JP6897484B2 - Battery communication system and battery communication method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a technology of a battery communication system and a battery communication method in which a plurality of master units exist.

Effective use of natural energy such as wind power and solar power is desired for the realization of a low-carbon society. However, these natural energies fluctuate greatly and their output is unstable. Therefore, it is considered to level the output by temporarily storing the energy generated by the natural energy in the power storage device.

These power storage devices have high output and large capacity. Therefore, in the battery module constituting the power storage device, a plurality of secondary batteries (hereinafter referred to as cells) are connected in series or in parallel. Electric power generated by wind power generation or solar power generation is stored in this cell. Further, in order to properly use a lead battery or a lithium ion battery, which is a cell, high voltage charging is prevented, performance deterioration due to discharge is prevented, and the like. Therefore, the battery module has a function of measuring cell states such as voltage, current, and temperature.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a general battery module 500.
As shown in FIG. 9, in the battery module 500, a plurality of cell CLs are connected to the cell controller CC. Then, the cell controller CC measures the states (voltage, temperature, etc.) of the plurality of cells CL. Further, in the battery module 500, a plurality of cell controllers CC are connected to the battery controller BC. The battery controller BC acquires the state information (sensing data) of each cell CL from the plurality of cell controllers CC. In the example of FIG. 9, a plurality of cell CLs are connected in series. Further, the battery controller BC calculates a charge state (SOC: State of Charge) and a cell deterioration state (SOH: State of Health) from the acquired states of the plurality of cell CLs. Then, the battery controller BC notifies the higher-level system controller (not shown) or the like of the calculation result.

An inverter 502 is connected to the battery module 500 shown in FIG. 9 via a relay box 501. Then, the three-phase AC voltage converted by the inverter 502 is applied to the motor 503 to drive the motor 503.

In FIG. 9, the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC are communicating by wire. Further, in Patent Document 1, "a plurality of processes in which a fuel cell state monitoring device for monitoring voltage values and the like of a plurality of cells constituting a fuel cell stack is attached to the stack to acquire and process cell state information. A plurality of boards on which a unit 22 and a plurality of transmission / reception circuits for outputting state information received from each processing unit are mounted, an internal antenna 32 connected to the transmission / reception circuit, an external circuit 42 for outputting a detection command signal, and an external device. It consists of a reader 40 including an antenna 44. A detection command signal output by an external circuit and cell state information output by a transmission / reception circuit are transmitted to an external circuit and a transmission / reception circuit by wireless communication via an internal antenna and an external antenna. A fuel cell condition monitoring device is disclosed (see summary).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-135762

When the number of cell controllers connected to the battery controller becomes huge, a large number of communication lines are required. Then, the reliability such as whether the connection destination and the connection source are correct is lowered, the time and effort for connection becomes enormous, and the capacity occupied by the communication line becomes large.

Therefore, in the conventional technique, one battery controller and a plurality of cell controllers perform wireless communication. However, if the number of cell controllers, which are slave units, increases, the communication capacity of one battery controller will be exceeded. Therefore, it is conceivable to increase the number of battery controllers as the number of cell controllers increases. However, as the number of battery controllers increases, the distance between the battery controllers becomes shorter, and interference may occur between the battery controllers.

The present invention has been made in view of such a background, and an object of the present invention is to prevent interference.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention has a plurality of master units and a plurality of slave units that wirelessly communicate with the specific master unit, and a plurality of batteries are connected to the slave units. The slave unit acquires information regarding the state of each of the connected batteries, transmits the acquired information to the master unit, and the communication performed by the master unit is performed between the master unit and the slave unit. the communication is stopped, and the inter-base unit communication period in which communication between each of the master unit is performed, and each of the master unit, the master unit communication is performed between the handset - between handset a communication period, the parent device after the base unit communication period - communication period between the slave unit is provided, before Symbol communication period between the master unit, synchronously starts with all the base unit, In the inter-master unit communication period, the frequency used by each master unit for communication with the slave unit is determined so that the frequency does not overlap with that of the other master unit, and in the master unit-slave communication period, the frequency is determined. Using the frequency determined by the inter-master unit communication period, all the slave units communicating with the master unit sequentially communicate with the master unit, and the parent unit starts from the start of the inter-master unit communication period. It is characterized in that the period until the end of the communication period between the machine and the handset is repeated in a predetermined cycle.
Other solutions are described in the embodiments.

According to the present invention, interference can be prevented.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the battery communication system Z which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of the cell controller CC. It is a figure which shows the hardware composition of the battery controller BC. It is a figure which shows the example of the communication processing performed in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows another example of the communication processing performed in 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the communication process at the time of a communication error occurrence. It is a figure which shows the example of the communication processing of the battery controller BC1 performed in the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the process of the battery controller BC2 performed in the 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a general battery module 500.

Next, an embodiment (referred to as “embodiment”) for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.

