Battery Voltage Balance Control for Hot-Plug Replacement

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing battery replacement methods in power supply systems require shutting down the power supply, leading to safety and stability issues due to voltage imbalances caused by voltage drops between replaced and existing battery units.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a method and device with charge and discharge switches to control the charging or discharging of each battery unit based on its operating state, ensuring voltage balance by generating and transmitting control signals to manage the switches, thereby allowing for hot-plugging and maintaining system stability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If battery units are replaced by shutting down the power supply system, then replacement safety is improved, but system availability and continuous operation are deteriorated

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereplacement safetyVSAvoidsystem availability
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by pre-charging the replaced battery unit before disconnecting it from the power supply system. This ensures that the battery unit is fully charged and ready for replacement without causing voltage imbalances or requiring system shutdown, thus maintaining both safety and continuous operation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the battery replacement process into independent steps: identifying the battery unit to be replaced, pre-charging it independently, disconnecting it while maintaining system operation, and connecting the replaced unit. This segmentation allows replacement operations to proceed without shutting down the entire power supply system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Ease of operation

If battery units are replaced without voltage balance control, then replacement operation is simplified, but voltage imbalance and system failure risk are increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereplacement operationVSAvoidvoltage balance
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements feedback control by continuously monitoring the voltage of each battery unit during the replacement process. The control unit adjusts the charging current based on real-time voltage measurements, ensuring that voltage balance is maintained throughout the replacement operation. This automated feedback mechanism simplifies the operation while guaranteeing voltage balance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the charging parameters dynamically during the replacement process. By adjusting charging current and voltage thresholds based on the specific state of each battery unit, the system maintains voltage balance without requiring complex manual intervention, thus improving both ease of operation and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If charge and discharge control switches are added to each battery unit branch, then voltage balance control is improved, but device complexity is increased

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevoltage balance controlVSAvoidswitch control system
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the control unit universal by designing it to manage multiple functions: identifying battery units, controlling charge/discharge switches, monitoring voltage, and adjusting charging parameters. This single multi-functional control unit replaces what would otherwise require multiple separate control systems, thus improving voltage balance control while minimizing the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3309920B1Method and device for voltage balance
Publication Date: 2020.06.17 CONTEMPORARY AMPEREX TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
  • EP3309920B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3309920B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4

AI summary

The embodiments of the present invention provide a method for hot-plugging, a control device for hot-plugging, and a method and device for voltage balance. In one aspect, in an embodiment of the present invention, when there is a battery unit to be replaced in a plurality of parallel battery units, a branch in which the battery unit to be replaced locates may be cut off. Therefore, the technical solution provided by the embodiments of the present invention may solve a contradictory problem between the replacement of the battery unit and the normal operation of the power supply system in the related art and a problem caused thereby that the safety and stability of the power supply system are low.