Battery swapping system and its operating method

Abstract

The battery swapping system according to the present disclosure may include a main controller that acquires a target state of charge (SOC) of a target battery pack and compares it with a target SOC, an auxiliary battery pack that receives and stores power from the target battery pack when the target SOC exceeds the target SOC, and an impedance measuring device that measures an impedance with respect to the target battery pack when the target SOC and the target SOC match each other.

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 - 2022 - 0077855, filed on June 24, 2022, and all the contents disclosed in the literature of the Korean patent application are included as part of this specification.

[0002] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a battery swapping system for providing battery replacement services and a method of operating the same.

Background Art

[0003] Recently, research and development on secondary batteries have been actively conducted. A secondary battery is a battery that can be charged and discharged, and may include any of conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, and recent lithium - ion batteries. Lithium - ion batteries have the advantage of having a much higher energy density compared to conventional Ni / Cd batteries, Ni / MH batteries, etc. Also, lithium - ion batteries can be made small and lightweight, so they are used as a power source for mobile devices. Recently, their range of use has been extended to the power source of electric vehicles and they have attracted attention as a next - generation energy storage medium.

[0004] Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy may be used to analyze the state of a battery and detect the operating characteristics of the battery over time. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy can quickly and accurately detect impedance, which is a factor that impedes electrical transmission when a chemical reaction occurs at the electrodes included in the battery. By detecting the impedance of the battery, the state of the battery can be quickly evaluated, and based on the evaluation, quality inspection of the battery, prediction of remaining life, and optimization of the charging method according to the battery state can be performed.

[0005] Meanwhile, with the increasing interest in and demand for electric mobility solutions that use large-capacity batteries, such as electric vehicles, services that automatically replace batteries that have reached the end of their lifespan in a short period of time are attracting attention. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] One object of the embodiments disclosed herein is to provide a battery swapping system and a method of operating the same that can increase energy efficiency.

[0007] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] A battery swapping system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include a main controller that acquires the target SOC (state of charge) of a target battery pack and compares it with a target SOC, an auxiliary battery pack that receives and stores power from the target battery pack if the target SOC exceeds the target SOC, and an impedance measuring device that measures the impedance to the target battery pack if the target SOC and the target SOC match.

[0009] An operating method for a battery swapping system according to one embodiment of the present invention may include the steps of: obtaining the target SOC (state of charge) of the target battery pack; comparing the target SOC with the target SOC; if the target SOC exceeds the target SOC, transferring power from the target battery pack to the auxiliary battery pack and storing power in the auxiliary battery pack; and if the target SOC and the target SOC match, measuring the impedance to the target battery pack. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] According to one embodiment of the battery swapping system and its operation method disclosed herein, a battery swapping service can be provided by automatically setting the battery pack's SOC to the target SOC on the BSS itself, without requiring the user to spend time and effort externally to deplete the battery in order to match the battery pack's SOC to the target SOC.

[0011] Furthermore, if the battery pack's SOC is larger than the target SOC, power efficiency can be improved by utilizing the additional battery within the BSS to store excess power without wasting it, and prioritizing its use for charging the battery pack.

[0012] In addition, this document can provide a variety of effects that can be understood directly or indirectly. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0013] [Figure 1] This is a block diagram showing a battery management system according to one embodiment disclosed in this document. [Figure 2] This diagram shows the BSS and battery station shown in Figure 1 in more detail. [Figure 3] This flowchart shows an example of how BSS operates according to one embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a flowchart that provides a more detailed explanation of the S180 steps shown. [Figure 5] This is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing the operation method of a battery management system according to one embodiment disclosed in this document. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0014] The embodiments disclosed in this document will be described in detail below with reference to illustrative drawings. When assigning reference numerals to the components in each drawing, care should be taken to ensure that identical components have the same reference numeral whenever possible, even if they appear in other drawings. Furthermore, when describing the embodiments disclosed in this document, if a specific description of a related known configuration or function is deemed to interfere with understanding the embodiments disclosed in this document, such a detailed description will be omitted.