[First Embodiment]
<System>
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a battery communication system Z according to the first embodiment.
Cell communication system Z is configured to include a single overall master unit V, a plurality of battery controller (master unit) BC, a plurality of cell controllers (handset) and CC, the. Further, the control master unit V and the plurality of battery controllers BC are connected by wire to perform wired communication. In addition, wireless communication may be performed between the control master unit V and each battery controller BC.

Then, a group G is formed between the specific battery controller BC and the cell controller CC. Communication using wireless packets (wireless communication) is performed between the battery controller BC belonging to the same group G and the cell controller CC at the same frequency. However, different frequencies are used in the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC of different groups G so as not to cause interference. The frequency used for communication between the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC in the same group G is referred to as a channel.

Further, in the example of FIG. 1, a plurality of cell (battery) CLs are connected in series to each cell controller CC.
In the example of FIG. 1, a group G1 is formed between the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1, CC1-2, ..., CC1-n. Then, a group G2 is formed between the battery controller BC2 and the cell controllers CC2-1, CC2-2, ..., CC2-n.
In this way, the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC are grouped in advance, and are set so as not to communicate with the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC of the other group G. Specifically, communication is performed by sharing the group ID between the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC that belong to the same group G.

In this way, the battery controller BC communicates with one or more cell controller CCs in the same group G, and acquires information regarding the state of the cell CL measured by the cell controller CC. At this time, time-division wireless communication is performed between the cell controller CC and the battery controller BC. The time-division wireless communication between the cell controller CC and the battery controller BC will be described later.

<Hardware configuration>
Here, the hardware configurations of the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC will be described.

(Cell controller CC)
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the cell controller CC.
Each cell controller CC is connected to a cell group 10 composed of one or a plurality of cell CLs, and measures the state (voltage, current, temperature, etc.) of each cell CL. Each cell CL is provided with a sensor SE that measures the state of the cell CL (voltage, current, temperature, etc.). Although each cell CL is provided with a sensor SE in FIG. 2, one sensor SE may be provided in the cell group 10, or one sensor SE may be provided for each of the plurality of cell CLs. May be good.

Each cell controller CC has a processing unit 110, a wireless circuit 120, an antenna 130, and a power supply circuit 240.
The processing unit 110 acquires and processes information regarding the state of each cell CL connected to the cell controller CC. Further, the processing unit 110 processes the information received from the battery controller BC (see FIG. 1).

The result (processed result) processed by the processing unit 110 is transmitted to the battery controller BC via the wireless circuit 120 and the antenna 130.
The information sent from the battery controller BC to the cell controller CC is received by the antenna 130 and input to the processing unit 110 via the wireless circuit 120.

The power supply circuit 140 generates an operating voltage of the cell controller CC when electric power is input from the cell group 10.
The processing unit 110 includes an A / D converter (ADC111), a CPU (Cebtral processing Unit) 112, a memory 113, and a clock generator 114.
The ADC 111 converts the information regarding the state of the cell CL of the analog data measured by the sensor SE into digital data.

The memory 113 stores the cell CL, the individual identification information (unique ID) of the cell controller CC itself, and the like. Further, the memory 113 stores information about the slot used by the memory 113. Slots will be described later.
The clock generator 114 can oscillate by switching between a high-speed clock of about several MHz and a low-speed clock of about several tens of kHz. The CPU 112 operates according to the clock generated by the clock generator 114.

Based on the data from the wireless circuit 120, the CPU 112 turns on / off some circuits in the wireless circuit 120 and the processing unit 110, switches the clock frequency of the clock generator 114, and the like. Further, the CPU 112 executes read / write to the memory 113, an instruction from the battery controller BC, and the like.

That is, the CPU 112 outputs the data converted by the ADC 111 to the wireless circuit 120. It also processes the information transmitted from the battery controller BC received via the antenna 130.

(Battery controller BC)
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a hardware configuration of the battery controller BC.
The battery controller BC includes a wireless circuit 211, a CPU 212, a power supply circuit 213, a memory 214, and one or more (one in the example of FIG. 3) antenna 215.

The power supply circuit 213 generates an operating voltage of the battery controller BC by inputting electric power from the battery 216 installed in the battery controller BC. In the example of FIG. 3, the battery 216 installed inside the battery controller BC is used as the power supply circuit 213, but power may be supplied from the outside.

The CPU 212 processes the information sent from the control master unit V (see FIG. 1) and the cell controller CC (see FIG. 1) acquired via the antenna 215 and the wireless circuit 211. Further, the CPU 212 transmits information to the cell controller CC via the wireless circuit 211 and the antenna 215.

The memory 214 stores information on the channel used by the battery controller BC itself, information on the slot used by the cell controller CC, and information on the channel used when a communication error occurs. The channels and channels used when a communication error occurs will be described later.

