Battery control system and method for managing the state of a battery

Abstract

A method of operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries disclosed herein may include the operations of detecting an external device being turned off, checking the remaining SOC of each of the plurality of batteries, and performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The embodiments disclosed in this document claim the benefit of priority based on Korean Patent Application No. 10-2021-0138633, filed on October 18, 2021, and all contents disclosed in the documents of this Korean patent application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The embodiments disclosed herein relate to a battery control system and method for managing the state of a battery. [Background technology]

[0003] In recent years, research and development into secondary batteries has been actively pursued. Here, secondary batteries are batteries that can be charged and discharged, and include both conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of having a much higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and other batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured to be compact and lightweight, making them popular as power sources for mobile devices. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries are gaining attention as a next-generation energy storage medium, with their range of use expanding to include power sources for electric vehicles. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the case of a device equipped with a battery, such as a vehicle, the battery control system controls the relay to turn off when the device is turned off to prevent the user from using the battery at will. However, if the relay is turned off when the battery's state of charge (SOC) is high, the battery cell may catch fire due to external factors such as a collision or internal factors such as a short circuit.

[0005] 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]

[0006] The method of operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries disclosed herein may include the operations of detecting that an external device has been turned off, checking the remaining SOC of each of the plurality of batteries, and performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold.

[0007] The battery control system disclosed in this document includes a plurality of battery packs, a plurality of battery management systems that manage each of the plurality of battery packs, and a master battery management system, and the master battery management system can be configured to detect when an external device is turned off, check the remaining SOC of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems, and perform cell balancing to a specified level using the battery management system corresponding to the battery pack for a battery pack whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] The battery control system according to one embodiment disclosed herein can reduce the risk of fire that may occur while the electronic device in which the battery is installed is turned off. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a typical battery pack including a battery management device according to various embodiments. [Figure 2] 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a battery control system according to various embodiments. [Figure 3] 10 is a signal flow diagram between a master battery management system and a battery management system according to various embodiments. [Figure 4] 1 illustrates an operational flowchart for consuming battery energy, according to various embodiments. [Figure 5] 1 illustrates an operational flowchart for consuming battery energy, according to various embodiments. [Figure 6] 1 illustrates an operational flowchart for consuming battery energy, according to various embodiments. [Figure 7] 1 illustrates an operational flowchart for consuming battery energy, according to various embodiments. [Figure 8] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system for implementing battery management methods according to various embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, various embodiments disclosed herein 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.

[0011] For the various embodiments disclosed herein, specific structural or functional descriptions are provided merely for purposes of describing the embodiments, and the various embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0012] The terms "first," "second," "first," or "second" used in various embodiments may modify various elements regardless of order and / or importance and do not limit such elements. For example, a first element may be named a second element, and similarly, a second element may be renamed a first element, without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0013] The terms used in this document are merely used to describe particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context.

[0014] 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 to have the same or similar meaning as the contextual meaning in the relevant art, and unless explicitly defined in this document, they should not be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense. In some cases, even terms defined in this document should not be interpreted to exclude embodiments disclosed herein.

[0015] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a typical battery pack including a battery management device according to various embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a battery control system 1 including a battery pack 10 according to one embodiment disclosed herein and a host controller 20 included in the host system.

[0016] 1, the battery pack 10 may include a plurality of battery modules 12, sensors 14, switching units 16, and a battery management system 100. In this case, the battery pack 10 may include a plurality of battery modules 12, sensors 14, switching units 16, and battery management systems 100.

[0017] Each of the battery modules 12 may include at least one battery cell that is rechargeable and dischargeable, and the battery modules 12 may be connected in series or in parallel. The sensor 14 can detect the current flowing through the battery pack 10. At this time, the detection signal can be transmitted to the battery management system 100.

