Power-on method of battery system, battery system, and electric device

Abstract

A power-on method of a battery system, a battery system, and an electric device, capable of improving the battery swapping performance of the battery system. The battery system comprises a plurality of battery swapping units connected in parallel, wherein each battery swapping unit comprises a battery and a first battery management unit thereof, and the battery system further comprises second battery management units connected to the first battery management units in the plurality of battery swapping units. The power-on method is executed by the second battery management units. The power-on method comprises: receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; and in response to the first power-on signal, sending to the first battery management unit a second power-on signal, wherein the second power-on signal is used for instructing each first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery swapping unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

Description

Battery system power-on method, battery system, and power-consuming device

[0001] This application claims priority to the invention patent application filed with the China Patent Office on July 27, 2023, with application number 202310936376.2, entitled “Power-on method for battery system, battery system and power-using device”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present application relates to the field of batteries, and more particularly, to a power-on method for a battery system, a battery system, and an electrical device. Background Art

[0003] Battery swap stations can enable rapid battery replacement for electric vehicles. However, as the number of battery packs in electric vehicles increases and their distribution becomes more flexible, how to improve their battery swap performance has become an urgent issue to be addressed.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a method for powering on a battery system, a battery system, and an electrical device, which can improve the battery replacement performance of the battery system.

[0006] In a first aspect, a power-on method for a battery system is provided, wherein the battery system includes a plurality of battery exchange units connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and its first battery management unit, and the battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the plurality of battery exchange units. The power-on method is executed by the second battery management unit, and the power-on method includes: receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; in response to the first power-on signal, sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit, wherein the second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery exchange unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0007] The battery system of the present application includes a plurality of battery exchange units, each of which includes a battery and a corresponding first battery management unit. The first battery management units of the plurality of battery exchange units are all connected to the second battery management unit. Therefore, the plurality of battery exchange units do not need to be used in a bundled manner, and only part of the battery exchange units can be replaced and charged. The mixed use of battery exchange units is supported, which makes the battery exchange efficiency higher and facilitates the construction and operation of battery exchange stations. When the battery system is powered on at high voltage, the second battery management unit can receive the first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit, and in response to the first power-on signal, send the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit, so that the first battery management unit controls the corresponding battery exchange unit to perform high-voltage power-on, thereby effectively realizing high-voltage power-on of the battery system.

[0008] In one possible implementation, the power-on method also includes: determining the number of the multiple battery exchange units; wherein, sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit when the number of the multiple battery exchange units is equal to a preset number.

[0009] Determining whether the number of battery swap units is equal to the preset number before performing high-voltage power-on can reduce the risks brought about by problems such as battery swap unit failure and improve the reliability of the battery system's power-on process.

[0010] In one possible implementation, determining the number of the multiple battery exchange units includes: sending a coding signal to the first battery management unit of the first battery exchange unit among the multiple battery exchange units, and the coding signal is used to be transmitted in sequence between the first battery management units among the multiple battery exchange units to encode the multiple battery exchange units in sequence; receiving the coding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery exchange unit among the multiple battery exchange units; and determining the number of the multiple battery exchange units based on the coding result.

[0011] In this implementation, a coding signal is sent to the first battery management unit of the first battery swap unit, and the coding signal is transmitted sequentially among multiple battery swap units until the first battery management unit of the last battery swap unit receives the coding signal, thereby realizing the coding of multiple battery swap units. The second battery management unit receives the coding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery swap unit to determine whether the current number of battery swap units is the preset number.

[0012] In one possible implementation, sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: determining at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units; and sending the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit in the at least one battery exchange unit.

[0013] In order to reduce the risks in the battery system, the second battery management unit can determine whether to power on each battery replacement unit with high voltage based on its actual situation.

[0014] In a possible implementation, determining at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units includes: determining at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units based on the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units.

[0015] The second battery management unit can determine whether to power on each battery replacement unit with high voltage according to the voltage condition of each battery replacement unit to reduce the risks in the battery system.

[0016] In one possible implementation, determining at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units based on the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units includes: when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, determining that the at least one battery exchange unit includes a battery exchange unit whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0017] In this implementation, when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units is greater than or equal to the voltage threshold, in order to reduce the risks in the battery system, only the battery exchange units whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage is within a predetermined range can be selected as the battery exchange units that require high-voltage power supply.

[0018] In one possible implementation, determining at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units based on the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units includes: when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is less than or equal to a voltage threshold, determining that the at least one battery exchange unit includes the multiple battery exchange units.

[0019] In this implementation, since the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, the voltage difference between other battery exchange units and the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage will also be less than or equal to the voltage threshold. Therefore, multiple battery exchange units can be powered on with high voltage at the same time.

[0020] In one possible implementation, the battery exchange unit also includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery, and the slave high-voltage box includes a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0021] The first relay unit may, for example, include a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay on the battery main circuit, and the second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit of the battery exchange unit to be powered on to control the first relay unit in the corresponding battery exchange unit to close, so as to realize high-voltage power-on of the battery exchange unit.

[0022] In one possible implementation, the battery system also includes a main high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box is connected to the main high-voltage box through a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box includes a second relay unit, and the power-on method also includes: after the first relay unit in the at least one battery exchange unit is closed, controlling the second relay unit to close.

[0023] After the first relay units in the slave high-voltage box of each battery exchange unit to be powered on are closed, the second battery management unit controls the second relay unit in the master high-voltage box to close, so that the energy provided by the batteries of each battery exchange unit can reach the high-voltage electrical equipment at the same time, thereby providing it with a more stable high-voltage signal.

[0024] In a possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: after the second relay unit is closed, sending a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit.

[0025] After the high-voltage power-up is completed, the second battery management unit needs to inform the vehicle control unit that the battery end has completed the high-voltage power-up, so that the vehicle control unit controls the vehicle end to perform high-voltage power-up.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the power-on method also includes: sending information on the allowable power of the battery system, where the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable powers of the multiple battery exchange units, thereby facilitating charging and discharging between external devices and the battery system and improving the reliability of the charging and discharging process.

[0027] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a wake-up signal; and performing low-voltage power-on on the second battery management unit based on the wake-up signal. Because the second battery management unit and the first battery management unit require low-voltage signals as power sources, the second battery management unit needs to perform low-voltage power-on based on the received wake-up signal before controlling the battery system to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0028] In the second aspect, a power-on method for a battery system is provided, wherein the battery system includes a plurality of battery exchange units in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and its first battery management unit, and the battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the plurality of battery exchange units. The power-on method is executed by a vehicle control unit, and the power-on method includes: determining whether the battery system meets the high-voltage power-on condition; if the high-voltage power-on condition is met, sending a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit, and the first power-on signal is used to instruct the second battery management unit to control the battery system for high-voltage power-on.

[0029] The battery system of the present application includes multiple battery exchange units, each of which includes a battery and a corresponding first battery management unit. The first battery management units of the multiple battery exchange units are all connected to the second battery management unit. Therefore, the multiple battery exchange units do not need to be bound together for use, and only some of the battery exchange units can be replaced and charged. The mixed use of battery exchange units is supported, which makes the battery exchange efficiency higher and facilitates the construction and operation of battery exchange stations. When the battery system is powered on at high voltage, the vehicle control unit sends a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit, thereby controlling the battery system to be powered on at high voltage through the second battery management unit, effectively realizing the high voltage power-on of the battery system.

[0030] For example, the high-voltage power-on condition includes at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system are in a disconnected state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system is not enabled.

[0031] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit, wherein the power-on completion signal is used to indicate that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on; and controlling the closure of a relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment according to the power-on completion signal.

[0032] When the vehicle control unit receives the power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit and determines that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on, it controls the relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close, that is, the battery system is powered on at high voltage first, and then the high-voltage electrical equipment is powered on at high voltage, so as to reduce the risks caused by sudden startup of the high-voltage electrical equipment.

[0033] In one possible implementation, the power-on method further includes: receiving a wake-up signal; and performing low-voltage power-on on the vehicle control unit based on the wake-up signal. Because the vehicle control unit and other components require a low-voltage signal as a power source, the vehicle control unit needs to perform low-voltage power-on based on the received wake-up signal before the vehicle control unit controls high-voltage electrical equipment to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0034] In the third aspect, a battery system is provided, comprising: a plurality of battery exchange units, the plurality of battery exchange units being connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit comprises a battery and a slave high-voltage box connected thereto, the slave high-voltage box comprising a first battery management unit of the battery; and a main high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box being connected via a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box comprising a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit in the plurality of battery exchange units.

[0035] The battery system of the present application includes a plurality of battery exchange units, each battery exchange unit is provided with a battery and a slave high-voltage box connected thereto, a corresponding first battery management unit is configured in the slave high-voltage box, and the battery system is further provided with a main high-voltage box connected to the slave high-voltage box of each battery exchange unit, and the main high-voltage box is provided with a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit in each slave high-voltage box. Due to the adoption of a three-level architecture formed by a cell sampling circuit, a first battery management unit, and a second battery management unit, the battery exchange unit can be separated during the battery exchange process by means of a pluggable electrical connector between the slave high-voltage box and the main high-voltage box. Therefore, a plurality of battery exchange units can be independently disassembled, and a plurality of battery exchange units do not need to be used in a bundled manner. Only part of the battery exchange units can be replaced and charged, and the mixed use of battery exchange units is supported, which makes the battery exchange efficiency higher, facilitates the construction and operation of battery exchange stations, and expands the battery exchange scenarios to which the battery system can be applied.

[0036] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface, and the high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage line in the master high-voltage box through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the master high-voltage box through the low-voltage interface.

