Power management device, vehicle including same, and method thereof

Abstract

According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a power management device may comprise: a main control unit; an auxiliary control unit electrically connected to the main control unit; and a terminal device electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit and configured to receive power from a first battery or a second battery, wherein the terminal device operates on the basis of a first power received from the first battery, and when the first power is not supplied, operates on the basis of a second power supplied from the second battery, and delivers at least a part of the second power to the main control unit or the auxiliary control unit on the basis of power over Ethernet (PoE).

Description

Power management device, vehicle including the same, and method

[0001] Cross-citation with related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of priority to Republic of Korea Patent Application No. 10-2024-0070062, filed May 29, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] Embodiments disclosed in this document relate to a power management device, a vehicle including the same, and a method thereof.

[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 detects a problem situation and resets it at an appropriate time to prevent an accident while maintaining power supply to a specific component (e.g., BMS) for power management as much as possible to prevent problems that occur due to interruption of communication or power between components in a vehicle 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 this document, a power management device may include a main control unit, an auxiliary control unit electrically connected to the main control unit, and a terminal device electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit and supplied with power from a first battery or a second battery.

[0013] For example, the terminal device may be configured to operate based on first power received from the first battery, and, when the first power is not supplied, operate based on second power supplied from the second battery, and transfer at least a portion of the second power to the main control unit or the auxiliary control unit based on Power over Ethernet (PoE).

[0014] According to an embodiment, the first battery may include a low-voltage battery including a lead-acid battery, and the second battery may include a high-voltage battery including a lithium-ion battery.

[0015] According to an embodiment, the terminal device may be configured to operate based on the second power when the first power is 0 or less than a certain amount.

[0016] According to an embodiment, the first battery may be configured to transmit an enable signal to at least one converter provided on an electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device when the first power is 0, the first power is below a certain amount, the charge amount is below a specified value, or at least one of any combinations thereof.

[0017] According to an embodiment, the at least one converter may be configured to convert the second power transmitted from the second battery to the at least one converter and transmit the converted second power to the terminal device based on receiving the enable signal.

[0018] According to an embodiment, the terminal device may be configured to monitor the power status of at least one of the main control unit, the auxiliary control unit, or any combination thereof, and, if the monitoring results identify that there is an abnormality in the power status, stop and then resume the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit.

[0019] According to an embodiment, the terminal device may be configured to monitor the operating status of the second battery while operating based on the second power, and, if a problem occurs in the operating status, to stop and then resume the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit.

[0020] According to an embodiment, the main control unit and the auxiliary control unit may be configured to be reset based on the supply of the second power being interrupted and then resumed.

[0021] According to embodiments disclosed in this document, a vehicle including any one of the power management devices described above may be provided.

[0022] According to an embodiment disclosed in the present document, a power management method may include a step of allowing a terminal device to operate based on first power received from a first battery, a step of allowing the terminal device to operate based on second power supplied from a second battery when the first power is not supplied, and a step of allowing the terminal device to transfer at least a portion of the second power to a main control unit or an auxiliary control unit based on Power over Ethernet (PoE).

[0023] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of the terminal device operating based on the second power when the first power is 0 or less than a certain amount.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of transmitting an enable signal to at least one converter provided on an electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device when the first power is 0, the first power is below a certain amount, the charge amount is below a specified value, or at least one of any combinations thereof, and a step of converting, by the at least one converter, the second power transmitted from the second battery to the at least one converter and transmitting the converted second power to the terminal device based on receiving the enable signal.

[0025] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of the terminal device monitoring the power status of at least one of the main control unit, the auxiliary control unit, or any combination thereof electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit, and a step of stopping and then restarting the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit when the terminal device identifies that there is an abnormality in the power status as a result of the monitoring.

[0026] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of monitoring an operating state of the second battery while the terminal device operates based on the second power, and a step of stopping and then restarting the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit when the terminal device identifies that a problem has occurred in the operating state.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the power management method may further include a step of resetting the main control unit and the auxiliary control unit based on the supply of the second power being interrupted and then resumed.

[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 be implemented to ensure the safety of a vehicle including the power management device while maintaining power delivered to a component (e.g., BMS) that necessarily includes operations such as emergency shutdown.

