Redundant Battery Management System Architecture for Vehicle Fault Tolerance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery system architectures in vehicles are prone to failures, leading to inoperability due to battery, battery controller, or communication link failures, which is unsuitable for reliable operation, especially in autonomous vehicles requiring robustness.
Innovation Solution
A redundant battery management system (BMS) architecture with multiple controllers and battery units, implementing redundant communication pathways and fault detection mechanisms to ensure continued operation by selecting the lower aggregate battery data for conservative configuration and preventing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional battery system architecture is used, then the system structure is simple, but the reliability deteriorates due to vulnerability to battery, controller, or communication link failures
Solution Approach 1:
The battery system is divided into multiple independent battery units (first battery unit, second battery unit), each with its own controller. This segmentation allows the system to isolate failures to individual units while maintaining overall functionality through redundant pathways.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements redundant communication pathways and cross-coupling between battery units before failures occur. This preparatory redundancy ensures that when a failure happens (battery, controller, or communication link), the system has pre-established alternative pathways to maintain operation.
2Reliability
If redundant communication pathways and fault detection mechanisms are implemented, then the reliability improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Each battery unit is designed with multi-functionality, serving both as a power source and as a redundant backup for the other unit. The controllers can perform both primary control functions and backup/fault detection functions, reducing the need for completely separate redundant components.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the battery units themselves as intermediaries for cross-validation and fault detection. Each battery unit monitors and validates data from the other unit, creating a self-checking system that reduces the need for additional external monitoring components.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle can include a battery architecture configured to provide electrical power to motors, accessories, and other components of the vehicle. The architecture can include a controller coupled to multiple battery units. Each battery unit can include a battery and a battery management system. Additionally, each battery unit can be coupled to a controller and to other battery units. Through the use of redundant coupling and redundant data transmitted to and from the controller, battery units, and other components, the architecture can detect a fault and continue to operate while providing an indication of the fault.