[0037] The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface to achieve high-voltage connection and low-voltage connection between the slave high-voltage box and the master high-voltage box.

[0038] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box also include an insulation detector, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to the ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling.

[0039] In this implementation, the insulation testers in the main high-voltage box and the slave high-voltage box are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling. For example, during the charging process of the battery swap unit, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box of each battery swap unit detects the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus in the battery swap unit to the ground; when the battery system is installed on the vehicle, the insulation tester in the main high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to the battery system, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is not enabled by default, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the detection results output by the insulation tester.

[0040] In one possible implementation, when the battery system is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the master high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system is charged in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

[0041] When the battery system is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the master high-voltage box is enabled. If the insulation testers in the slave high-voltage boxes are also enabled at this time, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since multiple battery swap units are connected in parallel, the resistance is reduced after multiple battery swap units are connected in parallel. The insulation impedance corresponding to a battery swap unit will be incorporated into the insulation impedance corresponding to another battery swap unit, thereby lowering the insulation impedance corresponding to the entire battery system and affecting the test results output by the insulation tester. When the battery system is charging in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to its corresponding battery swap unit.

[0042] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit configured to detect the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relay. This allows the first battery management unit to promptly assess battery system risks, such as determining whether the relay is sticking, based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuit.

[0043] In one possible implementation, the slave high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the slave high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the slave high-voltage box. When the battery system is mounted on an electrical device for discharge, the main positive relay and the main negative relay can protect kinetic energy output; when the battery system is charging at a battery swap station, the main positive relay and the main negative relay can protect kinetic energy input.

[0044] In one possible implementation, the slave high-voltage box includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector for connecting to the master high-voltage box and a branch connector for connecting to the battery on each branch. The low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector for connecting to the master high-voltage box and a low-voltage input / output connector for connecting to the cell sampling circuit of the battery on each branch. Through the high-voltage connector and low-voltage connector in the slave high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the slave high-voltage box and the battery and the master high-voltage box, thereby achieving effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0045] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector is provided on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit, the high-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the main circuit connector of the slave high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector of the slave high-voltage box. In this embodiment, the electrical connector can be provided on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit, and specifically, the main circuit connector and the external low-voltage connector on the slave high-voltage box can be connected to the high-voltage interface and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector respectively, so that the connection between the slave high-voltage box and the master high-voltage box can be achieved through the electrical connector.

[0046] In one possible implementation, a current sensor is provided on each branch circuit within the slave high-voltage box to detect the current flowing through the corresponding branch circuit. The current information corresponding to each branch circuit can be transmitted to the first battery management unit in real time to facilitate overcurrent detection and SOC calculation by the first battery management unit.

[0047] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The main positive relay and the main negative relay in the main high-voltage box are controlled by the second battery management unit to cut off and close the external high-voltage output of the entire battery system.

[0048] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The positive charging relay and the negative charging relay are used to connect to the socket of the power-consuming device to charge the battery system. In this way, if the power-consuming device needs temporary power replenishment, it can be charged using a charging device outside the battery swap station, such as a charging station plug.

[0049] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit. Through the high-voltage connector and the low-voltage connector in the master high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the master high-voltage box and the battery and the vehicle control unit, thereby achieving effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0050] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a manual maintenance switch, and a fuse unit is integrated into the manual maintenance switch. In this way, the slave high-voltage box can implement overload and short-circuit protection for the corresponding battery swap unit through the manual maintenance switch, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the battery swap unit during maintenance. The master high-voltage box can implement overload and short-circuit protection for the entire battery system through the manual maintenance switch, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the entire battery system during maintenance.

[0051] In a fourth aspect, a high-voltage box of a battery system is provided, wherein the high-voltage box is the main high-voltage box of the battery system, and the battery system also includes a plurality of battery exchange units in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and a slave high-voltage box connected thereto, and the main high-voltage box is connected to the slave high-voltage box through a pluggable electrical connector, and the slave high-voltage box includes a first battery management unit of the battery, and the main high-voltage box includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery exchange units.

[0052] The main high-voltage box of the present application is connected to the slave high-voltage boxes in multiple parallel battery exchange units through a pluggable electrical connector. Therefore, multiple battery exchange units can be disassembled independently, and multiple battery exchange units do not need to be bundled for use. Only some of the battery exchange units can be replaced and charged, supporting the mixed use of battery exchange units, making the battery exchange efficiency higher and facilitating the construction and operation of battery exchange stations.

[0053] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface, the high-voltage line in the master high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave master pressure box is connected to the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box through the low-voltage interface.

[0054] The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface to achieve high-voltage connection and low-voltage connection between the slave high-voltage box and the master high-voltage box.

[0055] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box also include an insulation detector, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to the ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling.

[0056] In this implementation, the insulation testers in the main high-voltage box and the slave high-voltage box are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling. For example, during the charging process of the battery swap unit, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box of each battery swap unit detects the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus in the battery swap unit to the ground; when the battery system is installed on the vehicle, the insulation tester in the main high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to the battery system, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is not enabled by default, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the detection results output by the insulation tester.

[0057] In one possible implementation, when the battery system is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the master high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system is charged in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

[0058] When the battery system is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the master high-voltage box is enabled. If the insulation testers in the slave high-voltage boxes are also enabled at this time, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since multiple battery swap units are connected in parallel, the resistance is reduced after multiple battery swap units are connected in parallel. The insulation impedance corresponding to a battery swap unit will be incorporated into the insulation impedance corresponding to another battery swap unit, thereby lowering the insulation impedance corresponding to the entire battery system and affecting the test results output by the insulation tester. When the battery system is charging in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is enabled to detect the insulation impedance corresponding to its corresponding battery swap unit.

[0059] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit configured to detect the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relay. This allows the first battery management unit to promptly assess battery system risks, such as determining whether the relay is sticking, based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuit.

[0060] In one possible implementation, the electrical connector is provided on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit, the high-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the main circuit connector of the slave high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector of the slave high-voltage box. In this embodiment, the electrical connector can be provided on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit, and specifically, the main circuit connector and the external low-voltage connector on the slave high-voltage box can be connected to the high-voltage interface and the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector respectively, so that the connection between the slave high-voltage box and the master high-voltage box can be achieved through the electrical connector.

[0061] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The main positive relay and the main negative relay in the main high-voltage box are controlled by the second battery management unit to cut off and close the external high-voltage output of the entire battery system.

[0062] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box further includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box. The positive charging relay and the negative charging relay are used to connect to the socket of the power-consuming device to charge the battery system. In this way, if the power-consuming device needs temporary power replenishment, it can be charged using a charging device outside the battery swap station, such as a charging station plug.

[0063] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. The high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit. The low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit. Through the high-voltage connector and the low-voltage connector in the master high-voltage box, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the master high-voltage box and the battery and the vehicle control unit, thereby achieving effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0064] In one possible implementation, the master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a manual maintenance switch, and a fuse unit is integrated into the manual maintenance switch. In this way, the slave high-voltage box can implement overload and short-circuit protection for the corresponding battery swap unit through the manual maintenance switch, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the battery swap unit during maintenance. The master high-voltage box can implement overload and short-circuit protection for the entire battery system through the manual maintenance switch, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the entire battery system during maintenance.

[0065] In the fifth aspect, a battery exchange device is provided, which is applied to a battery system, wherein the battery system includes multiple battery exchange units in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and its first battery management unit, and the battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery exchange units. The battery exchange device includes: a receiving module for receiving a first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit; a sending module for sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit in response to the first power-on signal, and the second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery exchange unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0066] In one possible implementation, the battery exchange device also includes: a processing module for determining the number of the multiple battery exchange units; wherein the sending module is specifically used to: send the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit when the number of the multiple battery exchange units is equal to a preset number.

[0067] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to: control the sending module to send a coding signal to the first battery management unit of the first battery exchange unit among the multiple battery exchange units, and the coding signal is used to be transmitted in sequence between the first battery management units among the multiple battery exchange units to encode the multiple battery exchange units in sequence; control the receiving module to receive the coding result sent by the first battery management unit of the last battery exchange unit among the multiple battery exchange units; and determine the number of the multiple battery exchange units based on the coding result.

[0068] In one possible implementation, the processing module is also used to: determine at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units; the sending module is specifically used to: send the second power-on signal to the first battery management unit in the at least one battery exchange unit.

[0069] In a possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units based on the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units.

[0070] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to: when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, determine that at least one battery exchange unit includes a battery exchange unit whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0071] In one possible implementation, the processing module is specifically used to determine that the at least one battery exchange unit includes the multiple battery exchange units when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0072] In one possible implementation, the battery exchange unit also includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery, and the slave high-voltage box includes a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0073] In one possible implementation, the battery system also includes a main high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box is connected to the main high-voltage box through a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box includes a second relay unit, and the processing module is also used to: after the first relay unit in the at least one battery exchange unit is closed, control the second relay unit to close.

[0074] In a possible implementation, the sending module is further configured to: send a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit after the second relay unit is closed.

[0075] In a possible implementation, the sending module is further used to: send information on the allowable power of the battery system, where the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable powers of the multiple battery exchange units.

[0076] In a possible implementation, the receiving module is further configured to receive a wake-up signal; and the processing module is further configured to perform low-voltage power-up on the second battery management unit according to the wake-up signal.

[0077] In the sixth aspect, a battery exchange device is provided, which is applied to a battery system, wherein the battery system includes multiple battery exchange units in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and its first battery management unit, and the battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the multiple battery exchange units. The battery exchange device includes: a processing module for determining whether the battery system meets the high-voltage power-on condition; a sending module for sending a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit when the high-voltage power-on condition is met, and the first power-on signal is used to instruct the second battery management unit to control the battery system for high-voltage power-on.

