Modular Battery Switching for Variable Voltage and Fault Shutdown
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery storage systems for mobile power supply of high-power machines face challenges in balancing output power, weight, and overload capacity, with commercially available systems either being too heavy or lacking sufficient storage capacity, and lacking a solution for mobile operation to handle high startup power requirements of large consumers like capacitor motors.
Innovation Solution
A power supply system with multiple battery modules that can be controllably connected in series, featuring a central control unit, switching devices, and detection circuits to provide varying voltages, and a decentralized error detection and shutdown mechanism to ensure electrical safety and reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If battery storage systems are designed with high output power (> 2.5 kW), then the power supply capability is improved, but the weight exceeds 20 kg making them too heavy for one person to carry
Solution Approach 1:
The battery storage system is divided into multiple battery modules that can be independently connected in series or parallel configurations. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high output power when needed while maintaining a modular structure that can be transported and assembled in parts, resolving the contradiction between high power output and portability.
2Power
If battery cells are arranged in series to improve overload capacity and power density, then the electrical performance is improved, but the system requires a conventional inverter and charger that increase weight
Solution Approach 1:
The battery modules are designed with universal switching devices that can operate in multiple configurations (series/parallel connections) to provide both high overload capacity and standard power output. The control unit manages these switching operations to achieve different power delivery modes without requiring separate conventional inverter and charger systems, thereby improving electrical performance while avoiding additional weight.
3Adaptability or versatility
If large consumers with capacitor motors are powered, then the application range is improved, but the startup power requirement reaches up to ten times the continuous power
Solution Approach 1:
The system employs dynamic switching devices that can rapidly reconfigure the battery module connections during motor startup. When a capacitor motor requires high startup power, the switching devices temporarily connect additional battery modules in series to provide the necessary voltage surge, then switch to normal operating configuration once the motor starts, enabling the system to handle high startup power requirements while maintaining adaptability for various applications.
4Adaptability or versatility
If battery modules are controllably connected in series to provide different voltages, then the system flexibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is segmented into standardized modules with identical internal structures and control interfaces. Each module contains switching devices and control circuits that can independently manage series/parallel connections. This segmentation allows complex voltage configurations to be achieved through simple, repetitive module connections rather than complex custom wiring, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining voltage variability.
5Reliability
If a decentralized error detection and shutdown mechanism is implemented in each battery module, then the electrical safety is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The error detection and shutdown functionality is segmented into identical, standardized control circuits within each battery module. Each module's control unit can independently detect errors and initiate shutdown procedures for its own module and communicate with other modules. This segmentation allows the system to achieve high electrical safety through decentralized control while avoiding the complexity of a fully centralized control system, as each module is a self-contained, standardized unit.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to an energy supply system (1, 30, 40, 50) having a plurality of battery modules (2), which can be controllably connected in series in order to provide different voltages at a power supply connection (5) of the energy supply system (1, 30, 40, 50), and having a control unit (3) for controlling the battery modules (2), wherein the plurality of battery modules (2) each have an input connection (8) and an output connection (9), a battery unit (12) for providing a module voltage (VL+, VL-), a switching device (17) for selectively switching the module voltage (VL+, VL-) to the input connection (8) and to the output connection (9), and a control input (6, 21) for receiving a control input signal, wherein the plurality of battery modules (2) are each configured so as, in response to a switch-off control signal at the control input (6, 21), to assume a switched-off state in which the module voltage (VL+, VL-) is disconnected from the input and output connections (8, 9), wherein the plurality of battery modules (2) each have a detection circuit (14, 16) for detecting their own impermissible operating state in each case and a control output (22) for outputting the detected impermissible operating state by means of a fault control signal, wherein provision is made for a fault control circuit (23, 24, 25) which connects the control output (22) of at least one of the plurality of battery modules (2) to the control input (21) of at least one other of the plurality of battery modules (2). The invention further relates to a method for operating such an energy supply system (1, 30, 40, 50).