KR101008755B1 - Apparatus and Method for controlling Power - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present invention, the impedance of each power supply is controlled through the control of a current balancing component (CBC) based on a result of monitoring the impedance or current (charge / discharge) of each power supply in a state where a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel. The present invention relates to a power supply control apparatus and method for controlling a current of each power supply by matching the power supply.

Current, impedance, variable, matching, pulse width, switch

Description

Apparatus and Method for controlling Power

1 is a block diagram showing a general system using a power supply

2 is a block diagram showing a plurality of power cells connected in parallel to apply power to a system.

3 is a block diagram showing a power control apparatus and method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a flowchart in which a charging operation is performed by controlling the impedance of each power source connected in parallel.

5 is a flow chart in which the discharge operation is performed by controlling the impedance of each power supply connected in parallel.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating constant control of current of each power source connected in parallel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a block diagram showing that a current is charged to each power supply of the power supply unit without the control of the current balance unit.

8 is a block diagram showing that current is charged to each power source of the power supply unit through the control of the current balancer 84.

9A, 9B, and 9C are exemplary embodiments illustrating that the current of each power source is balanced by controlling an operation pulse width by controlling each PWM duty switch of the current balancer mentioned in FIG.

10 is a flowchart illustrating operations according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention relates to a power supply control apparatus and method comprising control means for controlling input / output information of each power source in a state in which a plurality of power sources are connected in parallel.

More specifically, the present invention is a CBC (Current Balancing Component) (current balancing means), based on the result of monitoring the impedance or current (charge / discharge) of each power supply in a state in which a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel The present invention relates to a power supply control apparatus and method for controlling the current (charge / discharge) of each power supply (Balancing) by controlling a variable resistor or a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) duty switch connected in series with the power supply.

Hereinafter, related art will be described.

1 is a block diagram 100 illustrating a general system using power.

As shown in the figure, as one example of the CPU 14, the power supply unit 10, and the display means for controlling the system, the microcomputer, which is an auxiliary control means for contacting the LCD 16, the power supply and the LCD, and controlling data or traffic lights. (Micro computer) 15 is configured.

The power supply unit also includes a charger 13 capable of charging the AC power supply 11 and the auxiliary power supply means (cell, etc.) 13a.

Meanwhile, although the cell 13a, which is an auxiliary power supply means, is configured in the charger 13 in FIG. 1, this shows as an example that the auxiliary power supply is charged in or through the charger. For the sake of brevity, the auxiliary power source may be represented as a separate component from the charger, and this applies to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram 200 illustrating a plurality of power cells connected in parallel to apply power to a system.

As shown in the figure, a plurality of power sources 21 and 22 connected in parallel, a system 25 operated based on the power source, and a protection unit 24 connected to the power source and the system to protect the system And a charge / discharge switch 23 for charging / discharging on / off of the power source.

As shown in the above configuration, in order to increase the usage time of the auxiliary power in a system, for example, a portable device, a single power supply (Cell) having a large capacity is used or two cells (21, 22) are combined in parallel. use.

However, when using a plurality of cells connected in parallel to increase the use time of the auxiliary power as described above, the current at the time of charging and discharging may be different for each cell due to the impedance difference during charging or discharging.

For this reason, at the end of discharge, the discharge current is large enough to operate certain Cell protection unit 24, and certain Cells are in a discharged state.

In addition, degradation of a specific cell may occur due to difficulty in impedance matching within a cell and a loop path difference between cells connected in parallel.

In addition, when an internal short circuit occurs in a specific cell while cells are connected in parallel, explosion and fire may occur due to the concentration of relatively large current.

In addition, if a problem occurs in one cell while using multiple cells in parallel, both cells cannot be used.

In general, in order to solve the problem caused by the impedance difference between the cells connected in parallel as described above, as one example of the protection unit 24 for each cell, PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient), a temperature compensation circuit or Additional protection circuits are needed.

Therefore, it is not recommended to use a plurality of power supplies in parallel due to the above problems and / or additional protection circuits.

The present invention is to solve the unbalance of the charge / discharge current between the power in a state that a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel.

