Battery unit and battery system comprising same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery unit and a battery system comprising same, and the battery unit may communicate with an upper controller in preset periods and may achieve a cell balancing effect on the basis of power consumed to communicate with the upper controller.　The battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of battery units; and an upper controller that wirelessly communicates with a battery unit allocated as a master unit, from among the plurality of battery units, wherein the plurality of battery units are respectively allocated as master units for communicating with the upper controller in different periods.

Description

Battery unit and battery system including same

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This invention claims the benefit of priority from Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0189925, filed December 22, 2023, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] One embodiment disclosed in this document relates to a battery unit and a battery system including the same.

[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 more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries boast a significantly higher energy density than conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries. Furthermore, lithium-ion batteries can be manufactured in a compact and lightweight form, making them a popular power source for mobile devices. Recently, their use has expanded to include power sources for electric vehicles, drawing attention as a next-generation energy storage medium.

[0006] Secondary batteries include battery modules in which battery cells, the smallest units that store energy, are connected to each other. To maximize battery life, battery cells require cell balancing to reduce variations in their capacities. Cell balancing involves passive cell balancing, which discharges the energy of the battery cell being balanced, and active cell balancing, which charges the energy of the battery cell being balanced to other battery cells. Passive cell balancing discharges the energy of other battery cells based on the capacity of a reference cell, resulting in heat and energy loss due to discharge resistance.

[0007] One object of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a battery unit communicating with an upper controller and a battery system including the battery unit.

[0008] The technical problems of the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains from the description below.

[0009] A battery system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document includes a plurality of battery units; and an upper controller that wirelessly communicates with a battery unit assigned as a master unit among the plurality of battery units; wherein each of the plurality of battery units can be assigned as a master unit for communicating with the upper controller with different cycles.

[0010] According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of battery units may include: a battery cell; a processor that calculates a state of charge (SoC) of the battery cell based on state data related to at least one of voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell; and a communication module configured to transmit the state data of the battery cell and data related to the SoC of the battery cell to an external source.

[0011] According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of battery units transmits the status data and data related to the SoC of the battery cell to the battery unit assigned to the master unit, and a processor included in the master unit can calculate different cycles corresponding to each of the plurality of battery units based on the status data received from each of the plurality of battery units and the SoC of the battery cell.

[0012] According to one embodiment, a processor included in the master unit may calculate an average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells received from each of the plurality of battery units, and assign a priority to each of the plurality of battery cells based on a difference between the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells and the average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the priorities are assigned in descending order of the difference between the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells and the average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells, and the different periods may correspond to a value obtained by multiplying the priorities by a preset reference time interval.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a processor included in the master unit can calculate a priority to be assigned to each battery unit having the same difference by multiplying the priority of each battery unit having the same difference by a random function when there are battery units having the same difference.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the plurality of battery units operate at the allocated cycles to communicate with the upper controller, but may not operate as a master unit even if the preset cycle is reached if another battery unit performs communication with the upper controller before the allocated cycle is reached.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the operating mode of the battery system may be a standby mode.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the upper controller may correspond to a module BMS or a pack BMS.

[0018] A battery unit according to an embodiment disclosed in this document can communicate with an upper controller at preset intervals and achieve a cell balancing effect based on the power consumed in communicating with the upper controller.

[0019] The effects according to the embodiments disclosed in this document are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art according to the disclosure of this document.

[0020] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a battery system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a battery unit according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0022] FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a process for determining priorities assigned to battery units according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document.

[0023] FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating cycles assigned to battery units according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the operation of a battery system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0025] Hereinafter, embodiments disclosed in this document will be described in detail with reference to exemplary drawings. When designating components in each drawing, it should be noted that, where possible, identical components are given identical reference numerals, even if they appear in different drawings. Furthermore, when describing embodiments disclosed in this document, detailed descriptions of related known structures or functions will be omitted if they are deemed to hinder understanding of the embodiments disclosed in this document.

[0026] In describing the components of the embodiments disclosed in this document, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only intended to distinguish the components from other components and do not limit the nature, order, or sequence of the components. In addition, unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, 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 belong. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined in this application.

[0027] In the above, all components constituting the embodiments have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one. However, this is not necessarily limited to such embodiments, and within the scope of the purpose, all components may be selectively combined and operated in one or more combinations. Furthermore, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated to the contrary, imply that the corresponding component may be inherent, and therefore should be interpreted to include other components rather than excluding other components.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining a battery system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document, and FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining a battery unit according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0029] First, referring to FIG. 1, the battery system (1) may include a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300 400) and an upper controller (10).

