Power management device, vehicle including same, and method

Abstract

According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a power management device may comprise: a first control unit electrically connected to a battery pack; at least one second control unit electrically connected to the first control unit; and an end device electrically connected to the first control unit and the at least one second control unit and configured to control the battery pack. For example, the end device may receive power from the first control unit and receive a wake-up packet from the at least one second control unit.

Description

Power management device, vehicle including the same, and method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority from Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2024-0068693, filed May 27, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to power management devices and methods.

[0005] As electric vehicles (EVs) proliferate, research and development on new vehicle architectures are actively underway. For example, electric vehicles can be powered by secondary batteries, which are rechargeable and include both conventional Ni / Cd and Ni / MH batteries, as well as more recent lithium-ion batteries. Among secondary batteries, lithium-ion batteries have the advantage of having a much 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 power source 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] Battery cells, battery modules, battery packs, or battery racks like these can be utilized in a variety of devices. For example, batteries can be used in mobile devices such as cell phones, laptops, smartphones, and tablets, as well as in electric vehicles (EVs, HEVs, PHEVs) and large-capacity energy storage systems (ESS).

[0007] These batteries can have their status and operation managed and controlled by a battery management system (BMS). The BMS can be included with the batteries in a single device.

[0008] Meanwhile, as the automotive industry evolves, concepts of future mobility, such as Software Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and Purpose-Built Vehicles (PBVs), are becoming increasingly concrete. For example, SDVs refer to cars where hardware is controlled and managed by software. Software within SDVs can define not only driving performance but also convenience and safety features, emotional quality, and brand identity. SDV-based architectures can reduce vehicle development costs by sharing ECUs and internalizing software. Furthermore, high-performance computers and networks based on electronic architectures can advance autonomous driving technology.

[0009] Efficient power management within the SDV architecture can be crucial. To power other components (e.g., zone controllers, end devices, etc.) from the battery pack, an efficient and adaptive process needs to be developed.

[0010] One purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document is to provide a power management device and method that are excellent in terms of power control and power efficiency by implementing signal transmission and reception entities between components under an SDV structure, and a vehicle including the power management device.

[0011] 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 from the descriptions below.

[0012] According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a power management device may include a first control unit electrically connected to a battery pack, at least one second control unit electrically connected to the first control unit, and an end device electrically connected to the first control unit and the at least one second control unit and configured to control the battery pack.

[0013] According to an embodiment, the terminal device may be configured to receive power from the first control unit and receive a wake-up packet from the at least one second control unit.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the first control unit may be configured to supply power received from the battery pack to the at least one second control unit and the terminal device based on a Power over Data Line (PoDL) when receiving an ignition ON input for the vehicle.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the first control unit may determine the amount of power to be supplied to the target device based on at least one of the type, operating status, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to be supplied with power.

[0016] In an embodiment, the power supplied to the at least one second control unit may be greater than the power supplied to the terminal device.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the first control unit may be configured to monitor status information of the battery pack, and if it is determined that the battery pack corresponds to a designated status based on the status information, identify a real-time status of the vehicle, set the priority for each of the terminal devices using the real-time status, and sequentially supply the power to the terminal devices according to the set priority.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the first control unit may be configured to determine that the battery pack corresponds to the specified state when the SoC (state of charge) of the battery pack is below a specified value.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the first control unit may be configured to set a high priority to the infotainment device and supply power preferentially to the infotainment device among the terminal devices when it is determined that the driving speed of the vehicle is below a specified value and a user is riding inside the vehicle based on the real-time status.

[0020] According to an embodiment, when a designated event occurs, the at least one second control unit can identify a designated end device corresponding to the designated event among the end devices, generate a wake-up packet having a wake-up condition set using at least one of the status of the self-vehicle, whether there is a data fault, or any combination thereof, and transmit the wake-up packet to the designated end device based on WoL (Wake on LAN).

[0021] According to an embodiment, the specified terminal device may be configured to wake up based on satisfying the wake-up condition.

[0022] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, a vehicle including any one of the power management devices described above may be provided.