[0018] The switching unit 16 is connected in series to the (+) terminal side or the (-) terminal side of the battery module 12 and can control the flow of charge / discharge current of the battery module 12. For example, the switching unit 16 can be at least one relay, electromagnetic contactor, etc., depending on the specifications of the battery pack 10.

[0019] The battery management system 100 can monitor the voltage, current, temperature, etc. of the battery pack 10 and control and manage the battery pack 10 to prevent overcharging and over-discharging, and can include, for example, an RBMS.

[0020] The battery management system 100 is an interface that receives input of measured values of the various parameters described above, and may include a plurality of terminals and circuits connected to the terminals for processing the received values. The battery management system 100 may also control the ON / OFF of a switching unit 16, such as a relay or contactor, and may be connected to the battery modules 12 to monitor the status of each battery module 12.

[0021] The upper controller 20 can transmit control signals for controlling the battery modules 12 to the battery management system 100. As a result, the operation of the battery management system 100 can be controlled based on the control signals applied from the upper controller 20. The battery modules 12 may also be included in an ESS (Energy Storage System). In this case, the upper controller 20 may be a battery bank controller (BBMS) including a plurality of battery packs 10, or an ESS controller that controls the entire ESS including a plurality of banks. However, the battery pack 10 is not limited to such applications.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a battery control system according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 2, the battery control system 1 may include a plurality of battery packs (e.g., 210-1 to 210-5), relays p1 to p5 for connecting the plurality of battery packs, and a master battery management system 220. The number of the plurality of battery packs and relays is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 2. According to an embodiment, the battery control system 1 may further include a current sensor for measuring current. In this case, in addition to the current sensor connected to the master battery management system 220, a current sensor capable of measuring current may be present for each of the plurality of battery packs. Although not shown in FIG. 2, each of the plurality of battery packs may include the components shown in FIG. 1.

[0023] The battery control system 1 can determine whether the external device 230 is turned on or off based on a signal received from the external device 230. The external device 230 may be, for example, a component used for vehicle operation, such as a vehicle inverter or motor. In this case, the master battery management system 220 can detect whether the vehicle is started or not via the external device 230. When the vehicle is started, the master battery management system 220 can connect multiple battery packs via relays p1 to p5 to supply power to the external device 230. When the vehicle is started, the master battery management system 220 can disconnect relays p1 to p5 to prevent the user from arbitrarily using the battery packs.

[0024] Even when the relay is in the OFF state, a battery cell included in each of the plurality of battery packs 210-1 to 210-5 may catch fire due to factors such as a collision or short circuit, so the battery control system 1 according to the embodiment can lower the energy density of some of the plurality of battery packs 210-1 to 210-5 based on the pack state of each of the plurality of battery packs 210-1 to 210-5 when the operation of the external device 230 is in the OFF state. This allows the battery control system 1 to reduce the risk of fire that may occur when the start of the vehicle is in the OFF state.

[0025] 3 is a signal flow chart between a master battery management system and a battery management system according to various embodiments. Each of the battery management systems (#1, #2) shown in FIG. 2 can perform the functions of the battery management system 100 shown in FIG. 1, and each of the battery management systems (#1, #2) can be included in one of the plurality of battery packs 210-1 to 210-5 shown in FIG. 2.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, the master battery management system 220 can transmit an operation ON / OFF signal to the battery management systems (#1, #2) based on a signal (e.g., an operation ON / OFF signal) received from the external device 230.

[0027] Each of the battery management systems (#1, #2) can transmit battery pack status information to the master battery management system 220. The pack status information can indicate, for example, the remaining SOC of the battery cells included in each battery pack. As another example, the pack status information can indicate battery diagnostic history information for each battery pack. The battery diagnostic history information can include information related to battery safety diagnostics, such as OV (over voltage), UV (under voltage), OC (over current), or OT (over temperature).