[0030] The power management device and method according to the embodiments disclosed in this document can minimize data loss by managing and storing information or battery information of the power management device (or vehicle) in real time by maintaining power supply to the terminal device (e.g., BMS) even when communication (or connection) between the upper component (e.g., zoning controller and / or HPC) and the terminal device (e.g., BMS) is cut off.

[0031] The power management device and method according to the embodiments disclosed in this document can continuously verify the robustness of the zoning controller and HPC in real time, and further can quickly and accurately detect the occurrence of an abnormal situation.

[0032] In addition, various effects may be provided, either directly or indirectly, through this document.

[0033] 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.

[0034] 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.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0036] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0037] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0038] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0039] FIG. 7 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.

[0040] 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.

[0041] 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.

[0042] 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.

[0043] 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).

[0044] 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.

[0045] 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.

[0046] 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).

[0047] 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).

[0048] For example, components according to the SDV architecture may include a hierarchy of HPC (150), zoning controller, and end device order.

[0049] 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.

[0050] 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.

[0051] 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).

[0052] For example, the components described above can perform communication based on a specified path (e.g., a transmission / reception path (160)) via automotive Ethernet.

[0053] 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.

[0054] 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.

[0055] 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.

[0056] 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).

[0057] 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.

[0058] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 3, the power management device (300) may include a main control unit (310), an auxiliary control unit (320), and a terminal device (330).

[0060] 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.

[0061] For example, the main control unit (310) may correspond to the HPC (150, 250) of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2, and the auxiliary control unit (320) may correspond to the zoning controller (121, 122, 123, or 124) of FIG. 1. In FIG. 1, one auxiliary control unit (320) is illustrated, but this is exemplary, and the data management device may include a plurality of auxiliary control units corresponding to each of a plurality of zones.

[0062] For example, the terminal device (330) may be at least one of the terminal devices of FIG. 1 and / or FIG. 2. The terminal device (330) may include, for example, a BMS (Battery Management System) and may include at least one MCU for controlling a battery provided for driving the vehicle.

[0063] 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.

[0064] 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.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) may be electrically connected, and the auxiliary control unit (320) and the terminal device (330) may be electrically connected.

[0066] For example, the main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) may be electrically connected. The main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) may be electrically connected to, for example, other components (e.g., at least one terminal device). The terminal device (330) may include, for example, a battery management system (BMS).

[0067] According to one embodiment, the main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) may include one or more processors corresponding to the first zone and the second zone of the vehicle, respectively. The auxiliary control unit (320) may include, for example, one or more control units. In other words, the auxiliary control unit (320) may include one or more control units corresponding to the n-th zone. The main control unit (310) and the auxiliary control unit (320) may be electrically connected. The main control unit (310) and at least one auxiliary 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)).

[0068] For example, each processor included in the main control unit (310) and the auxiliary 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.

[0069] The functions and operations of the power management device (300) described below may be performed by one processor (or, the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320)), or each function may be separated at least in part and performed by multiple processors.

[0070] According to one embodiment, the zone corresponding to the auxiliary control unit (320) may be one of multiple physically distinct zones of the vehicle. For example, the multiple zones may include a front zone including a front area of ​​the vehicle, a rear zone including a rear area, a left zone including a left area, and a right zone including a right area.

[0071] According to one embodiment, each zone may include a controller (e.g., auxiliary control unit (320)) for controlling and managing components for the operation of the vehicle (e.g., sensors, actuators, cameras, driving and braking devices, batteries, etc.).

[0072] According to one embodiment, the terminal device (330) can be powered from a first battery or a second battery.

[0073] For example, the first battery may include a low-voltage battery including a lead-acid battery, and the second battery may include a high-voltage battery including a lithium-ion battery.

[0074] For example, the terminal device (330) may operate (or be driven) based on the first power received from the first battery. The terminal device (330) may continuously monitor whether the first power is being supplied normally and / or the charge level, voltage, temperature, etc. of the first battery.

[0075] For example, when the supply of the first power to the terminal device (330) is interrupted, the terminal device (330) can operate (or be driven) based on the second power supplied from the second battery.

[0076] For example, if the first power is 0 or below a certain level, the terminal device (330) may operate based on the second power. This case may be defined as a situation where the first battery is discharged and can no longer supply the first power, or an abnormality occurs in the operating status of the first battery and the first power cannot be normally transmitted.