[0023] According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a power management method may include a step in which, when a first control unit receives an ignition ON input for a vehicle, the first control unit supplies first power and second power to the at least one second control unit and the terminal device, respectively, using power transmitted from the battery pack based on a Power over Data Line (PoDL); a step in which, when a designated event occurs, the at least one second control unit identifies a designated terminal device corresponding to the designated event among terminal devices, generates a wake-up packet, and transmits the wake-up packet to the designated terminal device; and a step in which the designated terminal device is turned ON by the power supplied from the first control unit and wakes up based on receiving the wake-up packet.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of supplying first power and second power to the at least one second control unit and the terminal device, respectively, using power transmitted from the battery pack based on a PoDL (Power over Data Line) when the first control unit receives an ignition ON input for the vehicle.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of the first control unit determining the amount of power to be supplied to the target device based on at least one of the type, operating state, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to which the power is to be supplied.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of the first control unit monitoring status information of the battery pack and, if it is determined that the battery pack corresponds to a designated status based on the status information, identifying a real-time status of the vehicle, a step of the first control unit setting the priority for each of the terminal devices using the real-time status, and a step of the first control unit sequentially supplying the power to the terminal devices according to the set priority.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of setting a high priority to an infotainment device when the first control unit identifies that the driving speed of the vehicle is lower than a specified value and a user is riding inside the vehicle based on the real-time status, and a step of the first control unit preferentially supplying the power to the infotainment device among the terminal devices.

[0028] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, a vehicle including any one of the power management devices described above may be disclosed.

[0029] The power management device and method according to the embodiments disclosed in this document can provide a more efficient and intuitive power management method for a vehicle by implementing a data transmission path, a power transmission path, and a transmission subject by distinguishing them under an SDV structure.

[0030] In addition, various effects may be provided, either directly or indirectly, through this document.

[0031] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0032] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0033] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0034] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0035] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0036] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0037] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0038] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operating method of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0039] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that the present invention encompasses various modifications, equivalents, and / or alternatives of the embodiments.

[0040] In this document, the singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of said items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "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" may each include any one of the items listed together in that phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish the corresponding element from other corresponding elements, and do not limit the corresponding elements in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as being "coupled" or "connected" to another component (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0041] Each component (e.g., a module or a program) described in this document may include one or more entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the 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 such a 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 integration. According to various embodiments, 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.

[0042] The term "module" or "part" used in this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0043] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program or an application) including one or more instructions stored in a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., memory). For example, a processor of the device may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the device to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily in the storage medium.

[0044] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0045] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., power management device (300) of FIG. 3) may include at least some of the components included in a vehicle (110) according to the SDV architecture. The power management device may, for example, manage power and / or data transmitted and received between components of the vehicle (110).

[0046] For example, the vehicle (110) may include at least one of a first zone controller (121), a second zone controller (122), a third zone controller (123), a fourth zone controller (124), a first terminal device (131), a second terminal device (132), a third terminal device (133), a fourth terminal device (134), a first actuator (141), a second actuator (142), a high performance computer (HPC) (150), a transmit / receive path (160), an additional element (170), or any combination thereof. A power management device for power management of the vehicle (110) may include at least some of the components included in the vehicle (110).

[0047] For example, components according to the SDV architecture may include a hierarchy of HPC (150), zoning controller, and end device order.

[0048] For example, the HPC (150) is connected to the first zoning controller (121), the second zoning controller (122), the third zoning controller (123), and the fourth zoning controller (124), and can transmit and receive various types of data with each zoning controller.

[0049] For example, the first zoning controller (121), the second zoning controller (122), the third zoning controller (123), and the fourth zoning controller (124) may control the first terminal device (131), the second terminal device (132), the third terminal device (133), and the fourth terminal device (134), respectively. The terminal devices may include, for example, at least one of a sensor for controlling the vehicle (110), a battery (or BMS) for driving the vehicle (110), or any combination thereof. For example, if one of the second terminal devices (132) is a BMS, the additional element (170) may be defined as a battery pack.

[0050] For example, the first zone controller (121) and the second zone controller (122) may control the first actuator (141) and the second actuator (142), respectively. The actuator may include, for example, at least one driving device for driving the vehicle (110).

[0051] For example, the components described above can perform communication based on a specified path (e.g., a transmission / reception path (160)) via automotive Ethernet.

[0052] A power management device according to one embodiment of the present document can control and manage a communication process of power and / or data transmitted and received between the above-described components.

[0053] FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating the structure of a vehicle including a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0054] In Fig. 2, the description of components defined with the same names as in Fig. 1 may be replaced with the description of Fig. 1 described above.

[0055] For example, the self-vehicle (210) may include at least one of a first terminal device (231), a second terminal device (232), a third terminal device (233), a fourth terminal device (234), a first actuator (241), a second actuator (242), a high performance computer (HPC) (250), a transmission / reception path (260), an additional element (270), or any combination thereof. A power management device for power management of the self-vehicle (210) may include at least some of the components included in the self-vehicle (210).

