Control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel

Abstract

This invention relates to a control system for parallel power supply of multiple batteries, applicable to multiple batteries connected in parallel on a power supply bus. The control system includes a main control board and a plurality of battery module control boards. The main control board has a processing unit, an integrated communication unit, and a plurality of monitoring units. Each battery module control board is connected to the integrated communication unit and a corresponding monitoring unit. The main control board can detect whether each battery module control board is connected to a corresponding battery. When a battery is connected, the main control board can obtain the battery information of that battery. The integrated communication unit can determine the communication protocol of the battery and communicate with it individually; therefore, the multiple batteries are not limited to the same specifications or brand.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a battery control technology, and more particularly to a control system that can be easily expanded and controlled for multiple different types of batteries. Prior Technology

[0002] As the power demands or range of electric vehicles increase, the number of batteries that power them is also gradually increasing, shifting from single-battery power to multiple batteries connected in series or parallel. Besides electric vehicles, other battery-powered applications are also adopting multi-battery architectures.

[0003] When using multiple batteries, identifying each battery is a relatively important issue. To facilitate the management of multiple batteries, it is generally recommended to use batteries of the same specifications and brand. This allows multiple batteries to be connected to the same communication bus for easy management. Conversely, using batteries of different specifications will lead to communication conflicts or incompatibility issues.

[0004] Existing technology also includes a system that connects multiple batteries in parallel for power supply. Each battery is connected to a corresponding DC / DC converter, which converts the battery voltage into an output voltage at a preset level. Even if the battery voltages of multiple different batteries are not exactly the same, the output voltage generated by each DC / DC converter has a consistent level. Therefore, the output voltages generated by these DC / DC converters can be connected in parallel to the power supply bus. However, the power conversion efficiency of DC / DC converters is relatively low, and the overall power output efficiency of the power supply system is easily reduced by the influence of the DC / DC converters. Summary of the Invention

[0005] [Technical problem to be solved]

[0006] To address the technical problem that battery-powered systems can only use multiple batteries of the same type for connection, and cannot arbitrarily combine batteries of different specifications, manufacturers, or communication protocols, this invention proposes a "multi-battery control system" that allows multiple batteries of different brands or types to be connected in parallel for power supply.

[0007] [Technical means to solve the problem]

[0008] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the multi-battery parallel power supply control system of the present invention includes:

[0009] A main control board, which is equipped with: One processing unit; An integrated communication unit is connected to the processing unit; and Multiple monitoring units are connected to this processing unit;

[0010] A plurality of battery module control boards, each battery module control board being connected to the integrated communication unit and a corresponding monitoring unit, and each battery module control board being connected to a corresponding battery;

[0011] The main control board continuously and cyclically detects whether each battery module control board is connected to the corresponding battery. When the corresponding battery is connected to the battery module control board, the integrated communication unit of the main control board establishes communication with the corresponding battery to obtain the battery information.

[0012] [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The integrated communication unit of this invention can compatiblely detect different communication protocols. When each battery module control board is connected to a corresponding battery, the communication switch on the battery module control board can be turned on. Therefore, each battery is connected to the main control board through an independent communication switch. Even if multiple batteries of different brands or types are used, the main control board can individually identify the communication standard of each battery and communicate with it to obtain the battery information of that battery. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0014] Figure 1: Circuit block diagram of the present invention. Figure 2: Schematic diagram of the circuit operation of the present invention, wherein the first battery module control board is connected to a battery. Figure 3: Schematic diagram of the circuit operation of the present invention. No battery is connected to the second battery module control board. Figure 4: Schematic diagram of the circuit operation of the present invention, the third battery module control board is connected to a battery. Implementation

[0015] Please refer to Figure 1. The multi-battery control system of the present invention includes a main control board 10 and multiple battery module control boards 20. Each battery module control board 20 is connected to the main control board 10 and can be connected to a battery 200. The multiple batteries 200 are connected in parallel to a set of power supply busbars V+ and V-. Power is supplied to a load 100 through the power supply busbars V+ and V-. The type of load 100 is not limited. In one embodiment, the load 100 can be an electric vehicle or any device that requires parallel battery power supply.

[0016] The main control board 10 includes a processing unit 11, an integrated communication unit 12, a plurality of monitoring units 13, and a plurality of communication ports 14. The processing unit 11 connects the integrated communication unit to each monitoring unit 13. The integrated communication unit 12 is connected to each communication port 14 via communication lines. In this embodiment, the integrated communication unit 12 is compatible with multiple communication protocols, such as CAN BUS, RS485, and RS232.