[0028] The master battery management system 220 can determine battery packs for which a relay should be connected and battery packs for which the energy density should be reduced based on the received battery pack status information. For example, the master battery management system 220 can determine a battery pack in which one or more cells have a remaining SOC exceeding a threshold (e.g., 10%) when the external device 230 is turned off as a battery pack for which the energy density needs to be reduced. As another example, the master battery management system 220 can determine a battery pack for which a battery abnormality detection history, such as a history of at least one of OV, UV, OC, or OT, has been detected, as a battery pack for which the energy density needs to be reduced. Conversely, the master battery management system 220 can determine a battery pack for which the remaining SOC is equal to or less than a threshold and for which no battery abnormality detection history has been detected as an available battery pack. An available battery pack may refer to a pack that will subsequently provide power via a relay connection when the external device 230 (e.g., a vehicle) is in operation.

[0029] The master battery management system 220 can instruct the battery management system (e.g., #2) of the battery pack that needs to lower the energy density to perform cell balancing. By cell balancing, the battery management system (#2) can forcibly lower the energy of the battery cells whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold.

[0030] In addition to the example shown in FIG. 3, the battery management system #2 may perform other operations to reduce the energy density of the battery cells. For example, the battery management system #2 may set the phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency of the MCU (e.g., 32 in FIG. 8) to the maximum value. When the PLL frequency of the MCU is set to the maximum value, the current consumption of the MCU increases, which may increase the energy consumption of the corresponding battery cell. For example, when the PLL frequency is changed from 30 MHz to 120 MHz, the current consumption of the MCU may increase fourfold. As another example, the battery management system #2 may change the operation mode of an integrated circuit (IC) included in the battery pack from a low-power mode to a high-power mode. For example, an IC for CAN communication in the battery pack may conventionally operate in a low-power mode to prevent power consumption. However, the battery management system #2 may change the operation mode of the IC for CAN communication to a high-power mode to increase the energy consumption of the battery cell.

[0031] According to an embodiment, whether a battery pack is available for use based on the remaining SOC or battery diagnosis history may be determined by the battery management system (#1 or #2) rather than the master battery management system 220. In this case, the battery management system (#1 or #2) may notify the master battery management system 220 of the determination result or may perform an operation to reduce the energy density without a command from the master battery management system 220. If a battery pack is unavailable for use, the battery management system (e.g., #2) may not transmit a signal indicating availability, and the master battery management system 220 may exclude a battery pack from the parallel connection for which a signal indicating availability has not been received.

[0032] In an embodiment, the battery management system (#2) of a battery pack whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold or whose battery abnormality detection history exists can prevent the use of the battery pack by operating in sleep mode.

[0033] In an embodiment, the master battery management system 220 may not take action to forcibly lower the energy for safety reasons when the battery control system 1 is in a charging or discharging mode.

[0034] 4 to 7 show operational flowcharts for consuming battery energy according to various embodiments. In the following description, each operation included in the operational flowchart may be implemented by the battery control system 1 or by a component of the battery control system 1 (e.g., the master battery management system 220 or the battery management system 100).

[0035] Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 410, the battery control system 1 can detect that the external device 230 has been turned off (for example, the start of the vehicle has been turned off). In operation 420, the battery control system 1 can check the remaining SOC of each of the plurality of batteries. Here, "battery" can refer not only to a "battery pack" but also to a smaller unit (e.g., a battery cell) that constitutes the battery pack. For example, the battery management system for each of the plurality of battery packs (e.g., 210-1 to 210-5) can check the remaining SOC for each battery cell. In this case, the battery management system can notify the master battery management system 220 of the checked remaining SOC information.

[0036] In operation 430, the battery control system 1 can perform cell balancing on at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold to a specified level. For example, if a battery pack has at least one cell whose remaining SOC exceeds 10%, the battery management system of the battery pack can perform cell balancing until the SOC of the cell falls below 10%.

[0037] 5-7 show operational flowcharts for other embodiments for reducing the energy density of a battery. The operations shown in FIGS. 5-7 can be performed after operation 410 in FIG.

