KR101937530B1 - An Apparatus for Charging and Discharging a Battery Module of a Vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging and discharging apparatus for a battery module for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a charging and discharging apparatus for a battery module for a vehicle, which can detect the condition of a battery for a vehicle composed of a plurality of battery cells and be charged to an appropriate level. A charging and discharging device for a battery module for a vehicle, the charging and discharging device for a vehicle comprising a battery charging cradle (10) whose operation is controlled by a charge control module and a charge control module, the battery charging cradle (10) A closed housing (11) in which a receiving space is formed and in which a door (12) capable of opening and closing is formed; A pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) formed to face each other in the accommodating space; A battery tray (13) movable along the pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) to the inside and outside of the closed housing (11); A pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 disposed inside the sealed housing 11 and each having a contact electrode; A cable guiding tab 16 formed inside the closed housing 11 to fix the detection cable; And air circulation units (15, 18) for air circulation inside and outside the closed housing (11).

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for charging and discharging a battery module for a vehicle,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging and discharging apparatus for a battery module for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a charging and discharging apparatus for a battery module for a vehicle, which can detect the condition of a battery for a vehicle composed of a plurality of battery cells and be charged to an appropriate level.

Batteries are used in various industrial fields, for example in the case of an electric car or a drone, the battery becomes an energy supply means for operation, and the energy storage system is a means of storing and distributing energy in large quantities over a long period of time. Generally, a battery used in this field is a rechargeable secondary battery, such as a lithium polymer or a lithium ion battery. In order to increase the capacity of the battery in such an application, a plurality of battery cells are made of one battery module and can be made of a battery pack by a plurality of battery modules. Such a battery module or a battery pack may be used as a means for supplying electric power, and when the power of the battery module or the battery pack is consumed, it needs to be charged in units of modules or packs. And a proper means or technique is required to stably charge the battery module or the battery pack.

Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0016590 discloses a connector for receiving AC power from the outside; Current modules for rectifying the AC power inputted through the input terminal, the current modules having an input terminal for inputting the AC power input through the connector and SCR elements connected to the input terminals in the forward direction, A power factor correction circuit section having power factor modules for improving a power factor of a signal and outputting the power factor; And a power conversion circuit for converting a signal input from the power factor correction circuit to charge a battery mounted on the vehicle; And a first control signal for controlling on / off of the SCR elements to track the phase of the AC power input through the connector and to block an overcurrent input through the connector corresponding to the tracked phase And a SCR controller for controlling the rectifying operation of the rectifier modules.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-2010-0126120 discloses a charging block provided with a positive electrode terminal and a negative electrode terminal at a position spaced apart from the ground for charging and having a receiving space into which a vehicle can enter; And a docking block provided in the vehicle, the docking block having an anode portion docked to the cathode terminal and a cathode portion docked to the anode terminal so as to enter the accommodation space side of the charge block, The anode terminal and the cathode terminal of the docking block are formed to be long along the entering direction of the vehicle and the anode portion and the cathode portion of the docking block are electrically connected to the anode A battery charging apparatus for an electric vehicle, which is arranged with an insulating partition plate interposed between the cathode terminal and the cathode terminal in a vertically lower side of the cathode terminal and the cathode terminal when the terminal is docked.

The charging of a battery module or a battery pack capable of supplying power at a certain level while storing a large amount of electric power needs to be performed stably without damaging the state of the battery and it needs to be appropriately discharged as necessary. For this purpose, the charging or discharging process of each battery cell forming the battery module or the battery pack needs to be monitored in an appropriate manner. However, the prior art does not disclose how the battery module or the battery pack can be charged or discharged stably.

The present invention has been made to solve the problems of the prior art and has the following purpose.

Prior Art 1: Patent Publication No. 10-2013-0016590 (Hyundai Mobis Co., Ltd., published Feb. 18, 2013) Vehicle battery charger and vehicle battery charging system including the same Prior Art 2: Patent Publication No. 10-2010-0126120 (Leo Motors Co., Ltd., published on Dec. 01, 2010)

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a charging and discharging device for a battery module for a vehicle which can stably charge or discharge a battery module composed of a plurality of battery cells.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a charging and discharging apparatus for a battery module for a vehicle is provided with a charging control module and a battery charging cradle whose operation is controlled by a charge control module, A closed housing having a receiving space formed therein and having a door that can be opened and closed; A pair of movable rails formed to face each other in the accommodating space; A battery tray movable along the pair of moving rails to the inside and outside of the closed housing; A pair of charging cables disposed inside the sealed housing and each having a contact electrode; A cable guide tab formed in the interior of the closed housing to fix the detection cable; And an air circulation unit for air circulation inside and outside the enclosed housing.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the charge control module is made independent of the battery charging cradle and is electrically connected to the battery charging cradle by a connecting cable.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a cell monitoring unit is further provided for detecting the state of each battery cell forming the battery module.