[0030] A plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may represent independently operable battery units. Here, each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may be configured to communicate with different plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) and / or an upper controller (10). In FIG. 1, the battery system (1) is illustrated as including four battery units (100, 200, 300, 400), but is not limited to this example, and the battery system (1) may include n (n is an integer greater than or equal to 2) battery units.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 2, the configuration of a battery unit (100) is illustrated. According to one embodiment, the battery unit (100) may include a battery cell (110), a communication module (120), and a processor (130).

[0032] The battery cell (110) may be, but is not limited to, a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium ion polymer (Li-ion polymer) battery, a nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, a nickel-metal hydride (Ni-MH) battery, etc. Meanwhile, the battery unit (100) is illustrated as including one battery cell (110), but according to an embodiment, the battery unit (100) may be configured to include a plurality of battery cells.

[0033] The battery unit (100) may include a processor (120). The processor (120) may be configured to control the overall operation of the battery unit (100). The processor (120) may manage and / or control the status and / or operation of the battery cell (110). For example, the processor (120) may be configured to monitor the status of the battery cell (110), such as at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell (110).

[0034] According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may directly obtain status data related to at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell (110). In this case, various measurement circuits and / or sensors not shown in FIG. 2 may be included in the battery unit (100). Additionally, the processor (120) may indirectly obtain status data related to at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell (110).

[0035] The processor (120) can calculate the SoC (State of Charge) of the battery cell (110) based on the status data of the battery cell (110). In addition, the processor (120) can calculate the cell balancing time based on the calculated SoC of the battery cell (110), the capacity of the battery cell, etc., and here, the cell balancing time can be defined as the time required for cell balancing of the battery cell (110).

[0036] The battery unit (130) may include a communication module (130) for communicating with the outside. The battery unit (100) may communicate with other battery units (200, 300, 400) and / or an upper controller (10) illustrated in FIG. 1, and according to one embodiment, a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) and an upper controller (10) may perform NFC (Near Field Communication) with each other. In this case, the communication module (130) may be composed of various NFC communication modules, but is not limited to these examples.

[0037] That is, the battery unit (100) can communicate with other battery units, for example, the battery units (200, 300, 400) illustrated in FIG. 1, and / or the upper controller (10) based on the communication module (120). Here, the battery unit (100) can transmit status data of the battery cell (110) related to at least one of the voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell (110) and / or data related to the SoC of the battery cell (110) calculated based on the status data of the battery cell (110) to the battery unit (200, 300, 400) and / or the upper controller (10).

[0038] Referring back to FIG. 1, a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may constitute a single battery module (not shown) and / or a battery pack (not shown). In this case, the upper controller (10) may correspond to a module BMS (Battery Management System) and / or a pack BMS, respectively, but is not limited to this example. That is, according to one embodiment disclosed in the present document, a processor (130, see FIG. 2) may be assigned to each battery cell (110, see FIG. 2) unit to communicate with the module BMS and / or the pack BMS, which is the upper controller (10).

[0039] According to one embodiment, any one of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may communicate with the upper controller (10). In this case, the battery unit communicating with the upper controller (10) may correspond to the master unit, and the battery units excluding the master unit among the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may correspond to slave units. In the following description, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that the battery unit (100) illustrated in FIG. 2 is the master unit, but the present invention is not limited to this example.

[0040] According to one embodiment, the master unit (100) can communicate with the upper controller (10) and / or the slave units (200, 300, 400). Here, the slave units (200, 300, 400) can transmit to the master unit (100) status data related to at least one of voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cells (not shown) they each contain, and data related to the SoC of the battery cells (not shown) calculated based thereon. Here, the slave units (200, 300, 400) and the master unit (100) can communicate based on a near-field communication (NFC) method.

[0041] According to one embodiment, the master unit (100) can transmit status data of battery cells (not shown) included in each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) and SoCs of the plurality of battery cells (not shown) calculated based thereon to the upper controller (10). The upper controller (10) can manage and / or control the status of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) based on the status data and / or SoCs of the battery cells (not shown) transmitted by the master unit (100).

[0042] In this case, since only the master unit (100) continuously communicates with the upper controller (10), the battery cell (110, see FIG. 2) included in the master unit (100) may have relatively high power consumption compared to the battery cell (not shown) included in the other slave units (200, 300, 400). Therefore, when the master unit (100) communicating with the upper controller (10) is changed to one of the other battery units (200, 300, 400), the effect of passive cell balancing, which discharges the energy of the battery cell that is the target of cell balancing, i.e., the battery cell included in the master unit, while communicating with the upper controller (10), can be achieved.