<Communication processing example>
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of communication processing performed in the first embodiment. In addition, in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, it is shown that the process indicated by a dot is a broadcast transmission.
As shown in FIG. 4, the period from the transmission of the synchronization signal “S” from the control master unit V to the next transmission of the synchronization signal “S” from the control master unit V is defined as the basic cycle F.

In FIG. 4, the control master unit V is referred to as “V”. Similarly, the battery controller BC1 is referred to as "BC1" and the battery controller BC2 is referred to as "BC2". Further, in FIG. 4, the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n that communicate with the battery controller BC1 are referred to as "CC1-1" to "CC1-n". Incidentally, the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n form a group G1.

Then, in the basic cycle F, the timing at which the synchronization signal "S" is transmitted from the control master unit V, the communication period between BCs (communication period between master units), and the communication period between BC and CC (master unit and slave unit) Communication period) and.

As described above, the control master unit V periodically broadcasts the synchronization signal “S” to all the battery controllers BC (battery controllers BC1 and BC2 in the example of FIG. 4). By the way, "S" is an acronym for Synchronization.
The battery controller BC that has received the synchronization signal "S"("RxD") determines the start timing of the inter-BC communication period based on the synchronization signal "S". Further, the battery controller BC determines the start timing of the BC-CC communication period. By the way, "R" at the beginning of "RsD" means receive.

In the inter-BC communication period, time-division slots are set for each channel. Here, the channel indicates each frequency in frequency division, and the slot indicates each time-division period. The period of each slot in the inter-BC communication period and the inter-BC-CC communication period is set in advance. Further, the correspondence between the slot and the channel is also set in advance and stored in each battery controller BC.

(Communication period between BCs)
In the example of FIG. 4, the inter-BC communication period is time-divisioned into 16 slots “P1” to “P16”. Then, a 2.4 GHz band and a channel "26" are assigned to each slot from the channel "11" of IEEE802.154.

The battery controller BC1 transmits in the slot of the channel that communicates with the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n. The channel through which each battery controller BC communicates with the cell controller CC is set in advance in the battery controller BC. Here, the battery controller BC1 communicates with the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n on channel "11". Then, the battery controller BC2 communicates with the cell controllers CC2-1 to CC2-n (see FIG. 1) on the channel “12”. In FIG. 4, the cell controllers CC2-1 to CC2-n are not shown.

First, the battery controller BC1 notifies another battery controller BC (battery controller BC2 in the example of FIG. 4) of a channel (“Tx1”). By the way, the leading "T" of "Tx1" indicated by a dot means a transmission. In the example of FIG. 4, the battery controller BC1 performs channel notification at the frequency of the channel "11" in the slot "P1" assigned to the channel "11". Channel notification means that a specific battery controller BC notifies another battery controller BC of the channel it uses. At this time, the battery controller BC other than the battery controller BC1 (battery controller BC2 in the example of FIG. 4) is in the reception mode (“Rx”).

Thereby, the battery controller BC other than the battery controller BC1 can detect that the battery controller BC1 is using the channel "11". The channel notification may or may not include the information of the channel used for the channel notification itself. This is because the channel-notified battery controller BC can detect which channel the transmitted channel notification is using in the slot being used or in its own reception mode.

After that, the battery controller BC1 switches the mode to the reception mode (“Rx”), and receives the other slots “P2” to “P16” while switching to the channel corresponding to the slot.

For example, the battery controller BC1 sets the reception mode at the frequency of the channel "12" at the timing of the slot "P2" to which the channel "12" is assigned. Then, the battery controller BC1 sets the reception mode at the frequency of the channel "13" in the slot "P3" to which the channel "13" is assigned. Hereinafter, the battery controller BC1 switches to the reception mode of the channels assigned to the slots "P4" to "P16".

Next, the operation of the battery controller BC2 during the inter-BC communication period will be described.
As described above, the battery controller BC1 notifies the other battery controller BC of the channel in the slot “P1”. In the example of FIG. 4, as described above, the battery controller BC1 performs channel notification in the slot “P11” assigned to the channel “11”. Further, the battery controller BC2 is in the reception mode (“Rx”) of the channel “11” in the slot “P11”.
Therefore, the battery controller BC2 receives this channel notification at the timing of the slot “P1”. As a result, the battery controller BC2 detects that the battery controller BC1 is communicating using the channel "11".

Next, the battery controller BC2 performs channel notification at the frequency of the channel "12" in the slot "P2" assigned to the channel "12" set to itself ("Tx1"). As described above, in the slot “P2”, the battery controller BC other than the battery controller BC2 (battery controller BC1 in the example of FIG. 4) is in the reception mode (“Rx”).

Thereby, the battery controller BC other than the battery controller BC2 can detect that the battery controller BC2 is using the channel "12".
After that, the battery controller BC2 sets the mode to the reception mode (“Rx”), and receives the other slots “P3” to “Pn” while switching to the frequency of the channel corresponding to the slot.