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a battery detection unit is further provided, which is connected to the battery management system of the battery module through a cable induction tap.

The charging and discharging device of the battery module according to the present invention improves the service life of each battery cell by allowing each battery module or the battery module to be charged stably. The charging and discharging device of the battery module according to the present invention can improve the charging or discharging efficiency of the battery module by detecting each battery cell during charging and discharging of the battery module.

Figures 1A and 1B illustrate an embodiment of a battery charging cradle in accordance with the present invention.
2 shows an embodiment of a charge control module according to the present invention.
3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of the operating structure of the charging and discharging device according to the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the embodiments shown in the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the following description, components having the same reference numerals in different drawings have similar functions, so that they will not be described repeatedly unless necessary for an understanding of the invention, and the known components will be briefly described or omitted. However, It should not be understood as being excluded from the embodiment of Fig.

1A and 1B show an embodiment of a battery charging cradle forming a charging device according to the invention.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B, the charging and discharging device of the battery module comprises a charging control module and a battery charging cradle 10 whose operation is controlled by the charging control module. The battery charging cradle 10 includes a closed housing 11 having a housing space therein and formed with a door 12 that can be opened and closed; A pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) formed to face each other in the accommodating space; A battery tray (13) movable along the pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) to the inside and outside of the closed housing (11); A pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 disposed inside the sealed housing 11 and each having a contact electrode; A cable guiding tab 16 formed inside the closed housing 11 to fix the detection cable; And air circulation units (15, 18) for air circulation inside and outside the closed housing (11).

The charging and discharging apparatus according to the present invention may be applied to charging or discharging various battery modules, and the battery module or the battery pack may be composed of a plurality of battery cells. And the plurality of battery cells may be managed by a battery managing system or other appropriate management system. The battery management system can detect the state of each battery cell and can, for example, detect and store the voltage, discharge level, or current of each battery cell. Herein, the battery module is described as including a battery pack, and the battery module may be composed of a plurality of battery cells connected to each other in series or in parallel, and the plurality of battery cells may be managed by a battery management system or a similar management unit have.

The closed housing 11 may be entirely box-shaped, and the closed housing 11 may be installed in a facility for filling. The closed housing 11 can form a receiving space in which various units related to charging the battery module and the battery module can be accommodated. A door 12 which can be locked by the lock units 122a and 122b can be disposed on one side of the closed housing 11 and the battery module can be accommodated in the inside of the closed housing 11 through the door 12 have. A window 121 capable of observing the inside of the door 12 can be formed and the receiving space can be opened by opening the door 12. [ And the movable rails 14a and 14b may be disposed on the side or bottom surface of the accommodation space. The movable rails 14a and 14b can extend linearly so as to face each other inwardly from the side where the door 12 is disposed on the side surface or bottom surface of the accommodation space. The battery tray 13 can be moved from the outside to the inside of the closed housing 11 along the moving rails 14a and 14b and accommodated in the inside of the closed housing 11. [

The battery tray 13 may be in the form of a plate having a thickness and may have a moving guide which can be moved in a sliding manner along a pair of moving rails 14a and 14b provided below the receiving space. An acceleration detecting unit or a load cell may be installed on the lower surface of the battery tray 13 and a tray locking unit 131 may be provided on the opposite wall surface of the door 12. [ The tray locking unit 131 can be made of, for example, a moving locking member that is electronically operated by a solenoid, and a fixed hole structure in which the moving locking member is inserted and fixed. For example, the movable locking member may be provided on the inner end or side surface of the battery tray 13, and the fixing hole may be provided on the bottom surface of the receiving space or the inner end of the movable rails 14a and 14b. The battery tray 13 can be fixed in a predetermined position in various ways within the receiving space, thereby fixing the battery module in a stably fixed position in the charging process. The structural stability of the battery module to be charged by the acceleration detection unit or the load cell can also be detected. A shift knob 132 may be provided in the front portion of the battery tray 13, but is not necessarily required. For example, the battery tray 13 can be moved electrically or electronically along the movable rails 14a and 14b. The battery tray 13 can be made in various structures movable within the accommodation space and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

Air circulation units 15 and 18 may be installed in the closed housing 11 and the air circulation units 15 and 18 may be formed of an inflow unit 15 and a discharge unit 18. The inflow unit 15 may be, for example, an air circulation fan formed on one side wall of the accommodation space, and the discharge unit 18 may be a plurality of through holes passing through the other side wall of the accommodation space. The outside air introduced through the inflow unit 15 can be circulated in the receiving space and discharged to the discharge unit 18 and discharged to the outside of the closed housing 11. [ The air circulation units 15 and 18 may have functions of regulating the internal temperature of the battery module or the accommodation space in the charging process. Specifically, a temperature detection unit can be disposed inside the closed housing 11, and the temperature of the air flowing through the inflow unit 15 based on the detected temperature from the temperature detection unit can be adjusted. The adjustment of the air temperature can be made, for example, by a thermoelectric element or other cooling means.