[0015] In describing the components of the embodiments disclosed herein, terms such as First, Second, A, B, (a), (b), etc., may be used. Such terms are intended to distinguish a component from other components, and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the component. Furthermore, unless otherwise specifically defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as those generally understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed herein belong. Terms similar to those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted in a way that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art, and not in an ideal or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0016] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing a battery management system according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0017] Referring to Figure 1, the battery management system 10 according to one embodiment disclosed herein may include a battery swapping system 100 (BSS) and a battery station 200. The battery management system 10 can provide comprehensive battery management services, such as battery analysis, evaluation, charging, and replacement. This disclosure will focus on describing the functions of the battery management system 10 in relation to battery replacement services.

[0018] The battery replacement service may mean a service that analyzes the condition of the battery pack 50 to be serviced and replaces the battery pack 50 with another battery pack according to the analysis results. Such replacement may be performed automatically according to the settings of the administrator and / or user. Here, the battery pack 50 is a device that is attached to the target device (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), electric scooter, electric bicycle, or other electric means of transportation) and supplies power for driving the target device, and may include a battery that stores power and a BMS (battery management system) that controls the operation of the battery. The battery may include at least one battery cell that stores power under the control of the BMS. The BMS can control the charging and discharging of the battery and, in one embodiment, can collect and transmit data that forms the basis for battery condition analysis to an external party upon request.

[0019] The BSS100 performs a state analysis on the battery pack 50 located at the battery station 200 and connected to the BSS100, and may replace the battery pack 50 with another battery pack or reuse it (i.e., not replace it) depending on the results of the state analysis. The BSS100 may perform the state analysis on the battery pack 50 and / or determine whether the battery pack 50 needs to be replaced on its own, but in other embodiments, at least some of the operations may be performed in cooperation with a network-connected server (e.g., a cloud server). For example, the BSS100 can transmit information that forms the basis for determining whether the battery pack needs to be replaced (e.g., EIS information described later) to the cloud server, and the cloud server can transmit information regarding whether the battery pack needs to be replaced to the BSS100 by making a decision based on the received information.

[0020] The battery station 200 can accommodate the battery pack 50 and physically control the battery pack 50 under the control of the BSS100. According to one embodiment, the battery station 200 separates the battery pack 50 attached to the target device under the control of the BSS100 and connects it to the BSS100. After that, another battery pack is attached to the target device instead of the battery pack 50, and the battery pack 50 is moved to a predetermined storage area within the battery station 200 (i.e., replacement), or the battery pack 50 can be attached to the target device again under the control of the BSS100 (i.e., reuse). The storage area may be an area for temporarily storing the battery pack 50 classified as a replacement target.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the BSS100 and the battery station 200 shown in FIG. 1 in more detail.

[0022] Referring to FIG. 2, the BSS100 may include a main controller 110, an EIS (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy) device 120, an EIS device connection part 125, a station controller 130, a supplemental battery pack 140, a first charger 150, and a second charger 160. In FIG. 2, the case where two battery packs 210 and 220 for receiving the battery replacement service are connected to the BSS100 is exemplarily shown, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and any number (for example, three or more) of battery packs for receiving the battery replacement service may be connected to the BSS100. At this time, battery packs other than the battery packs 210 and 220 may be connected to the BSS100 through a connection structure corresponding to the battery packs 210 and 220.

[0023] The main controller 110 can control the overall operation of the BSS 100. Specifically, it can control the operations of the EIS device 120, the EIS device connection part 125, the station controller 130, the auxiliary battery pack 140, and the first and second chargers 150 and 160 respectively. Also, the main controller 110 can receive the SOC (state of charge) information of each of the first battery pack 210 and the second battery pack 220 connected to the BSS 100 from the corresponding battery pack. Here, the SOC information indicates the current SOC of the battery pack, and the SOC may mean the charge state of the battery included in the battery pack, that is, the remaining capacity ratio. The BMS of the battery pack may calculate the remaining capacity ratio by dividing the currently available capacity of the battery by the total capacity of the battery. As an example, the remaining capacity ratio may be calculated as a percentage. According to other embodiments, the main controller 110 may not receive the SOC information from the BMS of the battery pack and directly calculate the remaining capacity ratio of the battery in the battery pack to obtain the SOC information.

