Apparatus and method for requesting battery information

Abstract

A battery information request device according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a communication unit configured to communicate with a battery information providing device; a target information determining unit configured to determine target information to be acquired; a target battery determining unit configured to determine an offset for a target battery to which the target information is to be acquired from a preset battery list; and a control unit configured to calculate a request data amount corresponding to the target information and the offset, generate a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated request data amount and including the target information and the offset, transmit the request packet to the battery information providing device through the communication unit, and receive, through the communication unit, a response packet containing battery information of the target battery corresponding to the target information from the battery information providing device as a response to the request packet.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery information request device and method, and more specifically, to a battery information request device and method capable of efficiently requesting battery information regarding a battery. Background Technology

[0002] Recently, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has increased rapidly, and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites has accelerated, research on high-performance batteries capable of repeated charging and discharging is actively underway.

[0003] Currently commercialized batteries include nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-zinc, and lithium batteries. Among these, lithium batteries are gaining attention for their advantages, such as the ability to freely charge and discharge with almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, a very low self-discharge rate, and high energy density.

[0004] Meanwhile, devices equipped with such batteries include various Electronic Control Units (ECUs), and these ECUs can communicate with each other to provide information or receive information from other ECUs. Taking vehicles as an example, as various functions and controls increase, and particularly with the commercialization of battery-equipped electric vehicles, the volume of data transmitted and received between ECUs is growing. Accordingly, communication standards and technologies are being proposed to improve the efficiency of data communication between ECUs.

[0005] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses an invention that can improve the traffic load of a CAN bus by improving data reception stability and communication speed by changing the data frame structure for CAN (Controller Area Network) communication to increase the amount of data.

[0006] However, Patent Document 1 discloses only a configuration in which the receiving side changes the receiving mode to a high-speed mode or a normal mode depending on whether the data length exceeds 8 bytes. Since Patent Document 1 improves traffic load only by changing the receiving mode, there is a problem that it is difficult to apply to devices such as electric vehicles where various information about battery cells must be provided in real time. In other words, according to Patent Document 1, since the transmitting side must transmit individual information about the battery cells, there is a problem that data transmission may take a considerable amount of time.

[0007] In addition, Patent Document 1 does not disclose a configuration that selectively requests and responds to battery information for only some of the battery cells among a plurality of battery cells. Therefore, since all battery information for the plurality of battery cells must be received and only the desired battery information extracted, there is a problem that it may take a considerable amount of time to obtain the desired battery information. Prior art literature

[0008] (Patent Document 0001) KR 10-1573637 B1 The problem to be solved

[0009] The present invention is devised to solve the above-mentioned problems and aims to provide a battery information request device and method capable of efficiently requesting battery information regarding a target battery among a plurality of batteries.

[0010] Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be understood from the following description and will become more clearly apparent from the embodiments of the present invention. Furthermore, it will be readily apparent that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof set forth in the claims. means of solving the problem

[0011] A battery information request device according to one aspect of the present invention may include: a communication unit configured to communicate with a battery information providing device; a target information determining unit configured to determine target information to be acquired; a target battery determining unit configured to determine an offset for a target battery to be acquired from a preset battery list; and a control unit configured to calculate a request data amount corresponding to the target information and the offset, generate a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated request data amount and including the target information and the offset, transmit the request packet to the battery information providing device through the communication unit, and receive, through the communication unit, a response packet containing battery information of the target battery corresponding to the target information from the battery information providing device as a response to the request packet.

[0012] The control unit may be configured to select a packet structure corresponding to the amount of requested data from among a plurality of preset packet structures, and to generate the requested packet by adjusting a preset packet size for the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of requested data.

[0013] The above control unit may be configured to select a preset first packet structure if the calculated amount of requested data is less than a reference amount.

[0014] The control unit above may be configured to select a preset second packet structure if the calculated amount of requested data is greater than or equal to the reference amount.

[0015] The control unit may be configured to reduce the storage capacity of the request packet to correspond to the amount of requested data when the storage capacity preset in the selected packet structure is greater than the amount of requested data.

[0016] The control unit may be configured to generate a request group including the target information and the offset, and to calculate the amount of requested data by calculating the size of the total data required for the request group.

[0017] The control unit may be configured to generate the request packet such that it includes packet size information of the request packet, packet identification information of the request packet, and information about the request group.

[0018] The control unit may be configured to include a separator set so as not to overlap with the target information and the offset in the request packet between the target information and the offset, and to calculate the amount of requested data by further considering the data size required for the separator.

[0019] The control unit may be configured to generate a group based on whether the offsets are consecutive for each of the target information, generate target battery information by determining a representative offset and the number of included offsets for each generated group, and generate the request group to include the target battery information corresponding to the target information.

[0020] The above control unit may be configured to determine one of the offsets included in each of the generated groups as the representative offset.

[0021] A battery information request method according to another aspect of the present invention may include: a target information determination step for determining target information to be acquired; an offset determination step for determining an offset for a target battery to be acquired from a preset battery list; a request data amount calculation step for calculating a request data amount corresponding to the target information and the offset; a request packet generation step for generating a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated request data amount and including the target information and the offset; a request packet transmission step for transmitting the request packet; and a response packet reception step for receiving a response packet containing battery information of the target battery corresponding to the target information as a response to the request packet.