[0078] In a possible implementation, the high-voltage power-on condition includes at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system are in a disconnected state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system is not enabled.

[0079] In one possible implementation, the battery replacement device also includes a receiving module, which is used to: receive a power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit, and the power-on completion signal is used to indicate that the battery system has completed high-voltage power-on; the processing module is also used to: control the closure of the relay in the main circuit between the battery system and the high-voltage electrical equipment according to the power-on completion signal.

[0080] In a possible implementation, the battery exchange device further includes a receiving module, which is used to: receive a wake-up signal; the processing module is also used to perform low-voltage power-on on the vehicle control unit according to the wake-up signal.

[0081] In the seventh aspect, a battery exchange device is provided, including a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and apply the computer program stored in the memory to execute the power-on method described in the above-mentioned first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; or, execute the power-on method described in the above-mentioned second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0082] In an eighth aspect, a chip is provided, comprising a processor, wherein the processor is used to call and apply a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the power-on method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; or, executes the power-on method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0083] In the ninth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided for storing a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the power-on method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect; or, to execute the power-on method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0084] In the tenth aspect, an electrical device is provided, comprising the battery system described in the third aspect or any possible implementation of the third aspect, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system, wherein the battery system is used to provide power for the high-voltage electrical device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0085] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without creative work.

[0086] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on the drawings without creative work.

[0087] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a battery system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0088] FIG2 is a specific architecture of a possible battery system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0089] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of single-pack battery replacement in an embodiment of the present application.

[0090] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of communication between the second battery management unit and the first battery management unit according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0091] FIG5 is a flow chart of the power-on method of the battery system according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0092] Figure 6 is a coding diagram of multiple battery replacement units in a battery system.

[0093] FIG7 is a flowchart of a method for powering on a battery system according to another embodiment of the present application.

[0094] FIG8 is a flow chart of a possible specific implementation of the power-on method shown in FIG5 and FIG7.

[0095] FIG9 is a schematic block diagram of a battery replacement device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0096] In the drawings, the drawings are not drawn to scale. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0097] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the present application is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and examples. The following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings are used to illustrate the principles of the present application, but are not intended to limit the scope of the present application, that is, the present application is not limited to the described embodiments.

[0098] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means more than two; terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," and "outer" indicating directions or positional relationships are merely for the purpose of facilitating the description of this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the devices or components referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed, or operate in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this application. Furthermore, terms such as "first," "second," and "third" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0099] It should also be noted that, in the description of this application, unless otherwise specified or limited, the terms "installed," "connected," and "connected" should be understood broadly. For example, they can refer to fixed connections, detachable connections, or integral connections; they can refer to direct connections or indirect connections through an intermediary. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of these terms in this application based on the specific circumstances.

[0100] The term "and / or" in this application simply describes an association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists. In addition, the character " / " in this application generally indicates that the related objects are in an "or" relationship.

[0101] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used in this application have the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. The terms used in the specification of this application are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this application. The terms "including" and "having" and any variations thereof in the specification and claims of this application and the above-mentioned drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusions. The terms "first" and "second" in the specification and claims of this application or the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order or a primary-secondary relationship.

[0102] References to "embodiments" in this application mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor does it constitute an independent or alternative embodiment that is mutually exclusive of other embodiments. It is understood, both explicitly and implicitly, by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described in this application may be combined with other embodiments.

[0103] With the development of new energy technologies, batteries are finding increasingly widespread application, such as powering or supplying electricity to electrical devices. For example, batteries can be used as a power source to power vehicles. If the battery's charge level is insufficient to continue driving, the vehicle can be charged using charging equipment such as charging piles or chargers, effectively recharging the vehicle's battery and enabling a continuous charge and discharge cycle. However, battery charging takes a long time, limiting the vehicle's range.

[0104] To improve vehicle range, battery swapping technology has emerged. This technology utilizes a "vehicle-battery separation" approach, allowing battery replacement services to be provided through battery swap stations. This means that batteries can be quickly removed from or installed on the vehicle. Batteries removed from the vehicle can be placed in a battery swap cabinet at the station for charging, ready for subsequent battery swaps with vehicles entering the station. The advantage of battery swapping is that it can be completed within minutes, and consumers can rent or purchase batteries, reducing initial vehicle purchase costs. Consequently, battery swapping technology has gained widespread consumer favor.

[0105] The batteries described in the embodiments of this application may be, for example, lithium-ion batteries, lithium metal batteries, lead-acid batteries, nickel-cathode batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, lithium-sulfur batteries, lithium-air batteries, or sodium-ion batteries, without limitation. In terms of scale, the batteries may be single cells, battery modules, or battery packs, without limitation.

[0106] For passenger cars, a battery swapping station is equipped with a battery swapping cabinet, which can be equipped with multiple charging compartments, and the battery packs used for battery swapping can be placed in the charging compartments of the battery swapping cabinet. A charging unit is provided in the charging compartment, which can charge the batteries in the charging compartment. For example, the charging unit can include an AC / DC module or other components, devices or equipment with charging functions, which is not limited here. The charging unit can be set in a one-to-one correspondence with the charging compartment, or multiple charging compartments can share one charging unit, which is not limited here.

[0107] For heavy-duty trucks, the batteries are housed in a battery box, which can contain multiple batteries. When you swap batteries at a battery swap station, you're essentially replacing the battery box. That means you're swapping the battery box on the vehicle for one at the station. The battery box at the station can be charged by a charging device installed there.

[0108] Usually, heavy-duty trucks use rear-mounted battery replacement, that is, the battery box is set behind the seat. Since the batteries are arranged in a concentrated position and the entire battery system is integrated into a battery replacement package, a conventional two-level architecture can be adopted, that is, an architecture formed by a cell sampling circuit (CSC) and a battery management unit (BMU). The CSC is used to collect information such as the voltage and temperature of the battery cells, and the BMU is used to manage the battery based on this information.

[0109] For heavy trucks with battery-chassis layouts, multiple battery swap packs are typically deployed, as the batteries are dispersed across the vehicle chassis. However, if the conventional two-tier architecture is still used, the following issues may arise.

[0110] First, because the BMU needs to follow the battery box to calculate information such as state of charge (SOC), state of health (SOH), and other status (SOX) based on the battery's historical data, and perform traceability, the BMU needs to be set in one of the battery swap packs, and high and low voltage short-circuit must be made between multiple battery swap packs, so that multiple battery swap packs need to be always bound together for use, resulting in low battery swap efficiency, increased construction and operation costs of battery swap stations, and poor applicability in battery swap scenarios.

[0111] Secondly, due to the use of multiple battery swap packs, the number of battery sampling circuits increases, and the number of sampling nodes that a general battery management unit can support is limited, making a single battery management unit unable to meet the demand.

[0112] To this end, an embodiment of the present application provides a multi-pack battery system and a power-on method thereof, aiming to solve problems such as low battery replacement efficiency, high construction and operation costs of battery replacement stations, and poor applicability of battery replacement scenarios by improving the electrical architecture of the battery system, and effectively achieve high-voltage power-on of the battery system through a reasonable power-on process.

[0113] It should be understood that the power-consuming device in the embodiments of the present application can be a vehicle, and in the future it may also be a device as small as a robot or as large as a ship or airplane that uses batteries to provide power or electricity. The embodiments of the present application are described using a vehicle as an example.

[0114] In the following, the battery box in the battery replacement scenario is referred to as a battery replacement unit. The battery replacement unit can be, for example, the above-mentioned battery replacement pack. In the application scenario of heavy trucks, the battery replacement unit can also be called a battery replacement cabinet.

[0115] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery system of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in Figure 1, the battery system 1 includes a plurality of battery exchange units 10, and the plurality of battery exchange units 10 are connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a slave high-voltage box 12 connected thereto, and the slave high-voltage box 12 includes a first battery management unit 13 of the battery 11. The battery system 1 also includes a main high-voltage box 20, and the slave high-voltage box 12 is connected to the main high-voltage box 20 through a pluggable electrical connector 30, and the main high-voltage box 20 includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 in the plurality of battery exchange units 10.

[0116] Usually, the high voltage box is also called a high voltage distribution box or a distribution box. It is understood that although it is called a high voltage box, it not only includes high voltage circuits and corresponding components, but also low voltage circuits and corresponding components.

[0117] The battery system 1 adopts a three-level architecture formed by a CSC, a first battery management unit and a second battery management unit, wherein the first battery management unit and the second battery management unit can be collectively referred to as a battery management system. The battery 11 can be a battery pack, which is usually formed by a plurality of battery cells connected in series, in parallel or in a mixed connection, wherein the mixed connection is a mixture of parallel and series connection, and a cell sampling circuit (CSC) is provided on each battery cell for collecting information such as the voltage and temperature of the corresponding battery cell. The first battery management unit 13 has a complete battery management system (BMS) function, including the calculation of information such as the SOC, SOH, ..., SOX of the battery 11, fault diagnosis, battery balancing, monitoring and protection, etc. The second battery management unit 21 is responsible for information collection, arbitration, and interaction with external devices of all battery replacement units 10, including but not limited to a vehicle control unit (VCU) or a charging device for charging the battery 11, such as a charging pile or a charger.

[0118] The first battery management unit described in the embodiments of the present application may be, for example, a sub-battery management unit (SBMU), and the second battery management unit may be, for example, a master battery management unit (MBMU). The following description of the technical solutions of the present application takes the first battery management unit as an SBMU and the second battery management unit as an MBMU as an example.