[0024] Furthermore, the main controller 110 can perform a condition analysis of the battery packs 210 and 220 based on the EIS information generated by the EIS device 120, and can determine whether or not the battery packs 210 and 220 need to be replaced based on the condition analysis results. The EIS information may be information showing the results of estimating the degradation state and performance of the batteries in the battery packs 210 and 220 using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. For example, if the condition analysis results based on the EIS information show that the degradation state and performance of the batteries in the battery packs 210 and 220 are below a standard level, the main controller 110 may determine that the battery packs 210 and 220 need to be replaced. Conversely, if the condition analysis results based on the EIS information show that the degradation state and performance of the batteries in the battery packs 210 and 220 are above a standard level, the main controller 110 may determine that the battery packs 210 and 220 do not need to be replaced. This disclosure describes a method for determining whether or not battery packs 210 and 220 need to be replaced based on EIS information, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the main controller 110 may further use at least one additional piece of information other than EIS information (for example, SOH (state of health)) to determine whether or not battery packs 210 and 220 need to be replaced.

[0025] If it is necessary to replace the battery packs 210 and 220, the main controller 110 may control the station controller 130 to move the battery packs 210 and 220 to the storage area and install the new battery packs into the target device.

[0026] If it is not necessary to replace the battery packs 210 and 220, the main controller 110 may control the station controller 130 to reattach the battery packs 210 and 220 to the target device.

[0027] The EIS device 120 can estimate the degradation state and performance of the batteries and generate EIS information by measuring the impedance of the battery packs 210 and 220 to the batteries, calculating the impedance spectrum of the batteries based on the measured impedance, and comparing the calculated impedance spectrum with an equivalent circuit model of the batteries. In one embodiment, the method for measuring the impedance to the batteries may be a method in which an input AC voltage is applied to the batteries while changing the frequency, and the impedance is calculated by analyzing the output AC voltage received from the batteries. For example, although Figure 2 shows one signal line connecting the EIS device 120 and the battery packs 210 and 220, the concept may include multiple signal lines (input power line, output power line, control signal line, etc.) for impedance measurement.

[0028] The EIS device 120 may also be called an impedance measuring device. Furthermore, the operation in which the EIS device 120 generates EIS information for the batteries of the battery packs 210 and 220 may be defined as an EIS measurement operation.

[0029] The EIS device coupling unit 125 can electrically connect or disconnect the EIS device 120 and the battery packs 210 and 220 under the control of the main controller 110. In one embodiment, the EIS device coupling unit 125 may include a third switch (SW3) connected between the EIS device 120 and the battery pack 210 to electrically connect or disconnect the EIS device 120 and the battery pack 210, and a fourth switch (SW4) connected between the EIS device 120 and the battery pack 220 to electrically connect or disconnect the EIS device 120 and the battery pack 220.

[0030] The station controller 130 can control the battery station 200 under the control of the main controller 110, thereby controlling the electrical connection and disconnection of the battery packs 210 and 220 housed in the battery station 200, and the movement between pre-partitioned areas within the battery station 200. For example, movement between pre-partitioned areas may be controlled by opening or closing gates installed between the pre-partitioned areas, and the station controller 130 may control the movement of the battery packs 210 and 220 by controlling each of the multiple gates of the battery station 200. The station controller 130 can perform physical control for the replacement or reuse of the battery packs 210 and 220, respectively, according to the main controller 110's determination of whether or not each of the battery packs 210 and 220 needs to be replaced.

[0031] The auxiliary battery pack 140 may include a battery 145 and a battery connector 147. The auxiliary battery pack 140 may include internal configurations corresponding to the battery packs 210 and 220, respectively, and may include a BMS (not shown) that controls the operation of the battery 145. The battery connector 147 may be implemented as part of the BMS, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and it may be a configuration independent of the BMS.

