Centralized Battery Management for Distributed Vehicle Battery Packs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing battery management systems for distributed battery packs in motor vehicles require multiple control devices, leading to increased development and maintenance costs, complexity, and difficulty in accessing spatially distributed battery packs for software updates and maintenance.
Innovation Solution
A battery system where a single battery management system is centralized in one battery pack, controlling switches and measuring devices in all other packs via a signal line, eliminating the need for individual control devices in each pack and simplifying maintenance and software development.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a master-slave system with individual control devices in each battery pack is used, then each battery pack can be independently controlled, but the hardware development costs and device complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the control functions of multiple slave control devices into a single master control device. The master control device communicates with all battery packs through a data bus, eliminating the need for individual control devices in each slave battery pack while maintaining independent control capability through centralized management.
Solution Approach 2:
The master control device performs multiple functions that previously required separate control devices in each battery pack. It can control switches, monitor operating parameters, and manage multiple battery packs simultaneously, reducing the overall number of control devices needed in the system.
2Ease of operation
If multiple distributed control devices are used in battery packs, then each pack can be controlled locally, but maintenance and software updates become difficult due to spatial distribution
Solution Approach 1:
The control function is extracted from individual battery packs and consolidated into a separate master control device. This allows the master control device to be easily accessible for maintenance and software updates, while the battery packs themselves remain simple and can be freely distributed throughout the vehicle without maintenance accessibility constraints.
3Reliability
If each battery pack has its own control unit, then the system can operate autonomously, but manufacturing costs and unit costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple control units into a single master control device, reducing the total number of control units from N (one per battery pack) to 1. This significantly reduces manufacturing costs, hardware development costs, and unit costs for individual battery packs while maintaining system functionality through centralized control via data bus communication.
Data Source
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AI summary
The present invention relates to a battery system (1), preferably for a motor vehicle (2), comprising a battery management system (3) and at least two battery packs (5, 6), each comprising battery cells (7), at least one switch (9) for switching the respective battery pack (5, 6) and a measuring device (8) for measuring operating parameters of the battery cells (7), wherein the battery management system (3) is arranged in exactly one of the battery packs (5) and the switches (9) of the other battery packs (6) are controlled by the battery management system (3).