[0119] The electrical connector 30 is a specialized connector, such as a plug and socket, that enables quick electrical connection and disconnection between the battery and the vehicle, and between the battery and the battery swap cabinet in a battery swap station. Because the electrical connector 30 is primarily used in battery swapping scenarios, it is also called a "battery swap connector" or "quick-swap connector."

[0120] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage circuit in the slave high-voltage box 12 is connected to the high-voltage circuit in the master high-voltage box 20 via the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage circuit in the slave high-voltage box 12 is connected to the low-voltage circuit in the master high-voltage box 20 via the low-voltage interface, thereby achieving high-voltage and low-voltage connections between the slave high-voltage box 12 and the master high-voltage box 20. The high-voltage interface includes, for example, a positive high-voltage interface and a negative high-voltage interface. The positive high-voltage interface is used to connect to the positive electrode of the battery 11, and the negative high-voltage interface is used to connect to the negative electrode of the battery 11.

[0121] In an embodiment of the present application, each battery exchange unit 10 is provided with a battery 11 and a slave high-voltage box 12 connected thereto, and a corresponding SBMU 13 is configured in the slave high-voltage box 12. The battery system 1 is also provided with a main high-voltage box 20 connected to the slave high-voltage box 12 of each battery exchange unit 10, and the main high-voltage box 20 is configured with an MBMU 21 connected to the SBMU 13 in each slave high-voltage box 12. Due to the adoption of a three-level architecture formed by CSC, SBMU and MBMU, during the battery exchange process, the battery exchange unit 10 can be separated by the pluggable electrical connector 30 between its slave high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20. Therefore, multiple battery exchange units 10 can be disassembled independently, and multiple battery exchange units 10 do not need to be bound for use. Only part of the battery exchange units 10 can be replaced and charged, supporting the mixed use of the battery exchange units 10, making the battery exchange efficiency higher, facilitating the construction and operation of battery exchange stations, and expanding the battery exchange scenarios that the battery system 1 can be applied to.

[0122] As an example, FIG2 shows a specific architecture of a possible battery system 1 of an embodiment of the present application. As shown in FIG2 , the battery system 1 includes a plurality of battery exchange units 10, i.e., a plurality of battery exchange packs or a plurality of battery exchange cabinets, and a main high-voltage box 20 is configured in the battery system 1. Each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and is configured with a corresponding slave high-voltage box 12. The battery exchange unit 10 is connected to the main high-voltage box 20 through a pluggable electrical connector 30.

[0123] Among them, the battery 11 in each battery exchange unit 10 is composed of a plurality of battery cells. For example, as shown in FIG2 , a plurality of battery cells are first connected in series and then in parallel to form an electrical box, and a plurality of electrical boxes are connected in series or in parallel to form a battery 11. Optionally, a CSC may be provided on each battery cell to collect information such as the voltage and temperature of the battery cell. The battery 11 is connected to the slave high-voltage box 12, and the slave high-voltage box 12 is integrated with the SBMU 13, which is responsible for the management of the corresponding battery exchange unit 10 and uploads relevant data to the MBMU 21 in the main high-voltage box 20. The MBMU 21 is responsible for the operation and management of the entire battery system 1, and interacts with external equipment such as the VCU and the charging device.

[0124] Figure 2 shows the situation where the battery system 1 is installed in an electrical device such as a vehicle. The voltage platform of multiple battery exchange units 10 is the same. The multiple battery exchange units 10 are a parallel system and output energy in parallel in the main high-voltage box 20.

[0125] Multiple battery swap units 10 do not need to be bundled for charging. Each battery swap unit 10 can be charged individually, or multiple battery swap units 10 can be charged together as a system. For example, as shown in the schematic diagram of single-pack charging in Figure 3, each battery swap unit 10 can be connected to the battery swap motor of the battery swap station through an electrical connector 30 for charging.

[0126] In some embodiments, the master high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 further include a detection circuit, also referred to as a high-voltage box (HVB). ​​This detection circuit can be connected to the SBMU to transmit detection results to the SBMU via a low-voltage line between the two. The detection circuit, for example, includes an insulation tester, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage busbar to the ground. Because connecting the high-voltage positive or negative pole to the ground poses certain risks, the insulation impedance between the high-voltage busbar and the ground should generally be maintained at a certain level. The insulation tester can detect this insulation impedance. If the insulation impedance does not meet the requirements, it is convenient to inspect or repair the battery system 1, thereby reducing the risk of the battery system 1.

[0127] Among them, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box 12 are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling, that is, when the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 is enabled, the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box 12 is prohibited from being enabled; when the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box 12 is enabled, the insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 may not be enabled.

[0128] For example, when the battery system 1 is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the main high-voltage box 20 is configured to be enabled, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box 12 is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system 1 is charged in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box 12 is configured to be enabled.

[0129] Taking Figures 2 and 3 as an example, the slave high-voltage box 12 of the battery swap unit 10 includes a first detection circuit 14, and the master high-voltage box 20 includes a second detection circuit 22. Both the first detection circuit 14 and the second detection circuit 22 are provided with insulation detectors. The insulation detector in the first detection circuit 14 and the insulation detector in the second detection circuit 22 are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling. In the process of charging the battery swap unit 10 in the battery swap station, the insulation detector in the first detection circuit 14 in the slave high-voltage box 12 of each battery swap unit 10 is enabled to detect the insulation impedance of the positive and negative poles of the high-voltage bus in the battery swap unit 10 to the ground; when the battery system 1 is assembled on a vehicle, the insulation detector in the second detection circuit 22 in the master high-voltage box 20 is enabled to detect the insulation impedance of the positive and negative poles of the high-voltage bus in the master high-voltage box 20 to the ground, and the insulation detector in the first detection circuit 14 in the slave high-voltage box 12 is not enabled by default, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of the detection result output by the insulation detector in the second detection circuit 22.

[0130] Specifically, when the battery system 1 is installed in a vehicle, the insulation tester in the main high-voltage box 20 is enabled. If the insulation testers in the slave high-voltage boxes 12 are also enabled at this time, high-voltage coupling will occur, causing mutual interference. Since multiple battery exchange units 10 are connected in parallel, the resistance of multiple battery exchange units 10 is reduced after being connected in parallel. The insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus of a certain battery exchange unit 10 to the ground will be incorporated into the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus of another battery exchange unit 10 to the ground, thereby lowering the corresponding insulation impedance of the entire battery system 1, and further affecting the detection results output by the insulation tester. When the battery system 1 is charging in a battery exchange station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box 12 needs to be enabled to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus of its corresponding battery exchange unit 10 to the ground.

[0131] The detection circuitry in the master high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 may also include a high-voltage detection circuit for detecting the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across relays, such as the master positive relay and / or the master negative relay. The SBMU 13 can thus promptly assess battery system risks, such as determining whether a relay is sticking, based on the voltage information detected by the high-voltage detection circuitry.

[0132] In some embodiments, the master high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 may further include other components, such as a relay unit, a manual service disconnect (MSD), a current sensor, a high-voltage sampling board, and various connectors for internal or external connections. The relay unit includes at least a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay located in the main circuit of the battery system 1.

[0133] The slave high-voltage box 12 includes a main positive relay connected to the positive electrode of the slave high-voltage box 12, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative electrode of the slave high-voltage box 12. When the battery system 1 is installed on an electrical device for discharge, the main positive relay and main negative relay in the slave high-voltage box 12 can protect the kinetic energy output; when the battery system 1 is charged in a battery swap station, the main positive relay and main negative relay in the slave high-voltage box 12 can protect the kinetic energy input.

[0134] The main high-voltage box 20 includes a main positive relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box 20 and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box 20. The main positive relay and the main negative relay in the main high-voltage box 20 are controlled by the MBMU 21 to cut off and close the external high-voltage output of the entire battery system 1.

[0135] For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the slave high-voltage box 12 is equipped with a first relay unit comprising a main positive relay K1 and a main negative relay K2. The main positive relay K1 and the main negative relay K2 are connected in series within the main circuit of the battery 11. The main positive relay K1 has one end connected to the positive terminal of the battery 11 and the other end connected to the electrical connector 30. The main negative relay K2 has one end connected to the negative terminal of the battery 11 and the other end connected to the electrical connector 30. The SBMU 13 controls the opening and closing of the main positive relay K1 and the main negative relay K2. The master high-voltage box 20 is equipped with a second relay unit comprising a main positive relay K3 and a main negative relay K4. The main positive relay K3 and the main negative relay K4 are connected in series within the main circuit of the battery 11. The MBMU 21 controls the opening and closing of the main positive relay K3 and the main negative relay K4.

[0136] Optionally, the first relay unit and the second relay unit may also include other relays. For example, the main high-voltage box 20 may further include a positive charging relay connected to the positive terminal of the main high-voltage box 20 and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative terminal of the main high-voltage box 20. The positive charging relay and the negative charging relay are used to connect to the socket of an electrical device to charge the battery system 1.

[0137] As an example, as shown in Figure 2, the main high-voltage box 20 includes a charging positive relay K5 and a charging negative relay K6. The main high-voltage box 20 can be connected to the charging socket in the electrical device, such as the vehicle-mounted charging socket, through the charging positive relay K5 and the charging negative relay K6. In this way, when the electrical device, such as a vehicle, needs temporary power replenishment, the vehicle can be charged through a charging device outside the battery swap station, such as a charging pile plug.

[0138] It can be understood that the positive poles of the master high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 refer to interfaces for connecting to the positive pole of the battery 11 , and the negative poles of the master high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 refer to interfaces for connecting to the negative pole of the battery 11 .

