Control system and control method

WO2025048194A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-03-06LG ENERGY SOLUTION LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/KR2024/008836
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-08-30
Filing Date
2024-06-26
Publication Date
2025-03-06

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Abstract

A control system according to some embodiments disclosed in the present document comprises: a plurality of battery racks each including a plurality of battery packs and an intermediate management device configured to obtain battery data related to the plurality of battery packs; and a higher-level control device configured to process an operation related to a management function for the plurality of battery racks on the basis of the battery data, generate a control command for controlling the management function so as to be applied to the plurality of battery racks on the basis of a result of the processing of the operation, and provide the control command to the intermediate management device.
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Description

Control system and control method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2023-0114944, filed August 30, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a control system and a control method.

[0005] Recently, active research and development has been conducted on secondary batteries. The term "secondary battery" refers to a rechargeable battery, encompassing both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries can boast higher energy densities than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. They can be manufactured in small and lightweight designs, making them highly versatile power sources for mobile devices. Recently, their use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, attracting attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0006] Secondary batteries can be utilized in the power grid as an energy storage system (ESS). Surplus power from the power grid can be stored in ESS battery packs, and when power is insufficient in other areas, the ESS battery packs can supply power to the grid. Meanwhile, maintaining and managing the multiple battery packs and / or battery racks that make up the power grid ESS may require continuous firmware or software updates for the management device. Therefore, deploying multiple management devices to manage the ESS can be problematic because it can incur excessive costs.

[0007] One purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a control system and control method that can reduce the cost of maintaining and managing a power grid ESS and directly and immediately control an ESS battery.

[0008] The technical objectives of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical tasks mentioned above, and other technical tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the descriptions below.

[0009] According to some embodiments disclosed in the present document, a control system includes a plurality of battery racks, each of which includes a plurality of battery packs and an intermediate management device configured to obtain battery data related to the plurality of battery packs; and an upper control device configured to process an operation related to a management function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, generate a control command for controlling the management function to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on a result of the processing of the operation, and provide the control command to the intermediate management device.

[0010] According to some embodiments, the intermediate management device includes a gateway module for interfacing with the upper control device and a plurality of functional modules for performing the management function according to the control command.

[0011] According to some embodiments, each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs includes a plurality of battery modules and a lower management device, and the lower management device is configured to perform the management function for the plurality of battery modules according to the control command transmitted from the intermediate management device.

[0012] According to some embodiments, the control system further includes a plurality of contactors configured to contact each of the plurality of battery racks for energy exchange with the power grid.

[0013] According to some embodiments, the upper control device is configured to perform a status diagnosis function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, and to generate a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the plurality of contactors from the plurality of battery racks based on a result of performing the status diagnosis function.

[0014] In some embodiments, each battery rack of the plurality of battery racks further includes a circuit breaker, and the upper control device is configured to generate, together with the contactor disconnection command, an opening command for opening a circuit breaker of a battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that are disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

[0015] In some embodiments, the upper control device is configured to update the battery management software that provides the management function in a firmware over the air (FOTA) manner via a remote management server.

[0016] According to some embodiments disclosed in the present document, a control method includes: obtaining battery data related to a plurality of battery packs of each battery rack through an intermediate management device of each battery rack of a plurality of battery racks; processing, through an upper control device, an operation related to a management function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data; generating, through the upper control device, a control command for controlling the management function to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on a result of processing the operation; and providing, through the upper control device, the control command to the intermediate management device.

[0017] According to some embodiments, the intermediate management device includes a gateway module for interfacing with the upper control device and a plurality of functional modules for performing the management function according to the control command.

[0018] According to some embodiments, the control method further includes a step of performing the management function for the plurality of battery modules of each battery pack according to the control command transmitted from the intermediate management device through the lower management device of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs.

[0019] In some embodiments, the control method further comprises the step of contacting each of the plurality of battery racks for energy exchange with the power grid via a plurality of contactors.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the control method further includes: performing a status diagnosis function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data through the upper control device; and generating a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the plurality of contactors from the plurality of battery racks based on a result of performing the status diagnosis function through the upper control device.