[0056] For example, the self-vehicle (210) according to FIG. 2 does not include a zoning controller compared to FIG. 1. That is, even if the SDV architecture is adopted, the self-vehicle (210) may be implemented with a structure in which the HPC (250) directly controls at least one terminal device, as in FIG. 2.

[0057] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0058] Referring to FIG. 3, the power management device (300) may include a first control unit (310), a second control unit (320), and a terminal device (330).

[0059] According to one embodiment, the power management device (300) may perform power and / or data management between components for controlling the vehicle. For example, the vehicle may be operated by components according to the SDV architecture. For example, the SDV may include a hierarchical structure in the order of a high performance computer (HPC), a zone, an end device, and a sensor / actuator. At this time, the vehicle according to the SDV may be divided into multiple zones, and each zone may include a control unit (e.g., a zone controller) for controlling components of a lower layer included in the zone. The zone control unit is electrically connected to the HPC and can transmit and receive various signals. The above-described contents are exemplary, and embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. For example, according to another embodiment according to the SDV architecture (e.g., the SDV architecture embodiment according to FIG. 2), the HPC and the end device may be operatively connected, and the zone may be omitted.

[0060] The power management device (300) can transmit and receive at least one of power, data (e.g., wake-up packet), control signal, or any combination thereof to and from components included in the electronic device. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a mobile device (e.g., a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a smart phone, a smart pad), an electric vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle (EV), a hybrid EV (HEV), a plug-in HEV (PHEV), a fuel cell EV (FCEV)), an energy storage system (ESS), or a battery swapping system (BSS). In one embodiment, the electronic device may include a vehicle (e.g., an electric vehicle, a hybrid vehicle, etc.) and a moving object driven based on electrical energy. In other words, for example, the power management device (300) may be included in a vehicle and configured to manage power for operation of the vehicle.

[0061] The operation of the power management device (300) below can be performed by a BMS (Battery Management System) within a vehicle, a battery BMS provided within a battery pack, and can also be performed in various devices such as a server, cloud, charger, or charger / discharger.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the first control unit (310) and the second control unit (320) may include one or more processors corresponding to the first zone and the second zone of the vehicle, respectively. The second control unit (320) may include, for example, one or more control units. In other words, at least one second control unit (320) may include at least one control unit corresponding to the n-th zone. The first control unit (310) and the at least one second control unit (320) may be electrically connected. The first control unit (310) and the at least one second control unit (320) may be electrically connected to a terminal device (330) provided for controlling a battery pack included in the vehicle, for example. The terminal device (330) and the battery pack may be implemented as a single module (e.g., a battery management system (BMS)).

[0063] For example, each processor included in the first control unit (310) and the second control unit (320) may include a central processing unit, an application processor, a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor.

[0064] The functions and operations of the power management device (300) described below may be performed by one processor (or, the first control unit (310) and / or the second control unit (320)), or each function may be separated at least in part and performed by multiple processors.

[0065] According to one embodiment, a zone corresponding to the first control unit (310) may be defined as a power zone. The power zone may include, for example, a controller (e.g., the first control unit (310)) for power management of components within the vehicle. The first control unit (310) corresponding to the power zone may transmit and receive power and / or data with a terminal device (330) and at least one second control unit (320), for example, based on (or through) Power over Data Line (PoDL).

[0066] According to one embodiment, an area corresponding to at least one second control unit (320) may be defined as a general zone. The general zone may include, for example, a controller (e.g., at least one second control unit (320)) for controlling and managing components of the vehicle included in the zone (e.g., sensors, actuators, cameras, driving and braking devices, etc.). The at least one second control unit (320) corresponding to the general zone may transmit and receive power and / or data to and from an end device (330) and at least one second control unit (320) based on (or through) Wake on LAN (WoL).

[0067] According to one embodiment, an end device (330) may be powered from a first control unit (310) based on PoDL and receive data packets (e.g., wake-up packets) from at least one second control unit (320) based on WoL. The end device (330) may include, for example, at least one interface, a judgment unit, an MCU, a memory, or any combination thereof, electrically connected to the first control unit (310) and the second control unit (320).

[0068] According to one embodiment, the first control unit (310) may supply power to peripheral devices based on PoDL. For example, upon receiving an ignition ON input for the vehicle (or identifying that the ignition of the vehicle is ON), the first control unit (310) may supply power to peripheral devices based on PoDL.

[0069] For example, when the first control unit (310) receives power from a battery pack connected to a terminal device (330), it can supply at least a portion of the received power to peripheral devices based on PoDL.

