be connected to a control unit 7000, which will be described later. Thus, the DC / DC converter 3000 may operate in a buck mode or a boost mode depending on a charging mode of the control unit 7000.

[0052] More specifically, according to an embodiment, when the control unit 7000 operates in a normal mode, the DC / DC conversion unit 3000 may operate in a buck mode. In the buck mode, the DC / DC conversion unit 3000 may directly output the input power input from the AC / DC conversion unit 1000, which is individually connected to the DC / DC conversion unit 3000.

[0053] To explain this in more detail according to another embodiment, when the control unit 7000 operates in the fast mode, a part of the DC / DC conversion unit 3000 may operate in a boost mode by switching the direction of charging power from a battery charger (not shown) to a grid by the control unit 7000. The input side and the output side in the boost mode may be opposite to the input side and the output side in the buck mode.

[0054] More specifically, the quick mode may be an operation mode of the control unit 7000 executed when a battery exchange request message is received from a user via an external server. In the quick mode, a target battery to be exchanged may be selected and quick charging of the target battery may be performed.

[0055] For quick charging of the target battery, at least one other DC / DC converter 3000 other than the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to the target battery may have a power transmission direction switched from a battery charging unit (not shown) to a grid direction by the control unit 7000. Thus, at least one other DC / DC converter 3000 may transmit charging power of at least one battery connected to the DC / DC converter 3000 to the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to the target battery.

[0056] In other words, when the control unit 7000 operates in the fast mode, at least one other DC / DC conversion unit 3000 than the specific DC / DC conversion unit 3000 connected to the target battery may operate in the boost mode.

[0057] According to the embodiment, at least one other DC / DC converter 3000 operating in boost mode can change the output voltage by adjusting the ratio of the opening and closing times.

[0058] For example, when the output voltage of the AC / DC converter 1000 is 400 Vdc, the output voltage of the output side of the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to the target battery, connected to the AC / DC converter 1000, can be changed to 399 Vdc by the control unit 7000.

[0059] In addition, at least one other DC / DC converter 3000 operating in buck mode, other than the DC / DC converter connected to the target battery, may adjust the input voltage of the input side connected to the AC / DC converter 1000 to 400 Vdc. Therefore, when the control unit 7000 operates in rapid mode, the target battery can be rapidly charged through the DC / DC converter 3000 operating in boost mode.

[0060] The normal mode and the fast mode will be described in more detail when the control unit 7000 is described later.

[0061] The switch unit 5000 may be individually connected between a battery charging unit (not shown) and the DC / DC conversion unit 3000 .

[0062] Furthermore, when the control unit 7000 is in a discharge mode, the switch unit 5000 is switched to an ON state to ground the battery, thereby discharging the battery.

[0063] More specifically, when all the batteries in the battery exchange station D are fully charged or charged above a certain level by the control unit 7000, the switch unit 5000 can turn on the switch connected to the fully charged battery and discharge it to the extent of the battery drain.

[0064] Here, the battery drain may be the maximum current that can be discharged at one time from the battery, and the magnitude of the battery drain may be individually adjusted by a resistor R connected to the ground.

[0065] The control unit 7000 can control the battery charging operation of the battery exchange station D.

[0066] More specifically, the control unit 7000 can operate in a normal mode, a rapid mode, and a discharge mode.

[0067] The general mode may be a basic charging mode that is performed when at least one battery is attached to a battery charging unit (not shown).

[0068] According to an embodiment, the control unit 7000 can equally distribute and supply the allocated power transmitted from the grid to at least one battery charger (not shown) in the general mode.

[0069] For example, when operating in a general mode, if the allocated power is 10 KWh and four battery chargers (not shown) are provided, the control unit 7000 can supply 2.5 KWh of charging power to each battery charger (not shown).

[0070] In addition, in the general mode, a battery charging unit (not shown) can charge the battery contained in the battery charging unit (not shown) at a 0.5 C-rate via the control unit 7000, and can supply a charging current of 15 A.

[0071] Here, the C-rate may be the amount of charge that can be achieved for a given time when the battery is charged at a specific constant current. For example, when a battery with a charging capacity of 3000 mA / h is used, a battery charging unit (not shown) may output a maximum charging current of 300 mA at a C-rate of 0.5.

[0072] The rapid mode may be a mode that is executed when a user receives a battery replacement message via an external server.

