JP2020202682A - Battery system and charge method of battery unit - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a battery system that can demonstrate the original performance while increasing a voltage by connecting battery units of a predetermined voltage in series.SOLUTION: A battery system includes a battery holder, a monitoring unit that receives the charge status of each battery unit from a management unit provided in the battery unit and monitors the charge state of each battery unit, and a mode switching unit that separates a battery unit pair from a power line when the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are not balanced, shits to a first mode for balancing the charging states between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair, and performs the mode switching by connecting the battery unit pair to the power line and shifting to a second mode in which the charging control unit is charged when the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are balanced.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a method of charging a battery system and a battery unit, and more particularly to a method of charging a battery system and a battery unit capable of connecting a plurality of secondary batteries.

Patent Document 1 discloses a battery system capable of connecting an arbitrary number of secondary batteries to form a power source having an arbitrary capacity. Specifically, this battery system is connected to a group of connection terminals of a battery unit connected in parallel to a power line to which a load or a charging device is connected, and between the connection terminal group and the power line, and each battery unit is connected. Includes a current control unit that monitors the charge / discharge status of the battery. The battery unit is configured to be individually connected to the power line or individually removable via the connection terminal group. Then, the current control unit includes means for limiting the current to a predetermined value when the current value that flows into the battery units or is output from the battery units exceeds a predetermined threshold value.

Patent Document 2 discloses a configuration in which a plurality of portable storage battery packs are mounted so that the storage battery pack can output AC power, the storage battery pack can be charged, and other storage batteries can be charged by the storage battery pack. There is.

JP-A-2018-82577 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2015-19580

According to the battery system of Patent Document 1, in the event of a disaster or the like, secondary batteries brought from a large number of bases are connected in parallel and used as a large-capacity power source, or conversely, a plurality of secondary batteries connected in parallel. It is possible to take out some of the following batteries and use them as an emergency power source at each site. However, in the battery system of Patent Document 1, there is a restriction that the voltage of the battery system and the voltage of the battery unit are the same. For example, when a 24V battery unit is used as the battery unit, the output voltage is also 24V because the battery system also has a configuration in which these are connected in parallel. Here, if we want to configure a battery system with an output voltage of 48V, we will use a 48V battery unit, which has a high DC voltage as a portable battery, and there are still safety issues, as well as weight and size. It becomes difficult to handle.

Here, it is conceivable to connect 24V battery units in series to form a battery system with an output voltage of 48V, but the balance of each battery unit due to the difference in capacity and SOC (= charging state) between the battery units. If the series connection is not maintained, not only the original performance cannot be achieved, but also over-discharge and over-charge may occur, and the battery unit having a small capacity may be deteriorated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and charges a battery system and a battery unit capable of exhibiting their original performance while increasing the voltage by connecting battery units of a predetermined voltage in series. To provide a method.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a battery unit pair composed of a pair of battery units connected in series is used as a charging unit, and a charging current is charged according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the power line. A battery system that can be connected to a rechargeable charging device is provided. The battery system further comprises a monitoring unit that receives the charge status of each battery unit from the management unit provided in the battery unit and monitors the charge status of each battery unit, and the battery unit pair. When the charging state of the battery unit is not balanced, the battery unit pair is separated from the power line, and the mode shifts to the first mode in which the charging state between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair is balanced, and the battery unit is shifted to. When the charging states of the battery units constituting the pair are balanced, the mode switching unit and the mode switching unit, which connects the battery unit pair to the power line and shifts to the second mode for charging the charging device, and the above. A battery holder is provided which connects the battery unit pair in parallel to the power line and detachably accommodates the battery units constituting the battery unit pair.

According to the second viewpoint of the present invention, a battery unit pair composed of a pair of battery units connected in series is used as a charging unit, the battery unit pair is connected in parallel to a power line, and the battery unit pair is connected. A battery system that is equipped with a battery holder that detachably accommodates the battery units that make up the above, and that can be connected to a charging device that can be charged by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the power line. Computer receives the charge status of each battery unit from the management unit provided in the battery unit, monitors the charge status of each battery unit, and changes the charge status of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair. If it is not balanced, the battery unit pair is separated from the power line, the state shifts to the first mode for balancing the charging states between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair, and the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are transferred. When the charging states of the above are balanced, there is provided a method of charging the battery unit, which connects the pair of battery units to the power line and shifts to a second mode in which the charging control unit is charged.