[0021] In some embodiments, each battery rack of the plurality of battery racks further includes a circuit breaker, and the step of generating the contactor disconnection command includes the step of generating, together with the contactor disconnection command, an opening command for opening a circuit breaker of a battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that are to be disconnected from the plurality of battery racks.

[0022] According to some embodiments, the control method further comprises a step of updating battery management software providing the management function in a FOTA manner via a remote management server through the upper control device.

[0023] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, a control system and control method can be provided that can reduce the cost of maintaining and managing a power grid ESS and directly and immediately control an ESS battery.

[0024] The technical effects according to the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art according to the disclosure of this document.

[0025] FIG. 1 may illustrate elements constituting a power grid system according to some embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 2 may illustrate elements constituting a control system according to some embodiments.

[0027] FIG. 3 may illustrate elements constituting a battery rack according to some embodiments.

[0028] FIG. 4 may illustrate a structure in which a plurality of contactors are further included in a control system according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 5 can be an example of an intermediate management device having its own conventional operation processing function.

[0030] FIG. 6 may illustrate an intermediate management device that does not have an operation processing function according to some embodiments.

[0031] FIG. 7 may illustrate a gateway block of an intermediate management device according to some embodiments.

[0032] FIG. 8 may illustrate steps that constitute a control method according to some embodiments.

[0033] Hereinafter, embodiments described in this document are described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the disclosure of this document to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments described in this document are included.

[0034] The embodiments and terminology used in this document are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to a specific embodiment, but should be understood to encompass various modifications, equivalents, or alternatives of the embodiment. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the item, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0035] In this document, the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", "first", "second", "A", "B", "(a)", or "(b)" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding component from other corresponding components, and do not limit the corresponding components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order) unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0036] In this document, when a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected,” with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicatively,” or “coupled” or “connected,” it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired or wirelessly), or indirectly (e.g., via a third component).

[0037] The methods according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory, CD-ROM), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) through an application store or directly between two user devices. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily generated in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0038] According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to the embodiments disclosed in this document, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0039] FIG. 1 may illustrate elements constituting a power grid system according to some embodiments.

[0040] Referring to FIG. 1, the power grid system (10) may include a remote management server (100), a control system (200), and a power grid (300). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some components may be omitted from the power grid system (10), or other general-purpose components may be further included in the power grid system (10).

[0041] In a power grid system (10), power from an energy storage device (ESS) can be transmitted to a power grid (300), or power can be transmitted from a power grid (300) to an energy storage device (ESS). Energy exchange between the energy storage device (ESS) and the power grid (300) can be controlled by a control system (200).

[0042] The electric grid (300) may include power generation facilities, transmission facilities, substation facilities, and distribution facilities, and may be implemented in the form of a smart grid that intelligently and advancedly distributes power. The electric grid (300) may receive power from an energy storage system (ESS) and supply power to the ESS. According to an embodiment, the ESS may include a plurality of battery racks.

[0043] The control system (200) can control the overall operation of the energy storage system (ESS). The control system (200) can control the charging or discharging of the energy storage system (ESS) and manage energy exchange with the power grid (300). The control system (200) can include a control device that performs energy management functions for the energy storage system (ESS). The control device of the control system (200) can perform the energy management functions by executing firmware and / or software.

[0044] The control system (200) can manage an energy storage system (ESS) with a minimal number of control devices. In an embodiment, the control system (200) may include a single top-level control device and multiple auxiliary management devices, instead of multiple independent devices. In this case, the control structure of the control system (200) can be simplified, thereby reducing maintenance and repair costs.

[0045] The remote management server (100) can remotely manage the energy management function performed by the control system (200). In an embodiment, the energy management function can be provided through the execution of energy management software / firmware, and the remote management server (100) can manage updates of the energy management software / firmware. In an embodiment, the remote management server (100) can update the management software / firmware of the control system (200) in a firmware over the air (FOTA) manner.