[0070] For example, the first control unit (310) may determine the amount (or class) of power to be supplied to the target device based on at least one of the type, operating status, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to be supplied with power.

[0071] For example, if the target device is identified as being connected to a sensor and performing a role of controlling the sensor (e.g., if the target device is an end device for the sensor), the first control unit (310) may supply a relatively low-magnitude (or low-class) power to the target device.

[0072] For example, if the target device is identified as controlling at least one of the lower layer end devices or performing a role in collating and processing data (e.g., if the target device is at least one second control unit, another zoning controller, or a high-performance computer), the first control unit (310) may supply a relatively large amount (or high class) of power to the target device.

[0073] For example, the first control unit (310) may use the power received from the battery pack to supply first power and second power to at least one second control unit (320) and a terminal device (330), respectively. The first power supplied to the at least one second control unit (320) may be greater than the second power supplied to the terminal device (330), for example.

[0074] For example, the first control unit (310) can sequentially supply power by setting the priority of power supply based on the status information of the battery pack.

[0075] For example, the first control unit (310) can monitor the status information of the battery pack and determine whether the battery pack is in a specified state based on the status information. For example, the first control unit (310) can determine that the battery pack is in a specified state if the SoC (state of charge) of the battery pack is below a specified value.

[0076] For example, if the first control unit (310) determines that the battery pack corresponds to a designated state, it can identify the real-time state of the vehicle. The first control unit (310) can, for example, use the real-time state to set the priority of power supply to each terminal device (330). The first control unit (310) can, for example, sequentially supply power to the terminal devices (330) according to the set priority.

[0077] For example, the first control unit (310) can identify, based on real-time conditions, that the vehicle's driving speed is below a specified value and that a user is riding inside the vehicle. In this case, the first control unit (310) can set a high priority for an infotainment device (e.g., a display, an audio output device, etc.) among the terminal devices (330) and supply power preferentially.

[0078] For example, when a specified event occurs, the second control unit (320) can identify a specified end device corresponding to the specified event among the end devices (330).

[0079] For example, when it is identified that the vehicle has started driving, the second control unit (320) can identify a device for driving control (e.g., a driving unit, a braking unit, a steering unit, etc.) among the terminal devices (330) as a designated terminal device.

[0080] For example, when it is identified that the vehicle has started charging, the second control unit (320) can identify a device for charging control (e.g., BMS, battery pack, etc.) among the terminal devices (330) as a designated terminal device.

[0081] For example, the second control unit (320) can generate a wakeup packet with a wakeup condition set by using at least one of the status of the vehicle, whether there is a fault in the data, or any combination thereof, and then transmit the generated wakeup packet to a designated terminal device.

[0082] For example, the second control unit (320) and the terminal device (330) may include a memory, a logic module, and / or an MCU. The terminal device (330) may, for example, receive a wake-up packet from the second control unit (310).

[0083] According to one embodiment, the terminal device (330) can receive power from the first control unit (310) or transmit and receive data with the first control unit (310) and the second control unit (320) using at least one interface.

[0084] For example, the terminal device (330) may receive power from the first control unit (310) using the first interface. For example, the terminal device (330) may receive data from at least one second control unit (320) using a second interface that is distinct from the first interface.

[0085] For example, data received from the second control unit (320) may include a wake-up packet instructing a wake-up operation of the terminal device (330).

[0086] According to one embodiment, the terminal device (330) may receive a wake-up packet with a wake-up condition set from the second control unit (320). For example, at least one second control unit may set a wake-up condition regarding at least one of a state of the vehicle, data accuracy of the terminal device, or any combination thereof in the wake-up packet and then transmit the wake-up packet to the terminal device (330).

[0087] For example, the terminal device (330) can use the judgment unit to determine whether the wake-up condition set for the wake-up packet is satisfied. The judgment unit can include, for example, at least one logic module. The terminal device (330) can transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU through the judgment unit, for example, if it determines that the wake-up condition is satisfied. The MCU can wake up based on receiving the wake-up signal, for example. As the MCU wakes up, the terminal device (330) can also wake up.

[0088] For example, if the terminal device (330) identifies that the vehicle's engine is in the ON state, it can determine that the wake-up condition has been satisfied and transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU through the judgment unit.

[0089] For example, if the terminal device (330) identifies that the vehicle's engine is in the OFF state, it can transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU based on a designated cycle so that the terminal device (330) wakes up based on a designated cycle. Through this, the power management device (300) can prevent the terminal device (330) from being unnecessarily and continuously woken up when the vehicle's engine is in the OFF state, and can perform power control stably and efficiently by waking up the terminal device (330) at specific cycles.