[0032] Battery 145 is connected to battery packs 210 and 220, respectively, and may receive and store power from each of the battery packs 210 and 220 to discharge them, respectively, and may transmit the stored power to each of the battery packs 210 and 220 to charge them, respectively. The charging and discharging operations of battery 145 connected to each of the battery packs 210 and 220 may be performed to match the State of Charge (SOC) of each of the battery packs 210 and 220 with the target SOC. That is, if the SOC of a battery pack is higher than the target SOC, power may be transmitted from the battery of the battery pack to battery 145. Also, if the SOC of a battery pack is lower than the target SOC, power may be transmitted from battery 145 to the battery of the battery pack. Such charging and discharging operations of battery 145 may be dynamically controlled by the main controller 110 based on the SOC information of battery 145.

[0033] On the other hand, in order to discharge one of the battery packs (e.g., 210), the power of battery 145 received from and stored in battery pack 210 may be transferred to battery pack 220 to charge the other battery (e.g., 220).

[0034] For the EIS device 120 to obtain accurate EIS information for a battery pack, it may be required that the battery pack have a specific target SOC. That is, since the EIS information may change depending on the SOC of the battery pack, in order for the EIS information to accurately indicate the degradation state and performance of the battery, impedance measurement and EIS information generation for the battery pack must be performed under conditions in which the SOC of the battery pack matches a predetermined target SOC. For example, the target SOC may be 50%, but the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0035] The battery connection section 147 can electrically connect or disconnect the battery 145 and the battery packs 210 and 220 under the control of the main controller 110. In one embodiment, the battery connection section 147 may include a first switch (SW1) connected between the battery 145 and the battery pack 210 to electrically connect or disconnect the battery 145 and the battery pack 210, and a second switch (SW2) connected between the battery 145 and the battery pack 220 to electrically connect or disconnect the battery 145 and the battery pack 220.

[0036] The first charger 150 can charge the first battery pack 210 under the control of the main controller 110. The first charger 150 can supply power to the first battery pack 210 by converting power supplied from an external normal power source into a power form that the first battery pack 210 can receive. In one embodiment, the first charger 150 can buffer the first battery pack 210 by supplying power until the State of Charge (SOC) of the first battery pack 210 reaches 100%.

[0037] The second charger 160 can charge the second battery pack 220 under the control of the main controller 110. The second charger 160 can supply power to the second battery pack 220 by converting power supplied from an external normal power source into a power form that the second battery pack 220 can receive. In one embodiment, the second charger 160 can buffer the second battery pack 220 by supplying power until the State of Charge (SOC) of the second battery pack 220 reaches 100%.

[0038] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing an example of how BSS100 operates according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a flowchart showing step S180 shown in Figure 3 in more detail.

[0039] Referring to Figures 3 and 4, a flowchart is shown illustrating the operation of performing EIS measurement and charging on the target battery pack before determining whether the target battery pack can be replaced or reused. Here, the target battery pack may refer to the battery pack subject to the battery replacement service, and for example, the target battery pack may correspond to the first battery pack 210 or the second battery pack 220 in Figure 2.

[0040] The main controller 110 acquires the target SOC of the target battery pack and can compare the target SOC of the target battery pack with the target SOC (S100).

[0041] If the target SOC of the target battery pack and the target SOC match each other (match in S100), step S125 may be performed immediately. Here, "match" may be a concept that includes not only cases where they are perfectly physically identical, but also cases where the target SOC of the target battery pack is within a certain range centered on the target SOC. Similarly, "exceeding" may mean cases where the target SOC is greater than an upper limit that is greater than the target SOC by a predetermined numerical value, and "less than" may mean cases where the target SOC is less than a lower limit that is less than the target SOC by a predetermined numerical value. In one embodiment, the certain range may be a range that is greater than or equal to the lower limit and less than or equal to the upper limit.

[0042] If the target SOC of the target battery pack exceeds the target SOC (exceeding S100), the main controller 110 can charge the auxiliary battery pack 140 by controlling the auxiliary battery pack 140 and transferring power from the target battery pack to the auxiliary battery pack 140. For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can charge the auxiliary battery pack 140 by short-circuiting the first switch (SW1).