[0046] Although the FOTA method can conveniently provide an update function even when a control system (200) is equipped with multiple control devices, it may be inefficient from a cost perspective for the control system (200) to be equipped with multiple independent control devices because expensive MCUs and peripheral devices are required to support FOTA while satisfying security and stability requirements. On the other hand, when the control system (200) includes one top-level control device and multiple auxiliary management devices, cost efficiency can be improved, and lower-level battery elements of an energy storage system (ESS) can be directly and immediately controlled by one top-level control device.

[0047] FIG. 2 may illustrate elements constituting a control system according to some embodiments.

[0048] Referring to FIG. 2, the control system (200) may include an upper control device (210) and a plurality of battery racks (220). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some components may be omitted from the control system (200), or other general-purpose components may be further included in the control system (200).

[0049] According to an embodiment, in the control system (200), the upper control device (210) and the plurality of battery racks (220) may be electrically connected to each other through a device-to-device communication method. The device-to-device communication method may include a bus, a general purpose input and output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), etc.

[0050] The upper control device (210) may have a structure for executing commands that implement the operations of the control system (200). The upper control device (210) may be implemented as an array of multiple logic gates for processing various operations or as a general-purpose microprocessor, and may be composed of a single processor or multiple processors. For example, the upper control device (210) may be implemented in the form of at least one of a microprocessor, a CPU, a GPU, and an AP.

[0051] The upper control device (210) can operate with a memory configured to store various data, commands, software, mobile applications, computer programs, etc. The memory can be configured separately from or integrally with the upper control device (210). The upper control device (210) can process various operations by executing commands stored in the memory. For example, the memory can be implemented as a non-volatile device such as a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a flash memory, a PRAM, an MRAM, an RRAM, an FRAM, etc., or a volatile device such as a DRAM, an SRAM, an SDRAM, a PRAM, etc., and can be implemented in the form of an HDD, an SSD, an SD, a Micro-SD, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0052] A plurality of battery racks (220) may implement an energy storage system (ESS). In an embodiment, each battery rack of the plurality of battery racks (220) may include a plurality of battery modules and an intermediate management device. The connection relationship between the plurality of battery racks (220) may be a combination of one or more series connections and one or more parallel connections. In an embodiment, all of the plurality of battery racks (220) may be connected in series. The plurality of battery racks (220) may be connected to a power grid (300) via a plurality of contactors.

[0053] The plurality of battery racks (220) may each include an intermediate management device configured to acquire a plurality of battery packs and battery data related to the plurality of battery packs. The plurality of battery packs of each battery rack may be managed by the intermediate management device, and the intermediate management device may operate according to a control command of the upper control device (210). The intermediate management device may include a sensor for acquiring battery data from the plurality of battery packs. According to an embodiment, the battery data may include voltage data, current data, temperature data, and the like, and the sensors of the intermediate management device may include a voltage sensor, a current sensor, a temperature sensor, and the like.

[0054] The upper control device (210) may be configured to process operations related to management functions for a plurality of battery racks based on battery data. When battery data obtained from an intermediate management device is provided to the upper control device (210), the upper control device (210) may process operations related to management functions based on the battery data. According to an embodiment, the upper control device (210) may process operations for estimating a state of charge (SOC) and / or a state of health (SOH) of a plurality of battery packs and / or a plurality of battery racks (220) based on voltage data.

[0055] The upper control device (210) may be configured to generate a control command that controls the application of a management function to a plurality of battery racks (220) based on the processing result of the operation. For example, if the management function is an output voltage limit of a plurality of battery packs and / or a plurality of battery racks (220) based on a state of charge (SOC) and / or a state of health (SOH), the upper control device (210) may generate a control command that sets an upper limit of the output voltage.

[0056] The upper control device (210) may be configured to provide a control command to the intermediate control device. For example, the upper control device (210) may provide the intermediate control device with a control command that sets an upper limit of the output voltage, and in response, the intermediate control device may limit the voltage output by the plurality of battery packs to below the upper limit.

[0057] In this manner, the intermediate management device can perform various management functions for multiple battery packs based on control commands provided from the upper control device (210) without having its own processing capabilities. Accordingly, multiple intermediate management devices can have relatively simple structures, do not require periodic software updates, and, due to the simplified control structure, multiple battery packs can be controlled directly and immediately.