[0090] For example, if the terminal device (330) identifies that the data accuracy of the terminal device (330) is below a specified value, it may determine that the wake-up condition has been satisfied and transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU through the determination unit. For example, if there is a fault in the data stored in the memory before receiving the wake-up packet, the terminal device (330) may determine that the accuracy is below a specified value. Through this, the terminal device (330) can perform a wake-up in a situation where the data accuracy is low or there is a fault in the previously stored data, thereby quickly preventing problems caused by data errors.

[0091] For example, if the terminal device (330) determines that the terminal device (330) should maintain a wake-up state, it can transmit a designated signal to the judgment unit through the MCU. The designated signal may include, for example, a request for transmission of a wake-up signal. The judgment unit can transmit the wake-up signal to the MCU based on receiving the designated signal from the MCU, regardless of whether a wake-up packet is received or whether a wake-up condition is satisfied. In other words, if a situation in which the wake-up state must be continuously maintained is identified, the judgment unit can unconditionally transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU based on the designated signal transmitted by the MCU to the judgment unit, regardless of whether other conditions are satisfied.

[0092] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0093] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., a power management device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a first control unit (410), at least one second control unit (e.g., a 2-1 control unit (421), a 2-2 control unit (422), and a 2-3 control unit (423)), at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436), at least one sensor (441, 442), and a battery pack (450). For example, components included in the power management device may transmit and receive power and / or data based on a first path (491) or a second path (492). The first path (491) and the second path (492) may refer to electrical paths through which power and / or data are transmitted and received by a communication protocol based on PoDL and WoL, respectively. The first path (491) may include the 1-1 path (481), and the second path (492) may include the 2-1 path (482).

[0094] For example, the first control unit (410) can supply power or transmit data to a designated terminal device (431) through the 1-1 path (481).

[0095] For example, at least one second control unit (e.g., the 2-1 control unit (421), the 2-2 control unit (422), and the 2-3 control unit (423)) and at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436) can transmit and receive data via the second path (492). For example, the 2-3 control unit (423) can transmit data (e.g., a wake-up packet) to a designated terminal device (431) via the 2-1 path (482).

[0096] For example, the designated terminal device (431) may include a control device for controlling a battery pack (450) included in the vehicle. The designated terminal device (431) may, for example, obtain various information (e.g., temperature, SoH, SoC, operation history, etc.) about the battery pack (450) using at least one sensor (441, 442).

[0097] For example, the first control unit (410) can monitor the status information of the battery pack (450). If the first control unit (410) determines that the battery pack (450) corresponds to a specified status (e.g., a status where the SoC is lower than a specified value) based on the status information, the first control unit (410) can identify the real-time status of the vehicle. The first control unit (410) can set a priority for each of at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436) using the real-time status, and can sequentially supply power to at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436) according to the set priority.

[0098] For example, when an ignition ON input for the vehicle is received, the first control unit (410) may supply power to at least one second control unit (421, 422, 423) and / or at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436). The control unit (410) may determine the amount of power to be supplied to the target device based on, for example, at least one of the type, operating state, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to which power is to be supplied. For example, the amount of power supplied to at least one second control unit (421, 422, 423) may be greater than the amount of power delivered to at least one terminal device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436).

[0099] For example, the first control unit (410) can supply power to a designated terminal device (431) for controlling a battery pack (450). The first control unit (410) can supply power to the designated terminal device (431) through, for example, a first-1 path (481) based on Power over Data Line (PoDL).

[0100] For example, when a designated event occurs, the 2-3 control unit (423) can identify an end device corresponding to the designated event among at least one end device (431, 432, 433, 434, 435, 436). If the designated event is an event related to the battery pack (450), the 2-3 control unit (423) can identify the designated end device (431) and transmit a wake-up packet through the 2-1 path (482).

[0101] For example, the 2-3 control unit (423) can generate a wake-up packet with a wake-up condition set by using at least one of the status of the vehicle, whether there is a data fault, or any combination thereof, and transmit the wake-up packet to a designated end device (431) through a 2-1 path (482) based on WoL (Wake on LAN). The designated end device (431) can be woken up when the wake-up condition is satisfied.