[0073] When the control unit 7000 operates in the fast mode as described above, the control unit 7000 may select a target battery for fast charging. Here, the target battery is a battery to be replaced at the request of a user, and a battery having the highest charging rate at the time when a battery replacement request message is transmitted among at least one battery accommodated in the battery replacement station D may be selected as the target battery.

[0074] Thereafter, the control unit 7000 may change the operation mode of the other DC / DC converters 3000 except the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to the target battery to the boost mode. At this time, the control unit 7000 may set the input voltage of at least one other battery except the target battery higher than the output voltage of the target battery, so that the target battery may be rapidly charged using the allocated power provided from the grid and the charging power of the battery connected to the other DC / DC converter 3000.

[0075] At this time, the control unit 7000 may calculate an allowable current value by setting a threshold value for the current transmitted to the target battery so that charging of the target battery can be completed at the time when the user has arrived.

[0076] To explain the method of calculating the allowable current value in more detail, the control unit 7000 may check the state current of the selected target battery. According to an embodiment, the state current of the battery may be provided in mAh units.

[0077] Thereafter, the control unit 7000 can calculate the battery state of charge required to complete charging of the target battery.

[0078] According to an embodiment, the charge capacity of the target battery may be a value obtained by subtracting the state current of the target battery at the time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted from the maximum current capacity of the target battery.

[0079] The control unit 7000 can check the user's estimated arrival time information at the battery exchange station D included in the battery exchange request message.

[0080] Thereafter, the control unit 7000 controls the allowable current (I P ) can be calculated.

[0081] According to the embodiment, the allowable current value (I P ) can be calculated using the following formula 1.

[0082] [Number 1] I P =(((A total -A current ) / T min ) / 60) / 1000 I P : The target battery's permissible current per hour (Ah) A total : Maximum current capacity of the target battery (mA) A current :Target battery status current (mA) T min : User's expected arrival time (min)

[0083] For example, the control unit 7000 can supply an allowable current of 60A to the target battery in the fast mode, and to this end, the control unit 7000 can discharge at least one other battery other than the target battery at a 2C-rate.

[0084] Here, the C-rate may be the amount of discharge that can be achieved for a given time when the battery is discharged at a specific constant current. For example, when a battery with a charging capacity of 3000mA / h is used, the battery can output a maximum charging current of 1200mA at a 2C-rate.

[0085] Conventional battery chargers set the maximum current for charging the battery without considering the allowable current for charging the battery, which resulted in the battery being fully charged before the user arrived and the battery continuing to be charged even after it was fully charged, accelerating battery deterioration.

[0086] Meanwhile, the control unit 7000 in the battery exchange station D according to an embodiment of the present invention can prevent deterioration of the battery by setting an allowable current value for adjusting the real-time charging time of the battery so that charging of the target battery can be completed according to the user's expected arrival time.

[0087] The discharge mode may be a control mode that is activated when a certain amount of time has elapsed after the battery has been fully charged.

[0088] For example, the control unit 7000 can control the switch operation to the On state depending on whether there is a specific battery that has completed charging among at least one battery housed in the battery charging unit (not shown) and whether there is a battery being charged among the other batteries other than the specific battery.

[0089] According to an embodiment, when there is a battery being charged among the other batteries, the control unit 7000 can switch the charging direction of the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to a specific battery that has completed charging. In this way, the control unit 7000 can increase the charging power of the battery being charged and prevent the lifespan (State of Health, SoH) of a fully charged battery from being reduced.

[0090] According to another embodiment, when all the batteries are fully charged or charged to a certain level or more, the control unit 7000 may turn on at least one switch unit 5000 connected to a fully charged battery to discharge the battery at a drain level. For example, the control unit 7000 may discharge the battery at a drain level until the battery's SOC is 90%.

[0091] The operation of the control unit 7000 according to the control mode will be described in more detail when describing the battery charging method described later.

[0092] Also, the controller 7000 may be operated by at least one hardware configuration, which will be described in more detail with reference to FIG.

[0093] FIG. 2 is a hardware block diagram of a control unit in a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 2, the control unit 7000 may include a memory 100 , a processor 200 , a transceiver unit 300 , an input interface unit 400 , an output interface unit 500 and a storage unit 600 .

[0095] According to the embodiment, each of the components 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 included in the control unit 7000 is connected to a bus 700 so as to be able to communicate with each other.