When the channel search for all slots is completed, each battery controller BC sets an unused channel as a channel when a communication error occurs. After that, the respective battery controller BC and cell controller CC shift to the BC-CC communication period.

The battery controller BC may prioritize each channel. Then, when another battery controller BC is using the channel that it intends to use during the inter-BC communication period, the battery controller BC may use the channel having the next priority.

(Communication period between BC and CC)
The BC-CC communication period is time-divisioned into a period for transmitting a synchronization signal from the battery controller BC to the cell controller CC and a slot for the battery controller BC to communicate with each cell controller CC thereafter.

FIG. 4 describes the communication between the battery controller BC1 in the group G1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n. The communication between the battery controller BC2 and the cell controller CC in the group G2 is the same as the communication between the battery controller BC1 and the cell controller CC in the group G1. Therefore, the description here will be omitted.

Communication to the battery controller BC1 by each of the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n is assigned to the slots "T1" to "Tn", respectively.
First, the battery controller BC1 broadcasts a synchronization signal to each of the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n (“Tx2”). This synchronization signal includes a channel to be used when a communication error occurs at the end of the inter-BC communication period. Further, this synchronization signal includes information that the channel "11" is used between the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to 1-n.
After this, the battery controller BC1 enters the receive mode on channel "11"("Rx").

Each of the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n receives the synchronization signal transmitted from the battery controller BC1 (“Rx”). At this time, the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n acquire the channels included in the synchronization signal to be used when a communication error occurs.

Then, in the slot “T1”, the cell controller CC1-1 assigned to the slot “T1” transmits sensing data to the battery controller BC1 (“Tx3”). The sensing data is the cell voltage of the cell CL connected to the cell controller CC, the cell surface temperature, and the like.

Next, in the slot “T2”, the cell controller CC1-2 assigned to the slot “T2” transmits sensing data to the battery controller BC1 (“Tx3”).

Hereinafter, in the same manner, the cell controllers CC1-3 to CC1-n transmit the sensing data to the battery controller BC1 in the assigned slots “T3” to “Tn” (“Tx3”).

When all the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n transmit the sensing data, the information to that effect is transmitted to the control master unit V such as the battery controller BC1k. Then, the synchronization signal is broadcasted from the control master unit V to each battery controller BC. Then, each battery controller BC and each cell controller CC repeat the process of the basic cycle F. During the BC-CC communication period, group G1 communicates using channel "11". Further, the group G2 communicates using the channel "12". Therefore, there is no risk of interference.

The slot allocation during the BC-CC communication period may be preset. Alternatively, the allocation may be determined at the beginning of the BC-CC communication period. In this case, the battery controller BC includes information on which cell controller CC uses which slot in the synchronization signal transmitted at the beginning of the BC-CC communication period.

Further, in the example of FIG. 4, the basic cycle F is from the transmission of the synchronization signal by the control master unit V to the transmission of the synchronization signal from the next control master unit V, but the period is not limited to this. For example, the synchronization signal may be transmitted from the control master unit V after the BC-to-BC communication period and the BC-CC communication period are repeated two or three times.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing another example of the communication process performed in the first embodiment. In FIG. 5, the same processing as in FIG. 4 is designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the battery controller BC1 uses the channel “11” and the battery controller BC2 uses the channel “15”. That is, it differs from FIG. 4 in that the battery controller BC2 uses the channel “15”. Further, FIG. 5 is different from FIG. 4 in that the cell controllers CC2-1 and CC2-2 that communicate with the battery controller BC2 are shown.

First, the battery controller BC1 receives the synchronization signal (“RxD”) transmitted (“S”) from the control master unit V. After that, the battery controller BC transmits a channel notification to another battery controller BC in the slot “P1” assigned to the channel “11” (“Tx1”). In the example of FIG. 5, the other battery controller BC is the battery controller BC2. Then, the battery controller BC1 performs reception while sequentially switching frequencies (channels) in the slots (“P2” to “P16”) assigned to the channels “12” to “26” (“Rx”). By doing so, the battery controller BC1 monitors which channel the other battery controller BC is communicating with. This process is the same as that described in FIG.

On the other hand, the battery controller BC2 first receives (“RxD”) the synchronization signal transmitted (“S”) from the control master unit V. After that, the battery controller BC2 performs reception while switching the frequency to the channels (channels "11" to "14") assigned to the slots ("P1" to "P4") during the inter-BC communication period ("Rx"). "). By doing so, the battery controller BC2 monitors which channel the other battery controller BC is communicating with.

Then, in the slot “P5” assigned to the channel “15”, the battery controller BC2 notifies another battery controller BC of the channel (“Tx1”). In the example of FIG. 5, the other battery controller BC is the battery controller BC1.