According to the present invention, it is possible to configure a battery system capable of exhibiting its original performance while increasing the voltage by connecting battery units having a predetermined voltage in series.

It is a figure of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the mode switching part of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the mode switching part of one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram which shows the detailed structure of the CLU of the 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which showed the operation of the battery system of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the battery unit information provided by the battery system control device of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

First, an outline of one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the drawing reference reference numerals added to this outline are added to each element for convenience as an example for assisting understanding, and the present invention is not intended to be limited to the illustrated embodiment. Further, the connecting line between blocks such as drawings referred to in the following description includes both bidirectional and unidirectional. The one-way arrow schematically shows the flow of the main signal (data), and does not exclude interactivity.

In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a pair of battery units (battery pair) including a monitoring unit 30, a mode switching unit 40, and a battery holder 50 and connected in series. It can be realized by a battery system that can be connected to a charging device 10 that can be charged by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the power line, with 20 as the charging unit.

More specifically, the battery unit pair (battery pair) 20 is composed of a set of secondary batteries (battery units) having the same specifications. Further, it is preferable that the battery unit pair (battery pair) 20 itself is provided with a display unit indicating a charging state or the like, an LED (Light Emitting Diode), or the like.

The monitoring unit 30 receives the charging state of each battery unit from the management unit BMU (Battery Management Unit) provided in the battery units 20a and 20b, and monitors the charging state of each of the battery units 20a and 20b.

When the charging states of the battery units 20a and 20b constituting the battery unit pair 20 are not balanced, the mode switching unit 40 disconnects the battery unit pair 20 from the power line and constitutes the battery unit pair. It shifts to the first mode which balances the charge state between. As shown in FIG. 2, for example, the balance operation of the charged state between the battery units can be realized by connecting the battery units 20a and 20b constituting the battery units to 20 in parallel via the switching circuit 21. Further, instead of the configuration using the switching circuit 21 shown in FIG. 2, a method of balancing the charging state between the battery units by charging the battery unit having the lower charge amount can also be adopted. The CLU of FIG. 2 shows a current limiting unit that limits over-discharge (abnormal outflow current) and abnormal over-input (abnormal inflow current) to a predetermined current value during balanced operation.

Further, when the charging states of the battery units 20a and 20b constituting the battery unit pair 20 are balanced, the mode switching unit 40 connects the battery unit pair 20 to the power line and charges the charge control unit. To shift to the second mode. At this time, the battery units 20a and 20b constituting the battery unit pair 20 are connected in series as shown in FIG. The CLU of FIG. 3 shows a current limiting unit that limits over-discharge (abnormal outflow current) and abnormal over-input (abnormal inflow current) to a predetermined current value during balanced operation, and is positioned as shown in FIG. By arranging in, it is possible to limit the excessive current between the battery units and between the battery unit pairs.

In the second mode, when the battery unit to 20 is connected to the power line, if there is a difference in the charge amount from the other battery unit to 20, the battery unit to 20 having a large charge amount to the battery unit having a small charge amount The current will flow to 20. At this time, if necessary, it is preferable to arrange a current limiting unit that limits the current at the connection point of the battery unit to 20 to the power line. As the current limiting unit, a current limiting unit equivalent to that of Patent Document 1 can be used.

Further, the battery holder 50 connects the battery units 20 to the power line in parallel, and detachably accommodates the battery units 20a and 20b constituting the battery units 20. According to the battery holder 50, for example, the battery unit 20a of the leftmost battery unit pair 20 in FIG. 1 can be taken out and used as a mobile battery or an emergency power source. Then, by connecting the battery unit 20a to the battery holder 50 again, the monitoring unit 30 and the mode switching unit 40 balance the charge amount. As a result, a safe charging operation of the battery units 20 connected in parallel is performed.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in a configuration in which the battery units 20a and 20b are connected in series and the battery units 20 are connected in parallel in order to obtain an output of a predetermined voltage, an arbitrary battery unit (for example, The battery unit 20b) can be taken out and used. Then, after using the taken-out battery unit 20b, when the battery holder 50 is set in an empty place, the charge amount (charged state) is balanced among the battery units as shown in FIG. Then, when the charge amount (charged state) is balanced between the battery units, charging is started after balancing the charge amount (charged state) between the battery units 20. Therefore, charging or the like is not performed in a state where the performance of the battery unit is impaired.