[0043] The main controller 110 can again acquire the target SOC of the target battery pack and determine whether the target SOC of the target battery pack and the target SOC match each other (S120). In one embodiment, step S120 may be performed according to a predetermined cycle.

[0044] If the target SOC and the target SOC of the battery pack do not match (No. in S120), steps S110 and S120 may be repeated.

[0045] If the target SOC and target SOC of the target battery pack match (Yes in S120), the main controller 110 can interrupt the charging of the auxiliary battery pack 140 by controlling the auxiliary battery pack 140 to electrically isolate the target battery pack and the auxiliary battery pack 140 and cut off power transmission. For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can open the first switch (SW1).

[0046] When the target SOC and target SOC of the target battery pack match, the EIS measurement of the target battery pack may not be performed immediately. Instead, the power supply device electrically connected to the target battery pack (i.e., the auxiliary battery pack or the target charger) may be electrically isolated from the target battery pack, and the measurement may be performed after waiting for a predetermined idle time to elapse (S125).

[0047] When the main controller 110 confirms that a preset idle time has elapsed since the point in time when it has confirmed that the target SOC and the target SOC match, the main controller 110 can control the EIS device 120 to perform EIS measurement on the target battery pack. In addition, for EIS measurement, the main controller 110 can control the EIS device connection unit 125 to electrically connect the EIS device 120 and the target battery pack. For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can short-circuit the third switch (SW1) to electrically connect the EIS device 120 and the first battery pack 210.

[0048] The EIS device 120 can perform EIS measurements on the target battery pack and generate EIS information (S130). The EIS device 120 transmits the EIS information for the target battery pack to the main controller 110, which performs a condition analysis based on the EIS information and evaluates the degradation state and performance of the target battery pack based on the condition analysis results to determine whether the target battery pack needs to be replaced. Depending on the result of the determination of whether the target battery pack needs to be replaced, after step S170, the main controller 110 can perform an action to replace or reuse the target battery pack via the station controller 130.

[0049] On the other hand, once the EIS measurement is complete, the main controller 110 can control the EIS device coupling unit 125 to electrically isolate the EIS device 120 from the target battery pack. For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can open the third switch (SW1) to electrically isolate the EIS device 120 from the first battery pack 210.

[0050] Subsequently, the main controller 110 can determine whether or not the auxiliary battery pack 140 can be discharged (S140). For example, in step S110, charging was performed on the auxiliary battery pack 140, but as mentioned above, there may be at least one additional battery pack that can be connected to the auxiliary battery pack 140 besides the target battery pack, and as will be described later, there is a possibility that the power stored in the auxiliary battery pack 140 will be transferred to at least one other battery pack and the auxiliary battery pack 140 will be discharged, so step S140 may be necessary.

[0051] If the auxiliary battery pack 140 does not discharge (No. in S140), the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by controlling the auxiliary battery pack 140 and transferring power from the auxiliary battery pack 140 to the target battery pack (S150). For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by short-circuiting the first switch (SW1).

[0052] If the auxiliary battery pack 140 is discharged (Yes in S140), the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by controlling the charger corresponding to the target battery pack (hereinafter referred to as the target charger) and transmitting power from the target charger to the target battery pack (S160). In this case, if step S150 is performed before the auxiliary battery pack 140 is discharged, that is, if the auxiliary battery pack 140 and the target battery pack are electrically connected, the main controller 110 can electrically isolate the auxiliary battery pack 140 and the target battery pack before performing step S160.

[0053] For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can control the first charger 150 to charge the target battery pack.

[0054] The main controller 110 can acquire the target SOC of the target battery pack and determine whether or not the target battery pack has buffered (S170). In one embodiment, step S170 may be performed according to a predetermined cycle.

[0055] If the target battery pack is buffered (Yes in S170), the main controller 110 may control the auxiliary battery pack 140 or the target charger to interrupt the charging currently underway, and may perform an action to replace or reuse the target battery pack via the station controller 130.

[0056] If the target battery pack does not provide buffering (S170 No.), step S140 may be repeated.