After that, the battery controller BC2 performs reception while sequentially switching frequencies (channels) in the slots "P6" to "P16" assigned to the channels "16" to "26". As a result, the battery controller BC2 monitors which channel the other battery controller BC is communicating with.

As a result, the battery controller BC1 detects that another battery controller BC (battery controller BC2) is communicating on the channel "15". As a result, the battery controller BC1 does not select the channel "15" as the channel switching destination when the communication condition deteriorates. After that, the battery controller BC1 transmits a synchronization signal to the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n at the frequency of the channel "11" during the BC-CC communication period. Then, the battery controller BC1 sequentially receives the sensing data transmitted from the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n. Since this process is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 4, the description thereof will be omitted here.

On the other hand, the battery controller BC2 has already detected that the battery controller BC1 is communicating on the channel "11". As a result, the battery controller BC2 does not select the channel "11" as the channel switching destination when the communication condition deteriorates. After that, the battery controller BC2 transmits a synchronization signal to the cell controllers CC2-1 and CC2-2 at the frequency of channel "15" during the BC-CC communication period. Then, the battery controller BC2 sequentially receives the sensing data transmitted from the cell controllers CC2-1 and CC2-2. Since this process is the same as that of the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n described with reference to FIG. 4, the description thereof will be omitted here.

<When a communication error occurs>
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing communication processing when a communication error occurs.
When a communication error occurs between the battery controller BC and a specific cell controller CC, the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC switch channels (frequency).

As described above, when the battery controller BC transmits the synchronization signal (“Tx2” in FIGS. 4 and 5) to the cell controller CC, the battery controller BC includes the channel switching destination in the event of a communication error in the synchronization signal and transmits the synchronization signal. There is.

As shown in FIG. 6, before the occurrence of the communication error, the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n communicate with each other on the channel "11". Further, it is assumed that the battery controller BC1 has selected the channel "14" as the channel switching destination when a communication error occurs.

It is assumed that the cell controller CC1-2 detects a communication error between the battery controller BC1 and the battery controller BC1 twice in a row in the basic cycle F1 and the basic cycle F2. Each cell controller CC has previously received a synchronization signal (“Tx2” in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the battery controller BC, and then has not received the synchronization signal from the battery controller BC for a predetermined time, otherwise a communication error has occurred. Detect. The communication error in this case means that an error occurs in the communication between the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC. The predetermined time is, for example, the time of the basic cycle F × N (N = 2 in the example of FIG. 6). For example, the cell controller CC2 does not receive the synchronization signal from the battery controller BC for the time of the basic cycle F for two times after receiving the synchronization signal (“Tx2” in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the battery controller BC before. Suppose. Then, as shown in FIG. 6, the cell controller CC2 detects that a communication error has occurred twice in succession in the basic cycles F1 and F2.

Further, the battery controller BC1 also detects that a communication error has occurred with the cell controller CC1-2 unless the sensing data (“Tx3” in FIGS. 4 and 5) is transmitted from the cell controller CC1-2. .. The IDs of the cell controllers CC1-1 to 1-n are stored in advance in the battery controller BC1.

The cell controller CC1-2, which has detected a communication error twice in a row, switches its own channel to the channel "14" which is the switching destination when the communication error occurs in the basic cycle F3. At this time, only the cell controller CC1-2 has the channel “14”, and the channels of the battery controller BC and the other cell controller CC remain “11”. Therefore, it can be said that the communication error in the cell controller CC1-2 is ongoing.

Then, the battery controller BC1 that detects the communication error with the cell controller CC1-2 twice in a row transmits an instruction (switching instruction) to switch the channel to "14" to the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n. .. The switching instruction is transmitted in the basic cycle F3. Further, the switching instruction may be transmitted together with the synchronization signal (“Tx2” in FIGS. 4 and 5). That is, the switching instruction is broadcast-transmitted to the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n. Incidentally, in the example of FIG. 6, the switching instruction is transmitted on the channel "11". This is because the cell controller CCs other than the cell controller CC1-2 are communicating on the channel "11".

The basic cycle F3 is a basic cycle F next to the basic cycle F in which the battery controller BC1 detects a communication error with the cell controller CC1-2 twice in a row.
Upon receiving the instruction to switch the channel to "14", the cell controllers CC1-1 and CC1-3 to CC1-n switch the channel from "11" to "14". The cell controller CC1-2 has already voluntarily switched to the channel "14". Therefore, from the next basic cycle F4, the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n can communicate with each other by the channel "14".

Here, the reason why the cell controller CC1-2 independently switches the channel from "11" to "14" in the basic cycle F3 will be described.
In the basic cycle F3, the battery controller BC1 transmits an instruction to switch the channel to "14" to the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n, and as described above, this instruction is transmitted on the channel "11".

Here, since the cell controller CC1-2 has a communication error on the channel "11", the cell controller CC1-2 cannot receive the switching instruction transmitted on the channel "11".