[0139] For another example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an MSD 15 may be provided in the slave high-voltage box 12, and an MSD 23 may be provided in the master high-voltage box 20. Both MSD 15 and MSD 23 are connected in series to the main circuit of the battery 11 and to one side of the positive electrode of the battery 11. For example, a safety unit may be integrated into the MSD 15 and / or MSD 23. In this way, in a high-voltage environment, to ensure the safety of maintenance personnel or to respond to emergencies, the high-voltage circuit connection can be quickly disconnected, allowing maintenance work and other work to be carried out in a safer state. The MSD 15 and MSD 23 can serve as both a maintenance protection switch and a short-circuit protection device.

[0140] Specifically, the slave high-voltage box 12 can achieve overload and short-circuit protection for the corresponding battery exchange unit 10 through the MSD 15, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the battery exchange unit 10 during maintenance; the main high-voltage box 20 can achieve overload and short-circuit protection for the entire battery system 1 through the MSD 23, and has a plug-in function, which can cut off the external high voltage of the entire battery system 1 during maintenance.

[0141] For another example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, several current sensors 16 can be installed in the high-voltage box 12. For example, N current sensors 16 can be installed in each of the parallel branches 1 to N. Each branch is equipped with at least one electrical box connected in series. The current sensor 16 is used to detect the current in the branch in which it is located. The current information corresponding to each branch can be transmitted to the SBMU 13 in real time to facilitate overcurrent detection and state of charge (SOC) calculation by the SBMU 13.

[0142] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, in addition to high-voltage circuits, the battery system 1 is also equipped with low-voltage circuits. The high-voltage circuits are used to provide high-voltage power to high-voltage electrical equipment in the vehicle, and the low-voltage circuits are used to provide low-voltage power to low-voltage electrical modules such as the SBMU 13, MBMU 21, and VCU 2. They are also used to transmit low-voltage signals to achieve internal and external communication. The solid lines and dotted lines shown in Figure 2 represent high-voltage circuits and low-voltage circuits, respectively. The high-voltage circuit in the battery swap unit 10 is connected to the high-voltage circuit in the main high-voltage box 20 through the high-voltage interface of the electrical connector 30, and the low-voltage circuit in the battery swap unit 10 is connected to the low-voltage circuit in the main high-voltage box 20 through the low-voltage interface of the electrical connector 30.

[0143] Various connectors, or also called interfaces, are also provided on the master high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12. The connectors on the master high-voltage box 20 and the slave high-voltage box 12 are described in detail below with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3.

[0144] In some embodiments, the slave high-voltage box 12 includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. For example, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector E3 for connecting to the master high-voltage box 20, and a branch connector E1 for connecting to the battery on each branch, wherein the main circuit connector E3 includes a main circuit positive connector E3+ and a main circuit negative connector E3-, and the branch connector E1 includes a branch positive connector E1+ and a branch negative connector E1-; the low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector E4 for connecting to the master high-voltage box 20, and a low-voltage input / output connector of the CSC for connecting to the battery on each branch, wherein the low-voltage input / output connector includes a low-voltage output connector E21 and a low-voltage input connector E22. Through the high-voltage connector and the low-voltage connector in the slave high-voltage box 12, high-voltage and low-voltage connections are achieved between the slave high-voltage box 12 and the battery and the master high-voltage box 20, thereby achieving effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0145] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the electrical connector 30 is arranged on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit 10, and the high-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the main circuit connector E3 of the high-voltage box 12, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector E4 of the high-voltage box 12.

[0146] That is to say, the electrical connector 30 can be integrated on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit 10. Specifically, the main circuit connector E3 and the external low-voltage connector E4 on the slave high-voltage box 12 can be connected to the high-voltage and low-voltage interfaces of the electrical connector 30 respectively. In this way, the connection between the slave high-voltage box 12 and the main high-voltage box 20 can be realized through the electrical connector 30.

[0147] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 further includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector. For example, as shown in FIG3 , the high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector E5 for connecting to the slave high-voltage box 12, and a main circuit connector E6 for connecting to the VCU, wherein the subsystem connector E5 includes a subsystem positive connector E5+ and a subsystem negative connector E5-, and the main circuit connector E6 includes a main circuit positive connector E6+ and a main circuit negative connector E6-; the low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector E8 for communicating with the slave high-voltage box 12, and a low-voltage connector E9 for communicating with the VCU 2. Through the high-voltage connector and the low-voltage connector in the main high-voltage box 20, high-voltage and low-voltage connections can be achieved between the main high-voltage box 20 and the battery and the VCU 2, thereby achieving effective transmission of high-voltage and low-voltage signals.

[0148] Figure 4 shows that communication between the MBMU 21 and the SBMUs 13 in multiple battery swapping units 10, between the MBMU 21 and the detection circuits within the master high-voltage box 20, and between the SBMU 13 and the detection circuits, CSCs, and current sensors within the corresponding slave high-voltage boxes 12 can all be based on specific communication lines, such as a controller area network (CAN) bus, to achieve data transmission. The solid and dashed lines shown in Figure 4 represent the high-speed CAN bus and the low-speed CAN bus, respectively.

[0149] An embodiment of the present application also provides a method for powering on a battery system 1, which can effectively realize high-voltage powering of the above-mentioned battery system 1. The battery system 1 includes multiple battery exchange units 10 in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and its SBMU 13. The battery system 1 also includes an MBMU 21 connected to the SBMU 13 in the multiple battery exchange units 10.

[0150] Figure 5 is a flowchart illustrating a power-up method 100 according to an embodiment of the present application. Power-up method 100 can be executed by, for example, the first battery management unit 13, the second battery management unit 21, and the vehicle control unit 2. Figure 5 illustrates an example in which the first battery management unit 13 is the SBMU 13 and the second battery management unit 21 is the MBMU 21. As shown in Figure 5 , power-up method 100 includes some or all of the following steps.

[0151] In step 110 , the VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to the MBMU 21 .

[0152] The first power-on signal is used to instruct the MBMU 21 to control the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0153] The high-voltage power-up is also referred to as high-voltage power-up, that is, connecting the high-voltage circuit in the battery system 1 .

[0154] In step 120 , the MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal sent by the VCU 2 .

[0155] In step 130 , the MBMU 21 sends a second power-on signal to the SBMU 13 in response to the first power-on signal.

[0156] The second power-on signal is used to instruct the SBMU 13 to control the corresponding battery swap unit 10 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0157] In an embodiment of the present application, when the battery system 1 is powered on at high voltage, the VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to the MBMU 21, the MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal sent by the VCU 2, and in response to the first power-on signal, sends a second power-on signal to the SBMU 13, the SBMU 13 receives the second power-on signal, and controls the corresponding battery exchange unit 10 to perform high voltage power-on according to the second power-on signal, thereby effectively realizing the high voltage power-on of the battery system 1.

[0158] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5 , step 110 includes step 111 and step 112 .

[0159] In step 111 , the VCU 2 determines whether the battery system 1 meets the high voltage power-on condition.

[0160] In step 112 , when the high-voltage power-on condition is met, the VCU 2 sends the first power-on signal to the MBMU 21 .

[0161] The high-voltage power-on condition may include, for example: all relays in the battery system 1 are in a disconnected state; and / or the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system 1 is not enabled.

[0162] High-voltage electrical equipment, for example, includes loads such as the vehicle's motor, oil pump, and air conditioner. Before applying high-voltage power, the VCU 2 must ensure that these high-voltage electrical equipment are not operating and / or that all relays in the battery system 1 are disconnected. Optionally, these high-voltage power-up conditions may also include whether the vehicle is in neutral or D gear, or whether other faults have occurred. This reduces the risk of sudden startup of high-voltage electrical equipment after applying high-voltage power.

[0163] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes: the MBMU 21 determines the number of the plurality of battery swapping units; wherein, in step 120 , when the number of the plurality of battery swapping units is equal to a preset number, the MBMU 21 sends the second power-on signal to the SBMU 13 .

[0164] Before high-voltage power-on, MBMU 21 determines whether the number of battery-swap units is equal to the preset number, which can reduce the risks caused by problems such as battery-swap unit failure and improve the reliability of the power-on process of the battery system 1. For example, for the "three guarantees" system, that is, the battery system 1 includes 3 battery-swap units 10. If a battery-swap unit 10 fails, it may cause the number of currently detected battery-swap units 10 to be not equal to 3, indicating that the current battery-swap system 1 is not matched and a fault needs to be reported. MBMU 21 sends the second power-on signal to SBMU 13 only when it determines that the number of battery-swap units 10 is equal to the preset number, i.e., 3, to instruct SBMU 13 to control the corresponding battery-swap unit for high-voltage power-on.

[0165] In some embodiments, the MBMU 21 may send a coding signal to the SBMU 13 of the first battery swap unit 10 among the multiple battery swap units 10. The coding signal is used to be transmitted sequentially between the SBMUs 13 in the multiple battery swap units 10 to sequentially encode the multiple battery swap units 10. The MBMU 21 receives the coding result sent by the SBMU 13 of the last battery swap unit 10 among the multiple battery swap units 10, and determines the number of the multiple battery swap units 10 based on the coding result.