[0022] A battery information providing system according to another aspect of the present invention may include a battery information request device and a battery information providing device according to one aspect of the present invention.

[0023] The battery information providing device may include: a communication module configured to communicate with the battery information requesting device; a battery information acquisition module configured to receive the request packet from the battery information requesting device through the communication module, determine the target battery from the request packet using the battery list, and acquire the battery information corresponding to the target information for the determined target battery; and a control module configured to calculate the amount of response data corresponding to the target information and the battery information, generate the response packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated amount of response data and including the target information and the battery information, and transmit the response packet to the battery information requesting device through the communication module as a response to the request packet.

[0024] The control module may be configured to generate the response packet by selecting a packet structure corresponding to the amount of response data from among a plurality of preset packet structures, and adjusting a preset packet size for the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of response data. Effects of the invention

[0025] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is an advantage of being able to efficiently request battery information regarding a target battery among a plurality of batteries. In particular, since only battery information regarding the target battery can be received as response information without receiving battery information regarding all of the plurality of batteries, there is an advantage of being able to efficiently request and verify battery information regarding the target battery.

[0026] In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, since the packet size of the request packet can be dynamically adjusted to correspond to the amount of data of the request information during the process of requesting battery information for a target battery, there is an advantage that communication efficiency during the process of transmitting the request packet can be significantly improved.

[0027] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned effects will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description in the claims. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0028] The following drawings attached to this specification serve to further enhance understanding of the technical concept of the invention in conjunction with the detailed description of the invention set forth below; therefore, the invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to the matters described in such drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information request device according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a battery list according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first packet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second packet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams illustrating various embodiments of a request packet generated by a battery information request device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information request method according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 11 and FIGS. 12 are schematic diagrams illustrating various embodiments of response packets generated by a battery information providing system according to another embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0029] Terms and words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the terms to best describe his invention.

[0030] Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention; thus, it should be understood that various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application.

[0031] In addition, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known components or functions may obscure the essence of the invention, such detailed description is omitted.

[0032] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., are used for the purpose of distinguishing one of the various components from the rest, and are not used to limit the components by such terms.

[0033] Throughout the specification, when a part is described as "including" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0034] Additionally, throughout the specification, when it is said that a part is "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where they are "directly connected," but also cases where they are "indirectly connected" with other components in between.

[0036] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, the battery information request device (100) may include a communication unit (110), a target information determination unit (120), a target battery determination unit (130), and a control unit (140).

[0039] The communication unit (110) can be configured to communicate with a battery information providing device.

[0040] Here, the battery information providing device may be a device that provides battery information requested by the battery information requesting device. For example, the communication unit (110) may be connected to the battery information providing device so as to be able to communicate via wired and / or wireless communication.

[0041] The target information determination unit (120) can be configured to determine the target information to be acquired.

[0042] Specifically, the target information can be determined from among various battery information representing the state of the battery, and one or more battery information can be determined as the target information.

[0043] For example, battery information may include various information such as voltage, current, temperature, resistance, SOC, and SOH, and the target information determining unit (120) may determine one or more of these various battery information as target information.

[0044] Meanwhile, a battery refers to a single, independent cell that is physically separable and equipped with a negative terminal and a positive terminal. For example, a lithium-ion battery or a lithium-polymer battery may be considered a battery. Additionally, a battery may refer to a battery module in which multiple cells are connected in series and / or parallel. For the sake of convenience of explanation, the term "battery" below is described as referring to a single, independent cell.

[0045] The target battery determination unit (130) may be configured to determine an offset for a target battery from a preset battery list to obtain target information.

[0046] Here, the offset refers to location information located at a constant distance from the starting address of the battery list. In other words, the offset for the target battery can refer to the relative address from the starting address in the battery list to the address where the target battery's identification code is stored.

[0047] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a battery list according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, the battery list may include first to tenth batteries. And, the offsets of the first to tenth batteries may be expressed as p1 to p10. Specifically, the offset of the first battery is p1, and the offset of the second battery is p2. Likewise, the offset of the ninth battery may be p9, and the offset of the tenth battery may be p10. That is, once the offsets are determined, the target battery corresponding to the offset can be identified using the battery list.

[0049] The control unit (140) may be configured to calculate the amount of requested data corresponding to the target information and offset.

[0050] Specifically, the amount of data for target information and offset can be pre-set. For example, the amount of data for target information can be pre-set to 2 Bytes, and the amount of data for offset can be pre-set to 1 Byte. Accordingly, the control unit (140) can calculate the amount of request data by considering the number of target information and offsets to be recorded in the request packet.

[0051] The control unit (140) may be configured to generate a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the amount of requested data calculated and including target information and an offset.

[0052] Specifically, the packet size of the request packet can be pre-set by considering the maximum storage capacity available in the request packet. Additionally, the control unit (140) can adjust the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data. More specifically, the control unit (140) can dynamically allocate the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data. For example, the control unit (140) can make the packet size of the request packet correspond to the calculated amount of request data by adjusting the storage capacity of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data.