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cell controller CC1-2 independently switches to the channel “14” of the switching destination notified in advance.
By doing so, the cell controller CC1-2 can perform communication in the basic cycle F4 or later of FIG. 6 even if the switching instruction transmitted in the channel "11" cannot be received in the basic cycle F3.

In this way, when the cell controller CC detects a communication error a predetermined number of times (twice in the example of FIG. 6) or more, the cell controller CC voluntarily switches the frequency to the switching destination channel notified in advance. Further, the battery controller BC transmits a channel switching instruction to the cell controller CC of the same group G. By doing so, it is possible to restore communication quickly and accurately.

According to the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment, interference between the battery controllers BC can be prevented.

In conventional communication systems, each master unit communicates with the slave unit asynchronously. In this case, when the power is turned on, the master unit performs a channel (frequency) scan before the master unit itself communicates. Then, if the other master unit is not using the channel to be used by the master unit itself, the master unit starts communication. However, since this method is performed asynchronously, it takes time to establish communication.

The battery communication system Z of the present embodiment starts the inter-BC communication period triggered by the synchronization signal transmitted from the control master unit V. Then, each battery controller BC performs a channel scan during the inter-BC communication period. After that, each battery controller BC communicates with the cell controller CC of the same group G on the determined channel. As described above, since the channel scan is performed synchronously in the present embodiment, even if a new battery controller BC is added, the added battery controller BC can start communication quickly. That is, the unconnected time of the added battery controller BC can be shortened.

In particular, during the inter-BC communication period, slots are assigned to each channel, and the battery controller BC performs channel notification in the slot of the channel used by itself. Then, in the slot other than the channel used by the battery controller BC, the reception mode is set in the channel of the slot. By doing so, the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment can perform efficient channel scanning.

Further, in the conventional communication system, the master unit and the slave unit communicate with each other on a preset channel. In such a case, the master unit can be installed only on a fixed channel. In the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment, it is scanned whether or not the channel to be used in the inter-BC communication period is used, and the unused channel is used. By doing so, it is not necessary to fix the channel of the battery controller BC in advance.

As described above, the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment can communicate between the battery controllers BC without interference even when the number of battery controllers BC increases. Further, the battery controller BC and the cell controller CC can be easily added.

Unlike a general communication system, the battery communication system Z has a short distance between the battery controllers BC. Therefore, interference between the battery controllers BC is more likely to occur than in a general communication system.
In the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment, the battery controller BC confirms whether or not another battery controller BC is using the channel that it intends to use during the inter-BC communication period. Then, after confirming that the battery controller BC is not in use, the battery controller BC communicates with the cell controller CC using the channel. By doing so, interference can be reliably prevented even if the battery controllers BC are close to each other. That is, according to the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment, it is possible to improve the communication quality. In particular, as the number of battery controllers BC increases, the effect of this embodiment also increases.

Further, in the present embodiment, the BC-CC communication period is time-divisioned into slots corresponding to the cell controller CC. Then, each cell controller CC communicates using the channel notified from the battery controller BC in the slot corresponding to itself. By doing so, interference does not occur even if a plurality of cell controllers CC communicate using the same channel.

[Second Embodiment]
In the first embodiment, each battery controller BC determines the start timing of communication, that is, the start timing of the basic cycle F, with reference to the synchronization signal transmitted from the control master unit V. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, the case where the control master unit V does not exist or the case where the control master unit V does not transmit the synchronization signal is shown.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of communication processing of the battery controller BC1 performed in the second embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, in the second embodiment, the scan period SC is provided before the basic cycle F is started. In FIGS. 7 and 8, the channel “M” is referred to as “CHM”.
That is, immediately after the power is turned on, the battery controller BC1 scans from channel "11" to channel "26" to see if another battery controller BC is communicating during the scan period SC. Here, if another battery controller BC (other communication) is not detected, the battery controller BC1 sets a channel to, for example, a preset channel "11". That is, the battery controller BC1 selects a channel from unused channels. The battery controller BC1 generates an inter-BC communication period and an inter-BC-CC communication period at its own timing.

Then, the battery controller BC1 performs channel notification (“Tx1” in FIGS. 4 and 5) to another battery controller BC in the slot assigned to the channel “11” of the inter-BC communication period in the basic cycle F. Similar to the first embodiment, the channel notification is performed by broadcast transmission. After that, the battery controller BC1 and the cell controllers CC1-1 to CC1-n repeat the BC-to-BC communication period and the BC-CC communication period (that is, the basic cycle F). Since this process is described in FIGS. 4 and 5 except that there is no synchronization signal (“S” in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the control master unit V, the description thereof will be omitted here.