[0043] According to one embodiment, a processor (130, see FIG. 2) included in a master unit (100) may determine another master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) based on the status data of battery cells transmitted by slave units (200, 300, 400) and the SoC of battery cells (not shown) calculated based on the status data. The processor (130) may calculate an average value of the SoC of battery cells (not shown) included in each of the master unit (100) and slave units (200, 300, 400), and determine another master unit based on the difference between the SoC of each battery cell (not shown) and the average value of the SoC. Details related to this will be described later in the description of FIGS. 3A and 3B.

[0044] According to one embodiment, when the operation mode of the battery system (1) is in a standby mode (e.g., sleep mode), the upper controller (10) may periodically communicate with the master unit (100). Here, the master unit (100) may assign priorities to each of the slave units (200, 300, 400) before the operation mode of the battery system (1) enters the standby mode.

[0045] According to one embodiment, the priority assigned to each slave unit (200, 300, 400) may be related to the cycle in which the slave unit (200, 300, 400) is assigned as a master unit in the battery system (1) in standby mode. Specific details related thereto will be described later in the description of FIGS. 4A and 4B.

[0046] FIGS. 3A and 3B are diagrams for explaining a process for determining a priority assigned to a battery unit according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, and FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams for explaining a cycle assigned to a battery unit according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document.

[0047] Before the battery system (1, see FIG. 1) enters a standby mode, the master unit (100, see FIG. 1) can assign a priority to each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) based on the status data of the battery cells transmitted by each of the slave units (200, 300, 400, see FIG. 1) and data related to the SoC of the battery cells calculated based thereon.

[0048] According to one embodiment, a processor (130, see FIG. 2) included in a master unit (100) can calculate an average value of the SoC of battery cells included in each of a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) based on data related to the SoC of each battery cell.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 3a, the SoC of the battery cell included in the first battery unit (100) is 88%, the SoC of the battery cell included in the second battery unit (200, see FIG. 1) is 85%, the SoC of the battery cell included in the third battery unit (300, see FIG. 1) is 63%, and the SoC of the battery cell included in the fourth battery unit (400, see FIG. 1) is 74%.

[0050] According to one embodiment, a processor (130) included in a first battery unit (100), which is a master unit, may calculate an average value of SoC of battery cells included in a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400). Here, the average value may be 77.5%.

[0051] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) included in the first battery unit (100) may calculate the difference between the SoC of the battery cells included in each battery unit and the average value of the SoC. Since the SoC of the battery cells included in the first battery unit (100) is 88%, the difference value corresponding to the first battery unit (100) may be 10.5%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 77.5% from 88%. Similarly, since the SoC of the battery cell included in the second battery unit (200) is 85%, the difference value corresponding to the second battery unit (200) may be 7.5%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 77.5% from 85%; since the SoC of the battery cell included in the third battery unit (300) is 63%, the difference value corresponding to the third battery unit (300) may be -14.5%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 77.5% from 63%; and since the SoC of the battery cell included in the fourth battery unit (400) is 74%, the difference value corresponding to the fourth battery unit (400) may be -3.5%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 77.5% from 74%.

[0052] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) may assign priorities to each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) based on the difference between the SoC of the battery cells included in each battery unit and the average value of the SoC. Here, the priorities may be defined in descending order of the calculated difference values. Referring to FIG. 4A, the first battery unit (100), which is the battery unit with the largest difference value, may be assigned a first priority, the second battery unit (200), which is the battery unit with the second largest difference value, may be assigned a second priority, the fourth battery unit (400), which is the battery unit with the third largest difference value, may be assigned a third priority, and the third battery unit (300), which is the battery unit with the smallest difference value, may be assigned a fourth priority.

[0053] According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) may be assigned as a master unit for different periods determined based on an assigned priority. Here, the preset period may be defined as a value obtained by multiplying the assigned priority by a preset reference time interval (ΔT). That is, the first battery unit (100) of the first priority can be configured to communicate with the upper controller (10, see FIG. 1) every first cycle (ΔT), which is a value obtained by multiplying the reference time interval (ΔT) by the priority of 1, the second battery unit (200) of the second priority can be configured to communicate with the upper controller (10) every second cycle (2*ΔT), which is a value obtained by multiplying the reference time interval (ΔT) by the priority of 2, the fourth battery unit (400) of the third priority can be configured to communicate with the upper controller (10) every third cycle (3*ΔT), which is a value obtained by multiplying the reference time interval (ΔT) by the priority of 3, and the third battery unit (300) of the fourth priority can be configured to communicate with the upper controller (10) every fourth cycle (4*ΔT), which is a value obtained by multiplying the reference time interval (ΔT) by the priority of 4. Here, the preset reference time interval (ΔT) can be set and changed in various ways depending on the design and is not limited to a specific example.