Further, as is clear from the above description, according to the present embodiment, a battery system having a voltage of 2 nV can be configured by using a battery unit having a voltage of nV. For example, a battery system that charges and discharges at 24V and 48V, which has twice the voltage, can be configured by using a battery unit such as 12V and 24V that is widely used and easy to handle. Of course, the voltage of the battery unit is not limited to these, and a battery unit having an arbitrary voltage can be used.

[First Embodiment]
Subsequently, the first embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 4, two battery units 121 are set in each of the four BCUs (Battery Control Units) 123, and a configuration in which a maximum of eight battery units 121 can be charged is shown. In the example of FIG. 4, the number of parallel BCU 123s is 4, but the number of parallel BCU 123s is not limited to 4, depending on the maximum value of the charging current of the battery system control device 100 and the target charging time. , The number of parallels can be changed.

The battery system control device 100 includes a charge / discharge control unit 101, a mode switching unit 102, a monitoring unit 103, and a data transmission / reception unit 104.

The charge / discharge control unit 101 controls the battery unit group so that it can be charged or discharged based on the information of the battery unit 121 received from the monitoring unit 103.

When charging the battery unit 121, the charge / discharge control unit 101 charges by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs in two sets based on the information received from the monitoring unit 103. Further, when charging of an arbitrary battery unit pair is completed during this charging, the charge / discharge control unit 101 instructs BCU 123, which forms a connection point between the battery unit 121 and the power line, to disconnect (cut off) from the power line. Then, the charge / discharge control unit 101 changes the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs remaining and continues charging. Further, when one of the battery unit pairs 121 is taken out, the charge / discharge control unit 101 instructs the BCU 123, which forms the connection point between the battery unit 121 and the power line, to disconnect from the power line. In this way, the charge / discharge control unit 101 charges by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs that are actually charging (gear change operation of the charging current).

Based on the SOC (State Of Charge) of the battery unit received from the monitoring unit 103, the mode switching unit 102 instructs the BCU 123 to shift the two sets of battery unit pairs to the following modes, respectively.

Mode 1: Parallel connection of battery units 121 connected to the same BCU 123 When the SOCs of the battery units 121 constituting the battery unit pair are not balanced, the mode switching unit 102 refers to the battery unit pair with respect to the BCU 123. Is instructed to shift to mode 1 in which the SOC is balanced between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair by disconnecting from the power line.

Upon receiving the switching signal to mode 1, the BCU 123 constitutes a circuit for connecting the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the battery units 121 to each other, as shown in FIG. This makes it possible to charge the battery unit 121 having a high SOC to the battery unit 121 having a low SOC (see FIG. 9). During mode 1, the BCU 123 disconnects the battery unit 121 from the power line and controls it so that the charging current does not flow in.

Mode 2: Connecting battery units 121 connected to the same BCU 123 in series When the SOCs of the battery units 121 constituting the battery unit pair are balanced, the mode switching unit 102 refers to the battery unit pair with respect to the BCU 123. Is connected to the power line, and the battery unit pair is instructed to shift to the mode 2 for balancing the SOC.

Upon receiving the switching signal to mode 2, the BCU 123 constitutes a circuit in which the battery units 121 are connected in series, as shown in FIG. Further, the BCU 123 connects the battery unit pair to the power line. As a result, the battery unit pairs having the same SOC level in mode 1 are connected in parallel with the other battery unit pairs. As a result, it becomes possible to charge the battery unit pair having a high SOC to the battery unit pair having a low SOC (see FIG. 11).

Mode 3: Charging a battery unit pair with balanced SOC When there are two or more battery unit pairs with balanced SOC, the mode switching unit 102 instructs the charge / discharge control unit 101 to start charging. After that, the mode switching unit 102 instructs the BCU 123 to connect the corresponding battery unit pair to the power line as the SOC-balanced battery unit pair is added. The charge / discharge control unit 101 charges by changing the charging current according to the increased number of battery unit pairs in parallel.