[0166] For example, as shown in FIG6 , multiple battery swap units 10 communicate with each other using a similar number reporting method. Assume that the battery system 1 is an N-pack system, i.e., the battery system 1 includes N battery swap units 10. In determining the current number of battery swap units 10, the MBMU 21 sends a coded signal to the SBMU 13 of the first battery swap unit 10, with the number information carried by this signal being 1. The SBMU 13 of the first battery swap unit 10 continues to send this coded signal to the SBMU 13 of the second battery swap unit 10, with the number information carried by this signal being updated to 2. The coded signal is then transmitted sequentially among the multiple battery swap units 10 until the SBMU 13 of the last battery swap unit 10 receives this coded signal, with the number information carried by this signal being updated to M. The SBMU 13 of the last battery swap unit 10 then sends the coded result M to the MBMU 21. The MBMU 21 receives the coded result M sent by the SBMU 13 of the last battery swap unit 10 and determines whether the current number M of battery swap units 10 is the preset number N. If M=N, the encoding is passed and high voltage power-up can be performed normally; if M≠N, MBMU 21 reports the fault information of mismatch of the battery swapping system 1.

[0167] In order to reduce the risks in the battery system 1, the MBMU 21 may determine whether to apply high voltage power to each battery swap unit 10 according to the actual situation of each battery swap unit 10. For example, in some embodiments, step 120 may include step 121 and step 122.

[0168] In step 121 , the MBMU 21 determines at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on among the multiple battery swapping units 10 .

[0169] In step 122 , the MBMU 21 sends the second power-on signal to the SBMU 13 in at least one battery swapping unit 10 .

[0170] In some embodiments, in step 121 , the MBMU 21 may determine at least one battery swap unit 10 to be powered on among the multiple battery swap units 10 based on the voltages of the multiple battery swap units 10 .

[0171] For example, when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is greater than or equal to the voltage threshold, MBMU 21 can determine that at least one battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery exchange unit 10 whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than a voltage threshold.

[0172] For another example, MBMU 21 can determine that at least one battery exchange unit 10 includes multiple battery exchange units 10 when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is less than or equal to a voltage threshold.

[0173] Specifically, first, the battery swap unit 10 with the highest voltage among the multiple battery swap units 10 can be selected as one of the battery swap units 10 to be powered on. This is because the battery swap unit 10 with the highest voltage also has the highest amount of power, which is beneficial to the vehicle's endurance. Therefore, the battery swap unit 10 with the highest voltage can be preferentially selected as one of the battery swap units 10 to be powered on.

[0174] Next, the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage is calculated, and the magnitude relationship between the voltage difference and a preset voltage threshold is determined. The voltage threshold can be determined based on the safety performance requirements of the battery system 1. If the voltage difference between the two battery exchange units 10 is greater than the voltage threshold, a large current may flow between the two, thereby increasing the risk of the battery system 1.

[0175] If the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, the voltage difference between other battery exchange units 10 and the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage will also be less than or equal to the voltage threshold. Therefore, multiple battery exchange units 10 can be powered on with high voltage at the same time, that is, at least one battery exchange unit 10 to be powered on includes these multiple battery exchange units 10.

[0176] If the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is greater than or equal to the voltage threshold, in order to reduce the risk in the battery system 1, only the battery exchange units 10 whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage is within a predetermined range can be selected as the battery exchange units 10 that need to be powered on with high voltage, that is, at least one battery exchange unit 10 to be powered on includes a battery exchange unit 10 whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0177] The battery exchange unit 10 also includes a slave high-voltage box 12 connected to the battery 11. The slave high-voltage box 12 is provided with a first relay unit, for example, including a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay on the main circuit of the battery 11. The second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the SBMU 13 to control the first relay unit in the corresponding battery exchange unit to close, so as to realize high-voltage power-on of the battery exchange unit 10.

[0178] For example, as shown in FIG. 7 , in step 140 , the SBMU 13 receives the second power-on signal sent by the MBMU 21 .

[0179] In step 150, the SBMU 13 controls the corresponding battery swap unit 10 to perform high voltage power-up according to the second power-up signal. For example, the SBMU 13 controls the first relay unit in the corresponding battery swap unit 10 to close.

[0180] In some embodiments, the battery system 1 also includes a main high-voltage box 20, which is connected to the main high-voltage box 20 through a pluggable electrical connector 30. A second relay unit is provided in the main high-voltage box 20, for example, including a main positive relay and / or a main negative relay connected in series on the main circuit of the battery 11.

[0181] As shown in FIG7 , in step 160, the MBMU 21 controls the master high-voltage box 20 to power on the high voltage. For example, after the SBMU 13 controls the first relay unit in the slave high-voltage box 12 of at least one battery swap unit 10 to close, the MBMU 21 controls the second relay unit in the master high-voltage box 20 to close.

[0182] After all relays in the first relay unit in the slave high-voltage box 12 of each battery-swap unit 10 to be powered on are closed, the MBMU 21 controls the closure of all relays in the second relay unit in the master high-voltage box 20, so that the energy provided by the battery 11 of each battery-swap unit 10 can reach the connected high-voltage electrical equipment at the same time, providing it with a more stable high-voltage signal. It can be understood that the first relay unit in the slave high-voltage box 12 of each battery-swap unit 10 to be powered on can be closed at the same time, or can be closed in sequence.

[0183] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes steps 170 , 180 , and 190 .

[0184] In step 170 , after the MBMU 21 controls the second relay unit in the main high-voltage box 20 to close, the MBMU 21 sends a power-on completion signal to the VCU 2 .

[0185] In step 180 , the VCU 2 receives the power-on completion signal sent by the MBMU 21 .

[0186] The power-on completion signal is used to indicate that the battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on.

[0187] In step 190 , the VCU 2 controls the relay in the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close according to the power-on completion signal.

[0188] After battery system 1 completes high-voltage power-up, the MBMU 21 must notify the VCU 2 of the completion of high-voltage power-up on the battery side, enabling the VCU 2 to control high-voltage power-up on the vehicle side. Upon receiving the power-up completion signal from the MBMU 21 and confirming that battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-up, the VCU 2 controls the relay in the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close. This "battery first, vehicle second" approach to high-voltage power-up—that is, powering the battery system 1 first, followed by powering the high-voltage electrical equipment on the vehicle—reduces the risks associated with unexpected startup of high-voltage electrical equipment.

[0189] In some embodiments, the power-on method 100 further includes: the MBMU 21 sends information about the allowed power P of the battery system 1 , wherein the allowed power P of the battery system 1 is the sum of the allowed powers of the multiple battery swap units 10 .

[0190] MBMU 21 needs to provide information about its allowed power P to the outside. For example, the battery system 1 includes N battery exchange units 10, and the allowed powers of the N battery exchange units 10 are P1, P2, ..., Pn, respectively, then P = P1 + P2 + ... + Pn. It can be understood that if there is a battery exchange unit 10 whose voltage does not meet the aforementioned voltage threshold requirements or a battery exchange unit 10 that is powered off due to a fault or other reasons among the N battery exchange units 10, the allowed power P does not include the allowed power corresponding to these battery exchange units 10, that is, the allowed power P is the sum of the allowed powers of the remaining battery exchange units 10.

[0191] For example, MBMU 21 can send information about the allowed power P to VUC 2 so that VCU 2 knows the output power that the battery system 1 can provide; for another example, MBMU 21 can send information about the allowed power P to the charging device so that the charging device can provide appropriate power when charging multiple battery replacement units 10 in the battery system 1 at the same time.

[0192] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG6 , the power-on method 100 may further include step 171 and step 172 .

[0193] In step 171 , the VCU 2 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-up according to the wake-up signal.

[0194] The low-voltage power-up is also referred to as low-voltage power-up, that is, connecting the low-voltage circuit in the battery system 1 .

[0195] Since low-voltage power modules such as VCU 2 require low-voltage signals as power supply, before VCU 2 controls the vehicle end to power on at high voltage, VCU 2 needs to perform low-voltage power-on according to the received wake-up signal.

[0196] In step 172 , the MBMU 21 receives the wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-up according to the wake-up signal.

[0197] Since low-voltage power modules such as the MBMU 21 and the SBMU 13 require low-voltage signals as power sources, the MBMU 21 needs to perform low-voltage power-up according to the received wake-up signal before controlling the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-up.

[0198] The wake-up signal received by the VCU 2 and the MBMU 21 may be, for example, a signal triggered when the vehicle is started by a car key.

[0199] Fig. 8 is a flow chart of a possible specific implementation of the power-on method 100 shown in Fig. 5 and Fig. 7. As an example, as shown in Fig. 8, the power-on method 100 may include part or all of steps 101 to 116.

[0200] In step 101 , the VCU 2 receives a wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-up.

[0201] In step 102 , the MBMU 21 receives the wake-up signal and performs low-voltage power-up.

[0202] In step 103, the VCU 2 determines whether the high voltage power-on condition is currently met.

[0203] Wherein, if the high voltage upper voltage condition is met, step 104 is executed first.

[0204] In step 104 , the VCU 2 sends a first power-on signal to the MBMU 21 .

[0205] In step 105 , the MBMU 21 encodes the plurality of battery swapping units 10 and determines whether the number of codes of the plurality of battery swapping units 10 is equal to a preset number.

[0206] In step 106 , the MBMU 21 detects whether the first power-on signal sent by the VCU 2 is received.

[0207] If the coding of multiple battery swap units 10 passes in step 105 and MBMU 21 receives the first power-on signal in step 106, step 107 is executed. If the coding of multiple battery swap units 10 fails, MBMU 21 reports a fault message indicating that the battery system 1 does not match.

[0208] In step 107 , the MBMU 21 determines at least one battery swapping unit 10 to be powered on among the multiple battery swapping units 10 .

[0209] For example, at least one battery exchange unit 10 to be powered on can be determined based on the voltages of multiple battery exchange units 10, wherein the voltage difference between any two battery exchange units 10 in at least one battery exchange unit 10 is less than a voltage threshold.