[0054] According to one embodiment, when the operation mode of the battery system (1) enters a standby mode, the battery system (1) may not monitor the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) in real time in order to minimize power consumption. However, even in the standby mode, the upper controller (10, see FIG. 1) must check the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400), so that even when the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) communicate with the upper controller (10) at different cycles and the master unit cannot communicate with the upper controller (10), the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) can be transmitted to the upper controller (10).

[0055] Figure 3b is a table showing the case where there are battery units in which the difference between the SoC of the battery cells included in each battery unit and the average value of the SoC is the same. The SoC of the battery cell included in the first battery unit (100) is 88%, the SoC of the battery cell included in the second battery unit (200) is 85%, the SoC of the battery cell included in the third battery unit (300) is 63%, and the SoC of the battery cell included in the fourth battery unit (400) is 63%.

[0056] According to one embodiment, a processor (130) included in a first battery unit (100), which is a master unit, may calculate an average value of SoC of battery cells included in a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400). Here, the average value may be 74.75%.

[0057] According to one embodiment, the processor (130) included in the first battery unit (100) may calculate the difference between the SoC of the battery cells included in each battery unit and the average value of the SoC. Since the SoC of the battery cells included in the first battery unit (100) is 88%, the difference value corresponding to the first battery unit (100) may be 13.25%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 74.75% from 88%. Similarly, since the SoC of the battery cell included in the second battery unit (200) is 85%, the difference value corresponding to the second battery unit (200) may be 10.25%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 74.75% from 85%, and since the SoC of the battery cell included in the third battery unit (300) and the battery cell included in the fourth battery unit (400) is 63%, the difference value corresponding to the third battery unit (300) and the fourth battery unit (400) may be -11.75%, which is a value obtained by subtracting 74.75% from 63%.

[0058] Here, since the difference values ​​corresponding to the third battery unit (300) and the fourth battery unit (400) are the same at -11.75%, the processor (130) can determine the priority by multiplying the difference value corresponding to the third battery unit (300) and the difference value corresponding to the fourth battery unit (400) by a random function (Rand()). Here, the random function (Rand()) can be defined as a function having a random value between 0 and 1.

[0059] Referring back to FIG. 4B, the processor (130) may assign priorities to each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) based on the difference between the SoC of the battery cells included in each battery unit and the average value of the SoC. Here, the priorities may be defined in descending order of the calculated difference values. Referring to FIG. 4B, the first battery unit (100), which is the battery unit with the largest difference value, may be assigned the first priority, the second battery unit (200), which is the battery unit with the second largest difference value, may be assigned the second priority, the third battery unit (300), which is the battery unit with the third largest difference value, may be assigned the third priority, and the fourth battery unit (400), which is the battery unit with the smallest difference value, may be assigned the fourth priority.

[0060] Additionally, each of the first battery unit (100) to the fourth battery unit (400) may be assigned as a master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) at different cycles. For convenience of explanation, redundant details are omitted.

[0061] FIG. 5 is a drawing for explaining the operation of a battery system according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the operation mode of the battery system (1, see FIG. 1) may enter a standby mode. In the standby mode, the battery system (1) may not monitor the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400, see FIG. 1) in real time in order to minimize power consumption. However, even in the standby mode, the upper controller (10, see FIG. 1) must check the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400). Therefore, since the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) communicate with the upper controller (10) at different cycles, even when the master unit (100) cannot communicate with the upper controller (10), the status of each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) can be transmitted to the upper controller (10).

[0063] For convenience of explanation, the following description assumes that priorities are assigned to each of the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) as illustrated in FIG. 4b, but is not limited to this example.

[0064] According to one embodiment, since the first battery unit (100) is a first priority, the first battery unit (100) can be assigned as a master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) every first cycle (ΔT), since the second battery unit (200) is a second priority, the second battery unit (200) can be assigned as a master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) every second cycle (2*ΔT), since the third battery unit (300) is a third priority, the third battery unit (300) can be assigned as a master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) every third cycle (3*ΔT), and since the fourth battery unit (400) is a fourth priority, the fourth battery unit (400) can be assigned as a master unit to communicate with the upper controller (10) every fourth cycle (4*ΔT).

[0065] According to one embodiment, if another battery unit communicates with the upper controller (10) before reaching the assigned preset cycle, the battery unit may not operate as a master unit even if the preset cycle is reached.