When the battery module is housed in the closed housing 11, the charging terminal is connected to the contact electrodes of the pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2, and charging can be performed under the control of the charging control module. One end of the pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 is connected to an external power source and the other end of the pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 on which the contact electrode is formed can be located in the receiving space. The pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 can be made in various structures in which the contact electrodes can be connected to the charging terminals of the battery module located inside the accommodation space and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The cable guide tab 16 can be disposed on one wall or other appropriate position of the closed housing 11 and the detection cable can be introduced from the outside through the cable guide tab 16, A battery module accommodated in the inner space of the housing 11 and a charge control module may be connected. And the state of each battery cell of the battery module can be detected. The lighting unit LA for confirming the internal state can be disposed inside the closed housing 11 and the locking state of the door 12 can be confirmed by installing the door locking sensor 17. [ When the battery module is located inside the accommodation space by the door lock sensor 17, the locking state of the door 12 can be confirmed. Also, various detection units for detecting temperature, humidity or current leakage that can detect the operating environment inside the accommodation space can be arranged, and the information detected by the detection unit can be transmitted to the charge control module. And the charge control module can adjust the charge state of the battery module based on the transmitted information.

The battery charging cradle 10 is provided with a handle HN for handling, various operation units provided in the battery charging cradle 10, a main connector MC for supplying power for charging the battery module from the outside, A display screen SC such as an LCD screen for display may be provided. An air circulation unit (AO) connected to the air circulation units (15, 18) may be formed on the outer surface of the battery charging cradle (10). Various units for controlling the charging or charging process of the battery module may be disposed in the battery charging cradle 10. [

The charging process of the battery charging cradle 10 can be controlled by the charge control module.

2 shows an embodiment of a charge control module 20 according to the present invention.

2, the charge control module 20 includes a control housing 21; Various operating software or hardware including a control unit installed inside the control housing 21; An input unit 22 for setting a charging process; A control screen 23 for displaying various information related to the operating situation or charging process; And a ventilation unit 24 for circulating air between the inside and the outside of the control housing 21. [ Also, the information connection slot 25 can be disposed in the charge control module 20, and the information connection slot 25 can be used to upgrade the operating software of the control unit installed therein or to receive information. An emergency switch (ES) for power interruption in the emergency state and an operation state lamp (LA2) for indication of the operation state can be installed. Further, an operation switch SW for the operation of the charge control module 20 and a handling handle HA2 for movement can be provided. The charge control module 20 can be fixed in a predetermined position and electrically connected to the battery charging cradle to enable data communication. Thereby, the charge control module 20 can process the information transmitted from the battery charging cradle while controlling the operating state of the battery charging cradle.

Hereinafter, the process of charging or discharging the battery charging cradle by the charging control module 20 will be described.

3A and 3B illustrate an embodiment of the operating structure of the charging and discharging device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B, a control unit 31 is installed in the charge control module so that the overall operation of the charge control module and the battery charge cradle can be controlled. The position of the battery can be detected by the contact confirmation unit 34. [ For example, when the battery module BM is loaded on the battery tray 13, the battery module BM may be detected by the contact sensor or the weight sensor. The position of the battery module BM in the battery tray 13 can be detected and transmitted to the contact confirmation unit 34 so that the battery module BM is loaded at a predetermined position of the battery tray 13 Can be confirmed. When the battery tray 13 is taken out of the closed housing 11, the battery module BM is loaded and the battery module BM can be located inside the closed housing 11 by the battery tray 13 . Then, the charging cables PC1 and PC2 are connected to the charging terminal, and at the same time, a battery detecting unit 32 for detecting the state of the battery can be connected to the battery module BM. The battery detection unit 32 can be connected to the charge control module by a detection cable SCA that flows into the interior of the closed housing 11 through the cable guide tab 16. The connection detection unit 35 can detect the connection state of the charging terminal or the connection state of the battery detection unit 32. [ The connection state of the battery detection unit 32 can be confirmed, for example, by transmitting a detection current or by measuring the contact voltage. The battery detection unit 32 and the state detection unit 33 can be operated when the connection state of the charging terminal or the battery detection unit 32 is confirmed in the connection detection unit 35. [

The state of the battery can be detected by the battery detection unit 32, and for example, the type of the battery module BM and the type of each battery cell forming the battery module BM can be confirmed. The battery detection unit 32 can also detect the state of charge or discharge of each battery cell and transmit it to the cell monitoring unit 36 via the control unit 31. [ The state detection unit 33 can also detect a temperature or humidity inside the closed housing 11 during the charging process.