[0210] In step 108 , the MBMU 21 sends a second power-on signal to the SBMU 13 corresponding to the battery swap unit 10 to be powered on.

[0211] After receiving the second power-on signal, the SBMU 13 controls the corresponding main positive relay and main negative relay in the slave high-voltage box 12, which are connected in series with the battery 11, to close according to the second power-on signal, thereby completing the high voltage power supply in the slave high-voltage box 12 and connecting the high-voltage circuit in the slave high-voltage box 12.

[0212] In step 109 , the MBMU 21 controls the main positive relay and the main negative relay in the main high-voltage box 20 connected in series with the battery 11 to close, thereby completing the high voltage power-up in the main high-voltage box 20 and connecting the high-voltage circuit in the main high-voltage box 20 .

[0213] In step 110 , the MBMU 21 determines whether the battery system 1 completes high voltage power-up.

[0214] If the high-voltage power-up of the battery system 1 is completed, step 111 is executed; otherwise, the high-voltage power-up of the battery system 1 fails.

[0215] In step 111 , the MBMU 21 sends a power-on completion signal to the VCU 2 .

[0216] In step 112 , the VCU 2 detects whether a power-on completion signal sent by the MBMU 21 is received.

[0217] If the VCU 2 receives the power-on completion signal in step 112 , step 113 is executed.

[0218] In step 113 , the VCU 2 controls the relay on the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment to close, so that the vehicle end is powered on at high voltage.

[0219] In step 114 , the VCU 2 determines whether the relay on the main circuit of the vehicle end is closed.

[0220] If all relays on the main circuit of the vehicle end are closed, the vehicle end completes high-voltage power-up and executes step 115; otherwise, the high-voltage power-up of the vehicle end fails.

[0221] In step 115 , high voltage power-up is completed.

[0222] An embodiment of the present application also provides a high-voltage box, which is applied to the battery system 1. The high-voltage box is the main high-voltage box 20 of the battery system 1. The battery system 1 also includes multiple battery exchange units 10 in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and a slave high-voltage box 12 connected thereto. The main high-voltage box 20 is connected to the slave high-voltage box 12 through a pluggable electrical connector 30. The slave high-voltage box 12 includes a first battery management unit 13 of the battery 11, and the main high-voltage box 20 includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 in the multiple battery exchange units 10.

[0223] The main high-voltage box 20 of the embodiment of the present application is connected to the slave high-voltage box 12 in the multiple parallel battery exchange units 10 through a pluggable electrical connector 30. Therefore, the multiple battery exchange units 10 can be disassembled independently, and the multiple battery exchange units 10 do not need to be bundled for use. Only part of the battery exchange units 10 can be replaced and charged, supporting the mixed use of the battery exchange units 10, making the battery exchange efficiency higher and facilitating the construction and operation of battery exchange stations.

[0224] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage line in the main high-voltage box 20 is connected to the high-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box 12 through the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage line in the slave high-voltage box 12 through the low-voltage interface.

[0225] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 also include an insulation detector, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to the ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box 20 and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box 12 are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling.

[0226] In some embodiments, when the battery system 1 is installed on an electrical device, the insulation tester in the main high-voltage box 20 is configured to be enabled, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box 12 is configured to be disabled; and / or, when the battery system 1 is charged in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box 12 is configured to be enabled.

[0227] In some embodiments, the master high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 further include a high-voltage detection circuit, which is used to detect the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage across the relay.

[0228] In some embodiments, the electrical connector 30 is arranged on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit 10, and the high-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the main circuit connector E3 of the high-voltage box 12, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector 30 is used to connect to the external low-voltage connector E4 of the high-voltage box 12.

[0229] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 further includes a main positive relay K3 connected to the positive pole of the main high-voltage box 20 , and / or a main negative relay K4 connected to the negative pole of the main high-voltage box 20 .

[0230] In one possible implementation, the main high-voltage box 20 also includes a charging positive relay K5 connected to the positive pole of the main high-voltage box 20, and / or a charging negative relay K6 connected to the negative pole of the main high-voltage box 20. The charging positive relay K5 and the charging negative relay K6 are used to connect to the socket of the electrical device to charge the battery system 1.

[0231] In some embodiments, the main high-voltage box 20 also includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector, the high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector E5 for connecting to the slave high-voltage box 12, and a main loop connector E6 for connecting to the vehicle control unit 2, and the low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector E8 for communicating with the slave high-voltage box 12, and a low-voltage connector E9 for communicating with the vehicle control unit 2.

[0232] In some embodiments, the master high-voltage box 20 and / or the slave high-voltage box 12 further include a manual maintenance switch, and a safety unit is integrated into the manual maintenance switch.

[0233] It is understood that the specific details of the main high-voltage box 20 can be referred to the aforementioned description of the battery system 1, and for the sake of brevity, they are not repeated here.

[0234] The embodiment of the present application also provides a battery exchange device 3, which is applied to a battery system 1, wherein the battery system 1 includes a plurality of battery exchange units 10 connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and its first battery management unit 13, and the battery system 1 also includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 in the plurality of battery exchange units 10. The battery exchange device 3 may be, for example, a second battery management unit 21. As shown in the schematic block diagram of the battery exchange device 3 in Figure 9, the battery exchange device 3 includes a receiving module 310 and a sending module 320. Among them, the receiving module 310 is used to receive a first power-on signal sent by the vehicle control unit 2. The sending module 320 is used to send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit 13 in response to the first power-on signal, and the second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit 13 to control the corresponding battery exchange unit 10 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0235] In some embodiments, the battery exchange device 3 also includes a processing module 330, which is used to determine the number of multiple battery exchange units 10; wherein the sending module 320 is specifically used to: when the number of multiple battery exchange units 10 is equal to a preset number, send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit 13.

[0236] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically used to: control the sending module 320 to send a coding signal to the first battery management unit 13 of the first battery exchange unit 10 among the multiple battery exchange units 10, and the coding signal is used to be transmitted in sequence between the first battery management units 13 among the multiple battery exchange units 10 to encode the multiple battery exchange units 10 in sequence; control the receiving module to receive the coding result sent by the first battery management unit 13 of the last battery exchange unit 10 among the multiple battery exchange units 10; and determine the number of multiple battery exchange units 10 based on the coding result.

[0237] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is also used to: determine at least one battery exchange unit 10 to be powered on among multiple battery exchange units 10; the sending module 320 is specifically used to: send a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit 13 in at least one battery exchange unit 10.

[0238] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically used to: determine at least one battery exchange unit 10 to be powered on among the multiple battery exchange units 10 based on the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units 10.

[0239] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically used to: when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is greater than or equal to the voltage threshold, determine that at least one battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery exchange unit 10 whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

[0240] In some embodiments, the processing module 330 is specifically used to: determine that at least one battery exchange unit 10 includes multiple battery exchange units 10 when the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit 10 with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit 10 with the lowest voltage among multiple battery exchange units 10 is less than or equal to the voltage threshold.

[0241] In some embodiments, the battery exchange unit 10 also includes a slave high-voltage box 12 connected to the battery 11, and the slave high-voltage box 12 includes a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit 13 to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

[0242] In some embodiments, the battery system 1 also includes a main high-voltage box 20, which is connected to the main high-voltage box 20 through a pluggable electrical connector 30. The main high-voltage box 20 includes a second relay unit, and the processing module 330 is also used to: control the second relay unit to close after the first relay unit in at least one battery exchange unit 10 is closed.

[0243] In some embodiments, the sending module 320 is further configured to send a power-on completion signal to the vehicle control unit 2 after the second relay unit is closed.

[0244] In some embodiments, the sending module 320 is also used to: send information about the allowable power of the battery system 1, where the allowable power of the battery system 1 is the sum of the allowable powers of multiple battery exchange units 10.

[0245] In some embodiments, the receiving module 310 is further configured to receive a wake-up signal; and the processing module 330 is further configured to perform low-voltage power-up on the second battery management unit 21 according to the wake-up signal.

[0246] It can be understood that the battery exchange device 3 is used to execute the part of the above-mentioned power-on method 100 executed by the second battery management unit 21. The specific details of the battery exchange device 3 can refer to the above-mentioned description of the power-on method 100. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0247] An embodiment of the present application also provides a battery exchange device, which is applied to a battery system 1, wherein the battery system 1 includes a plurality of battery exchange units 10 connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit 10 includes a battery 11 and its first battery management unit 13, and the battery system 1 also includes a second battery management unit 21 connected to the first battery management unit 13 in the plurality of battery exchange units 10. The battery exchange device may be, for example, a vehicle control unit 2. The battery exchange device includes a processing module and a sending module. The processing module is used to determine whether the battery system 1 meets the high-voltage power-on condition. The sending module is used to send a first power-on signal to the second battery management unit 21 when the high-voltage power-on condition is met, and the first power-on signal is used to instruct the second battery management unit 21 to control the battery system 1 to perform high-voltage power-on.

[0248] In some embodiments, the high-voltage power-on condition includes at least one of the following: all relays in the battery system 1 are in the disconnected state; and the high-voltage electrical equipment connected to the battery system 1 is not enabled.

[0249] In some embodiments, the battery replacement device also includes a receiving module, which is used to: receive the power-on completion signal sent by the second battery management unit 21, and the power-on completion signal is used to indicate that the battery system 1 has completed high-voltage power-on; the processing module is also used to: control the closure of the relay in the main circuit between the battery system 1 and the high-voltage electrical equipment according to the power-on completion signal.