[0077] For example, if the first power is 0, the first power is below a certain amount, the charge of the first battery is below a specified value, or at least one of any combination thereof, the first battery can transmit an enable signal to at least one converter provided on the electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device.

[0078] In the above examples, the size may be a user-defined and / or developer-defined changeable setting.

[0079] For example, the terminal device (330) is electrically connected to the second battery and can control the operating status of the second battery, etc.

[0080] For example, the terminal device (330) may be electrically connected to the first battery and may monitor the operating status of the first battery. For example, if the terminal device (330) determines that the above-described conditions are satisfied as a result of monitoring the operating status of the first battery based on the magnitude of the first power, the terminal device (330) may transmit an enable signal to at least one converter using the first battery.

[0081] For example, at least one converter may include a switching mode power supply (SMPS) and / or a DC / DC converter.

[0082] For example, at least one converter may convert second power delivered from a second battery and deliver it to the termination device (330) based on receiving an enable signal from the first battery.

[0083] For example, the voltage corresponding to the first power supplied by the first battery may be 12 V.

[0084] For example, the voltage corresponding to the power initially supplied by the second battery may be 400 V, and the voltage corresponding to the power converted and transmitted to the terminal device (330) may be 12 V.

[0085] For example, the terminal device (330) can supply power to peripheral devices based on Power over Ethernet (PoE) (or Power over Data Line (PoDL). For example, the terminal device (330) can transmit power received from the first battery and / or the second battery to the auxiliary control unit (320) and / or the main control unit (310) based on PoE.

[0086] For example, the terminal device (330) monitors the power status and / or operating status of at least one of the main control unit (310), the auxiliary control unit (320), the first battery, the second battery, or any combination thereof, and if the monitoring results identify an abnormality, the terminal device (330) can stop and then resume power supply.

[0087] For example, if the monitoring results identify that there is an abnormality in the power status, the terminal device (330) may be configured to stop and then resume the supply of secondary power to the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320).

[0088] For example, if the monitoring results identify that there is an abnormality in the operating status, the terminal device (330) may be configured to stop and then resume the supply of secondary power to the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320).

[0089] For example, the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320) may be reset based on the interruption and subsequent resumption of the supply of the second power. Through this, the power management device (300) may resolve an error detected in the main control unit (310) and / or the auxiliary control unit (320) by resetting the power ON / OFF without performing a full reset.

[0090] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0091] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., power management device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a main control unit (410) (e.g., main control unit (310) of FIG. 3), an auxiliary control unit (e.g., auxiliary control unit (320) of FIG. 3), a terminal device (430) (e.g., terminal device (330) of FIG. 3), and a battery (460).

[0092] For example, the main control unit (410), the auxiliary control unit (420), and the terminal device (430) can transmit and receive power and / or data based on a designated communication protocol (e.g., PoE). As an example, the terminal device (430) can transmit power supplied from the battery (460) to the main control unit (410) and / or the auxiliary control unit (420) through a communication path (491) based on a designated communication protocol.

[0093] For example, the terminal device (430) can monitor the status of the battery (460) using the sensing line (492). As an example, the terminal device (430) can monitor in real time at least one of the operating status, voltage, temperature, charge amount, or any combination thereof of a first battery (e.g., a low-voltage battery including a lead-acid battery) and / or a second battery (e.g., a high-voltage battery including a lithium-ion battery) included in the battery (460) using the sensing line (492).

[0094] For example, the terminal device (430) can be powered from the first battery or the second battery based on the monitoring results.

[0095] For example, the terminal device (430) can receive first power from the first battery through the first supply path (493).

[0096] For example, when the first power is 0 (or the charge of the first battery is 0), the magnitude of the first power is below a certain magnitude (or an abnormality has occurred in the operating status of the first battery), and / or the charge of the first battery is below a specified value, the terminal device (430) can operate by the second power transmitted from the second battery.

[0097] For example, if the first power is 0, the first power is below a certain amount, the charge level of the first battery is below a specified value (e.g., 10%), or at least one of any combination thereof, the terminal device (430) may transmit an enable signal to at least one converter using the first battery. The at least one converter may be provided on an electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device (430).