[0053] For example, assume that the target information is "voltage" and the target battery is "the fifth battery". The target information is determined as "voltage" by the target information determining unit (120), and the "offset for the fifth battery" can be determined by the target battery determining unit (130). Referring to FIG. 2, the target battery determining unit (130) can determine the offset for the fifth battery as p5. Then, the control unit (140) can calculate the amount of request data for "voltage" and "offset for the fifth battery". The control unit (140) can generate a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated amount of request data and record "voltage" and "offset for the fifth battery" in the generated request packet. That is, the request packet generated by the control unit (140) has a packet size corresponding to the calculated amount of request data and may be a communication packet requesting a voltage value for the fifth battery.

[0054] The control unit (140) may be configured to transmit the generated request packet to the battery information providing device through the communication unit (110). Additionally, the control unit (140) may be configured to receive, through the communication unit (110), a response packet containing battery information of a target battery corresponding to the target information from the battery information providing device in response to the request packet.

[0055] In the preceding embodiment, when the control unit (140) transmits a request packet requesting a voltage value for the fifth battery to the battery information providing device through the communication unit (110), the control unit (140) can receive a response packet regarding the voltage value for the fifth battery from the battery information providing device through the communication unit (110).

[0056] That is, a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can specify a target battery for which target information is to be verified among a plurality of batteries included in a battery list, and can selectively request only the target information for the specified target battery. That is, since the battery information request device (100) requests target information by specifying a target battery, it can omit the processing process of receiving target information for all batteries and selecting only the target information for the target battery. Accordingly, the battery information request device (100) can improve the processing speed in the process of obtaining target information for the target battery and has the advantage of saving system resources that are unnecessarily consumed.

[0057] In addition, the battery information request device (100) can adjust the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the amount of requested data, thereby configuring the packet size of the request packet to an optimal size. Accordingly, there is an advantage that the communication efficiency between the battery information request device (100) and the battery information providing device can be improved by the request packet generated with an optimal packet size.

[0059] Meanwhile, the control unit (140) provided in the battery information request device (100) may optionally include a processor, an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit), another chipset, a logic circuit, a register, a communication modem, a data processing device, etc., known in the art, to execute various control logics performed in the present invention. Additionally, when the control logic is implemented in software, the control unit (140) may be implemented as a set of program modules. At this time, the program modules may be stored in memory and executed by the control unit (140). The memory may be located inside or outside the control unit (140) and may be connected to the control unit (140) by various well-known means.

[0060] Additionally, the battery information request device (100) may further include a storage unit (150). The storage unit (150) may store data or programs necessary for each component of the battery information request device (100) to perform operations and functions, or data generated during the process of performing operations and functions. The storage unit (150) is not subject to any special restrictions on its type as long as it is a known information storage means capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. As an example, the information storage means may include RAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM, registers, etc. Additionally, the storage unit (150) may store program codes in which processes executable by the control unit (140) are defined. For example, a battery list according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 may be stored in advance in the storage unit (150).

[0062] The control unit (140) may be configured to select a packet structure corresponding to the amount of requested data from among a plurality of preset packet structures. For example, information regarding a plurality of preset packet structures may be stored in advance in the storage unit (150).

[0063] Specifically, the packet structures that can be generated as request packets may be configured in multiple ways depending on the amount of data that can be included. For the convenience of explanation, the following description assumes that the pre-configured multiple packet structures include a first packet structure and a second packet structure.

[0064] For example, the first packet structure and the second packet structure can be distinguished according to the amount of data they can include. For example, if the calculated amount of requested data is less than a reference amount, the control unit (140) may select a preset first packet structure. Conversely, if the calculated amount of requested data is greater than or equal to the reference amount, the control unit (140) may select a preset second packet structure.

[0065] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating a first packet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a second packet structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0066] Referring to FIGS. 3 and FIGS. 4, the first packet structure is a packet structure according to the embodiment of FIG. 3, and may be a packet structure of a CAN (Controller area network) communication channel capable of containing 8 Bytes of data. The second packet structure is a packet structure according to the embodiment of FIG. 4, and may be a packet structure of a CAN-FD (Controller area network with flexible data rate) communication channel capable of containing 64 Bytes of data. For example, if the amount of requested data is 5 Bytes or less, a request packet may be generated with the first packet structure, and if the amount of requested data exceeds 5 Bytes, a request packet may be generated with the second packet structure.

[0067] Preferably, the control unit (140) may be configured to generate a request packet that includes packet size information of the request packet, packet identification information of the request packet, and information about the request group.

[0068] In the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, the first packet structure and the second packet structure may commonly include a packet size information area, a packet identification information area, and a data area.

[0069] The packet size information area may include information about the total amount of data of the request packet.

[0070] The packet identification information area may contain identification information for the request packet. Here, the identification information may be a Service ID according to the protocol. For example, according to the UDS 14229 protocol, the Service ID when requesting battery status information regarding voltage, current, temperature, and SOC, etc. as target information may be 0x22. In this case, 0x22 may be included in the packet identification information area as the identification information for the request packet.

[0071] Request data for target information and offset can be recorded in the data area. That is, request data for target information and target battery information can be recorded in the data area.

[0072] The control unit (140) may be configured to generate the request packet by adjusting the packet size preset for the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of the request data.

[0073] That is, a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention not only selects a packet structure corresponding to the amount of requested data among a plurality of packet structures, but also adjusts the packet size of the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of requested data, thereby generating a request packet having an optimal packet size. Accordingly, unnecessary consumption of system resources during the communication process can be prevented, and furthermore, communication efficiency such as communication safety and communication speed can be improved.