[0102] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0103] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., power management device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a first control unit (510) (e.g., first control unit (310) of FIG. 3), a second control unit (520) (e.g., second control unit (320) of FIG. 3), a terminal device (530) (e.g., terminal device (530) of FIG. 1), at least one sensor (541, 542), and a battery pack (550). For example, components included in the power management device may transmit and receive power and / or data based on a first path (591) or a second path (592). The first path (591) and the second path (592) may refer to electrical paths through which power and / or data are transmitted and received by communication protocols based on PoDL and WoL, respectively. The first path (591) may include the 1-1 path (581), and the second path (592) may include the 2-1 path (582).

[0104] For example, the first control unit (510) can supply power or transmit data to the terminal device (330) through the first-1 path (581).

[0105] For example, the second control unit (520) and the terminal device (530) can transmit and receive data via the second path (392). As an example, the second control unit (520) can transmit data (e.g., a wake-up packet) to the terminal device (530) via the second-first path (382). The second control unit (520) can generate a wake-up condition included in the wake-up packet, for example, using the determination unit (525).

[0106] For example, the terminal device (530) may include a control device for controlling a battery pack (550) included in the vehicle. The terminal device (530) may, for example, obtain various information (e.g., temperature, SoH, SoC, operation history, etc.) about the battery pack (550) using at least one sensor (541, 542).

[0107] For example, the terminal device (530) can receive power from the first control unit (510) using the first interface (561) and receive data from the second control unit (520) using the second interface (562) that is distinct from the first interface (561). The received data can include a wake-up packet that instructs the wake-up operation of the terminal device (530). The terminal device (530) can transfer the power supplied through the first interface (561) to the judgment unit (532) and the MCU (534).

[0108] For example, the second control unit (520) can set a wake-up condition regarding at least one of the state of the vehicle, the data accuracy of the end device (530) for the wake-up packet, or any combination thereof. The second control unit (520) can transmit the wake-up packet to the end device (530) through the second-1 path (582) based on Wake on LAN (WoL). For example, when the end device (530) receives the wake-up packet, it can perform a wake-up operation only when it determines that the wake-up condition is satisfied.

[0109] For example, the terminal device (530) may include a judgment unit (532) and an MCU (534). The terminal device (530) may, for example, use the judgment unit (532) to determine whether a wake-up condition set for a wake-up packet is satisfied.

[0110] For example, if it is identified that the vehicle's ignition is ON, the terminal device (530) can determine that the wake-up condition is satisfied and transmit the wake-up signal to the MCU (534) through the determination unit (532).

[0111] For example, if it is identified that the data accuracy of the terminal device (530) is below a specified value, the terminal device (530) may determine that the wake-up condition is satisfied and transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU (534) through the determination unit (532). For example, the terminal device (530) may determine that the wake-up condition is satisfied if there is a fault in the data previously stored in the memory (not shown) before receiving the wake-up packet or if the accuracy is below a specified value. Accordingly, the terminal device may transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU (534) for the wake-up operation.

[0112] For example, if it is identified that the vehicle's engine is in the OFF state, the terminal device (530) can transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU (534) based on a specified cycle so that the terminal device (530) wakes up based on a specified cycle.

[0113] For example, the MCU (534) may transmit a designated signal to the determination unit (532) when it is determined that the terminal device (530) must continuously maintain a wake-up state. For example, the MCU (534) may determine that the terminal device (530) must continuously maintain a wake-up state when the vehicle's engine is ON or when the vehicle is in motion. The determination unit (532) may transmit a wake-up signal to the MCU (534) based on receiving a designated signal from the MCU (534), regardless of whether a wake-up packet is received or whether a wake-up condition is satisfied.

[0114] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0115] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., a power management device (300) of FIG. 3) can perform the operations disclosed in FIG. 6. For example, at least some of the components included in the power management device (e.g., a first control unit (310), a second control unit (320), and a terminal device (530) of FIG. 3) can be configured to perform the operations of FIG. 6.

[0116] In the following embodiments, operations S610 to S650 may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, any content corresponding to or overlapping with the content described above with respect to FIG. 6 may be briefly described or omitted.

[0117] Referring to FIG. 6, the power management method may include a step of turning on the engine of the vehicle (S610), a step of turning on the power of at least one device in the vehicle (S620), a step of identifying the occurrence of a specified event related to the operation of the vehicle (S630), a step of determining whether a control device corresponding to the specified event is in a sleep state (S640), a step of transmitting a wake-up packet to the control device if the control device is in a sleep state (S645), and a step of operating the control device if the control device is not in a sleep state (or if the control device is in a wake-up state) (S650).

