Battery Module Identification Mapping for Large Storage Packs

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Solution Overview

Problem

As the power capacity of storage battery devices increases, the number of battery modules managed by one battery management unit also increases, making it difficult to accurately identify the battery modules and monitoring devices.

Innovation Solution

A storage battery device with a battery management unit that receives and processes identification information from multiple monitoring units, generating unique individual identification information for each unit based on system and monitoring identification information, allowing for accurate identification and management of battery modules and monitoring devices.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Quantity of substance

If the power capacity of the storage battery device is increased, then the energy storage capability is improved, but the number of battery modules increases making identification difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepower capacityVSAvoididentification accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the identification system into two levels: monitoring device identification information (first level) and battery module identification information (second level). This segmentation allows each component to be identified independently, preventing confusion even as the total number of modules increases. The monitoring devices monitor their respective battery modules, creating a hierarchical identification structure that scales with system size.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to the identification system by adding monitoring device identification as an upper level and battery module identification as a lower level. This dimensional expansion transforms the identification problem from a single-layer challenge into a multi-layer system, enabling accurate tracking of individual modules within larger configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Quantity of substance

If the number of battery modules is increased to enhance power capacity, then the energy storage is improved, but the difficulty of identifying and managing individual modules increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenumber of battery modulesVSAvoididentification management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the management responsibility by assigning monitoring devices to specific battery modules. Each monitoring device holds identification information for the battery modules it monitors, creating distributed management units. This segmentation reduces the complexity burden on any single component while enabling the system to scale to larger numbers of modules.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The monitoring device acts as an intermediary between the battery modules and the external management system. It holds and transmits identification information for multiple battery modules, simplifying the interface and reducing the complexity of direct management. This intermediary role allows efficient management of large numbers of modules through consolidated information handling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3432407B1Storage battery device, storage battery device control method, and program
Publication Date: 2024.02.28 KK TOSHIBA
  • EP3432407B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3432407B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3432407B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

A storage battery device (18) includes a first battery system(30a), a second battery system(30b), and a battery management unit (44). The first and the second battery systems (30a, 30b) include a plurality of first and second battery modules (46a, 46b) and a plurality of first and second monitoring units (48a, 48b) detecting module information that is information related to the first and the second battery modules (46a, 46b), and respectively having first and second identification information. The battery management unit (44) receives a lower-level communication frame containing the monitoring identification information and the module information from the first and the second monitoring units (48a, 48b). The battery management unit (44) transmits, to an upper-level device (28) of the battery management unit (44), an upper-level communication frame that contains individual identification information assigned to each of the first and the second monitoring units (48a, 48b) based on system identification information assigned to the first and the second battery systems (30a, 30b), and the first and the second monitoring identification information, that also contains the module information detected by the first or the second monitoring unit (48a, 48b) corresponding to the individual identification information, and that has a larger data size than the lower-level communication frame.