Modular Cell Control Circuit for Bypassing Faulty Storage Cells
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing lithium-battery energy storage systems face challenges with large and heavy battery modules due to increasing cell capacity and size, leading to high costs and difficulties in assembly, as well as the inability to easily integrate new cells with original ones.
Innovation Solution
A control circuit and energy storage system design that includes modularized cell control units with integrated switches and a commutating module, allowing for easy assembly and bypassing of faulty cells, reducing the need for separate battery management systems and power conversion systems, and enabling the use of new cells with original ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If cell capacity and size are increased to improve energy density, then energy storage capacity is improved, but battery module weight and size increase making assembly difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into modular battery modules, each containing multiple cells that can be independently handled and assembled. This segmentation allows smaller, more manageable units to be combined to achieve the desired total capacity, avoiding the need to handle extremely large and heavy single modules.
Solution Approach 2:
Battery modules are designed with nested structures where cells are arranged in series within modules, and multiple modules are connected to form battery packs. This nested arrangement optimizes space utilization and allows hierarchical assembly from small cells to large-scale energy storage systems.
2Device complexity
If battery module size is increased to reduce the number of modules, then system complexity is reduced, but assembly difficulty and handling challenges increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses standardized battery modules as building blocks that can be easily transported, handled, and assembled. This modular segmentation maintains manageable unit sizes while allowing flexible system configuration to achieve the desired total capacity without excessive complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The battery modules are designed with universal interfaces and standardized configurations that allow them to be used in various system arrangements. This universality enables simple system assembly through standardized connections while maintaining flexibility for different application requirements.
3Reliability
If separate BMS and PCS are used to manage battery systems, then control functionality is improved, but system cost and size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The battery management system (BMS) and power conversion system (PCS) are merged into an integrated control unit that performs both monitoring/management functions and power conversion functions. This consolidation reduces the overall system size and component count while maintaining all necessary control functionalities.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated control unit serves multiple functions: it monitors battery cell voltages and temperatures, manages charging/discharging processes, and performs AC-DC conversion. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate BMS and PCS components, reducing system complexity and cost.
4Device complexity
If original cells are used in the battery system, then system cost is reduced, but compatibility and performance consistency become problematic
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into modular units where cells are organized into series strings within modules. This segmentation allows different batches of cells (including original and new cells) to be distributed across different modules, isolating compatibility issues and allowing flexible mixing of cell inventories.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates cell matching and sorting processes that adjust cell groupings based on voltage, capacity, and internal resistance parameters. This parameter-based optimization ensures compatible cells are grouped together, maintaining performance consistency even when mixing original and new cells from different batches.
Data Source
AI summary
A control circuit of an energy storage system includes a cell module, a control module, and a commutating module, which are connected in sequence. The cell module includes n modularized cell control units. Each modularized cell control unit includes a cell, a first switch, and a second switch; the cell and the first switch are connected in series and then connected in parallel with the second switch. A first switch and a second switch of the first cell are connected to serve as a first end of the cell module, and the n-th cell and the n-th second switch are connected to serve as a second end of the cell module. The control module is communicatively connected with the modularized cell control unit and the commutation module. The control module is configured to control switches of the commutating module to be switched on or off.