The battery controller BC1 that is turned on first may use the channel assigned to the first slot in the inter-BC communication period. This is because the channel notification transmitted by the battery controller BC1 to the other battery controller BC corresponds to the synchronization signal (“S” in FIGS. 4 and 5) transmitted by the control master unit V of the first embodiment. is there. That is, this is because another battery controller BC starts the inter-BC communication period triggered by the channel notification transmitted by the battery controller BC1.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the processing of the battery controller BC2 performed in the second embodiment.
Here, it is assumed that the battery controller BC2 is installed after the battery controller BC1 is installed. That is, it is assumed that the power of the battery controller BC2 is turned on after the battery controller BC1 (second and subsequent). Then, it is assumed that the battery controller BC1 has already finished the scan period SC and is in the process of the basic cycle F by the channel "11".

After the power is turned on, the battery controller BC2 scans from channel "11" to channel "26" in order to confirm whether or not there is another battery controller BC communicating with the battery controller BC2 (scan period SC). During this scan period SC, the battery controller BC2 detects that the battery controller BC1 is communicating with the cell controller CC on channel "11". Therefore, the battery controller BC2 scans again on the channel "11" during the confirmation period CF. Here, an example is shown in which the battery controller BC2 detects only the channel “11”. When a plurality of channels are detected, the battery controller BC2 scans each channel in the confirmation period CF.

In this confirmation period CF, it is confirmed that the battery controller BC1 is communicating on the channel “11”. Then, the battery controller BC2 selects, for example, channel "14" from the unused channels. In each battery controller BC, the channel selection priority is determined in advance. If the channel with the highest selection order is used by another battery controller BC, the channel with the next highest selection order is selected.

Next, the battery controller BC2 receives the channel notification (“Tx1” in FIGS. 4 and 5) transmitted by the battery controller BC1. This channel notification is broadcast-transmitted in the slot "P1" (see FIGS. 4 and 5) assigned to the channel "11" during the inter-BC communication period. This channel notification corresponds to a synchronization signal (“S” in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the control master unit V in the first embodiment. The battery controller BC2 starts the inter-BC communication period triggered by this channel notification "Tx1". When the inter-BC communication period ends, the battery controller BC2 starts the inter-BC communication period. This process is the same as the process of the battery controller BC1 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 except that there is no synchronization signal (“S”) from the control master unit V, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. ..

After that, the battery controller BC2 repeats the basic cycle F by repeating starting the inter-BC communication period triggered by the channel notification (“Tx1”) transmitted from the battery controller BC1.

According to the second embodiment, since the control master unit V is not required, the cost of the battery communication system Z can be reduced.
Further, by making the battery controller BC, which is turned on first, correspond to the control master unit V, the battery communication system Z can be operated efficiently.
In addition, the first powered on battery controller BC scans all available channels and selects unused channels from the available channels. By doing so, even if another battery controller BC that is communicating is present, channel collision can be avoided.
Further, the battery controller BC whose power is turned on after the second scans all available channels and selects an unused channel from the available channels. By doing so, it is possible to avoid a channel collision with another battery controller BC that is communicating.

The BC-CC communication period of the present embodiment is time-divisioned, but the present invention is not limited to this, and frequency division may be used.
Further, the same channel may be used in the battery controller BC within a range where radio waves do not reach each other.

Further, in the present embodiment, the slot interval of the BC-CC communication period is the same for each group G, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it is assumed that there are n cell controller CCs in the group G1 and m cell controller CCs in the group G2. In this case, the BC-CC communication period may be divided into n + 1 in the group G1, and the BC-CC communication period may be divided into m + 1 in the group G2. However, the total length of the BC-CC communication period is the same for each group G. The “+1” portion of the “n + 1” and “m + 1” described above is a slot assigned to the synchronization signal (“Tx2” in FIGS. 4 and 5) from the battery controller BC.

The battery communication system Z of the present embodiment can be applied to a battery logistic management system that stores electric power generated by solar power generation or wind power generation and distributes the electric power as needed. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the battery communication system Z of the present embodiment may be applied to an in-vehicle battery system, a high-voltage battery system for railways, an industrial high-voltage battery system, and the like.

Further, although the example of the battery communication system Z is shown in the present embodiment, it can be applied to a general communication system in which the battery controller BC is used as a master unit and the cell controller CC is used as a slave unit. For example, it can be applied to an article management system, a sensor net system, or the like.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiment has been described in detail in order to explain the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and is not necessarily limited to those having all the described configurations. Further, it is possible to replace a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment, and it is also possible to add the configuration of another embodiment to the configuration of one embodiment. Further, it is possible to add / delete / replace a part of the configuration of each embodiment with another configuration.