The present invention proposes matching impedances between power supplies in order to solve unbalance of the charge / discharge currents between the power supplies in a state where a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel.

In order to control the unbalance of the charge / discharge currents of the respective power supplies of the present invention, it is proposed to connect a variable resistor to each of the power supplies as a current balancing component (CBC).

In addition, the present invention is a current balancing means that is a kind of control means for controlling so that at least one or more of the charging current or the discharge current of each of the power supplies connected in parallel to each other in a state where a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel, eg For example, by connecting the variable resistance element in series to each power supply, the total impedance (internal impedance of each power supply + external impedance by the variable resistor) of each power supply is matched for each power supply regardless of the internal characteristics of each power supply. We propose a power supply control device.

In addition, the present invention is to solve the unbalance of each power supply current, so that at least one or more of the charge current or discharge current of each power supply connected in parallel through PWM control as an example of the current balancing means (CBC) to balance each other Suggest to control.

In one embodiment for the PWM control, by connecting a PWM Duty switch to each power supply in series, based on the result of the controller (microcom) to check the impedance of each power supply and / or the amount of current at the time of charging / discharging each power supply, By controlling the ON / OFF duration of the switch, it is proposed that the average charge / discharge current of each power source is balanced by adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM (100%, 87.5%, 77.7%).

Power supply apparatus according to the present invention, the power supply unit including a plurality of power sources capable of charging and discharging; A current balance unit connected to each power source of the power supply unit; And a controller configured to control the current balance unit based on a result of checking at least one state of the power supply unit or the current of each power supply.

In addition, the power control method according to the present invention, the control unit reads each power value;

Checking a current or an impedance of each power supply of the power supply unit; Controlling each current balancing means connected to each said power supply based on said identified result; And charging power through each of the controlled current balancing means.

Hereinafter, the terms used in the present invention are selected as general terms that are widely used at present, but in some cases, the term is arbitrarily selected by the applicant, which is described in detail in the description of the corresponding invention, and thus, simple terms It is to be understood that the present invention is to be understood as an operation / meaning of a term other than a name.

For example, CBC (Current Balancing Component) (current balancing means) is for controlling the current input to the power source, the current output from the power source, in the present invention used a variable resistor or PWM control as an embodiment, The present invention is not limited thereto, and may be replaced by other means for impedance matching of power sources or other means for balancing power sources.

In addition, the present invention has been described to control the current or impedance (including resistance), but it is also the same object and solution means to add a means for controlling the voltage of the power supply based on the general formula of current and voltage (V = IR). can do.

In addition, Cell refers to a power source capable of charging and discharging.

A power supply control apparatus and method according to the present invention includes a charger (not shown, but see Fig. 1 and description) / Protector (34) connected to a plurality of power cells (31 in FIG. 3). Charge / discharge and protection for each cell separately using the control, and the microcomputer 37 as a control unit monitors the charge / discharge current (or impedance of each cell) during charge / discharge of the cell. Based on this, the CBC variable resistor (36 in FIG. 3) or PWM duty switch (64 in FIG. 6) is controlled to control the constant charge and discharge current in each cell.

On the other hand, if there are a plurality of cells 31, for example, six cells in the system, for example, if all six cells have a problem, the main switch (38 in FIG. 3) connected to the cell is turned off. Features of the present invention that are completely separated from 35 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

3 is a block diagram 300 illustrating a power control apparatus and method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, a plurality of power sources 31a-31c capable of charging and discharging include a power supply unit 31 connected in parallel, and current balance elements 36a-36c connected to respective power supplies of the power supply unit, respectively. On / off or the current balance with the system 35 based on a result of checking at least one of the current balance unit 36 and the power supply unit 31 or the charge / discharge current of each power source 31a-31c. And a control unit 37 for controlling the variable resistors 36a-36c of the unit 36. The device also includes a charge / discharge switch 33 for charging / discharging on / off of the power source.

In the above configuration, each power source of the power supply unit is connected in parallel to each other, and each element (means) of the current balance unit is connected in series to each power source of the power supply unit.