[0096] Among the above configurations 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, and 600 of the control unit 7000, the memory 100 and the storage device 600 may be composed of at least one of a volatile storage medium and a non-volatile storage medium. For example, the memory 100 and the storage device 600 may be composed of at least one of a read only memory (ROM) and a random access memory (RAM).

[0097] Among other things, memory 100 may contain at least one instruction that is executed by processor 200 .

[0098] According to an embodiment, the at least one command may include a command to charge at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit, a command to check whether a battery exchange request message transmitted from a user via an external server has been received, a command to operate in a normal mode and charge at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit if the battery exchange request message has not been received, a command to check whether any of the at least one batteries has been fully charged if the battery exchange request message is received, and a command to select a battery with the highest charging rate at the time the battery exchange request message was transmitted as a target battery and operate in a fast mode to quickly charge the target battery if no battery has been fully charged.

[0099] The processor 200 may represent 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.

[0100] The processor 200 is capable of executing at least one program command stored in the memory 100, as described above.

[0101] Having described above the battery exchange station according to the embodiment of the present invention, a battery charging method according to the operation of the control unit of the battery exchange station will now be described in more detail.

[0102] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of a battery charging method using a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0103] 3, a control unit 7000 in a battery exchange station can charge at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit (not shown) (S1000). At this time, the control unit 7000 can charge at least one battery in a normal mode.

[0104] According to an embodiment, the control unit 7000 can equally distribute and supply the allocated power transmitted from the grid to at least one battery charger (not shown) in the general mode.

[0105] For example, if the allocated power is 10 KWh and four battery chargers (not shown) are provided, each battery charger (not shown) can be supplied with 2.5 KWh of charging power.

[0106] The control unit 7000 may operate in a discharge mode (S3000) when the battery exchange station D reaches a preset downtime (S2000), where the downtime may be a time (T) that has elapsed since at least one battery charged in a battery charger (not shown) is fully charged.

[0107] Generally, the longer a battery is maintained in a fully charged state, the faster the battery may deteriorate. For this reason, the control unit 7000 may operate in a discharge mode when at least one battery is fully charged and reaches a preset pause time (S2000). The operation of the control unit 7000 in the discharge mode will be described in more detail with reference to FIG. 4 below.

[0108] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of a battery charging method in a discharging mode in a battery exchange station according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0109] Referring to FIG. 4, when operating in a discharging mode, the control unit 7000 can check whether a fully charged battery is present (S3100).

[0110] At this time, if there is no battery that has been completely charged, the control unit 7000 maintains the operation in the normal mode (S3300) and can charge at least one battery that has not been completely charged.

[0111] On the other hand, if a fully charged battery is present, the control unit 7000 can check whether a battery being charged is present (S3500).

[0112] According to an embodiment, when batteries other than a specific battery that has been fully charged are being charged, the control unit 7000 may switch the charging direction of the DC / DC converter 3000 connected to the specific battery. Thereafter, the control unit 7000 may maintain operation in the general mode (S3300). As a result, the control unit 7000 may increase the charging power of the batteries being charged by distributing the allocated power to the remaining battery chargers (not shown) other than the battery charger (not shown) that has been fully charged, thereby preventing a decrease in the state of health (SoH) of a fully charged battery.

[0113] According to another embodiment, when there is no battery being charged, in other words, when all batteries have been fully charged, the control unit 7000 can turn on at least one switch unit 5000 connected to a fully charged battery to discharge the battery to the drain level (S3700).

[0114] Here, the battery drain may be the maximum current that can be discharged at one time from the battery, and the magnitude of the battery drain may be individually adjusted by a resistor R connected to the ground.

[0115] According to the embodiment, the control unit 7000 can discharge the battery at a battery drain rate until the battery's state of charge (SOC) is stable. For example, the control unit 7000 can discharge the battery at a battery drain rate until the battery's state of charge (SOC) is 90%.

[0116] Meanwhile, the battery discharged at the magnitude of the battery drain according to the embodiment of the present invention is not limited to what has been described, and may be a fully charged battery or a battery charged to a certain level or more set by the user.

[0117] 3 again, if the downtime has not been reached (S2000), the control unit 7000 may check whether a battery exchange request message transmitted from a user via an external server has been received (S4000). For example, the battery exchange request message may include information about an expected arrival time of a user moving toward a battery exchange station. For example, the information about the expected arrival time may be provided in minutes.

[0118] According to one embodiment, if a battery exchange request message is not received, the control unit 7000 maintains operation in the normal mode (S5000) and can charge at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit (not shown).