[0058] FIG. 3 may illustrate elements constituting a battery rack according to some embodiments.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, the plurality of battery racks (220) may include a first battery rack (221) to a fourth battery rack (224). Here, the number of four battery racks is merely exemplary, and the plurality of battery racks (220) may include five or more battery racks.

[0060] Each battery rack of the plurality of battery racks (220) may include an intermediate management device and a plurality of battery packs. For example, the first battery rack (221) may include an intermediate management device (2210) and the first battery pack (2211) to the fourth battery pack (2244). Similarly, the first battery rack (221) may include five or more battery packs. The connection relationship between the plurality of battery packs may be a combination of one or more series connections and one or more parallel connections.

[0061] According to an embodiment, each battery pack of a plurality of battery packs may include a plurality of battery modules and a lower management device, and the lower management device may be configured to perform a management function for the plurality of battery modules according to a control command transmitted from an intermediate management device. Such a pack-to-module control command transmission structure may further specify a rack-to-pack control command transmission structure. According to the specification of the control command transmission structure, beyond controlling the battery pack unit through the control command of the upper control device (210), it may be managed in an integrated manner down to the battery module unit.

[0062] FIG. 4 may illustrate a structure in which a plurality of contactors are further included in a control system according to some embodiments.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 4, the control system (200) may further include a plurality of contactors (230). According to an embodiment, the plurality of contactors (230) may be configured to contact a plurality of battery racks (220), respectively, for energy exchange with the power grid (300).

[0064] A plurality of contactors (230) may be connected to a plurality of battery racks (220), respectively. A first contactor (231) may be connected to a first battery rack (221), a second contactor (232) may be connected to a second battery rack (222), and the remaining contactors may also be connected to corresponding battery racks.

[0065] The upper control device (210) can control the opening and closing of a plurality of contactors (230). For example, when connecting a first battery rack (221) to a power grid (300), the upper control device (210) can control the first contactor (231) to connect the first battery rack (221) and the power grid (300). According to an embodiment, when an abnormality occurs in one of the plurality of battery racks (220) and the power grid (300), the upper control device (210) can disconnect the plurality of contactors (230) to electrically protect the other one.

[0066] According to an embodiment, the upper control device (210) may be configured to perform a status diagnosis function for a plurality of battery racks (220) based on battery data, and generate a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the plurality of contactors (230) from the plurality of battery racks (220) based on a result of performing the status diagnosis function. For example, when it is determined that an abnormality in voltage behavior has occurred in the second battery rack (222) based on the battery data, the upper control device (210) may provide a control command for separating the second contactor (232) to an intermediate management device of the second battery rack (222).

[0067] According to an embodiment, each battery rack of the plurality of battery racks (220) may further include a circuit breaker, and the upper control device (210) may be configured to generate, together with the contactor disconnection command, an opening command for opening the circuit breaker of a battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that are disconnected from the plurality of battery racks (220). For example, when the upper control device (210) generates the contactor disconnection command for disconnecting the second contactor (232), the upper control device (210) may also generate the opening command for opening the circuit breaker of the second battery rack (222), and provide the contactor disconnection command and the opening command to an intermediate management device.

[0068] Figure 5 can be an example of an intermediate management device having its own conventional operation processing function.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 5, a conventional intermediate management device (500) having its own computational processing function may be illustrated. The conventional intermediate management device (500) may include various functional blocks, and in particular, may include an MCU block (512) related to computational processing function.

[0070] In addition to the MCU block (512), the conventional intermediate management device (500) may include a power block (502), an Ethernet block (504), a memory block (506), an upper level interface block (508), a lower level interface block (510), a control block (514), a sensing block (516), a fan control block (518), an LED control block (520), an emergency stop block (522), and a hard wire block (524).

[0071] If a conventional intermediate management device (500) includes an MCU block (512), an excessive number of MCUs may exist in the control system of the power grid ESS, increasing the maintenance and management costs for these. In particular, even when providing software / firmware updates via FOTA, it may be costly to equip a large number of MCUs with hardware that supports FOTA.

[0072] FIG. 6 may illustrate an intermediate management device that does not have an operation processing function according to some embodiments.