The current balancing means of the current balance unit uses a variable resistor element as an embodiment means for variably controlling the charge / discharge current of each power source of the power supply unit.

The control unit controls the current balance unit to control at least one of the charging current or the discharge current of each power supply unit connected in parallel to each other to balance each other.

The control unit controls each current balancing element of the current balancing unit so that the impedance of each power supply of the power supply unit is matched with each other regardless of the internal / external characteristics of each power supply of the power supply unit.

The impedance to be applied to and / or matched to each power supply of the power supply unit is the sum of the internal impedance of each power supply and the external impedance by the variable resistor of the current balance unit corresponding to each power supply.

The controller controls the current balancing elements connected to the respective power supplies in consideration of the internal / external characteristics of the power supplies of the power supplies so that the impedances of the power supplies match each other.

In the above configuration, the current balance element is controlled based on a result of monitoring the impedance of each power source and / or the charging / discharging current of each power source in the control unit Micom, so that the impedance of each power source is matched.

In the above method, the method of monitoring and controlling the impedance of each power source by the microcomputer varies the charging current or the discharging current between cells during charging / discharging when the impedance of each cell is changed, and in this case, the current balance at Micom. The variable resistor, which is an element, is adjusted to control the same charge current or discharge current.

Therefore, it is possible to connect a plurality of power supplies in parallel, and in terms of cost, it is possible to selectively remove PTC and temperature compensation circuits in the proposed method.

4 is a flowchart 400 in which a charging operation is performed by controlling the impedance of each power source connected in parallel.

As shown in the figure, the microcomputer as a control unit reads each power value, for example, each power quantity, current value, voltage value, and the like. (S 401).

By checking the state of each power source through the read information, if at least one power source is normal (S 403), monitoring whether the charging current balancing of each power source (Monitoring). (S 405).

As a result of the check, the control unit recognizes that the power supply state is not normal and / or the charging current is not normal (Unbalancing). (S 409)

Based on the result confirmed, the control unit controls each charging current balancing element connected to the respective power sources. (S 411).

Thereafter, an operation state checking operation of the system operated by the power supply unit including a plurality of power supplies and a charging operation are performed through the controlled current balance elements. (S 413, 415, 417, 419, 421).

When the operation of the system is not normal in the above, the charging operation is performed based on the following charging conditions. (S 421).

General Full Charging Condition: 1) Battery voltage is 4.2 ± 1% or more, 2) Taper current is less than 10% of charging current.

On the other hand, when the determination result of step S405, the charging current of all the power is balanced (Balancing) is performed. (S 407).

5 is a flow chart 500 in which a discharge operation is performed by controlling the impedance of each power source connected in parallel.

As shown in the figure, the microcomputer as a control unit reads each power value, for example, each power quantity, current value, voltage value, and the like. (S 501).

By checking the state of each power source through the read information, if at least one power source is normal (S 503), monitoring whether the balance of the discharge current (Balance) of each power source (Monitoring). (S 505).

As a result of the check, the control unit recognizes that the power supply state is not normal or / and the discharge current is not normal (Unbalancing). (S 509)

Based on the confirmed result, the control unit controls each discharge current balancing element connected to the respective power sources. (S 511).

Thereafter, the discharge operation / operation to a predetermined system state is performed through each of the controlled current balancing elements. (S 513, 515, 517).

On the other hand, as a result of determining in step S 505, the discharge operation is performed when the discharge currents of all the power sources are balanced (S 507). However, when the discharge currents of all the power sources are all unbalancing, discharge is performed. I never do that.

In the above, the operation of confirming whether each cell is all normal is as follows.

When booting the system, only 3.6V or higher cells can be discharged.

On the other hand, while the system is operating, only the cells with normal system cut off voltage (3.1V ~ 3.5V) can be discharged. It is determined whether the power supply is normal based on the above criteria.

On the other hand, if there is a problem with all the cells, it is regarded as a discharge failure and is not discharged.

In addition, after Micom recognizes each cell, it monitors each cell's charge / discharge current, and if the charge / discharge current between cells is wrong, Micom controls the variable resistor.