It should be noted that the balance of SOC between battery units and the presence or absence of balance of SOC between battery unit pairs can be confirmed by various methods. For example, the SOC may be directly calculated and compared, or a method of determining the SOC balance from the voltage, temperature, etc. of the battery unit can be adopted. Further, instead of these methods, the current value flowing between these battery units or between the battery unit pairs is sensed, and the current value is less than a predetermined threshold value (for example, a value of 3 to 5% of the normal charging current is set as a threshold value). If it becomes), it may be determined that the balancing is completed.

The monitoring unit 103 receives voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), etc. from the BMU (Battery Management Unit) 122 of each battery unit 121 via the data transmission / reception unit 104, and receives these from the mode switching unit 102 and charging / discharging. It is transmitted to the control unit 101.

The data transmission / reception unit 104 receives voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), etc. from the BMU 122 of each battery unit 121 via the data bus line (bus line). Further, the data transmission / reception unit 104 transmits to the BCU 123 a mode switching signal (mode switching instruction) sent from the charge / discharge control unit 101 and the mode switching unit 102, and an instruction to change the connection state with the power line.

Subsequently, each part on the battery unit side will be described. A BMU 122 is provided in each of the battery units 121. The BMU 122 transmits the voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), etc. of each battery unit to the data transmission / reception unit 104 of the battery system control device 100 via the data bus line (bus line). As the communication method of the data bus line, various serial communication methods and parallel communication methods can be adopted. As a communication method, CAN (Control Area Network), which is widely used in the fields of automobiles and robots, can also be used. Further, the communication method between the BMU 122 of the battery unit 121 and the battery system control device 100 does not have to be wired, and wireless communication may be used. For example, wireless communication methods such as Wi-SUN (Wireless Smart Utility Network), Zigbee Smart Energy, and Bluetooth Smart (registered trademarks) may be used.

Further, the battery unit 121 is detachably connected to the BCU 123 side via a battery holder (not shown). As the battery holder, in addition to a holder in which the terminals of the respective battery units are connected using a connector or the like, a charging cradle type battery such as the power supply device of Patent Document 2 can be used.

Further, the BCU 123 is provided with a CLU (Curent Limiting Unit; current limiting unit) 125 in association with each other. The CLU 125 monitors the current charged and discharged between the battery unit 121 or between the battery unit 121 and the power line, and limits over-discharge (abnormal outflow current) and abnormal over-input (abnormal inflow current) to a predetermined current value. ..

The BCU 123 receives a mode switching signal from the mode switching unit 102 of the battery system control device 100 via the bus line, and performs an operation of switching the wiring between the battery units 121. Further, the BCU 123 disconnects and connects the battery unit pair from the power line based on the instruction from the charge / discharge control unit 101.

Here, the detailed configuration of the CLU 125 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram showing a detailed configuration of the CLU 125 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. With reference to FIG. 5, a configuration including a current detecting unit 1251, a control unit 1252, and a current limiting unit 1253 is shown.

The current detection unit 1251 is connected between the power line and the positive electrode of the battery unit pair, and includes a sensing resistor (shunt resistor) R and a signal detection and amplification unit.

The control unit 1252 generates a control signal of the current limiting unit 1253 according to the directionality and magnitude of the current detected by the current detecting unit 1251.

The current limiting unit 1253 is connected between the power line and the negative electrode of the battery unit pair, and limits the current flowing between the power line and the battery unit pair to a predetermined value based on the control signal received from the control unit 1252. .. Here, the predetermined value is, for example, an upper limit value set as an allowable value of the charge or discharge current of the battery unit pair.

By arranging the CLU 125 configured as described above in association with the BCU 123, for example, when a battery unit pair having an extremely low SOC as compared with the connected battery unit pair is connected, another battery unit is connected. It is possible to limit the current flowing from the pair to the battery unit pair. Similarly, even when a battery unit pair having an extremely high SOC as compared with the connected battery unit pair is connected, it is possible to limit the current flowing from the battery unit to another battery unit pair.

Further, in the present embodiment, a circuit (second current limiting unit) equivalent to the CLU 125 is arranged between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair. Thereby, for example, when a battery unit having an extremely low SOC as compared with one battery unit of the battery unit pair is connected, it is possible to limit the current flowing from the one battery unit to the battery unit. .. Similarly, even when a battery unit having an extremely high SOC as compared with one battery unit of the battery unit pair is connected, it is possible to limit the current flowing from the battery unit to the one battery unit pair. ..