[0098] For example, at least one converter may convert (e.g., downconvert from 400 V to 12 V) second power delivered from a second battery based on receiving an enable signal, and deliver the converted second power to a termination device (430) via a second supply path (494).

[0099] For example, the terminal device (430) can monitor the power status of the main control unit (410) and the auxiliary control unit (420) through a specified communication protocol.

[0100] For example, if the monitoring results identify that there is an abnormality in the power status, the terminal device (430) can stop and then resume the supply of secondary power to the main control unit (410) and the auxiliary control unit (420).

[0101] For example, if an abnormality is detected in the operation of the main control unit (410) and the auxiliary control unit (420) or an abnormality is detected in the power being transmitted, the terminal device (430) can identify that an abnormality exists in the power status.

[0102] For example, the main control unit (410) and the auxiliary control unit (420) may be reset based on the interruption and subsequent resumption of the supply of the second power.

[0103] Through the reset operation described above, the terminal device (430) can minimize data loss by maintaining the operation of the terminal device (430) even when the connection with the main control unit (410) and the auxiliary control unit (420) is temporarily interrupted, thereby managing and storing information about the battery (460) in real time.

[0104] FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing the configuration of a power management device according to one embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0105] According to one embodiment, a power management device (e.g., power management device (300) of FIG. 3) may include a main control unit (510) (e.g., main control unit (310) of FIG. 3), an auxiliary control unit (520) (e.g., auxiliary control unit (320) of FIG. 3), a terminal device (530) (e.g., terminal device (530) of FIG. 1), a first battery (550), a second battery (560), and a converter (570).

[0106] For example, components included in a power management device may transmit and receive power and / or data based on the electrical path illustrated in FIG. 5. For example, a terminal device (530) may transmit and receive power and / or data with a main control unit (510) and / or an auxiliary control unit (520) based on a communication protocol based on Power of Data Line (PoDL) through a communication path (591).

[0107] For example, the first battery (550) may be a low-voltage battery including a lead-acid battery. The first battery (550) may include, for example, a first-first battery (551) and a first-second battery (552). The first-first battery (551) and the first-second battery (552) may be distinguished based on the physical structure of the lead-acid battery.

[0108] For example, the second battery (560) may be a high-voltage battery including a lithium-ion battery. The power management device may control the operation (e.g., driving) of the vehicle based on the power delivered from the second battery (560).

[0109] For example, the terminal device (530) may operate based on a first power supplied from a first battery (550). The terminal device (530) may, for example, transmit the first power to the main control unit (510) and / or the auxiliary control unit (520) via a communication path (591).

[0110] For example, if the operating state of the first battery (550) and / or the size of the first power satisfies a specified condition, the terminal device (530) can transmit an enable signal to the converter (570) using the first battery (550).

[0111] For example, the terminal device (530) can transmit an enable signal using the first battery (550) through a signal path (599) between at least a portion of the first battery (550) (e.g., the first-second battery (552)) and the converter (570).

[0112] For example, a converter (570) may be provided on the electrical path between the second battery (560) and the terminal device (530).

[0113] For example, the converter (570) may convert the second power transmitted from the second battery (560) to the converter (570) based on receiving an enable signal and transmit it to the terminal device (530) via the first battery (550).

[0114] For example, if the first power is 0 or less than a certain amount, the terminal device (530) may determine that a specified condition is satisfied and operate based on the second power delivered from the second battery (560).

[0115] For example, if the charge level of the first battery (550) is below a specified value, the terminal device (530) may determine that the specified condition is satisfied and operate based on the second power delivered from the second battery (560).

[0116] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a power management method according to an embodiment disclosed in this document.

[0117] 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 main control unit (310), an auxiliary control unit (320), and a terminal device (530) of FIG. 3) can be configured to perform the operations of FIG. 6.

[0118] In the following embodiments, operations S610 to S640 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.

[0119] Referring to FIG. 6, the power management method may include a step (S610) in which the terminal device operates with first power received from a first battery, a step (S620) in which the supply of the first power is determined to be interrupted, a step (S630) in which the terminal device operates with second power supplied from a second battery if the supply of the first power is interrupted, and a step (S640) in which at least a portion of the second power is transferred to an auxiliary control unit based on PoE.