[0038] 5, in operation 510, the battery control system 1 can check the remaining SOC of each of the plurality of batteries (e.g., operation 420 in FIG. 4). Furthermore, in operation 520, the battery control system 1 can check the battery diagnostic history of each of the plurality of batteries. The battery diagnostic history may be an item related to battery safety, such as OV, UV, OC, or OT. In this case, the order of performing operations 510 and 520 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 5.

[0039] In operation 530, the battery control system 1 can check whether any of the batteries has a remaining SOC above a threshold or a battery with a history of abnormal battery detection. If the remaining SOC of all batteries is equal to or less than the threshold and there is no history of abnormal battery detection, the battery control system 1 can terminate the algorithm.

[0040] If there is a battery whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold or whose battery abnormality detection history exists, in operation 540, the battery control system 1 can set the PLL frequency of the MCU corresponding to that battery to the maximum value.

[0041] 6, operations 610 to 630 are the same as or similar to those in Fig. 5, and therefore will not be described further below. If operation 630 determines that the remaining SOC exceeds a threshold or that there is a battery for which a battery abnormality detection history exists, in operation 640, the battery control system 1 can change the IC operation mode of the battery from the low consumption mode to the high consumption mode.

[0042] 7, operations 710 to 730 are the same as or similar to those in FIG. 5, and therefore will not be described again. If operation 730 determines that the remaining SOC exceeds a threshold or that there is a battery with a battery abnormality detection history, the battery control system 1 can check whether the battery control system 1 is in a charge or discharge mode in operation 740. If the battery control system 1 is in a charge or discharge mode, the battery control system 1 can wait until the charge or discharge mode ends without performing operation 750 to prevent a decrease in safety due to a forced decrease in energy density. Once the charge or discharge mode ends, the battery control system 1 can repeat operations 710 to 730 to reflect the SOC changed by the charge / discharge.

[0043] If the battery control system 1 is not in the charge and discharge mode, in operation 750, the battery control system 1 may perform at least one of cell balancing, changing the PLL frequency of the MCU, or changing the IC operation mode, as described above in Figures 4 to 6.

[0044] In operation 760, the battery control system 1 can prevent the user from using the battery arbitrarily by changing the battery management system of a battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold or whose battery abnormality detection history exists to sleep mode.

[0045] FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating a computing system that may implement battery management methods according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 8, a computing system 30 according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include an MCU 32 , a memory 34 , an input / output I / F 36 , and a communication I / F 38 .

[0046] The MCU 32 may be a processor that executes various programs (e.g., characteristic value calculation programs, class classification and lifespan estimation programs, etc.) stored in the memory 34, processes various data including the voltage and current of the battery cells through such programs, and performs the functions of the battery management device shown in Figures 1 to 7 described above.

[0047] The memory 34 can store various programs related to calculation of battery cell characteristic values, classification, and lifespan estimation, as well as various data such as the voltage, current, and characteristic value data of each battery cell.

[0048] A plurality of such memories 34 may be provided as necessary. The memories 34 may be volatile memories or nonvolatile memories. As the volatile memories 34, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As the nonvolatile memories 34, ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories 34 listed above are merely illustrative and are not limited to these examples.

[0049] The input / output I / F 36 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 32, enabling data to be sent and received.

[0050] The communication I / F 38 is configured to be able to send and receive various data to and from a server, and may be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, programs and various data for calculating the characteristic values of the battery cells, classifying them, and estimating their lifespan can be sent and received from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F 38.

[0051] In this way, a computer program according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may be recorded in memory 34 and processed by MCU 32 to be realized as a module that performs each function shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, for example.

[0052] Although it has been described above that all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document are combined 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 objects of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all components may operate in selective combination with one or more other components.