[0075] The control unit (140) may be configured to reduce the storage capacity of the request packet to correspond to the amount of request data when the preset storage capacity for the selected packet structure is greater than the amount of request data.

[0076] The control unit (140) can adjust the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data by adjusting the storage capacity of the data area to correspond to the calculated amount of request data.

[0077] For example, in the embodiments of FIGS. 3 and 4, a storage capacity of the data area equal to the amount of requested data can be used to record target information and target battery information (e.g., offset).

[0078] If the storage capacity of the data area is not properly adjusted, unused empty storage capacity may be included in the request packet as is. In other words, although the packet size of the request packet is the size pre-configured for the packet structure, idle storage space may be unnecessarily allocated to the request packet.

[0079] Accordingly, the control unit (140) can eliminate unnecessary idle storage space in the request packet by adjusting the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data. As a result, a request packet with an optimal packet size can be generated, thereby preventing unnecessary waste of system resources and improving communication efficiency.

[0081] The control unit (140) may be configured to generate a request group including target information and an offset.

[0082] Specifically, the control unit (140) can generate corresponding target information and offsets as one group.

[0083] For example, as in the preceding embodiment, assume that the target information is "voltage" and the target battery is "the fifth battery". The control unit (140) can generate a request group that includes "voltage" and "offset for the fifth battery". That is, the request group generated by the control unit (140) may include a request for the voltage for the fifth battery.

[0084] The control unit (140) may be configured to generate request packets according to the amount of request data corresponding to the generated request group.

[0085] Specifically, the control unit (140) may be configured to calculate the amount of request data corresponding to the generated request group.

[0086] For example, the control unit (140) may be configured to calculate the amount of requested data by calculating the size of the total data required for the request group.

[0087] Preferably, the data size of each of the target information and offset that may be included in the request group may be a predetermined fixed value. For example, the data size of the target information may be 2 Bytes, and the data size of the offset may be 1 Byte. Accordingly, the control unit (140) can calculate the amount of requested data corresponding to the request group by calculating the total data size required for the request group by considering the data sizes of the target information and offset included in the request group.

[0089] The control unit (140) may be configured to create a group for each target information based on whether the offsets are consecutive. That is, if there are multiple target information, the control unit (140) may create a group for each of the multiple target information.

[0090] Here, whether offsets are consecutive can be determined based on whether there are target batteries with consecutive offsets in the battery list. An offset can be expressed as a relative address to a starting address, and the address distance between consecutive offsets can be set equally. Accordingly, when the control unit (140) receives multiple offsets from the target battery determination unit (130), it can determine whether the received multiple offsets are consecutive. And, the control unit (140) can group consecutive offsets into one group.

[0091] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 2, it is assumed that the first battery, the third to fifth batteries, the seventh battery, and the ninth battery are determined as target batteries. The control unit (140) may receive p1, p3, p4, p5, p7, and p9 as offsets of the target batteries from the target battery determination unit (130). The control unit (140) may check the received offsets to create a first group including p1. Additionally, the control unit (140) may create a second group including p3, p4, and p5. Additionally, the control unit (140) may create a third group including p7 and a fourth group including p9.

[0092] The control unit (140) can be configured to generate target battery information by determining the number of representative offsets and included offsets for each generated group.

[0093] In the preceding embodiment, the control unit (140) may determine the number of offsets included in the first group to be 1 and the number of offsets included in the second group to be 3. Additionally, the control unit (140) may determine the number of offsets included in each of the third group and the fourth group to be 1.

[0094] Specifically, the control unit (140) can determine one of the offsets included in each of the generated groups as the representative offset.

[0095] For example, the control unit (140) may be configured to determine the minimum offset among the offsets included in each generated group as the representative offset. Here, the minimum offset is the offset closest to the starting address of the battery list, meaning the offset with the smallest relative address from the starting address of the battery list. In the preceding embodiment, since there is only one offset included in the first group, the third group, and the fourth group, the offset included in each group may be determined as the representative offset. Since there are three offsets included in the second group, p3, which is the minimum offset among the three offsets, may be determined as the representative offset of the second group.

[0096] As another example, the control unit (140) may be configured to determine the maximum offset among the offsets included in each generated group as the representative offset. Here, the maximum offset is the offset furthest from the starting address of the battery, meaning the offset with the largest relative address from the starting address of the battery list. In the preceding embodiment, p5, which is the maximum offset among the offsets included in the second group, may be determined as the representative offset of the second group.

[0097] For the sake of convenience of explanation, the representative offset of the group is described below as being determined based on the minimum offset.

[0098] The control unit (140) can determine a representative offset and the number of offsets, and then generate target battery information including the determined representative offset and the number of offsets. Afterward, the control unit (140) can be configured to generate a request group that includes target battery information corresponding to the target information.

[0099] That is, the request group may include target information determined by the target information determination unit (120) and target battery information generated by the control unit (140) (representative offset and number of offsets per group).

[0100] FIGS. 5 to 8 are schematic diagrams illustrating various embodiments of a request packet generated by a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0101] Specifically, FIGS. 5 to 7 are examples of request packets generated using a first packet structure, and FIG. 8 is an example of a request packet generated using a second packet structure.