[0017] Each battery module control board 20 has the same internal circuit architecture and each has a communication switch 22. Each battery module control board 20 is connected between the corresponding battery 200 and the main control board 10. The communication switch 22 is connected between the corresponding battery 200 and the corresponding communication port 14. The main control board 10 controls the on / off state of the communication switch 22. When the communication switch 22 is ON, the main control board 10 can communicate with the corresponding battery 200 through the communication switch 22. Conversely, when the communication switch 22 is OFF, the main control board 10 cannot communicate with the corresponding battery 200.

[0018] In this invention, each battery 200 is connected to the main control board 10 through an independent communication path. The integrated communication unit 12 on the main control board 10 establishes communication with each battery 200 in sequence. The integrated communication unit 12 can identify different batteries 200 with different communication protocols. After establishing communication with a battery 200, the main control board 10 further obtains the battery information (e.g., voltage value) of the battery 200. This process is continuously monitored for each battery 200 and then the information of the multiple batteries 200 is integrated.

[0019] The following examples are illustrated in Figures 2 to 4. In this example, there are n battery module control boards 20a to 20n that can be connected to batteries. The first battery module control board 20a is connected to a first battery 200a, while the second battery module control board 20b is not connected to a corresponding battery; the third battery module control board 20c is connected to a third battery 200c.

[0020] Referring first to Figure 2, the processing unit 11 of the main control board 10 controls the first monitoring unit 13a to output a wake-up signal. When the first battery module control board 20a is already connected to the first battery 200a, the wake-up signal can be transmitted to the first battery 200a through the first battery module control board 20a. The main control board 10 can receive a feedback signal from the first monitoring unit 13a. When the feedback signal is received, it is confirmed that the first battery 200a is indeed connected to the first battery module control board 20a. If no feedback signal is received, it is determined that no battery is connected to the first battery module control board. Once it is confirmed that the first battery 200a has been connected, the processing unit 11 outputs a conduction signal through the first monitoring unit 13a to control the first communication switch 22a on the first battery module control board 20a to be turned on. The integrated communication unit 12 can establish a communication path with the first battery 200a and detect the communication protocol of the first battery 200a. After determining the communication protocol of the first battery 200a, the integrated communication unit 12 can obtain its battery information from the first battery 200a, such as the power information of the first battery 200a, and provide it to the processing unit 11.

[0021] The integrated communication unit 12 can determine different communication protocols based on voltage level, transmission rate (Bauer rate), or packet detection. For example, the high and low voltage levels of CAN BUS are typically between 1V and 4V; RS485 voltage levels are represented by 0V and 5V; RS232 uses both positive and negative voltages (e.g., -13V to +13V). Therefore, the corresponding communication protocol can be determined based on the voltage level of different signals. Regarding transmission rate, the Bauer rates used by RS232 and RS485 can be 300, 1200, 2400, 9600, 19200, and 115200 bps; the Bauer rate of CAN BUS is 500kbps or 1Mbps. In addition, the integrated communication unit 12 can also pre-establish a packet format database, comparing the format of the transmitted packets with known formats in the database to determine the communication protocol. The aforementioned different methods can be selected individually or in combination, depending on application requirements.

[0022] Referring to Figure 3, after completing the communication transmission with the first battery 200a, the main control board 10 turns off the first communication switch 22a. The main control board 10 then controls the second monitoring unit 13b to output a wake-up signal. Because the second battery module control board 20b is not connected to a battery, the main control board 10 cannot receive a feedback signal from the second monitoring unit 13b, thus determining that no battery is connected to the second battery module control board 20b.

[0023] Please refer to Figure 4. After the main control board 10 determines that the second battery module control board 20b is not connected to a battery, the processing unit 11 of the main control board 10 controls the third monitoring unit 13c to output a wake-up signal. When the third battery module control board 20c is connected to the third battery 200c, the wake-up signal can be transmitted to the third battery 200c through the third battery module control board 20c. The main control board 10 can receive a feedback signal from the third monitoring unit 13c to confirm that the third battery 200c is indeed connected to the third battery module control board 20c. After confirming the connection of the third battery 200c, the processing unit 11 outputs a conduction signal through the third monitoring unit 13c to control the third communication switch 22c on the third battery module control board 20c to be turned on. The integrated communication unit 12 can establish a communication path with the third battery 200c and detect the communication protocol of the third battery 200c. After determining the communication protocol of the third battery 200c, the integrated communication unit 12 obtains the battery information of the third battery 200c and provides it to the processing unit 11. The main control board 10 establishes communication with each battery 200a-200n one by one according to the above-mentioned Figures 2-4 and obtains its battery information; and continuously detects, determines whether each battery 200a-200n can be connected, establishes communication and obtains its battery information.