[0053] Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, the terms "comprise," "comprise," "have," and the like used above mean that the relevant element can be present, and therefore should be interpreted as not excluding other elements but as including other elements. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as dictionary-defined terms, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0054] The above description merely exemplifies the technical concepts disclosed herein, and those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed herein. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are intended to illustrate, rather than limit, the technical concepts of the embodiments disclosed herein, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical concepts disclosed herein. The scope of protection of the technical concepts disclosed herein should be interpreted according to the claims set forth below, and all technical concepts within the scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being within the scope of the rights of the present document.

Claims

1. 1. A method of operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries, comprising: An operation of detecting that an external device is turned off; checking a remaining state of charge (SOC) of each of the plurality of batteries; performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold; Including, The method for operating a battery control system further includes setting a phase-locked loop (PLL) frequency of a microcontroller unit (MCU) corresponding to at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold to a maximum value.

2. A method for operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries, comprising: An operation of detecting that an external device is turned off; checking a remaining state of charge (SOC) of each of the plurality of batteries; performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold; Including, The method for operating a battery control system further includes changing the operation mode of an integrated circuit (IC) corresponding to at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold from a low consumption mode to a high consumption mode.

3. A method for operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries, comprising: An operation of detecting that an external device is turned off; checking a remaining state of charge (SOC) of each of the plurality of batteries; performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold; Including, checking the battery diagnostic history of each of the plurality of batteries; performing the cell balancing on at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold or has a history of battery abnormality detection.

4. A method for operating a battery control system including a plurality of batteries, comprising: An operation of detecting that an external device is turned off; checking a remaining state of charge (SOC) of each of the plurality of batteries; performing cell balancing to a specified level for at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds a threshold; Including, determining whether the battery control system is in a charging or discharging mode; performing the cell balancing when the battery control system is not in the charge or discharge mode, and changing a battery management system of at least one battery whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold to a sleep mode when the battery control system is in the charge or discharge mode.

5. A battery control system, A plurality of battery packs; a plurality of battery management systems that manage the plurality of battery packs, respectively; A master BMS; Including, The master BMS: Detects when an external device is turned off, confirming a remaining SOC of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems; and a battery management system corresponding to a battery pack having a remaining SOC exceeding a threshold is configured to perform cell balancing up to a designated level; The battery management system includes: The battery control system is configured to set the PLL frequency of the MCU corresponding to the battery pack to a maximum value.

6. A battery control system, A plurality of battery packs; a plurality of battery management systems that manage the plurality of battery packs, respectively; A master BMS; Including, The master BMS: Detects when an external device is turned off, confirming a remaining SOC of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems; and a battery management system corresponding to a battery pack having a remaining SOC exceeding a threshold is configured to perform cell balancing up to a designated level; The battery management system includes: A battery control system configured to change the operation mode of an IC corresponding to the battery pack from a low consumption mode to a high consumption mode.

7. A battery control system, A plurality of battery packs; a plurality of battery management systems that manage the plurality of battery packs, respectively; A master BMS; Including, The master BMS: Detects when an external device is turned off, confirming a remaining SOC of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems; and a battery management system corresponding to a battery pack having a remaining SOC exceeding a threshold is configured to perform cell balancing up to a designated level; The master BMS: checking a battery diagnosis history of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems; a battery control system configured to perform the cell balancing for a battery pack whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold or whose battery abnormality detection history exists, using a battery management system corresponding to the battery pack;

8. A battery control system, A plurality of battery packs; a plurality of battery management systems that manage the plurality of battery packs, respectively; A master BMS; Including, The master BMS: Detects when an external device is turned off, confirming a remaining SOC of each of the plurality of battery packs via the plurality of battery management systems; and a battery management system corresponding to a battery pack having a remaining SOC exceeding a threshold is configured to perform cell balancing up to a designated level; The master BMS: determining whether the battery control system is in a charging or discharging mode; When the battery control system is not in the charging or discharging mode, performing the cell balancing; The battery control system is configured to change a battery management system of a battery pack whose remaining SOC exceeds the threshold into a sleep mode when the battery control system is in the charge or discharge mode.

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