[0102] In the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8, the packet size information area may include packet size information (Data length code, DLC) of the request packet. For example, the packet size information area may include the amount of request data for the first request group (REQ1). As another example, the packet size information area may include the total amount of data of the request packet. Preferably, the packet size information area may include the total amount of data of the request packet. Additionally, the packet identification information area may include a Service ID, which is identification information of the request packet. For example, the Service ID may be 0x22 according to the USD 14229 protocol.

[0103] In the embodiment of FIG. 5, the data area may include a first request group (REQ1) generated by the control unit (140). Specifically, the target information may include voltage information, and the target battery information may include group information including a representative offset p3. Referring to FIG. 2, the representative offset of the group is p3, and since the number of offsets included in the group is 1, only the third battery may be included in the group. That is, the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 may be a packet requesting voltage information for the third battery.

[0104] In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the data area may include a second request group (REQ2) generated by the control unit (140). Specifically, the target information may include voltage information, and the target battery information may include information for a first group including a representative offset p2 and a second group including a representative offset p7. Referring to FIG. 2, the representative offset of the first group included in the second request group (REQ2) is p2, and since the number of offsets included in the first group is 4, the first group may include the second to fifth batteries. Additionally, the representative offset of the second group included in the second request group (REQ2) is p7, and since the number of offsets included in the second group is 1, the second group may include only the seventh battery. That is, the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 may be a packet requesting voltage information for the second to fifth batteries and the seventh battery.

[0105] In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the data area may include a third request group (REQ3) generated by the control unit (140). Specifically, the target information may include voltage information, and the target battery information may include information for a group including a representative offset p1. Referring to FIG. 2, the representative offset of the group included in the third request group (REQ3) is p1, and since the number of offsets included in the group is three, the group may include the first to third batteries. That is, the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 7 may be a packet requesting voltage information for the first to third batteries.

[0106] In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the third request group (REQ3) may further include an identifier. Specifically, the control unit (140) may be configured to include an identifier between the target information and the offset so as not to overlap with the target information and the offset in the request packet, and to calculate the amount of requested data by further considering the data size required for the identifier.

[0107] Here, the separator can be set as a code capable of distinguishing target information and target battery information. That is, the separator can be pre-set so as to be clearly identifiable from target information and target battery information. Additionally, the separator can be configured to have different values ​​when the target battery information includes a single target battery and when it implicitly includes multiple target batteries.

[0108] For example, if the value of the separator is 0000, it is assumed that the target battery information contains one target battery, and if it is 1111, it is assumed that the target battery information contains two or more target batteries. In the embodiment of FIG. 7, the target battery information may contain information regarding the first to third batteries. Accordingly, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the separator may be set to a value of 1111. The receiving side of the request packet has the advantage of being able to effectively separate and identify the target information and the target battery information through the presence or absence of the separator, and to verify the number of target batteries included in the target battery information without omission.

[0109] In the embodiment of FIG. 8, the data area may include a fourth request group (REQ4) and a fifth request group (REQ5). Specifically, the target information of the fourth request group (REQ4) may include voltage information, and the target battery information may include information for a group including a representative offset p6. Referring to FIG. 2, the representative offset of the group included in the fourth request group (REQ4) is p6, and since the number of offsets included in the group is three, the group may include the sixth to ninth batteries. That is, the fourth request group (REQ4) may be a group requesting temperature information for the sixth to ninth batteries.

[0110] Additionally, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the target information of the fifth request group (REQ5) includes temperature information, and the target battery information may include information for a first group including a representative offset p4 and a second group including a representative offset p8. Referring to FIG. 2, the representative offset of the first group included in the fifth request group (REQ5) is p4, and since the number of offsets included in the first group is 2, the first group may include the fourth and fifth batteries. Additionally, the representative offset of the second group included in the fifth request group (REQ5) is p8, and since the number of offsets included in the second group is 1, the second group may include the eighth battery. That is, the fifth request group (REQ5) may be a group requesting temperature information for the fourth battery, the fifth battery, and the eighth battery.

[0111] Accordingly, the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 8 may be a packet requesting voltage information for the 6th to 9th batteries and temperature information for the 4th battery, 5th battery, and 8th battery.

[0112] Meanwhile, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, since the fourth request group (REQ4) and the fifth request group (REQ5) include target battery information including a plurality of target batteries, the separator included in the fourth request group (REQ4) and the fifth request group (REQ5) may be the same. For example, referring to the preceding embodiment, the separator may be set to 1111.

[0113] In addition, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, the request packet may further include a preset separator to enable the separation and identification of multiple request groups. For example, the separator may be preset as a dummy value to clearly separate multiple request groups.

[0114] That is, the request packet may include a separator that distinguishes target information and target battery information within a request group and / or a separator that distinguishes multiple request groups.

[0115] Referring to the embodiments of FIGS. 5 to 8, a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to selectively request battery status information for one or more of a plurality of batteries (e.g., a plurality of batteries included in a battery list). Since the process of receiving battery status information for all batteries as in the prior art and then selecting battery status information for a desired target battery can be omitted, there is an advantage of effectively saving time and system resources required to obtain information for the target battery.

[0117] Meanwhile, the blank area among the data areas of the request packets of FIGS. 5 to 8 may be a storage area removed by the control unit (140).

[0118] For example, the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 5 may have a packet size of 6 Bytes by reducing the storage area by 2 Bytes. The request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 may have a packet size of 8 Bytes. The request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 7 may have a packet size of 7 Bytes by reducing the storage area by 1 Byte. The request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 8 may have a packet size of 16 Bytes by reducing the storage area by 48 Bytes.