[0024] After obtaining battery information from each battery 200a to 200n, the main control board 10, according to an embodiment of the present invention, determines whether the batteries 200a to 200n can supply power to the load 100 based on a preset power supply rule. For example, when the voltage values ​​of different batteries 200a to 200n are different, the processing unit 11 controls several batteries with the same voltage, or several batteries with a voltage difference less than a preset threshold, to be connected in parallel to supply power. One specific approach is to prioritize supplying power to the power bus V+, V- to provide power to the load 100 by the battery with the highest voltage. When the voltage value of the battery gradually decreases to be equal to or less than the preset threshold of the battery with the second highest voltage, the processing unit 11 then controls the battery with the second highest voltage to supply power to the power bus V+, V-, so that the two batteries jointly supply power to the load 100. Each battery 200a~200n has an internal switch. When the internal switch is in the on state, the battery can output its power. Conversely, when the internal switch is in the off state, the battery cannot output its power. The architecture and principle of the battery and its internal switch are not technical features of this case, so they will not be described in detail.

[0025] In another embodiment, after obtaining the battery information of each battery 200a to 200n, the processing unit 11 on the main control board 10 outputs the battery information to an external device or another control circuit for use. The external device or control circuit determines how to control the power supply of the batteries 200a to 200n based on the battery information. Taking an electric vehicle as an example, the battery information can be output to a vehicle controller, which can determine when the batteries 200a to 200n are powered.

[0026] 1. Each battery is connected to a separate battery module control board, which is connected to the main control board via a communication switch on the battery module control board. Therefore, each battery is connected to the main control board through an independent communication switch. Even if multiple batteries of different brands or types are used, the main control board can identify the communication standard of each battery individually and communicate with it to exchange information.

[0027] 2. Supports hot-swappable batteries: When any battery is connected or disconnected from a battery module control board, the main control board determines whether the battery is connected based on whether there is a feedback signal from the battery module control board. If the battery is connected, it can control the battery to supply power in parallel based on the battery information.

[0028] 3. Compared to the use of multiple DC / DC converters in the prior art, the present invention does not require connecting a DC / DC converter to each battery, thus avoiding energy loss during the power conversion process.

[0029] 10: Main control board 11: Processing Unit 12: Integrated Communication Unit 13, 13a, 13b, 13c, 13n: Monitoring units 14: Communication Port 20, 20a, 20b, 20c, 20n: Battery module control board 22, 22a, 22b, 22c, 22n: Communication switches 100: Load 200, 200a, 200c, 200n: Batteries V+, V-: Power supply bus

Claims

1. A control system for parallel power supply of multiple batteries, applicable to multiple batteries connected in parallel on a set of power supply buses, the control system comprising: a main control board, the main control board having: a processing unit; an integrated communication unit connected to the processing unit; and a plurality of monitoring units, each connected to the processing unit; and a plurality of battery module control boards, each battery module control board being connected to the integrated communication unit and a corresponding monitoring unit, and each battery module control board being connected to a corresponding battery; wherein, The main control board continuously and cyclically detects whether each battery module control board is connected to the corresponding battery. When the corresponding battery is connected to the battery module control board, the integrated communication unit of the main control board establishes communication with the corresponding battery to obtain the battery information.

2. The control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, The main control board is provided with a plurality of communication ports, each of which is connected to a corresponding battery module control board; the integrated communication unit communicates with the corresponding battery through the communication ports.

3. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 2, wherein, Each battery module control board includes a communication switch, which is connected to the corresponding communication port. The main control board controls the communication switch to be turned on in order to obtain battery information of the battery connected to the battery module control board. When the communication switch of any battery module control board is turned on, the communication switches of the other battery module control boards are turned off.

4. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 3, wherein, The main control board outputs a conduction signal to the corresponding communication switch through the monitoring unit to control the communication switch to be turned on.

5. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, When the main control board determines whether the battery module control board is connected to the corresponding battery, the processing unit controls the monitoring unit to output a wake-up signal to the battery and detects whether the monitoring unit receives a feedback signal. When the monitoring unit receives the feedback signal, it determines that the battery module control board is connected to the corresponding battery.

6. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, The battery information obtained by the main control board includes the battery voltage value of each battery.

7. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, The processing unit of the main control board controls multiple batteries with the same voltage to be connected in parallel for power supply.

8. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, The processing unit of the main control board controls multiple batteries to be connected in parallel to provide power, provided that the voltage difference between them is less than a preset threshold.

9. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, This integrated communication unit is compatible with CAN, RS485 and RS232 communication protocols.

10. A control system for multiple batteries connected in parallel as described in claim 1, wherein, The integrated communication unit detects the corresponding communication protocol of the battery through the battery module control board.

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