[0057] According to the above operation, the main controller 110 preferentially charges the target battery pack by transferring power from the auxiliary battery pack 140 to the target battery pack. However, if the auxiliary battery pack 140 is discharged, the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack to a buffer state by transferring power from the target charger to the target battery pack.

[0058] On the other hand, if the target SOC of the target battery pack is less than the target SOC (less than S100), the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack using the power of the auxiliary battery pack 140 or the target charger (S180).

[0059] In Figure 4, step S180 may consist of the detailed steps S182, S184, and S186.

[0060] The main controller 110 can determine whether or not the auxiliary battery pack 140 can be discharged (S182). For example, even if charging of the auxiliary battery pack 140 was not performed before step S182, as mentioned above, there may be at least one additional battery pack that can be connected to the auxiliary battery pack 140 besides the target battery pack, and power may be transmitted from at least one of these battery packs to the auxiliary battery pack 140, thereby charging the auxiliary battery pack 140, so step S182 may be necessary.

[0061] If the auxiliary battery pack 140 does not discharge (No. in S182), the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by controlling the auxiliary battery pack 140 and transferring power from the auxiliary battery pack 140 to the target battery pack (S184). For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by short-circuiting the first switch (SW1).

[0062] If the auxiliary battery pack 140 is discharged (Yes in S182), the main controller 110 can charge the target battery pack by controlling the target charger corresponding to the target battery pack and transmitting power from the target charger to the target battery pack (S186). In this case, if step S184 was performed before the auxiliary battery pack 140 was discharged, that is, if the auxiliary battery pack 140 and the target battery pack are electrically connected, the main controller 110 can electrically isolate the auxiliary battery pack 140 and the target battery pack before performing step S186.

[0063] For example, if the target battery pack is the first battery pack 210, the main controller 110 can control the first charger 150 to charge the target battery pack.

[0064] Subsequently, the main controller 110 can acquire the target SOC of the target battery pack again and determine whether the target SOC of the target battery pack and the target SOC match each other (S120). In one embodiment, step S120 may be performed according to a predetermined cycle.

[0065] Furthermore, if the target SOC and target SOC of the target battery pack do not match, step S180 may be performed again, and steps S180 and S120 may be repeated until the target SOC and target SOC of the target battery pack match.

[0066] According to the above operation, when the target SOC of the target battery pack is smaller than the target SOC, the main controller 110 preferentially charges the target battery pack by transferring power from the auxiliary battery pack 140 to the target battery pack. However, if the auxiliary battery pack 140 is discharged, the main controller 110 can transfer power from the target charger to the target battery pack to charge it until the target SOC and target SOC of the target battery pack match.

[0067] According to this disclosure, the BSS100 can automatically set the battery pack's SOC to the target SOC, eliminating the need for the user to spend time and effort externally to deplete the battery in order to match the battery pack's SOC to the target SOC, thereby enabling a battery replacement service.

[0068] Furthermore, if the battery pack's SOC is larger than the target SOC, power efficiency can be improved by utilizing the additional battery within the BSS100 to store excess power without wasting it, and prioritizing its use for charging the battery pack.

[0069] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing the operation method of a battery management system according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0070] Referring to Figure 5, the computing 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.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the computing system system 1000 may be a system for performing the operation of the battery management system 10 or the battery swap system 100 described above.

[0072] MCU1010 may be a processor that executes various programs stored in memory 1020.

[0073] For example, the MCU 1010 may be a processor that processes various data and / or signals necessary for the main controller 110 to manage and control the battery management system 10.

[0074] Memory 1020 can store various programs and / or data necessary for managing and controlling the battery management system 10. Multiple memory units 1020 may be provided as needed.

[0075] Memory 1020 may be volatile memory or non-volatile memory. As volatile memory, RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc., may be used for memory 1020. As non-volatile memory, ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory (registered trademark), etc., may be used for memory 1020. The examples of memory 1020 listed above are merely illustrative and the invention is not limited to these examples.

[0076] The input / output interface 1030 can provide an interface that connects input devices (not shown), such as keyboards, mice, and touch panels, and output devices (not shown), such as displays, with the MCU 1010, enabling data transmission and reception.