[0119] In this way, the control unit (140) can prevent unnecessary waste of system resources during the communication process of the request packet by adjusting the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the amount of requested data calculated. In addition, since request packets of a compact packet size are transmitted and received, communication efficiency can also be significantly improved.

[0121] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information request method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0122] Each step of the battery information request method according to another embodiment of the present invention may be performed by a battery information request device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. Hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, content that overlaps with the previously described content is omitted or briefly explained.

[0123] Referring to FIG. 9, the battery information request method may include a target information determination step (S100), an offset determination step (S200), a request data amount calculation step (S300), a request packet generation step (S400), a request packet transmission step (S500), and a response packet reception step (S600).

[0124] The target information determination step (S100) is a step for determining target information to be acquired, and can be performed by the target information determination unit (120).

[0125] Target information is information such as voltage, current, temperature, resistance, and SOC, and may be battery status information to be obtained in response to a request packet.

[0126] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the target information determining unit (120) can determine voltage information as target information.

[0127] The offset determination step (S200) is a step of determining an offset for a target battery from a preset battery list for which target information is to be obtained, and can be performed by the target battery determination unit (130).

[0128] Preferably, the offset may represent a relative address for each battery based on the starting address of a preset battery list.

[0129] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the target battery is determined to be the third battery, and according to the battery list of FIG. 2, the offset for the third battery can be determined to be p3.

[0130] The request data amount calculation step (S300) is a step of calculating the request data amount corresponding to the target information and offset, and can be performed by the control unit (140).

[0131] The amount of requested data may represent the total amount of data included in the data area of ​​the request packet. For example, the control unit (140) may calculate the amount of requested data by considering the data size of the target information and offset included in the data area of ​​the request packet. Additionally, depending on the case, the control unit (140) may calculate the amount of requested data by considering the data size of the separator that may be further included in the data area of ​​the request packet.

[0132] The request packet generation step (S400) is a step of generating a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the amount of calculated request data and including target information and an offset, and can be performed by the control unit (140).

[0133] Specifically, the control unit (140) can select a packet structure corresponding to the calculated amount of request data and generate a request packet with the selected packet structure. During the process of generating the request packet, the control unit (140) can adjust the packet size of the request packet to correspond to the calculated amount of request data.

[0134] That is, the control unit (140) can select a packet structure that corresponds most to the amount of requested data calculated from among a plurality of preset packet structures, adjust the preset packet size of the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of requested data calculated, and generate a request packet by recording target information and target battery information in the packet structure with the adjusted packet size.

[0135] The control unit (140) can create a request group including target information and an offset, and create a request packet with a packet structure corresponding to the created request group.

[0136] For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the control unit (140) may create a first request group (REQ1) to include target information determined in the target information determination step (S100) and offset determined in the offset determination step (S200). Specifically, the first request group (REQ1) may include target information and target battery information. Since there is only one offset determined in the offset determination step (S200), the target battery information may include p3 as a representative offset, and 1 may be stored as the number of offsets.

[0137] Next, the control unit (140) can calculate the amount of requested data for the first request group (REQ1) included in the data area as 4 Bytes. For example, it is assumed that a preset reference amount is 6 Bytes. In the embodiment of FIG. 5, since the amount of requested data corresponding to the first request group (REQ1) is 4 Bytes, the amount of requested data may be smaller than the reference amount. Accordingly, the control unit (140) can select a first packet structure based on the calculated amount of requested data (4 Bytes). Conversely, if the amount of requested data corresponding to the request group is 6 Bytes or more, the control unit (140) can select a second packet structure.

[0138] Next, the packet size of the first packet structure selected by the control unit (140) may be 8 Bytes, and the storage area of ​​the data area may be 6 Bytes. Since 2 Bytes remain as idle storage space when the first request group (REQ1) is written to the first packet structure, the control unit (140) may adjust the data area of ​​the selected first packet structure to 4 Bytes. Then, the control unit (140) may generate a request packet by writing the first request group (REQ1) to the first packet structure with the adjusted packet size. That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, the packet size of the request packet is 6 Bytes, and the 7 Byte area and 8 Byte area shown in FIG. 5 may be deleted storage areas.

[0139] The request packet transmission step (S500) is a step of transmitting the generated request packet, and can be performed by the control unit (140).

[0140] Specifically, the control unit (140) can transmit the generated request packet to the battery information providing device through the communication unit (110).

[0141] The response packet reception step (S600) is a step of receiving a response packet containing battery information of a target battery corresponding to the target information as a response to a request packet, and can be performed by the control unit (140).

[0142] Specifically, the control unit (140) can receive a response packet containing battery information of a target battery from a battery information providing device through the communication unit (110). That is, the control unit (140) can receive a response (battery information of a target battery) regarding the target information of a target battery requested through a request packet from the battery information providing device.

[0143] A battery information request method according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to quickly obtain battery information for a target battery because it can selectively request only target information for a target battery among a plurality of batteries included in a preset battery list. In addition, the battery information request method can prevent the waste of time and system resources during the process of obtaining target information for a target battery.

[0145] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery information providing system (10) according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0146] Referring to FIG. 10, the battery information providing system (10) may include a battery information request device (100) and a battery information providing device (200). Since the description of the battery information request device (100) is redundant, the battery information providing device (200) will be described below.

