Battery Control IC Noise Immunity via Photocoupler Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery control devices for vehicles and industrial machines face challenges in ensuring safety and reliability due to noise interference from inverters and potential differences in voltage levels, which can lead to erroneous operations and safety hazards.
Innovation Solution
A battery control device with multiple integrated circuits connected in series, featuring a first transmission path for command signals and a second path for data signals, along with a constant voltage circuit and signal generation circuit, uses photocouplers for insulation and noise reduction, and includes a startup circuit with comparators to manage voltage thresholds and prevent over-discharge.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If photocouplers are used to ensure electrical insulation between different voltage levels, then safety is improved, but device complexity increases due to additional insulating circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses photocouplers as intermediary devices to transmit signals between the high-voltage battery control circuit and the low-voltage control circuit while maintaining electrical insulation. The photocoupler converts electrical signals to optical signals and back, enabling communication without direct electrical connection, thus ensuring safety while managing complexity through standardized isolation components.
2Measurement precision
If multiple integrated circuits are connected in series to monitor individual battery cells, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple transmission paths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery module into multiple battery cell groups, with each group monitored by a dedicated integrated circuit. This segmentation allows precise monitoring of individual cell voltages and states while distributing the monitoring function across multiple independent circuits, reducing the complexity of any single circuit and enabling modular design.
3Reliability
If insulating circuits are added to protect against noise interference, then reliability is improved, but loss of energy increases due to additional circuit components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces direct electrical signal transmission with optical signal transmission using photocouplers. This substitution eliminates electrical noise interference entirely while maintaining signal integrity, and the energy loss is minimized by using efficient LED-based optical coupling rather than continuous electrical insulation circuits.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution ensures reliable operation by minimizing noise interference, maintaining safety through insulation and proper voltage management, and preventing over-discharge, thus enhancing the overall performance and safety of the battery control system.
Implementation Method 1
a first transmission path through which a first signal, including a startup signal or a command signal output from a higher-order control circuit that controls the plurality of integrated circuits, is transmitted via a first insulating circuit to a highest-order integrated circuit among the plurality of integrated circuits connected in series
Data Source
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AI summary
A battery control device for a battery module includes a plurality of integrated circuits CC3A, ..., CC3N, CC4A, ..., CC4N. Each integrated circuit includes: a constant voltage circuit that lowers a total voltage of a battery cell group corresponding to the integrated circuit to an integrated circuit internal voltage; a signal generation circuit that generates, based upon a first signal provided by a higher-order control circuit 20, a second signal assuming a wave height value different from a wave height value of the first signal and outputs the second signal; and a startup circuit that includes a first comparator assuming a first decision-making threshold value corresponding to the first signal and a second comparator assuming a second decision-making threshold value corresponding to the second signal, and starts up the constant voltage circuit in response to a change in an output from at least either the first comparator or the second comparator.