Battery Pack Protection via Segmented Switch Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery management systems (BMS) fail to effectively prevent overcharging and overdischarging, leading to battery degradation and instability, which can cause accidents and reduce the reliability of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) due to their inability to manage charging and discharging states properly.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack protection device and method that includes a sensing unit to detect overcharging or overdischarging states and a control unit to manage multiple switches on the charging and discharging paths, allowing the battery to be both chargeable and dischargeable when within safe limits, and only chargeable or dischargeable when in an overcharging or overdischarging state, respectively, using unidirectional elements and a display unit to monitor the battery state.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single switch is used to control charging and discharging paths, then the device complexity is reduced, but the battery cannot be properly protected during overcharging or overdischarging states
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single switch control into multiple switches: a first switch on the charging path and a second switch on the discharging path. This segmentation allows independent control of charging and discharging operations, enabling the system to block charging current during overcharging while maintaining discharging capability, and vice versa during overdischarging states.
2Reliability
If the switch is opened to prevent overcharging, then battery safety is improved, but the discharging current cannot flow
Solution Approach 1:
By separating the charging path switch (first switch) and discharging path switch (second switch), the system can selectively block only the charging current during overcharging conditions while keeping the discharging path open through the second switch, thus maintaining productivity during protection events.
3Reliability
If the switch is opened to prevent overdischarging, then battery safety is improved, but the charging current cannot flow
Solution Approach 1:
The segmented switch configuration allows the second switch on the discharging path to be opened during overdischarging conditions to prevent further discharge, while the first switch on the charging path remains closed to enable charging current flow, thus restoring productivity after protection activation.
4Device complexity
If a single switch is used, then the control system is simpler, but the system cannot adapt to different battery states (overcharging, overdischarging, normal)
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements segmentation of control functions through multiple switches, where the first switch responds to overcharging conditions and the second switch responds to overdischarging conditions. This segmented approach enables the control system to adapt to different battery states independently, providing versatile response capabilities while maintaining relatively simple control logic.
5Reliability
If blocking current is used to prevent damage, then battery protection is achieved, but both charging and discharging are blocked simultaneously
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the protection mechanism into path-specific switches, the system achieves selective current blocking: during overcharging, only the charging path is blocked while discharging continues; during overdischarging, only the discharging path is blocked while charging can proceed. This eliminates simultaneous blocking of both operations.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a battery pack protection device and method. The battery pack protection device includes: a sensing unit configured to sense an overcharging state or an overdischarging state of a battery; a plurality of switches installed on a charging path and a discharging path of the battery; a control unit configured to control the plurality of switches so that the battery is both chargeable and dischargeable when the battery is not in the overcharging state or the overdischarging state and control the plurality of switches so that the battery is only dischargeable during overcharging or only chargeable during overdischarging by an output signal of the sensing unit; and a display unit configured to display the charging state or the discharging state of the battery.