[0120] At step S610, the terminal device can operate (or be driven) based on first power supplied from a first battery including a low-voltage battery.

[0121] At step S620, the power management device may perform step S630 if the supply of the first power to the terminal device is interrupted, the first power is 0 or below a certain amount, or the charge amount of the first battery is below a specified value.

[0122] At step S630, the terminal device can operate (or be driven) based on second power supplied from a second battery including a high-voltage battery.

[0123] At step S640, the auxiliary control unit operates based on the second power and can transmit the second power to the main control unit or the auxiliary control unit based on PoE.

[0124] FIG. 7 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.

[0125] Referring to FIG. 7, 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).

[0126] 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.

[0127] 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.

[0128] 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.

[0129] 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).

[0130] 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).

[0131] 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.

[0132] 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.

[0133] 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.

[0134] 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. Main control unit; An auxiliary control unit electrically connected to the main control unit; and A terminal device electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit and supplied with power from a first battery or a second battery; The above terminal device: It operates based on the first power received from the first battery, and when the first power is not supplied, it operates based on the second power supplied from the second battery. At least a portion of the second power is configured to be transmitted to the main control unit or the auxiliary control unit based on Power over Ethernet (PoE). Power management device.

2. In paragraph 1, The first battery includes a low-voltage battery including a lead-acid battery, The second battery includes a high-voltage battery including a lithium-ion battery. Power management device.

3. In paragraph 1, The above terminal device: When the first power is 0 or less than a certain size, it is configured to operate based on the second power. Power management device.

4. In paragraph 1, The above first battery: When the first power is 0, the first power is less than or equal to a certain amount, the charge amount is less than or equal to a specified value, or at least one of any combinations thereof, an enable signal is transmitted to at least one converter provided on the electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device, At least one converter above: Based on receiving the enable signal, the second power transmitted from the second battery to the at least one converter is converted and transmitted to the terminal device. Power management device.

5. In paragraph 1, The above terminal device: Monitor the power status of at least one of the main control unit, the auxiliary control unit, or any combination thereof, If the monitoring results identify that there is an abnormality in the power status, the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit is configured to be stopped and then resumed. Power management device.

6. In paragraph 1, The above terminal device: While operating based on the second power, the operating status of the second battery is monitored, When a problem occurs in the above operating state, the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit is configured to be stopped and then restarted. Power management device.

7. In paragraph 5, The above main control unit and the above auxiliary control unit: It is configured to be reset based on the interruption and resumption of the supply of the above second power. Power management device.

8. Comprising any one of the power management devices of claims 1 to 7, vehicle.

9. A step in which the terminal device operates based on the first power received from the first battery; and A step in which the terminal device operates based on second power supplied from a second battery when the first power is not supplied; and A terminal device comprising: a step of transmitting at least a portion of the second power to an auxiliary control unit based on Power over Ethernet (PoE); How to manage power.

10. In paragraph 9, The above power management method, The terminal device further comprises a step of operating based on the second power when the first power is 0 or less than a certain size; How to manage power.

11. In paragraph 9, The above power management method, A step of transmitting an enable signal to at least one converter provided on an electrical path between the second battery and the terminal device when the first battery has a first power of 0, a first power of less than or equal to a predetermined amount, a charge amount of less than or equal to a specified value, or at least one of any combinations thereof; and The step of converting the second power transmitted from the second battery to the at least one converter and transmitting the converted second power to the terminal device based on receiving the enable signal by the at least one converter further includes; How to manage power.

12. In paragraph 9, The above power management method, A step of monitoring the power status of at least one of the main control unit, the auxiliary control unit, or any combination thereof, which is electrically connected to the auxiliary control unit; and The terminal device further includes a step of stopping and then restarting the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit when the monitoring result identifies that there is an abnormality in the power status; How to manage power.

13. In paragraph 9, The above power management method, A step of monitoring the operating status of the second battery while the terminal device operates based on the second power; and The terminal device further includes a step of stopping and then restarting the supply of the second power to the auxiliary control unit when the terminal device identifies that a problem has occurred in the operating state; How to manage power.

14. In paragraph 12, The above power management method, A step in which the main control unit and the auxiliary control unit are reset based on the supply of the second power being interrupted and then resumed; further comprising; How to manage power.

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