Further, each of the above-mentioned configurations, functions, memories 113, 214, etc. may be realized by hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them by an integrated circuit or the like. Further, as shown in FIG. 3, each of the above-described configurations, functions, and the like may be realized by software by interpreting and executing a program in which a processor such as a CPU 112 or 212 realizes each function. In addition to storing information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function in HD (Hard Disk), memory 113, 214, a recording device such as SD (Solid State Drive), or an IC (Integrated Circuit) ) Cards, SD (Secure Digital) cards, DVDs (Digital Versatile Discs) and other recording media.

Further, in each embodiment, the control lines and information lines are shown as necessary for explanation, and not all the control lines and information lines are necessarily shown in the product. In practice, almost all configurations can be considered interconnected.

BC, BC1, BC2 Battery controller (master unit)
CC, CC1-1-1-CC1-n, 2-1-2-n cell controller (slave unit)
CL cell (battery)
P1 to P16, T1 to Tn slots (communication period between master unit, communication period between master unit and slave unit)
V oversee the master unit Z battery communication system

Claims (10)

With multiple master units,
A plurality of slave units that wirelessly communicate with the specific master unit,
Have,
A plurality of batteries are connected to the slave unit.
The slave unit acquires information regarding the state of each of the connected batteries, and transmits the acquired information to the master unit.
The communication performed by the master unit includes a communication period between the master units in which communication between the master unit and the slave unit is stopped and communication is performed between the master units, each of the master units, and the said. It has a communication period between the master unit and the slave unit in which communication is performed with the slave unit.
After the communication period between the master units, the communication period between the master unit and the slave units is provided.
Communication period between the leading Symbol master unit, synchronously starts with all the base unit,
In the inter-master unit communication period, the frequency used by each master unit for communication with the slave unit is determined so that the frequency does not overlap with that of the other master unit.
In the master unit-slave communication period, all the slave units communicating with the master unit sequentially communicate with the master unit using the frequency determined in the master unit communication period.
A battery communication system characterized in that the period from the start of the communication period between master units to the end of the communication period between master units and slave units is repeated at a predetermined cycle. The communication period between master units is divided into slots, which are time-division unit periods, and different frequencies are assigned to each of the slots.
Each master unit
In the slot assigned to the predetermined frequency used by the master unit itself, the predetermined frequency used by the master unit itself is notified to another master unit, and the other master unit is notified.
The battery communication system according to claim 1, wherein the slots other than the slot to be notified are set to the reception mode at the frequency assigned to each slot. During the communication period between master units
The master unit is
By searching for the frequency, an unused frequency is selected as the frequency at the time of occurrence of the communication error, and the slave unit communicating with the master unit itself is notified of the frequency at the time of occurrence of the selected communication error.
The slave unit
When a communication error with the master unit to be communicated with the slave unit itself is detected, the frequency for communication with the master unit is switched to the frequency at the time of the communication error.
The master unit is
When the communication error with the predetermined slave unit is detected, the frequency for communication with the master unit is set to the slave unit to be communicated with the master unit itself when the communication error occurs. The battery communication system according to claim 1, wherein the battery communication system is instructed to switch to a frequency. Each master unit can communicate with the control master unit,
Each of the above-mentioned master units
The battery communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication period between the master units is started by a synchronization signal transmitted from the control master unit. The battery communication system according to claim 1, wherein a communication period between the master units is started in each master unit by a synchronization signal transmitted from a predetermined master unit. The battery communication system according to claim 5, wherein the predetermined master unit is a master unit whose power is turned on first. The master unit that is first turned on is characterized in that it scans available frequencies and uses unused frequencies among the usable frequencies for communication with the slave unit. The battery communication system according to claim 6. The master unit whose power is turned on after the second is
The battery communication system according to claim 7, wherein the usable frequency is scanned and an unused frequency among the usable frequencies is used for communication with the slave unit. The predetermined master unit and the slave unit communicating with the master unit form a group.
The communication period between the master unit and the slave unit is
Time-division slots are set for a predetermined period, and each of these slots is uniquely assigned a slave unit in the group.
The slave unit is characterized in that it communicates with the master unit using the determined frequency in the slot assigned to the slave unit itself during the communication period between the master unit and the slave unit. The battery communication system according to claim 1. With multiple master units,
A plurality of slave units that wirelessly communicate with the specific master unit,
Have,
A plurality of batteries are connected to the slave unit.
The slave unit acquires information on the state of each of the connected batteries, and each of the master units in the battery communication system that transmits the acquired information to the master unit
The inter-master communication period in which communication is performed between the master units is started synchronously in all the master units.
During the inter-master unit communication period, the communication between the master unit and the slave unit is stopped, and the frequency used for communication with the slave unit is determined so that the frequency does not overlap with that of the other master unit.
In the master unit- slave communication period in which communication is performed with the slave unit after the master unit communication period, the frequency determined by the master unit communication period is used with the master unit. All the slave units that communicate with each other communicate with the master unit in order .
A battery communication method characterized in that the period from the start of the communication period between master units to the end of the communication period between master units and slave units is repeated in a predetermined cycle.

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