[0118] At step S610, the power management device can turn ON the ignition of the vehicle. For example, when the power management device receives an ignition ON input for the vehicle (e.g., a button press), the power management device can turn ON the ignition of the vehicle.

[0119] At step S620, the power management device may power ON at least one device within the vehicle. For example, when powered ON, the at least one device may first enter a sleep state from an OFF state. The sleep state may be defined, for example, as a state in which the device is powered ON but has not yet been woken up and is operating at minimum power.

[0120] At step S630, the power management device can identify the occurrence of a specified event related to the operation of the vehicle. The power management device can, for example, identify a control device (e.g., a terminal device for controlling a battery pack) that responds to the specified event among at least one device.

[0121] At step S640, the power management device can determine whether the control device corresponding to the specified event is in a sleep state.

[0122] At step S645, the power management device can control the control device to wake up from the sleep state and start operating by transmitting a wake-up packet to the control device using a zoning controller (e.g., the second control unit (320) of FIG. 3).

[0123] At step S650, the power management device can operate the control device.

[0124] Figure 7 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0125] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., a power management device (300) of FIG. 3) can perform the operations disclosed in FIG. 7. For example, at least some of the components included in the power management device (e.g., a first control unit (310), a second control unit (320), and a terminal device (330) of FIG. 3) can be configured to perform the operations of FIG. 7.

[0126] In the following embodiments, operations S710 to S750 may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel. Furthermore, any content corresponding to or overlapping with the content described above with respect to FIG. 5 may be briefly described or omitted.

[0127] Referring to FIG. 7, the power management method may include a step of monitoring status information of a battery pack (S710), a step of determining whether the battery pack is in a designated status (S720), a step of identifying a real-time status of the vehicle (S730), a step of setting a priority for each terminal device using the real-time status (S740), and a step of sequentially supplying power to the terminal devices according to the priority (S750).

[0128] At step S710, the power management device can continuously monitor status information of the battery pack using at least some of the information acquired using at least one sensor and / or information received from the battery pack via the communication unit.

[0129] At step S720, the power management device can determine whether the battery pack is in a designated state based on state information. The designated state may include, for example, a low voltage state, a state where the SoC and / or SoH are below a designated value, etc.

[0130] At step S730, the power management device can identify the real-time status of the vehicle, including the internal status of the vehicle, driving conditions, passenger status, passenger body information, movements, etc.

[0131] At step S740, the power management device can use real-time conditions to set priorities for each end device. For example, if the vehicle's speed is below a specified value and a user is inside the vehicle, the power management device can set a higher priority for the infotainment device for the user's convenience.

[0132] At step S750, the power management device may first supply power to a higher-priority terminal device. For example, after step S740, the power management device may first supply power to an infotainment device among the terminal devices.

[0133] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the hardware configuration of a computing system for performing an operating method of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0134] Referring to FIG. 8, a computing system (3000) according to an embodiment disclosed in the present document may include an MCU (1010), a memory (1020), an input / output I / F (1030), and a communication I / F (1040).

[0135] The MCU (1010) may be a processor that executes various programs stored in the memory (1020), processes various information including battery data through these programs, and performs the functions of the processor (or control unit) included in the power management device shown in FIG. 3 described above.

[0136] The memory (1020) can store various programs for performing the functions of the power management device. In addition, the memory (1020) can store various information, including battery data (voltage data, capacity data, etc.), differential capacity data, etc., and can include an established database.

[0137] Such memories (1020) may be provided in multiple numbers as needed. The memories (1020) may be volatile memories or non-volatile memories. As volatile memories (1020), RAM, DRAM, SRAM, etc. may be used. As non-volatile memories (1020), ROM, PROM, EAROM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memories, etc. may be used. The examples of the memories (1020) listed above are merely examples and are not limited to these examples.

[0138] The input / output I / F (1030) can provide an interface that enables data transmission and reception between an input device (not shown) such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel, and an output device (not shown) such as a display and the MCU (1010).

[0139] The communication I / F (1040) is a component capable of transmitting and receiving various data with the server, and may be any device capable of supporting wired or wireless communication. For example, a power management device can transmit and receive various information, including battery data, from a separately provided external server via the communication I / F (1040).

[0140] In this way, a computer program according to an embodiment disclosed in this document may be implemented as a module that is recorded in a memory (1020) and processed by an MCU (1010) to perform each function illustrated in FIG. 1, for example.

[0141]

[0142] In the above, although all components constituting the embodiments disclosed in this document have been described as being combined or operating in combination as one, the embodiments disclosed in this document are not necessarily limited to such embodiments. That is, within the scope of the purpose of the embodiments disclosed in this document, all of the components may be selectively combined and operated one or more times.