   Controls the charge / discharge current between cells to be constant. Continuously monitor the status of each cell during charging / discharging and check if there is any problem.

On the other hand, when all the cells are discharged and the system cut off voltage is reached, the system enters the sleep mode.

The operation flow order of the present invention mentioned above is shown as an example, the operation order may be changed from one to another in the scope of the object of the present invention.

6 is a block diagram 600 illustrating another method of controlling the current of each power source connected in parallel.

First, the general operation of the embodiment is as follows.

The present invention is a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) as another example of the current balancing means (CBC) in the present invention, in order to solve the unbalance of the charge / discharge current between each power in a state that a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel ) A control switch (for example, a microcomputer) is connected to each power supply in series so that the ON / OFF state of the switch is continued based on the result of checking the impedance of each power supply and / or the amount of current during charging / discharging of each power supply. By controlling the time, the duty cycle (100%, 87.5%, 77.7%) of the PWM relates to the balancing of the charge / discharge current of each power supply.

As shown in Fig. 6, an adapter 62 for converting the applied AC power, a system 67 to which the output current of the adapter is applied, and a portable system such as a PDA, for example, are mounted inside / outside the system. A charger 63 and a plurality of 61a-61c parallel power cells, each of which is connected between the charger and the power supply unit and a power supply unit 61 that is charged with power through the charger. And a current balancer 64 for balancing the charge / discharge currents of the power supplies based on the result of the controller 69 confirming the impedance of the power supplies and / or the amount of current at the time of charging / discharging the power supplies.

The control unit 69 for controlling the current balance unit 64 and the power supply unit 61 is configured in the system 67. The control unit 69 includes the control unit 69 based on a result of checking the impedance of the power supply unit or the charge / discharge current amount. It is common for the PWM controller 69a to control each current balancing means of the current balance part, for example, the PWM Duty switches 64a to 64c.

Of course, the PWM controller may be configured outside the controller, and the controller may directly perform the PWM controller function.

In the present invention configured as described above, the PWM Duty switch 64a for the current balancing control of each power supply (61a-61c) based on the result of the impedance or the charge / discharge current amount of the power supply unit 61 confirmed by the control unit 69 By controlling the on / off duration of -64c), the duty cycle (100%, 87.5%, 77.7%) of the PWM is adjusted to balance the charge / discharge current of each power supply.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram 700 showing that a current is charged to each power source of the power supply unit without the control of the current balance unit 64 of FIG. 6.

As shown in FIG. 7, currents are charged differently to the respective power sources 71a-71c of the power supply unit 71 through the charger 73.

In charging current of each power source, a difference in charging current occurs due to an impedance difference of each power source. For example, power source 1 (71a) is charged at 70 mA, power source 2 (71b) is charged at 80 mA, and power source 3 (71c) is charged at 90 mA.

In the above description of the operation, the charging current has been described as an example, but it is apparent that the discharge current corresponds to the same operation.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram 800 illustrating that current is charged to each power source of the power supply unit through the control of the current balancer 84.

8 differs from the configuration of FIG. 7 in that the current balancer 84 is configured between the charger and the power supply, and the microcomputer 87 to control the current balancer and the power supply 81 is included.

Therefore, the control unit performs the balancing of the charge / discharge currents of the respective power supplies based on a result of checking the impedance of each power supply 81a-81c connected in parallel and / or the amount of current at the time of charging / discharging each power supply. To control each PWM duty switch (84a-84c) of the current balance unit (84).

9A, 9B, and 9C control current pulse widths by controlling the PWM duty switches 84a through 84c of the current balance unit 84 mentioned in FIG. Figure showing an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 9A, power ON 1 81a of FIG. 8 is applied with the on duration of the PWM Duty switch 84a to the original clock cycle of the applied power waveform as it is, so that the duty cycle of the PWM is 100%. It is regulated to show 70mA charge.

As shown in FIG. 9B, the on-duty of the PWM Duty switch 84b is applied to the power supply 2 81b of FIG. 8 by applying 87.5% of the original clock cycle of the applied power supply waveform, thereby providing a duty cycle of 87.5. Adjusted to%, it shows charging at 70mA.