[0147] The battery information providing device (200) may include a communication module (210), a battery information acquisition module (220), a control module (230), and a storage module (240).

[0148] The communication module (210) can be configured to communicate with the battery information request device (100).

[0149] For example, the communication module (210) may be connected to the battery information request device (100) to enable wired and / or wireless communication. Specifically, the communication module (210) may be connected to the communication unit (110) to enable communication.

[0150] The battery information acquisition module (220) can be configured to receive a request packet from the battery information request device (100) through the communication module (210).

[0151] Additionally, the battery information acquisition module (220) can be configured to determine a target battery from a request packet using a battery list and to acquire battery information corresponding to the target information for the determined target battery. Preferably, a pre-set battery list can be stored in advance in the storage module (240).

[0152] Specifically, the battery information acquisition module (220) can determine the target battery and target information corresponding to the received request packet. For example, the battery information acquisition module (220) can determine the target battery by matching the offset included in the target battery information to the battery list.

[0153] And, the battery information acquisition module (220) can acquire battery information of a target battery corresponding to the target information included in the request packet by accessing the storage module (240).

[0154] Here, the storage module (240) is not limited in its type as long as it is a known information storage means capable of recording, erasing, updating, and reading data. For example, the storage module (240) may include various battery information that can be measured by a measurement unit (not shown), and the battery information may include voltage, current, temperature, resistance, SOC, and SOH.

[0155] The control module (230) may be configured to calculate an amount of response data corresponding to target information and acquired battery information, and to generate a response packet containing target information and battery information having a packet size corresponding to the calculated amount of response data.

[0156] Here, the way the control module (230) generates the response packet may be similar to the way the control unit (140) generates the request packet.

[0157] Specifically, the control module (230) can generate a response group containing battery information obtained by the battery information acquisition module (220) and generate a response packet containing the generated response group.

[0158] For example, the control module (230) calculates the amount of response data corresponding to the generated response group and can select a packet structure corresponding to the amount of response data from among the first packet structure and the second packet structure. Then, the control module (230) can adjust the packet size of the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of response data. Finally, the control module (230) can be configured to generate a response packet by recording the response group in the packet structure with the adjusted packet size. Here, the target information may be the same as the target information included in the request packet. And, the battery information may be the value of the target information for the target battery in the target information.

[0159] For example, as in the preceding embodiment, it is assumed that the battery information providing device (200) receives a request packet from the battery information requesting device (100) requesting a voltage (target information) for the fifth battery (target battery). The battery information acquisition module (220) can access the storage module (240) to acquire a voltage value (battery information) for the fifth battery. Then, the control module (230) can generate a response packet including the voltage (target information) and the voltage value (battery information).

[0160] FIGS. 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams illustrating various embodiments of response packets generated by a battery information providing system (10) according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0161] Specifically, the response packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 11 may correspond to the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 7. Referring to FIG. 11, the response packet may include packet size information, packet identification information, and a first response group (RES1). In addition, the first response group (RES1) may include target information (voltage) and voltage values ​​for the first battery, the second battery, and the third battery. For example, the voltage value for the first battery may be 3V, the voltage value for the second battery may be 3.01V, and the voltage value for the third battery may be 3V.

[0162] And, the amount of response data calculated by the control module (230) may be 5 Bytes. Since the amount of response data included in the first response group (RES1) is 5 Bytes, the control module (230) can select the first packet structure. And, the control module (230) can adjust the packet size of the first packet structure to 7 Bytes to correspond to the amount of response data. Here, the packet size of the first packet structure can be adjusted by reducing the storage area of ​​the data area of ​​the first packet structure by 1 Byte. The control module (230) can generate a response packet of size 7 Bytes by writing the first response group (RES1) to the first packet structure with the reduced packet size. That is, the blank area among the data area of ​​the response packet of FIG. 11 may be a storage area removed by the control module (230).

[0163] Additionally, the response packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 12 may correspond to the request packet according to the embodiment of FIG. 8. Referring to FIG. 12, the response packet may include packet size information, packet identification information, a second response group (RES2), and a third response group (RES3). Furthermore, the second response group (RES2) may include target information (voltage) and voltage values ​​for the sixth battery, the seventh battery, and the eighth battery. Additionally, the third response group (RES3) may include target information (temperature) and temperature values ​​for the fourth battery, the fifth battery, and the eighth battery. For example, the temperature value for the fourth battery may be 20°C, the temperature value for the fifth battery may be 20°C, and the temperature value for the sixth battery may be 20.2°C.

[0164] And, the amount of response data calculated by the control module (230) may be 11 Bytes. Since the amount of response data is 11 Bytes, the control module (230) may select a second packet structure. And, the control module (230) may adjust the packet size of the second packet structure to 14 Bytes to correspond to the amount of response data. Here, the packet size of the second packet structure may be adjusted by reducing the storage area of ​​the data area of ​​the second packet structure by 50 Bytes. The control module (230) may generate a response packet of size 14 Bytes by recording the second response group (RES2), the third response group (RES3), and a separator in the second packet structure with the reduced packet size. That is, the blank area among the data area of ​​the response packet of FIG. 12 may be a storage area removed by the control module (230).