[0073] Referring to FIG. 6, an intermediate management device (600) that does not have an operation processing function may be illustrated. The intermediate management device (600) may not perform its own operation processing, but may operate based on the operation processing results of the upper control device (210).

[0074] Compared to the conventional intermediate management device (500), the intermediate management device (600) may not include the MCU block (512) and may not include the memory block (506) and the upper level interface block (508) related thereto. In the intermediate management device (600), the conventional Ethernet block (504) may be replaced with a gateway block (604). In particular, compared to the conventional power block (502), the power block (602) of the intermediate management device (600) may be significantly downsized.

[0075] According to an embodiment, the intermediate management device (600) may include a gateway module (604, gateway block) for interfacing with the upper control device (210) and a plurality of functional modules for performing management functions according to control commands. For example, the plurality of functional modules may include a control block (614), a sensing block (616), a fan control block (618), an LED control block (620), an emergency stop block (622), and a hard wire block (624). Instead of providing an active control function, the plurality of functional modules may only perform simple functions such as on / off according to a control command of the upper control device (210).

[0076] In an embodiment, the intermediate management device (600) may further include a power module (602) that is simplified by omitting the computational processing function. Due to the omitting of the MCU block (512), the power block (602, power module) may be significantly downsized compared to a conventional power block (502). In an embodiment, the capacity of the power module (602) may be less than 50%, less than 30%, less than 20%, less than 10%, or less than 5% of the capacity of the conventional power block (502).

[0077] FIG. 7 may illustrate a gateway block of an intermediate management device according to some embodiments.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 7, the structure and function of the gateway block (604) of the intermediate management device (600) can be illustrated. The gateway block (604) can be implemented in the form of a gateway IC.

[0079] The gateway IC may primarily be equipped with communication functions, and may additionally include memory functions, control functions, sensing functions, etc. The memory function may be omitted. The gateway block (604) may operate based on external power supply. For example, excess power resulting from the omission of the MCU block (512) may be supplied to the gateway IC, and any additional power may be fed back to the outside of the gateway IC.

[0080] The gateway IC may be equipped with main communication and slave communication, and the main communication may be performed through the communication module of the gateway IC. In addition, CAN communication and communication monitoring functions may be provided. With regard to control and sensing functions, control signals and feedback signals of contactors, fans, LEDs, fuses, etc. may be transmitted to the intermediate management device (600) through the gateway IC, and signals related to current measurement, etc. may be transmitted to the intermediate management device (600).

[0081] FIG. 8 may illustrate steps that constitute a control method according to some embodiments.

[0082] Referring to FIG. 8, the control method (800) may include steps (810) to (840). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and some steps may be omitted or other general steps may be added, and the steps of the control method (800) may be executed in a different order than the illustrated order.

[0083] The control method (800) may be composed of steps that are processed in a time-series manner in the control system (200). Therefore, even if the content is omitted below, the content described above for the control system (200) may be equally applied to the control method (800).

[0084] Steps (810) to (840) of the control method (800) can be performed by the upper control device (210) of the control system (200) and a plurality of battery racks (220).

[0085] In step (810), the control system (200) can obtain battery data related to multiple battery packs of each battery rack through an intermediate management device of each battery rack of the multiple battery racks.

[0086] In step (820), the control system (200) can process operations related to management functions for a plurality of battery racks based on battery data through an upper control device.

[0087] In step (830), the control system (200) can generate a control command to control the management function to be applied to a plurality of battery racks based on the processing result of the operation through the upper control device.

[0088] In step (840), the control system (200) can provide a control command to the intermediate management device through the upper control device.

[0089] According to an embodiment, the control method (800) may be implemented in the form of a computer program stored on a computer-readable storage medium. That is, the computer program may include instructions for implementing the control method (800), and the instructions of the program may be stored on the computer-readable storage medium. The computer program may include a mobile application.

[0090] According to an embodiment, the computer-readable storage medium may include magnetic media such as hard disks, floppy disks, and magnetic tapes, optical media such as CD-ROMs, DVDs, magneto-optical media such as floptical disks, and hardware devices specially configured to store and execute computer program instructions such as ROMs, RAMs, flash memories, and the like. The computer program instructions may include machine language codes generated by a compiler and high-level language codes that can be executed by a computer using an interpreter, etc.

