Battery Control Unit for Parallel Power Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery packs face risks of overheating, fire, and catastrophic failure due to mismatched, defective, or damaged batteries, particularly when using different technologies or voltage levels, which can lead to unsafe current flows and reduced battery life.
Innovation Solution
A battery control unit with voltage sense units and switches is implemented to manage power distribution between batteries in parallel, enabling the system to detect voltage discrepancies and control power flow to prevent damage by isolating faulty batteries and ensuring safe operation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If multiple batteries are used in parallel to extend power supply duration, then the duration of action is improved, but the reliability deteriorates due to risks of overheating, fire, and catastrophic failure from mismatched or defective batteries
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the battery pack into multiple independent battery string groups, each with its own protection circuit. This segmentation allows individual monitoring and control of each battery string, enabling the system to extend power supply duration through parallel configuration while maintaining safety by isolating faulty strings through individual disconnection capabilities.
2Reliability
If battery matching is performed manually to ensure compatibility, then the reliability is improved, but the productivity deteriorates due to increased manufacturing time and cost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary automated detection and classification of battery parameters during manufacturing. The system pre-identifies compatible battery groups and configures protection circuits accordingly before assembly, eliminating the need for time-consuming manual matching while ensuring reliability through automated parameter verification and grouping.
3Reliability
If protective measures such as current limiting devices are added to prevent short circuits, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple protective functions (voltage monitoring, current limiting, short-circuit protection, and battery isolation) into an integrated protection circuit that operates automatically. This merging reduces overall system complexity compared to implementing separate protective devices while maintaining comprehensive safety against short circuits and battery failures.
4Reliability
If voltage sensing and automatic control circuits are implemented to detect and isolate faulty batteries, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a self-monitoring protection circuit that automatically detects voltage discrepancies, identifies faulty battery strings, and isolates them without external intervention. The circuit uses simple voltage comparison logic and automatic switching to achieve reliable fault detection and isolation while keeping the control circuitry minimal and easy to implement.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention is directed to battery power management. In one embodiment, the invention provides a battery control unit for managing battery power supplied to a product, the battery control unit including: a first battery and a second battery coupled to each other in a parallel configuration, each of the first and second batteries having a negative terminal coupled to an electrical ground of the product; a first switch having a first terminal coupled to a positive terminal of the first battery and a second terminal coupled to a power terminal of the product; a second switch having a third terminal coupled to a positive terminal of the second battery and a fourth terminal coupled to the power terminal; a first voltage sense unit coupled to the positive terminal of the first battery for sensing a voltage at the positive terminal of the first battery; a second voltage sense unit coupled to the positive terminal of the second battery for sensing a voltage at the positive terminal of the second battery; a first control unit coupled to the first switch for controlling the first switch in response to the voltage sensed by the first voltage sense unit; and a second control unit coupled to the second switch for controlling the second switch in response to the voltage sensed by the second voltage sense unit.