[0077] The communication interface 1040 is configured to send and receive various types of data with external components, including a server, and may be various devices that support wired or wireless communication.

[0078] Thus, a computer program according to one embodiment disclosed in this document may be recorded in memory 1020 and executed and processed by MCU 1010 to be realized as a module that performs the operations shown in Figures 1 to 4.

[0079] The above description is merely illustrative of the technical concept disclosed in this document, and a person with ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document belong can make various modifications and variations, as long as they do not deviate from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0080] Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are for illustrative purposes only, and not to limit, the technical ideas disclosed herein, and such embodiments do not limit the scope of the technical ideas disclosed herein. The scope of protection of the technical ideas disclosed herein shall be interpreted in accordance with the following claims, and all technical ideas within an equivalent scope shall be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

Claims

1. A battery swapping system used to diagnose a target battery pack when replacing the target battery pack, A main controller that acquires the target SOC (state of charge) of the target battery pack and compares it with the target SOC, If the target SOC exceeds the target SOC, an auxiliary battery pack that receives and stores power from the target battery pack is provided. A battery swapping system including an impedance measuring device for measuring the impedance to the target battery pack when the target SOC and the target SOC match each other.

2. The battery swapping system according to claim 1, wherein if the target SOC is less than the target SOC, the auxiliary battery pack transmits power to the target battery pack.

3. The battery swapping system according to claim 2, further comprising a target charger for charging the target battery pack when the auxiliary battery pack has discharged.

4. The auxiliary battery pack is electrically connectable to a plurality of battery packs including the target battery pack, The battery swapping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary battery pack receives and stores power from the target battery pack, and then transmits the stored power to another battery pack among the plurality of battery packs that is different from the target battery pack.

5. The battery swapping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein once the measurement of the impedance to the target battery pack is completed, the auxiliary battery pack transmits power to the target battery pack.

6. The battery swapping system according to claim 5, further comprising a target charger that charges the target battery pack until the target SOC of the target battery pack reaches 100% when the auxiliary battery pack has discharged.

7. The battery swapping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the impedance measuring device generates EIS information showing the results of estimating the degradation state and performance of the batteries contained in the target battery pack using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) based on the impedance measured for the target battery pack.

8. The battery swapping system according to claim 7, wherein the main controller determines whether or not it is necessary to replace the target battery pack based on the EIS information.

9. The battery swapping system according to claim 7, wherein the main controller transmits the EIS information to a cloud server and receives information on whether or not the target battery pack needs to be replaced, determined based on the EIS information.

10. The battery swapping system according to claim 8, further comprising a station controller that performs physical control, including connecting, disconnecting, or moving, the target battery pack in order to replace or reuse the target battery pack, in accordance with the result of determining whether the target battery pack needs to be replaced.

11. A battery swapping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when it is confirmed that a predetermined idle time has elapsed since the point in time when it has been confirmed that the target SOC and the target SOC match each other, the main controller controls the impedance measuring device to measure the impedance to the target battery pack.

12. The battery swapping system according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the auxiliary battery pack is electrically connectable to a plurality of battery packs, including the target battery pack.

13. A method for operating a battery swapping system used to diagnose a target battery pack when replacing the target battery pack, The steps include obtaining the target SOC (state of charge) for the target battery pack, The step of comparing the aforementioned target SOC with the target SOC, If the target SOC exceeds the target SOC, the steps include transferring power from the target battery pack to the auxiliary battery pack and storing power in the auxiliary battery pack, A method for operating a battery swapping system, comprising the step of measuring the impedance to the target battery pack when the target SOC and the target SOC match each other.

14. If the target SOC is less than the target SOC, the method of operating the battery swapping system according to claim 13, wherein the target battery pack is charged using the power stored in the auxiliary battery pack, with priority given to charging using the target charger corresponding to the target battery pack.

15. A method for operating a battery swapping system according to claim 13 or 14, wherein, once the measurement of the impedance to the target battery pack is completed, the target battery pack is charged using the power stored in the auxiliary battery pack, with priority given to charging using the target charger corresponding to the target battery pack.

Images