The cell monitoring unit 36 may store an initial voltage, a charging or discharging state or an initial temperature of each battery cell. Then, the charging condition can be inputted by the charge setting unit 37, and the charging for each battery cell can be performed by the charging unit 38. [ Discharging can be performed for each battery cell as needed. For example, if one battery cell is in a very small amount of charged state, a discharge may be made first. In addition, in the case of a battery module which is not used for a long time or has to be discarded, each battery cell forming the battery module can be discharged. The state of each battery cell forming the battery module in the charging or discharging process can be detected by the cell monitoring unit 36. [ For example, the charge state, temperature, voltage or current of each battery cell can be detected by the cell monitoring unit 36. [ The cell monitoring unit 36 may include a balance detection circuit and the balance detection circuit may, for example, have the function of regulating the charging or discharging state between each battery cell. For example, the balance detection circuit can be adjusted so that the charged level between each battery cell is less than 10%. The balance detection circuit can be connected to the charging switch unit to adjust the charge level between different battery cells so that they do not deviate from a predetermined level.

According to the present invention, the charging process of the charging unit 38 can be monitored by the cell balancing unit 39. The cell balancing unit 39 can monitor the state of charge of each battery cell during the charging process of the battery module. For example, the cell balancing unit 39 may detect the charging or discharging state of each battery cell, the voltage of each battery cell, the current flowing in or out, etc. during the charging process. The cell balance unit 39 may have balance range data that allows a charge or discharge balance between the battery cells to be maintained in the course of charging between each battery cell. Balanced range data refers to the relationship of charge levels between different cells. For example, the total charge level can be divided into 10 classes, and the charge tolerance between different battery cells can be determined by each class. For example, for a particular type of battery cell, the charge level may be determined such that the charge level does not deviate from 1 or 2 between the different batteries. Such balance range data can be determined by the number of battery cells forming the battery module, the type of the battery cells, or the series or parallel arrangement structure of the battery cells.

The charging and discharging device of the vehicle battery module according to the present invention can be operated in various ways, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown.

The charging and discharging device of the battery module according to the present invention improves the service life of each battery cell by allowing each battery module or the battery module to be charged stably. The charging and discharging device of the battery module according to the present invention can improve the charging or discharging efficiency of the battery module by detecting each battery cell during charging and discharging of the battery module.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention . The invention is not limited by these variations and modifications, but is limited only by the claims appended hereto.

10: Battery charging cradle 11: Closed housing
12: Door 13: Battery tray
14a, 14b: moving rails 15, 18: air circulation unit
15: inlet unit 16: cable guide tab
17: door lock sensor 18: exhaust unit
20: charge control module 21: control housing
22: input unit 23: control screen
24: ventilation unit 25: information connection slot
31: control unit 32: battery detection unit
33: status detection unit 34: contact confirmation unit
35: connection detection unit 36: cell monitoring unit
37: Charging setting unit 38: Charging unit
39: cell balance unit 121: window
122a, 122b: lock unit 131: tray lock unit
132: shift knob AO: air circulation unit
BM: Battery module ES: Emergency switch
HA2: Handle handle HN: Handle
LA: Lighting unit LA2: Operating status lamp
MC: Main connector PC1, PC2: Charging cable
SC: Display screen SCA: Detect cable
SW: Operation switch

Claims (4)

And a battery charging cradle (10) whose operation is controlled by a charge control module and a charge control module. In the charge and discharge device for a battery module including a plurality of battery cells,
The battery charging cradle (10)
A closed housing (11) having a receiving space formed therein and having a door (12) capable of opening and closing;
A pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) formed to face each other in the accommodating space;
A battery tray (13) movable along the pair of moving rails (14a, 14b) to the inside and outside of the closed housing (11);
A pair of charging cables PC1 and PC2 disposed inside the sealed housing 11 and each having a contact electrode connected to the charging terminal of the battery module;
A cable guide tab (16) formed inside the closed housing (11) so that a detection cable for detecting the state of each battery cell of the battery module is fixed; And
And an air circulation unit (15, 18) for circulating air inside and outside the sealed housing (11) to regulate the internal temperature of the battery module or the accommodation space in the charging process,
Further comprising a battery detection unit (32) which is connected to a battery management system of the battery module and through which a cable induction tap (16) is introduced, wherein the battery detection unit (32) The type of each battery cell to be formed is confirmed,
Further comprising a cell monitoring unit (36) for detecting a charging or discharging state of each of the battery cells forming the battery module. The charging and discharging device of claim 1, wherein the charge control module is constructed in a structure independent of the battery charging cradle (10) and is electrically connected to the battery charging cradle (10) by a connecting cable.
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