[0119] According to another embodiment, when a battery exchange request message is received, the control unit 7000 may check whether or not a fully charged battery is present among at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit (not shown) (S6000). According to the embodiment, the control unit 7000 may check the charging current capacity (mAh) of at least one battery at the time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted to check whether or not a fully charged battery is present.

[0120] At this time, if a fully charged battery is present, the control unit 7000 maintains operation in the normal mode (S5000) and can charge at least one battery that has not yet been fully charged.

[0121] Meanwhile, if there is no fully charged battery, the control unit 7000 may select the battery with the highest charging rate at the time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted as the target battery.

[0122] Thereafter, the control unit 7000 checks the user's expected arrival time information to determine whether the target battery can be fully charged within the user's expected arrival time (S7000).

[0123] More specifically, the control unit 7000 can calculate the sum of the allocated power transmitted from the grid and the allowable power (see Equation 1) obtained from at least one battery other than the target battery, and determine whether full charging is possible within the user's expected arrival time.

[0124] According to one embodiment, if the target battery cannot be fully charged within the expected arrival time, the control unit 7000 may maintain operation in the normal mode (S5000).

[0125] According to another embodiment, if the target battery can be fully charged within the expected arrival time, the control unit 7000 may be switched to and operated in the rapid mode (S8000).

[0126] More specifically, as described above, in the rapid mode, the control unit 7000 can change the operation mode of the DC / DC conversion units 3000 other than the DC / DC conversion unit 3000 connected to the target battery to the boost mode.

[0127] The control unit 7000 sets the input voltage of at least one other battery other than the target battery higher than the target battery voltage, so that the control unit 7000 can rapidly charge the target battery using the charging current flowing from the at least one other battery together with the allocated power provided from the grid.

[0128] Thereafter, when the user replaces the fully charged battery (S9000), the control unit 7000 can change the charging mode to the normal mode and restart charging the replaced discharged battery.

[0129] The battery exchange station and the battery charging method using the same according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above.

[0130] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same charge at least one battery accommodated in a battery charging unit according to a normal mode, a rapid mode, and a discharge mode, thereby enabling rapid charging of a target battery using the allocated power provided from the grid and the charging power of the charged battery without a separate power reinforcement work, and by adjusting the drain current of a battery that has completed charging according to the discharge mode, a highly efficient and low-cost battery exchange station and a battery charging method using the same can be provided, which prevents a reduction in the lifespan of a battery caused by the battery remaining in a fully charged state for a long period of time.

[0131] The operation of the method according to the embodiment of the present invention can be embodied as a computer readable program or code in a computer readable recording medium. The computer readable recording medium includes all kinds of recording devices in which data that can be read by a computer system is stored. In addition, the computer readable recording medium can be distributed to computer systems connected via a network, and the computer readable program or code can be stored and executed in a distributed manner.

[0132] Additionally, the computer readable recording medium may include a hardware device specially configured to store and execute program instructions, such as a ROM, a RAM, a flash memory, etc. The program instructions may include not only machine code, such as produced by a compiler, but also high-level language code that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0133] Some aspects of the invention have been described in the context of an apparatus, but it may also be presented in terms of a corresponding method, where a block or apparatus corresponds to a method step or a feature of a method step. Similarly, aspects described in the context of a method may be presented 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.

[0134] Although the present invention has been described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the following claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0135] D: Battery exchange station R: Earth resistance 1000: AC / DC conversion section 3000: DC / DC conversion section 5000: Switch section 7000: Control unit 100:Memory 200: Processor 300: Transmitter / receiver 400: Input interface device 500: Output interface device 600: Storage device 700: Bus

Claims

1. A battery swapping station (BSS) for charging at least one battery individually accommodated in a battery charging unit, an AC / DC converter that converts external power provided in an AC form into a DC form; a DC / DC conversion unit having one end connected to the AC / DC conversion unit and the other end individually connected to at least one of the battery charging units, and configured to individually provide a portion of the external power input from the AC / DC conversion unit to the battery charging unit; a control unit connected to the DC / DC converter, controlling an operation of the DC / DC converter according to an operation in a normal mode or a rapid mode, and selecting a battery having a highest charging rate among the at least one battery as a target battery when operating in the rapid mode, and rapid charging the target battery; Including, The control unit is During operation in the rapid mode, a voltage of a side of the other DC / DC conversion units, except for a specific DC / DC conversion unit connected to the target battery, connected to the AC / DC conversion unit is set higher than a voltage of a side of the specific DC / DC conversion unit connected to the AC / DC conversion unit, and a power transmission direction of the other DC / DC conversion units is switched to induce a charging current toward the target battery; When the battery exchange station reaches a preset downtime, Checking whether the battery is fully charged; If the charging-completed battery is present, it is determined whether or not there is a battery being charged among at least one battery other than the charging-completed battery; If there is no battery being charged, the battery that has been fully charged is discharged at a battery drain level. Battery swap station.