By arranging the CLU as described above, the user can freely connect the battery unit to the battery system and start charging or discharge the battery without worrying about the charging state of each battery unit. It is possible to start it.

The configuration of the CLU 125 is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and can be configured by using a circuit having other equivalent functions. For example, instead of the configuration shown in FIG. 5, the configuration described as the current control unit 30 in FIGS. 6 and 9 of Patent Document 1 can be used.

Subsequently, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 13. In the following description, as shown in FIG. 6, an example in which the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the battery system control device 100 is 3 will be described.

FIG. 6 shows a state in which six battery units 121a to 121g are connected to the battery system control device 100 and the SOC thereof is 90%. FIG. 7 shows a state in which the battery unit 121e is removed for use as a mobile battery or an emergency power source. Since the battery unit 121f is not balanced with the other battery units due to the removal of the battery unit 121e, the mode switching unit 102 of the battery system control device 100 disconnects (cuts off) the battery unit 121f from the power line. Instruct.

After that, as a result of using the battery unit 121e, it is assumed that the SOC of the battery unit 121e is reduced to a% (for example, 30%) lower than 90%. FIG. 8 shows a state in which the battery unit 121e is connected to the battery holder. At this time, the mode switching unit 102 of the battery system control device 100 determines that the SOCs of the battery unit 121e and the battery unit 121f are not balanced, maintains the state of being disconnected from the power line, and the battery unit 121e and the battery unit 121e. Instructs balancing among the battery units composed of the battery unit 121f (transition to mode 1).

FIG. 9 shows a state in which the mode 1 is entered and balancing is performed between the battery unit 121e and the battery unit composed of the battery unit 121f. FIG. 10 shows a state in which the SOCs of the battery unit 121e and the battery unit 121f are b% (for example, 60%) as a result of the balancing. In this embodiment, the loss due to charging efficiency will not be considered.

When the SOC of the battery unit 121e and the battery unit 121f becomes 60%, the mode switching unit 102 of the battery system control device 100 connects the battery unit 121e and the battery unit 121f to the power line, and is composed of the battery units 121e and 121f. Instructs balancing between the resulting battery unit pair and another battery unit pair (transition to mode 2).

FIG. 11 shows a state in which the mode 2 is entered and balancing is performed between the battery unit pair composed of the battery units 121e and 121f and the other battery unit pair. FIG. 12 shows a state in which the SOCs of the three battery unit pairs are all c% (for example, 80%) as a result of the balancing. This c% is the SOC at the time when there is no energy transfer between the battery units. Further, it may be determined that balancing is completed when the amount of energy transferred between the battery units reaches the threshold value or less. In this case, the SOCs of the three battery unit pairs do not necessarily have to match c%.

When the SOCs of the three battery unit pairs become uniform, the mode switching unit 102 of the battery system control device 100 instructs the charge / discharge control unit 101 to start charging. FIG. 13 shows a state in which the SOC of the three battery unit pairs reaches a predetermined upper limit SOC (for example, 95%) as a result of charging by the charge / discharge control unit 101.

In the above description, an example in which one battery unit is removed has been described, but similarly, when a plurality of battery units are removed, the battery system control device 100 is used between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair. Then, balancing is performed between the battery unit pairs, and then charging is performed. Therefore, the user can take out and use the required number of battery units without worrying about the charging state of each battery unit.

Further, the BCU 123, in which the number of connected battery units 121 is 0 to 1 due to the removal of the battery unit, is maintained in a state of being disconnected from the power line by the mode switching unit 102, and then the battery unit is moved to the battery holder. Even if it is set, the mode 1 is maintained, so that the unbalanced battery unit pair is not charged. Therefore, it can be said that the battery system control device 100 of the present embodiment has a kind of fail-safe function.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the operation of the battery system control device 100. Referring to FIG. 14, the battery system computer, that is, the battery system control device 100 receives information including the SOC of each battery unit 121 from the management unit BMU provided in the battery unit 121, and the battery units are described. SOC is monitored (step S001).

Here, when the SOCs of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are not balanced, that is, when there is a battery unit pair in which the SOC is not balanced (Yes in step S002), the battery system control device 100 The corresponding battery unit pair is separated from the power line, and the mode shifts to the first mode in which the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are balanced (step S003). As a result of the monitoring in step S001, when there is one or more battery unit pairs with balanced SOCs, the charge / discharge control unit 101 performs charging / discharging using the battery unit pairs with balanced SOCs. Can be done.