[0066] For example, after the first period (ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode, the first battery unit (100) may be assigned as a master unit and may communicate with the upper controller (10) (a). In this case, the first battery unit (100) may transmit status data related to at least one of voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cells included in each of the first to fourth battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) to the upper controller (10). Thereafter, after the first period (ΔT) has passed further, that is, after the second period (2*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode, the first battery unit (100) may become a master unit and communicate with the upper controller (10). In addition, since the first battery unit (100) is assigned as a master unit and communicates with the upper controller (10) after the first cycle (ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode, the second battery unit (200) may not operate as a master unit after the second cycle (2*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode. Similarly, the third battery unit (300) may not operate as a master unit after the third cycle (3*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode, and the fourth battery unit (400) may not operate as a master unit after the fourth cycle (4*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode.

[0067] For another example, the first battery unit (100) may be assigned as the master unit after the first cycle (ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode. However, due to various reasons, a situation may occur where the first battery unit (100) is unable to communicate with the upper controller (10) after the first cycle (ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode. In this case, the second battery unit (200) may be assigned as the master unit after the second cycle (2*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode. In addition, since the first battery unit (100) has not communicated with the upper controller (10) after the first cycle (ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode, the second battery unit (200) assigned as the master unit may communicate with the upper controller (10) after the second cycle (2*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) enters the standby mode.

[0068] For another example, if the first battery unit (100) and the second battery unit (200) are unable to communicate with the upper controller (10) after the third cycle (3*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode, the third battery unit (300) is assigned as a master unit and can communicate with the upper controller (10) after the third cycle (3*ΔT) has passed since entering the standby mode.

[0069] For another example, if the first battery unit (100), the second battery unit (200), and the third battery unit (300) fail to communicate with the upper controller (10) after the fourth cycle (4*ΔT) has passed since the battery system (1) entered the standby mode, the fourth battery unit (400) is assigned as a master unit and can communicate with the upper controller (10) after the fourth cycle (4*ΔT) has passed since entering the standby mode.

[0070] A battery system (1) according to an embodiment disclosed in this document can determine a plurality of battery units to communicate with a higher controller (10) even if a master unit becomes unable to communicate by assigning priorities to each of a plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400) before entering a standby mode. Through this, the battery system (1) can be configured to consume minimal power even in the standby mode so that the higher controller (10) can manage and control the plurality of battery units (100, 200, 300, 400), and can achieve an effect similar to that of a master unit performing a cell balancing operation through the power consumed while communicating with the higher controller (10).

[0071] 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.

[0072] Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in this document are intended to illustrate, rather than limit, the technical concepts disclosed in this document, and the scope of the technical concepts disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical concepts disclosed in this document should be interpreted by the claims below, and all technical concepts within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the rights of this document.

[0073] [Explanation of symbols]

[0074] 1: Battery system

[0075] 100, 200, 300, 400: Battery Unit

[0076] 110: Battery cell

[0077] 120: Communication module

[0078] 130: Controller

Claims

1. Multiple battery units; and A higher controller that wirelessly communicates with a battery unit assigned as a master unit among the plurality of battery units; A battery system in which each of the plurality of battery units has a different cycle and is assigned as a master unit for communicating with the upper controller.

2. In the first paragraph, each of the plurality of battery units, battery cell; A processor that calculates the SoC (State of Charge) of the battery cell based on state data related to at least one of voltage, current, and temperature of the battery cell; and A battery system comprising a communication module configured to transmit status data of the battery cell and data related to the SoC of the battery cell to the outside.

3. In paragraph 2, Each of the plurality of battery units transmits the status data and data related to the SoC of the battery cell to the battery unit assigned to the master unit, The processor included in the above master unit is: A battery system that calculates different cycles corresponding to each of the plurality of battery units based on status data received from each of the plurality of battery units and the SoC of the battery cell.

4. In the third paragraph, the processor included in the master unit, Compute the average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells received from each of the plurality of battery units, A battery system that assigns a priority to each of the plurality of battery cells based on the difference between the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells and the average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells.

5. In paragraph 4, The above priorities are assigned in descending order of the difference between the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells and the average value of the SoC of each of the plurality of battery cells, The above different cycles correspond to a battery system in which the above priorities are multiplied by a preset reference time interval.

6. In the fifth paragraph, the processor included in the master unit, A battery system that calculates the priority to be assigned to each battery unit with the same difference by multiplying the priority of each battery unit with the same difference by a random function when there are battery units with the same difference.

7. In paragraph 6, The above plurality of battery units operate at the allocated cycles and communicate with the upper controller. A battery system that does not operate as a master unit even if a preset cycle is reached if another battery unit communicates with the upper controller before the above-described allocated cycle is reached.

8. In paragraph 1, The operation mode of the above battery system is a battery system in standby mode.

9. In paragraph 1, The above upper controller is a battery system corresponding to a module BMS or pack BMS.

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