As shown in FIG. 9C, the on-duty of the PWM Duty switch 84c is applied to the power supply 3 81c of FIG. 8 by applying 77.7% of the original clock period of the applied power supply waveform to thereby obtain a 77.5% duty cycle of the PWM. Adjusted to%, it shows charging at 70mA.

By controlling the on / off duration of the PWM duty switch as described above, the duty cycle of the PWM is adjusted (100%, 87.5%, 77.7%) so that the charge / discharge current of each power source is balanced.

Meanwhile, in the present invention, in controlling the PWM duty cycle, in the discharging operation of the power supplies connected in parallel, the PWN duty cycle is controlled to discharge at least one power source. That is, the current can be stably applied to the system by controlling the discharge of all power supplies connected in parallel at any particular time so as not to be turned off.

10 is an operation flowchart 1000 according to another embodiment of the present invention, based on the result of checking the impedance of each power source connected in parallel and / or the amount of current during charging / discharging of each power source, PWM connected in series to each power source Through control of the ON / OFF duration of the duty switch, the charge / discharge current of each power source is balanced by adjusting (100%, 87.5%, 77.7%) the duty cycle of the PWM.

 In the operation of FIG. 10, the control unit controls the ON / OFF duration of the PWM duty switch connected in series to each power supply based on the result of the controller checking the impedance of each power supply and / or the amount of current during charging / discharging of each power supply. Operations of steps other than step S 1011 of adjusting the duty cycle of the PWM (100%, 87.5%, and 77.7%) are substantially the same as the operations of the respective steps in FIGS. 4 and 5, and thus, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

On the other hand, in Figures 4, 5 and 10 of the present invention as an embodiment, it is shown that the control unit controls the current balance unit based on the charging or discharging current of each power supply, the control unit is based on the impedance of each power supply It can be said that it can be controlled through the contents of the present invention.

As described above, the power supply control apparatus and method according to the present invention, in order to control so that at least one or more of the charging current or the discharge current of each of the power supply is matched with each other in a state where a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel, Control means, for example, a current balancing component (current balancing device) by connecting a variable resistor in series to each power source and a power supply control apparatus and method for controlling so that the total impedance of each power source is matched regardless of the characteristics of each power source will be.

In addition, the present invention is a power supply by the control unit by connecting a control means, for example, a variable resistor in series with each power supply in order to control so that each impedance (impedance) of each power supply is matched in a state where a plurality of power supplies are connected in parallel A control apparatus and method are provided.

In addition, the present invention is connected to a plurality of power supplies in parallel, by connecting a current balancing component, for example, a variable resistor in series to each power supply, each variable power supply by controlling the variable resistor connected to each power supply in consideration of the characteristics of each power supply The present invention relates to a power supply control device and method for matching impedance.

The (total) impedance of each power source matched above refers to the impedance of the sum of the internal impedance and the variable resistance of each power source.

Through the above-described contents or various embodiments of the present invention, in a state where a plurality of power sources are connected in parallel, 1) a current balancing means by checking the charge or / and discharge current of each power source connected in parallel, For example, the impedance of each power source is matched through variable resistance or PWM duty cycle control, or 2) the current impedance of each power source is checked by controlling the current impedance of each power source by checking the current impedance of each power source. It is possible to implement balancing of discharge current.

Therefore, it is easy for a person skilled in the art to properly understand the present invention to make another embodiment by selecting the components within the scope of the present invention.

The present invention can control the charging / discharging current by controlling the current balancing means to match the impedance of each power source by controlling the current balancing means based on the result of monitoring the charging / discharging current of each cell in the control unit Micom. have.

Therefore, it is possible to connect a plurality of power supplies in parallel, and in terms of cost, it is possible to selectively remove PTC and temperature compensation circuits in the proposed method.

In addition, it is possible to use a plurality of multi-cells longer battery life can meet the user's requirements for this.

In addition, by independently controlling and controlling each cell, it is possible to prevent deterioration due to loop path difference and poor impedance matching of a cell, which are a problem when using a conventional multi cell.