[0165] Meanwhile, a pre-set separator is included between the second response group (RES2) and the third response group (RES3), so that the second response group (RES2) and the third response group (RES3) can be clearly separated. Accordingly, the battery information request device (100) that receives the response packet can separate and identify the second response group (RES2) and the third response group (RES3) based on the separator.

[0166] The control module (230) may be configured to transmit a response packet to the battery information request device (100) via the communication module (210) in response to the request packet. Accordingly, the battery information request device (100) can obtain the value of target information for the target battery by receiving a response packet corresponding to the request packet from the battery information providing device (200).

[0167] A battery information providing system (10) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to request and respond only to target information for a target battery among a plurality of batteries included in a battery list, thereby saving time required for a battery information requesting device (100) to obtain desired battery information. In addition, since target information for a target battery is not selected after target information for all batteries has been requested and responded to, unnecessary waste of system resources of the battery information providing system (10) can be prevented during the process of requesting and responding to battery information.

[0168] In addition, since the request and provision of battery information are carried out using request and response packets with optimal packet sizes, system resources are not unnecessarily wasted during the communication process, and communication efficiency, such as communication speed and communication safety, can be significantly improved.

[0170] The embodiments of the present invention described above are not limited to implementation through devices, methods, and systems, but may also be implemented through a program that realizes a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiments of the present invention or a recording medium on which such a program is recorded. Such implementation can be easily achieved by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, based on the description of the embodiments described above.

[0171] Although the present invention has been described above by limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and it is obvious that various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the claims described below by those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs.

[0172] Furthermore, since the present invention described above allows for various substitutions, modifications, and changes within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention to those skilled in the art without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention, it is not limited by the aforementioned embodiments and attached drawings, but rather all or part of each embodiment may be selectively combined to allow for various modifications. Explanation of the symbols

[0173] 10: Battery Information Provision System 100: Battery information request device 110: Communications Department 120: Target Information Determination Unit 130: Target battery determination unit 140: Control unit 150: Storage section 200: Battery information providing device 210: Communication module 220: Battery Information Acquisition Module 230: Control Module 240: Storage Module

Claims

Claim 1 A battery information request device comprising: a communication unit configured to communicate with a battery information providing device; a target information determining unit configured to determine target information to be acquired; a target battery determining unit configured to determine an offset for a target battery to be acquired from a preset battery list; a control unit configured to calculate a request data amount corresponding to the target information and the offset, generate a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated request data amount and including the target information and the offset, transmit the request packet to the battery information providing device through the communication unit, and receive, through the communication unit, a response packet containing battery information of the target battery corresponding to the target information from the battery information providing device as a response to the request packet, wherein the control unit is configured to generate a group based on whether the offsets are continuous for each of the target information, and to determine one of the offsets included in each of the generated groups as a representative offset. Claim 2 A battery information request device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to select a packet structure corresponding to the amount of requested data from among a plurality of preset packet structures, and to generate the request packet by adjusting a preset packet size for the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of requested data. Claim 3 A battery information request device according to paragraph 2, wherein the control unit is configured to select a preset first packet structure if the calculated amount of request data is less than a reference amount, and to select a preset second packet structure if the calculated amount of request data is greater than or equal to the reference amount. Claim 4 A battery information request device according to paragraph 2, wherein the control unit is configured to reduce the storage capacity of the request packet to correspond to the amount of requested data when the storage capacity preset in the selected packet structure is greater than the amount of requested data. Claim 5 A battery information request device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to generate a request group including the target information and the offset, and to calculate the amount of requested data by calculating the size of the total data required for the request group. Claim 6 A battery information request device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit is configured to generate the request packet such that it includes packet size information of the request packet, packet identification information of the request packet, and information about the request group. Claim 7 A battery information request device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is configured to include a separator set so as not to overlap with the target information and the offset in the request packet between the target information and the offset, and to calculate the amount of requested data by further considering the data size required for the separator. Claim 8 A battery information request device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit determines the number of representative offsets and included offsets for each generated group to generate target battery information, and is configured to generate the request group to include the target battery information corresponding to the target information. Claim 9 delete Claim 10 A battery information request method characterized by comprising: a target information determination step for determining target information to be acquired; an offset determination step for determining an offset for a target battery to be acquired from a preset battery list; a request data amount calculation step for calculating a request data amount corresponding to the target information and the offset; a request packet generation step for generating a request packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated request data amount and including the target information and the offset; a request packet transmission step for transmitting the request packet; and a response packet reception step for receiving a response packet containing battery information of the target battery corresponding to the target information as a response to the request packet. Claim 11 A battery information providing system comprising a battery information request device and a battery information providing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the battery information providing device comprises: a communication module configured to communicate with the battery information request device; a battery information acquisition module configured to receive the request packet from the battery information request device through the communication module, determine the target battery from the request packet using the battery list, and acquire the battery information corresponding to the target information for the determined target battery; and a control module configured to calculate the amount of response data corresponding to the target information and the battery information, generate the response packet having a packet size corresponding to the calculated amount of response data and including the target information and the battery information, and transmit the response packet to the battery information request device through the communication module as a response to the request packet. Claim 12 A battery information providing system according to claim 11, wherein the control module is configured to select a packet structure corresponding to the amount of response data from among a plurality of preset packet structures, and to generate the response packet by adjusting a preset packet size for the selected packet structure to correspond to the amount of response data.

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