Battery Charging Gateway for Cross-Protocol BMS Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing charging devices for electrically driven industrial trucks with battery management systems face challenges in efficiently communicating and updating protocols across different communication standards, leading to complexities in software updates and data management.
Innovation Solution
A charging device with a processor-based gateway module that translates messages between a central control device using a first communication protocol and a battery management system using a second protocol, allowing for seamless data exchange and software updates without requiring multiple protocol implementations on each charging device.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If multiple communication protocols are implemented on each charging device to support different battery management systems, then compatibility with various devices is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a central control device as an intermediary that implements the communication gateway functionality. Instead of each charging device implementing multiple protocols, the central control device acts as a mediator that translates between different communication protocols (e.g., ISO 15118-20 and ISO 15118-26), thereby reducing complexity at the charging device level while maintaining protocol compatibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The central control device is designed with universal functionality to handle multiple communication protocols and serve multiple charging devices. This multi-functional approach allows a single device to perform protocol translation for different battery management systems, eliminating the need for each charging device to be specialized for specific protocols.
2Reliability
If protocol translation functionality is distributed to each charging device, then data exchange accuracy is improved, but manufacturing and maintenance difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protocol translation functionality from individual charging devices into a centralized control device. This consolidation combines the gateway functions across multiple charging devices into a single unit, simplifying manufacturing processes and reducing the complexity of maintaining multiple protocol implementations across different devices.
Solution Approach 2:
The central control device serves as an intermediary that ensures accurate data exchange between battery management systems using different protocols. By centralizing the translation function, the system maintains data exchange accuracy while simplifying the manufacturing and maintenance of individual charging devices.
3Adaptability or versatility
If software updates are performed on each charging device individually, then update flexibility is improved, but update time and operational downtime increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the software update process across multiple charging devices by implementing updates at the central control device level. This allows simultaneous or coordinated updates to be applied to all charging devices through a single gateway instance, reducing the total time required for system-wide software updates and minimizing operational downtime.
Data Source
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Figure 2a
Figure 2b
AI summary
Charging device (120a) for charging a rechargeable battery of an electrically driven device (130a) with a battery management system. The charging device (120a) comprises a first interface (123) configured to communicate with a central control unit (110) based on a first communication protocol, and a second interface (125) configured to be connected to the rechargeable battery in order to communicate with the battery management system based on a second communication protocol and to charge the rechargeable battery. The charging device (120a) further comprises a processor unit (121) configured to provide a gateway module.The gateway module is configured to forward first messages from the central control unit (110) according to the first communication protocol to the battery management system according to the second communication protocol and to forward second messages from the battery management system according to the second communication protocol to the central control unit (110) according to the first communication protocol.