[0091] The terms "include," "comprise," or "have" used herein, unless otherwise specifically stated, imply that the corresponding component may be included, and therefore should be interpreted to include other components rather than to exclude other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in dictionaries, should be interpreted to be consistent with their contextual meaning in the relevant art, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0092] The above description is merely an example of the technical idea disclosed in this document, and those skilled in the art to which the embodiments disclosed in this document pertain may make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the embodiments disclosed in this document. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not intended to limit the technical idea of ​​the embodiments disclosed in this document, but to explain it, and the scope of the technical idea disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical idea disclosed in this document should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical ideas within a scope equivalent thereto should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this document.

[0093] [Explanation of symbols]

[0094] 10: Power grid system 100: Remote management server

[0095] 200: Control system 300: Power grid

[0096] 210: Upper control unit 220: Multiple battery packs

[0097] 230: Multiple contactors 600: Intermediate management unit

[0098] 604: Gateway module 800: Control method

Claims

1. A plurality of battery racks each including a plurality of battery packs and an intermediate management device configured to acquire battery data related to the plurality of battery packs; and A control system comprising an upper control device configured to process an operation related to a management function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, generate a control command for controlling the application of the management function to the plurality of battery racks based on a result of the processing of the operation, and provide the control command to the intermediate management device.

2. In paragraph 1, A control system, wherein the intermediate management device includes a gateway module for interfacing with the upper control device and a plurality of function modules for performing the management function according to the control command.

3. In paragraph 1, Each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs includes a plurality of battery modules and a sub-management device, A control system, wherein the lower management device is configured to perform the management function for the plurality of battery modules according to the control command transmitted from the intermediate management device.

4. In paragraph 1, A control system further comprising a plurality of contactors configured to contact each of the plurality of battery racks for energy exchange with a power grid.

5. In paragraph 4, The upper control device performs a status diagnosis function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data, A control system configured to generate a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the plurality of contactors from the plurality of battery racks based on the results of performing the status diagnosis function.

6. In paragraph 5, Each battery rack of the above plurality of battery racks further includes a circuit breaker, A control system, wherein the upper control device is configured to generate an opening command for opening a circuit breaker of a battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that are separated from the plurality of battery racks, together with the contactor disconnection command.

7. In paragraph 1, A control system, wherein the upper control device is configured to update the battery management software that provides the management function in a FOTA (firmware over the air) manner via a remote management server.

8. A step of obtaining battery data related to multiple battery packs of each battery rack through an intermediate management device of each battery rack of multiple battery racks; A step of processing operations related to management functions for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data through an upper control device; A step of generating a control command for controlling the management function to be applied to the plurality of battery racks based on the processing result of the operation through the upper control device; and A control method comprising the step of providing the control command to the intermediate management device through the upper control device.

9. In paragraph 8, A control method, wherein the intermediate management device includes a gateway module for interfacing with the upper control device and a plurality of function modules for performing the management function according to the control command.

10. In paragraph 8, A control method further comprising a step of performing the management function for the plurality of battery modules of each battery pack according to the control command transmitted from the intermediate management device through the lower management device of each battery pack of the plurality of battery packs.

11. In paragraph 8, A control method further comprising a step of contacting each of the plurality of battery racks through a plurality of contactors for energy exchange with the power grid.

12. In paragraph 11, A step of performing a status diagnosis function for the plurality of battery racks based on the battery data through the upper control device; and A control method further comprising a step of generating a contactor separation command for separating at least some of the plurality of contactors from the plurality of battery racks based on a result of performing the status diagnosis function through the upper control device.

13. In paragraph 12, Each battery rack of the above plurality of battery racks further includes a circuit breaker, A control method, wherein the step of generating the contactor disconnection command includes the step of generating, together with the contactor disconnection command, an opening command for opening a circuit breaker of a battery rack corresponding to at least some of the contactors that are separated from the plurality of battery racks.

14. In paragraph 8, A control method further comprising a step of updating battery management software that provides the management function in a FOTA manner through a remote management server via the upper control device.

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