After that, when the charging states of the battery units 121 constituting the battery unit pair are in a balanced state, the battery system control device 100 connects the battery unit pair to the power line and shifts to the second mode ( Step S004).

The battery system control device 100 starts charging the all battery units 121 (step S006) after confirming that the SOCs of all the battery units 121 are balanced in the mode 2 (Yes in step S005).

As described above, according to the present embodiment, a desired number of arbitrary battery units under the control of the battery system control device 100 can be taken out and used. Then, after use, the SOC is balanced with the paired battery units by simply returning the battery to an arbitrary battery holder, and then the SOC is balanced between the paired battery units. Therefore, for this reason, it is possible to suppress the generation of backflow current between the battery unit 121 and the pair of battery units and the deterioration of the battery unit.

[Second Embodiment]
Some of the functions of the battery system control device 100 described above may be arranged on the network side. If necessary, the location and SOC of each battery unit can be shared among a large number of users. Hereinafter, a second embodiment in which a part of the functions of the battery system control device is arranged on the network side and the information of the battery unit can be provided will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 15, two battery units 121 are set in each of the four BCU 123s, and a base server 300 capable of charging up to eight battery units 121 and a base located at a base different from the base server 300. The configuration in which the server 310 and the battery system control device 100 are arranged on the network side is shown. Since the configuration on the battery unit side is the same as that of the first embodiment, the differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described below.

The base server 300 includes a charge / discharge control unit 301, a monitoring unit 302, and a data transmission / reception unit 303. The charge / discharge control unit 301, the monitoring unit 302, and the data transmission / reception unit 303 correspond to the charge / discharge control unit 101, the monitoring unit 103, and the data transmission / reception unit 104 of the battery system control device 100 of the first embodiment. Further, the monitoring unit 302 of the present embodiment transmits the voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), etc. received from the BMU 122 of each battery unit 121 to the battery system control device 400 side.

Although omitted in FIG. 15, the base server 310 also has the same function as the base server 300 and has a function of charging the battery unit 121.

The battery system control device 400 includes a mode switching unit 401, a data transmission / reception unit 402, and a battery unit information providing unit 403.
To do.

The mode switching unit 401 receives the voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge), etc. from the BMU 122 of each battery unit 121 via the data transmission / reception unit 402, and based on these, the base servers 300 and 310 are described above. A change instruction and a charge start instruction to the charge / discharge control unit 301 are transmitted to modes 1 to 3 of the above. Upon receiving the instruction, the base servers 300 and 310 control the BCU 123 and charge the charge / discharge control unit 301.

The battery unit information providing unit 403 manages the voltage, temperature, SOC (State Of Charge) of each battery unit 121 received via the data transmitting / receiving unit 402, and the state of the mode switching unit 401, and provides the data to the user terminal 500 or the like. ..

FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of state information of the battery unit 121 provided to the user terminal 500 from the battery unit information providing unit 403. In the example of FIG. 16, in addition to the ID of the battery unit 121, the position information, the SOC, and the state are provided in association with each other. In the example of FIG. 16, as the position information of the battery unit 121, the charging cradle information (battery holder information) of the base server to which the battery unit 121 is connected is used. As a result, the user can easily confirm how many battery units 121 are present in which base and are in a usable state.

The charging cradle information (battery holder information) of the base server to which the battery unit 121 is connected is used as the position information of the battery unit 121, but the position information is not limited to this. For example, when the BMU 122 or the base servers 300 and 310 are provided with position information acquisition means such as GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System), the position information expressed in latitude and longitude is transmitted to the battery system control device 400. It can be transmitted and provided to the battery unit information providing unit 403.

As described above, according to the first embodiment, a part of the functions of the base server 300 (corresponding to the battery system control device 100) is replaced with another device (for example, FIG. 4) as compared with the first embodiment. It is possible to carry it on the battery system control device 100). Further, according to the present embodiment, the battery unit information providing unit 403 can centrally manage the information of the battery units 121 arranged at different bases and provide the information to a plurality of users.

Although each embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and further modifications, substitutions, and adjustments are made without departing from the basic technical idea of the present invention. Can be added. For example, the connection relationship between the devices shown in each drawing, the configuration of each element, and the representation form of data are examples for assisting the understanding of the present invention, and are not limited to the configurations shown in these drawings. ..

