Battery Storage Unit Control for Stepwise Power Limiting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electricity storage systems face challenges in safely supplying maximum electric power to a load even when abnormalities occur in individual battery modules, as they often result in complete power cutoff or unsafe conditions.
Innovation Solution
An electricity storage system with multiple connected units, each comprising a battery pack, contactor, and controller, which determines abnormalities and limits power supply in a stepwise manner based on the severity of the abnormality, ensuring continued operation by adjusting the maximum power output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If complete power cutoff is implemented when abnormality occurs in battery modules, then safety is ensured, but power supply to load is interrupted
Solution Approach 1:
The electricity storage system is divided into multiple independent electricity storage units, each with its own battery pack and control circuitry. When an abnormality is detected in one unit, only that specific unit is disconnected from the load while other units continue to supply power, maintaining system productivity while ensuring safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the power supply configuration based on real-time abnormality detection. The controller continuously monitors battery module status and adaptively reconfigures the parallel connections, transitioning from full-power operation to reduced-power operation with remaining healthy units, thereby maintaining safety while minimizing impact on power supply continuity.
2Reliability
If all electricity storage units are disconnected when one unit has abnormality, then safety is ensured, but maximum power supply capability is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the electricity storage capacity into independent units that can operate autonomously. When one unit exhibits abnormality, the controller isolates only that unit while maintaining operational status of other units, preserving a portion of the maximum power supply capability rather than completely shutting down the system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the operational parameters by adjusting the number of active electricity storage units based on abnormality detection. The controller modifies the system configuration from N units to N-1 units (where N is total units), thereby adapting the power supply capability to match the actual safe operating conditions while maintaining as much power capacity as possible.
3Productivity
If stepwise power limitation is implemented based on abnormality level, then power supply is maintained, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The controller implements dynamic control by continuously monitoring abnormality levels and adjusting the number of active electricity storage units in real-time. This dynamic reconfiguration enables stepwise power limitation where the system transitions between different operational states (full power, reduced power, minimum power) based on the severity and progression of detected abnormalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system employs feedback control mechanisms where the controller receives continuous status information from sensors monitoring battery module abnormalities. Based on this feedback, the controller automatically adjusts the power supply configuration by connecting or disconnecting specific electricity storage units, implementing stepwise power limitation without requiring complex manual intervention or overly sophisticated control algorithms.
Data Source
AI summary
An electricity storage system includes a load and multiple electricity storage units connected to the load. Each of the electricity storage units is connected to the load and includes a battery pack including multiple battery cells, a contactor provided between the battery pack and the load, and a controller. The controller includes a determination controller that determines whether an abnormality has occurred in the electricity storage unit and a supply limiting controller that, when it is determined by the determination section that an abnormality has occurred in the electricity storage unit, limits a maximum amount of electric power that is supplied to the load in a stepwise manner in accordance with a level of the abnormality of the electricity storage unit.