Claims (20)

A power supply unit including a plurality of parallel power supplies capable of at least one charging and discharging operation; A current balance unit connected to each parallel power supply of the power supply unit; And A control unit for controlling the current balance unit based on a result of checking at least one state of the power supply unit or a current of each power supply, wherein the plurality of power supplies configured and charged and discharged in the power supply unit are connected to each other in parallel; And a variable resistor in series with each of the parallel power supplies configured in the power supply unit. The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein each of the power supplies is connected in parallel. 2. The power supply control device according to claim 1, wherein each current balancing means of the current balancing part is connected in series with each power supply of the power supply part. 4. The power supply control device according to claim 3, wherein each current balancing means of the current balance unit is a variable resistor for variably controlling the current of each power source of the power supply unit.       The power control device of claim 4, wherein the balance of the currents in the current balance unit is implemented by controlling the PWM duty cycle of each of the power supplies.       The power supply control device according to claim 5, wherein the PWM duty cycle control of the charging current or the discharge current of each power supply is implemented by controlling ON / OFF times of switches connected in series with each power supply. The power supply control according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls each current balancing means of the current balancing unit so as to control at least one or more of the charging current or the discharging current of each power source connected in parallel to each other. Device. 4. The power supply control device according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls each current balancing means of the current balancing unit so that impedances of respective power supplies of the power supply unit match each other. 4. The power supply control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the control unit controls the respective current balancing means of the current balancing unit so that the impedances of the respective power supplies of the power supply unit match each other regardless of the characteristics of the respective power supplies of the power supply unit. The power supply control according to claim 8, wherein the impedance to be applied or matched to each power supply of the power supply unit is a sum of an internal impedance of each power supply and an external impedance by a variable resistor of the current balance unit corresponding to each power supply. Device. 8. The power supply according to claim 7, wherein the control unit controls the current balancing means connected to each power supply of the power supply unit in consideration of characteristics of each power supply of the power supply unit so that impedances of the power supplies match each other. controller. Checking a current or an impedance of each parallel power supply of the power supply unit; Controlling each current balancing means respectively connected to each of the parallel power supplies based on the identified result; And And charging power through each of the controlled current balancing means, wherein the plurality of power supplies configured and charged and discharged in the power supply unit are connected to each other in parallel, and each of the parallel power supplies configured in the power supply unit includes: A power supply control method characterized in that all of the variable resistors as current balancing means are connected in series. The method of claim 12, further comprising the step of: a control unit connected to the current balancing unit checking a state of each power source of the power supply unit. The method of claim 12, further comprising: recognizing, by the controller, that the state or current of the power supply unit is not normal. 13. The power supply control method according to claim 12, wherein the charging of the current by the control of the current balancing means connected to each power supply is performed by controlling the variable resistance or by PWM control. Checking a current or an impedance of each parallel power supply of the power supply unit; Controlling each current balancing means respectively connected to each of the parallel power supplies based on the identified result; And Discharging through each of the controlled current balance means; wherein the plurality of power supplies configured and charged and discharged in the power supply unit are connected to each other in parallel, and each of the parallel power supplies configured in the power supply unit includes a current. A power supply control method, characterized in that all of the variable resistors, which are balancing means, are connected in series. 17. The power supply control method according to claim 16, wherein the discharge of the current by the control of the current balancing means connected to each of the parallel power supplies is performed by controlling the variable resistance or controlling the PWM duty cycle. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein in controlling the PWM duty cycle, the PWN duty cycle is controlled such that at least one power source is discharged from a plurality of power sources connected in parallel.           AC power adapter;      A system to which an output current of the adapter is applied;      charger;     A power supply unit including a plurality of parallel power cells and charged with power through the charger; And    And a current balancer configured between the charger and the power supply unit, for balancing the charge / discharge current of each power source, wherein the plurality of power supplies configured and charged and discharged are connected to each other in parallel. And each of the parallel power supplies configured in the power supply unit is connected to a variable resistor in series as a current balancing unit. The power supply control apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the current balancer includes a PWM Duty switch for controlling current balancing of each power supply based on a result of impedance or charge / discharge current amount of the power supply confirmed by the control unit. .

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