[0143] In addition, terms such as "include," "comprise," or "have" described above, unless specifically stated to the contrary, should be interpreted to imply the inclusion of the corresponding component, and thus should not be interpreted to exclude other components, but rather to include 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 belong, unless otherwise defined. Commonly used terms, such as terms defined in a dictionary, should be interpreted to be consistent with the contextual meaning of the relevant technology, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense, unless explicitly defined in this document.

[0144] The above description is merely an illustrative description of the technical ideas 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 ideas of the embodiments disclosed in this document, but to explain them, and the scope of the technical ideas disclosed in this document is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of the technical ideas 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.

Claims

1. A first control unit electrically connected to the battery pack; At least one second control unit electrically connected to the first control unit; and An end device electrically connected to the first control unit and at least one second control unit and configured to control the battery pack; The terminal device is configured to receive power from the first control unit and receive a wake-up packet from the at least one second control unit. Power management device.

2. In paragraph 1, The above first control unit, When receiving an ignition ON input for the above vehicle, based on PoDL (Power over Data Line), the power received from the battery pack is used to supply first power and second power to the at least one second control unit and the terminal device, respectively. Power management device.

3. In paragraph 2, The above first control unit, configured to determine the amount of power to be supplied to the target device based on at least one of the type, operating status, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to be supplied with the power; Power management device.

4. In paragraph 2, The first power supplied to the at least one second control unit is characterized in that it is greater than the second power supplied to the terminal device. Power management device.

5. In paragraph 1, The above first control unit, Monitor the status information of the above battery pack, If it is determined that the battery pack is in a specified state based on the above status information, the real-time status of the vehicle is identified, Using the above real-time status, set the above priority for each of the above terminal devices, configured to sequentially supply the power to the terminal device according to the above-set priority, Power management device.

6. In paragraph 5, The above first control unit, If the SoC (state of charge) of the battery pack is below a specified value, the battery pack is configured to be determined to be in the specified state. Power management device.

7. In paragraph 5, The above first control unit, Based on the above real-time status, if it is identified that the driving speed of the vehicle is below a specified value and a user is riding inside the vehicle, a high priority is set on the infotainment device, Among the above terminal devices, configured to supply the power preferentially to the infotainment device, Power management device.

8. In paragraph 1, At least one second control unit, When a specified event occurs, identify a specified end device corresponding to the specified event among the end devices; Generate a wake-up packet with a wake-up condition set using at least one of the status of the above-mentioned vehicle, whether there is a fault in the data, or any combination thereof, and transmit the wake-up packet to the specified end device based on WoL (Wake on LAN). The above specified terminal device, configured to wake up based on satisfying the above wake-up condition, Power management device.

9. Comprising any one of the power management devices of claims 1 to 8, vehicle.

10. A step of supplying first power and second power to at least one second control unit and the terminal device, respectively, using power received from the battery pack based on PoDL (Power over Data Line) when the first control unit receives an ignition ON input for the vehicle; At least one second control unit, when a specified event occurs, identifies a designated end device among the end devices corresponding to the specified event, and generates a wake-up packet and transmits the wake-up packet to the designated end device; A step in which the above-mentioned terminal device is turned ON by power supplied from the first control unit and wakes up based on receiving the wake-up packet; How to manage power.

11. In paragraph 10, The above power management method, The first control unit, when receiving an ignition ON input for the vehicle, further includes a step of supplying first power and second power to the at least one second control unit and the terminal device, respectively, using power received from the battery pack based on PoDL (Power over Data Line). How to manage power.

12. In paragraph 11, The above power management method, The first control unit further comprises a step of determining the amount of power to be supplied to the target device based on at least one of the type, operating status, operating type, or any combination thereof of the target device to which the power is to be supplied; How to manage power.

13. In paragraph 10, The above power management method, A step of the first control unit monitoring the status information of the battery pack, and identifying the real-time status of the vehicle when it is determined that the battery pack corresponds to a designated status based on the status information; The first control unit sets the priority for each of the terminal devices using the real-time status; and The first control unit further includes a step of sequentially supplying power to the terminal device according to the set priority; How to manage power.

14. In paragraph 13, The above power management method, The first control unit sets a high priority to the infotainment device when it identifies that the driving speed of the vehicle is below a specified value and a user is riding inside the vehicle based on the real-time status; and The first control unit further includes a step of supplying the power preferentially to the infotainment device among the terminal devices; How to manage power.

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