2. The control unit is The battery exchange station of claim 1 , wherein the DC / DC converter operates in a buck mode during operation in the normal mode to directly output a portion of the external power.

3. 2. The battery exchange station of claim 1, wherein the DC / DC converter is provided as a bidirectional DC / DC converter.

4. The control unit is 10. The battery exchange station of claim 1, wherein the battery exchange station operates in a discharge mode if there is no user usage of the battery exchange station for a preset inactivity time.

5. 5. The battery exchange station of claim 4, further comprising a switch that is individually connected between the battery charging unit, the DC / DC conversion unit, and ground, and is switched to an ON state when the control unit is in a discharge mode to ground the battery accommodated in the battery charging unit.

6. A battery charging method for charging at least one battery individually accommodated in a battery charging unit by a battery exchange station, comprising: charging at least one battery housed in the battery charging unit; checking whether a battery exchange request message transmitted from a user via an external server has been received; if the battery exchange request message is not received, operating in a normal mode and charging at least one battery accommodated in the battery charging unit; determining whether a battery that has been fully charged is present among the at least one battery when the battery exchange request message is received; if there is no battery whose charging has been completed, selecting a battery having the highest charging rate among the at least one battery at the time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted as a target battery, and operating in a rapid mode to rapid-charge the target battery; Including, In the rapid mode, changing the operation mode of the other DC / DC converters, except for a specific DC / DC converter connected to the target battery in the battery exchange station, to a boost mode; A voltage of a side of the other DC / DC conversion unit connected to the AC / DC conversion unit is set higher than a voltage of a side of the specific DC / DC conversion unit connected to the AC / DC conversion unit, and a power transmission direction of the other DC / DC conversion unit is switched to induce a charging current toward the target battery; When the battery exchange station reaches a preset downtime, determining whether a fully charged battery is present; If the charging is completed, determining whether there is a battery being charged among at least one battery other than the charging completed battery; If there is no battery being charged, discharging the fully charged battery at a battery drain level. one terminal of the specific DC / DC conversion unit is connected to the AC / DC conversion unit, and the other terminal of the specific DC / DC conversion unit is connected to the target battery; For each of the other DC / DC conversion units, one terminal is connected to the AC / DC conversion unit, and the other terminal of the other DC / DC conversion unit is connected to a battery other than the target battery. How to charge the battery?

7. The step of fast charging the target battery comprises: selecting, as a target battery, a battery having a highest charging rate among the at least one battery at a time when the battery exchange request message is transmitted, if there is no battery whose charging has been completed; checking information on a user's expected arrival time to determine whether the target battery can be fully charged within the user's expected arrival time; if charging of the target battery can be completed within the expected arrival time, operating in the rapid mode to rapidly charge the target battery; 7. The method of claim 6, comprising:

8. 8. The battery charging method of claim 7, further comprising: if charging of the target battery is not completed within the expected arrival time, maintaining operation in the general mode and charging at least one battery whose charging is not completed.

9. In the general mode, 7. The battery charging method according to claim 6, wherein at least one DC / DC converter in the battery exchange station is operated in a buck mode to evenly distribute and output the external power.

10. 7. The battery charging method of claim 6, further comprising the step of, if there is a fully charged battery, maintaining operation in the normal mode and charging at least one battery that is not fully charged.

11. 7. The method of claim 6, wherein the battery drain is a maximum current that can be discharged from the battery at one time.

12. 7. The battery charging method of claim 6, further comprising the step of switching a direction of output power of a DC / DC converter in the battery exchange station connected to the battery that has been completely charged, when at least one battery other than the battery that has been completely charged is being charged, to charge the at least one battery that is being charged in the general mode.

13. 7. The battery charging method of claim 6, further comprising the step of operating in the general mode and charging at least one battery that is not fully charged if there is no fully charged battery.

14. 7. The battery charging method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of switching to a general mode and operating when the fully charged battery is replaced by a user.

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