[0250] In some embodiments, the battery exchange device also includes a receiving module, which is used to: receive a wake-up signal; the processing module is also used to power on the vehicle control unit 2 at a low voltage according to the wake-up signal.

[0251] It can be understood that the battery exchange device is used to execute the part of the above-mentioned power-on method 100 executed by the vehicle control unit 2. The specific details of the battery exchange device can refer to the above-mentioned description of the power-on method 100. For the sake of brevity, it will not be repeated here.

[0252] An embodiment of the present application also provides a battery exchange device, including a processor and a memory, the memory being used to store computer programs, and the processor being used to call and apply the computer programs stored in the memory to execute the part of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0253] An embodiment of the present application also provides a chip, including a processor, which is used to call and apply a computer program from a memory so that a device equipped with the chip executes the part of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0254] An embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium for storing a computer program, which enables a computer to execute the part of the power-on method 100 described in any of the above embodiments that is executed by the second battery management unit 21 or the vehicle control unit 2.

[0255] An embodiment of the present application also provides an electrical device, including the battery system 1 described in any of the above embodiments, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system 1, wherein the battery system 1 is used to provide power for the high-voltage electrical device.

[0256] When an electrical device uses the battery system 1 to provide it with electrical energy, the electrical device can be, for example, a heavy truck. Optionally, the heavy truck can be a 6*4 tractor or an 8*4 dump truck. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the model of the heavy truck. Of course, the battery system 1 in the embodiment of the present application can also be applied to passenger cars or other single-pack battery replacement models.

[0257] It should be noted that, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments and / or technical features in each embodiment described in this application can be arbitrarily combined with each other, and the technical solution obtained after the combination should also fall within the scope of protection of this application.

[0258] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the units and algorithm steps of each example described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein can be implemented in electronic hardware, or a combination of computer software and electronic hardware. Whether these functions are performed in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Professional and technical personnel can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0259] Those skilled in the art will clearly understand that, for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the above-described systems, devices and units can refer to the corresponding processes in the above-described method embodiments and will not be repeated here.

[0260] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the device embodiments described above are merely schematic. For example, the division of the units is merely a logical function division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods, such as multiple units or components can be combined or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not executed. Another point is that the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be through some interfaces, indirect coupling or communication connection of devices or units, which can be electrical, mechanical or other forms.

[0261] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of these units may be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

Claims

1. A method for powering on a battery system, characterized in that: The battery system includes a plurality of battery exchange units connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit includes a battery and a first battery management unit thereof, the battery system also includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit among the plurality of battery exchange units, the power-on method is performed by the second battery management unit, and the power-on method includes: Receiving a first power-on signal sent by a vehicle control unit; In response to the first power-on signal, a second power-on signal is sent to the first battery management unit, and the second power-on signal is used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding battery replacement unit to perform high-voltage power-on.

2. The power-on method according to claim 1, characterized in that: The power-on method further includes: Determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units; The sending of a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: When the number of the multiple battery replacement units is equal to a preset number, the second power-on signal is sent to the first battery management unit.

3. The power-on method according to claim 2, characterized in that: The determining the number of the plurality of battery swapping units comprises: Sending a coding signal to a first battery management unit of a first battery replacement unit among the multiple battery replacement units, wherein the coding signal is used to be transmitted sequentially between the first battery management units among the multiple battery replacement units to sequentially encode the multiple battery replacement units; Receiving a coding result sent by a first battery management unit of a last battery replacement unit among the multiple battery replacement units; According to the encoding result, the number of the multiple battery replacement units is determined.

4. The power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The sending a second power-on signal to the first battery management unit includes: Determining at least one battery swap unit to be powered on among the multiple battery swap units; The second power-on signal is sent to the first battery management unit in the at least one battery replacement unit.

5. The power-on method according to claim 4, characterized in that: The determining at least one battery swap unit to be powered on among the multiple battery swap units includes: According to the voltages of the multiple battery exchange units, at least one battery exchange unit to be powered on is determined among the multiple battery exchange units.

6. The power-on method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The determining, according to the voltages of the plurality of battery swapping units, at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units comprises: When the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is greater than or equal to a voltage threshold, it is determined that at least one battery exchange unit includes a battery exchange unit whose voltage difference with the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage is less than the voltage threshold.

7. The power-on method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that: The determining, according to the voltages of the plurality of battery swapping units, at least one battery swapping unit to be powered on among the plurality of battery swapping units comprises: When the voltage difference between the battery exchange unit with the highest voltage and the battery exchange unit with the lowest voltage among the multiple battery exchange units is less than or equal to the voltage threshold, it is determined that the at least one battery exchange unit includes the multiple battery exchange units.

8. The power-on method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that: The battery replacement unit also includes a slave high-voltage box connected to the battery, and the slave high-voltage box includes a first relay unit, wherein the second power-on signal is specifically used to instruct the first battery management unit to control the corresponding first relay unit to close.

9. The power-on method according to claim 8, characterized in that: The battery system further includes a main high-voltage box, the slave high-voltage box is connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, the main high-voltage box includes a second relay unit, and the power-on method further includes: After the first relay unit in the at least one power exchange unit is closed, the second relay unit is controlled to be closed.

10. The power-on method according to claim 9, characterized in that: The power-on method further includes: After the second relay unit is closed, a power-on completion signal is sent to the vehicle control unit.

11. The power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 10, characterized in that: The power-on method further includes: The information of the allowable power of the battery system is sent, where the allowable power of the battery system is the sum of the allowable powers of the multiple battery replacement units.

12. The power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that: The power-on method further includes: receiving a wake-up signal; According to the wake-up signal, the second battery management unit is powered on at a low voltage.

13. A battery system, characterized in that: include: A plurality of battery exchange units, wherein the plurality of battery exchange units are connected in parallel, wherein each battery exchange unit comprises a battery and a secondary high-voltage box connected thereto, wherein the secondary high-voltage box comprises a first battery management unit of the battery; as well as, A main high-voltage box, wherein the slave high-voltage box is connected to the main high-voltage box via a pluggable electrical connector, and the main high-voltage box includes a second battery management unit connected to the first battery management unit in the multiple battery exchange units.

14. The battery system according to claim 13, characterized in that: The electrical connector includes a high-voltage interface and a low-voltage interface. The high-voltage circuit in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the high-voltage circuit in the master high-voltage box via the high-voltage interface, and the low-voltage circuit in the slave high-voltage box is connected to the low-voltage circuit in the master high-voltage box via the low-voltage interface.

15. The battery system according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that: The main high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box also include an insulation detector, which is used to detect the insulation impedance of the high-voltage bus to the ground. The insulation detector in the main high-voltage box and the insulation detector in the slave high-voltage box are configured to prohibit simultaneous enabling.

16. The battery system according to claim 15, characterized in that: When the battery system is installed in an electric device, the insulation tester in the master high-voltage box is configured to be enabled, and the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be disabled; And / or, when the battery system is charged in a battery swap station, the insulation tester in the slave high-voltage box is configured to be enabled.

17. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that: The master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a high-voltage detection circuit, and the high-voltage detection circuit is used to detect the voltage of the high-voltage bus and / or the voltage at both ends of the relay.

18. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 17, characterized in that: The slave high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive pole of the slave high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative pole of the slave high-voltage box.

19. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 18, characterized in that: The slave high-voltage box includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector, the high-voltage connector includes a main circuit connector for connecting to the master high-voltage box, and a branch connector for connecting the battery on each branch, and the low-voltage connector includes an external low-voltage connector for connecting to the master high-voltage box, and a low-voltage input / output connector for connecting the cell sampling circuit of the battery on each branch.

20. The battery system according to claim 19, characterized in that: The electrical connector is arranged on the outer frame of the battery exchange unit, the high-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect the main circuit connector of the slave high-voltage box, and the low-voltage interface on the electrical connector is used to connect the external low-voltage connector of the slave high-voltage box.

21. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 20, characterized in that: A current sensor is provided on each branch in the secondary high-voltage box, and the current sensor is used to detect the current on the corresponding branch.

22. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 21, characterized in that: The main high-voltage box further includes a main positive relay connected to the positive pole of the main high-voltage box, and / or a main negative relay connected to the negative pole of the main high-voltage box.

23. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 22, characterized in that: The main high-voltage box also includes a positive charging relay connected to the positive pole of the main high-voltage box, and / or a negative charging relay connected to the negative pole of the main high-voltage box. The positive charging relay and the negative charging relay are used to connect to the socket of an electrical device to charge the battery system.

24. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 23, characterized in that: The master high-voltage box also includes at least one high-voltage connector and at least one low-voltage connector, the high-voltage connector includes a subsystem connector for connecting to the slave high-voltage box and a main circuit connector for connecting to the vehicle control unit, and the low-voltage connector includes a low-voltage connector for communicating with the slave high-voltage box and a low-voltage connector for communicating with the vehicle control unit.

25. The battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 24, characterized in that: The master high-voltage box and / or the slave high-voltage box further include a manual maintenance switch, and a safety unit is integrated on the manual maintenance switch.

26. A battery replacement device, characterized in that: Used to execute the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

27. A battery replacement device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a processor and a memory, wherein the memory is used to store a computer program, and the processor is used to call and apply the computer program stored in the memory to execute the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

28. A chip, characterized in that: The device comprises a processor, wherein the processor is used to call and execute a computer program from a memory, so that a device equipped with the chip executes a power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that: Used to store a computer program, wherein the computer program enables a computer to execute the power-on method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

30. An electrical device, characterized in that: It comprises a battery system according to any one of claims 13 to 25, and a high-voltage electrical device connected to the battery system, wherein the battery system is used to provide power for the high-voltage electrical device.

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