For example, in the above-described embodiment, the battery system control device 100 and the base servers 300 and 310 have been described as being provided with the charge / discharge control unit 101, but the charge / discharge control unit 101 is independently provided as a separate device. It is also possible to adopt the configuration that is available.

For example, the battery system control device 100 of the first embodiment described above may be provided with a function equivalent to the battery unit information providing unit 403.

Further, as a method of balancing the SOCs between the battery units described above, a method of connecting the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the battery units 121 constituting the battery unit pair to each other has been described, but the one having the lower SOC has been described. It is also possible to adopt a method of balancing the SOC by individually charging the battery unit 121. In this case, the CLU 125 between the battery units 121 can be omitted.

The disclosures of the above patent documents shall be incorporated into this document by citation. Within the framework of the entire disclosure (including the scope of claims) of the present invention, it is possible to change or adjust the embodiments or examples based on the basic technical idea thereof. Further, various combinations or selections of various disclosure elements (including each element of each claim, each element of each embodiment or embodiment, each element of each drawing, etc.) are possible within the framework of the disclosure of the present invention. Is. That is, it goes without saying that the present invention includes all disclosure including claims, and various modifications and modifications that can be made by those skilled in the art in accordance with the technical idea. In particular, with respect to the numerical range described in this document, it should be interpreted that any numerical value or small range included in the range is specifically described even if there is no other description.

10 Charging device 20 Battery unit to 30 Monitoring unit 40 Mode switching unit 50 Battery holder 20a, 20b, 121 Battery unit 100, 400 Battery system control device 101, 301 Charging / discharging control unit 102, 401 Mode switching unit 103, 302 Monitoring unit 104 , 303, 402 Data transmitter / receiver 122 BMU
123 BCU (Battery Control Unit)
125 CLU (Curent Limiting Unit; current limiter)
300, 310 Base server 403 Battery unit information providing unit 1251 Current detecting unit 1252 Control unit 1253 Current limiting unit

Claims (6)

A battery unit pair composed of a pair of battery units connected in series is used as a charging unit, and is connected to a charging device that can be charged by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the power line. It is possible and
A monitoring unit that receives the charge status of each battery unit from the management unit provided in the battery unit and monitors the charge status of each battery unit.
When the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are not balanced, the first mode is to disconnect the battery unit pair from the power line and balance the charging states between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair. Migrate to
When the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are balanced, the mode switching unit connects the battery unit pair to the power line and shifts to a second mode in which the charging device is charged. When,
A battery holder in which the battery unit pair is connected in parallel to the power line and the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are detachably housed.
Battery system with. In the first mode, a circuit is formed in which the positive electrodes and the negative electrodes of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are connected to each other, and the battery unit having a high charge amount is charged to the battery unit having a low charge amount. Item 1 battery system. When the current value flowing into each of the battery units or being output from each of the battery units exceeds a predetermined threshold value, the battery unit pair passes through a current limiting unit that limits the current to a predetermined value. It is connected to the power line and
In the second mode, the monitoring unit instructs the charging device to start charging after the charging states of the battery unit pair are balanced.
The battery system of claim 1 or 2. Further, it includes a second current limiting unit that limits the current between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair in the first mode.
The battery system according to any one of claims 1 to 3. Further, the battery unit information providing unit includes a battery unit information providing unit that receives the information collected by the monitoring unit and provides at least the position information and the charging state of the battery unit to a predetermined user terminal.
The battery system according to claim 1 or 4. A battery unit pair composed of a pair of battery units connected in series is used as a charging unit, the battery unit pair is connected in parallel to a power line, and the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are detachably accommodated. A computer of a battery system having a battery holder and capable of connecting to a charging device that can be charged by changing the charging current according to the number of parallel battery unit pairs connected to the power line.
The charge status of each battery unit is received from the management unit provided in the battery unit, and the charge status of each battery unit is monitored.
When the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are not balanced, the first mode is to disconnect the battery unit pair from the power line and balance the charging states between the battery units constituting the battery unit pair. Migrate to
When the charging states of the battery units constituting the battery unit pair are balanced, the battery unit pair is connected to the power line to shift to a second mode in which the charging control unit is charged.
How to charge the battery unit.

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