KR102559234B1 - Battery management system and battery pack with duplicated communication structure, and electric vehicle having the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery management system according to the present invention includes a plurality of cell monitoring units (CMUs, Cell Monitoring Units) each measuring or monitoring states of a plurality of battery cells; and
A battery monitoring unit (BMU) that communicates with the plurality of CMUs to receive status information of the battery cells or transmit control information related to the battery cells to manage the battery cells, wherein each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU includes a dualized galvanic isolation communication method including a first communication method through a first communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU and a second communication method through a second communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU. communication method, wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are a first optical communication path and a second optical communication path, respectively, and the first communication method and the second communication method are a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method, respectively. As described above, since the battery management system according to the present invention adopts a redundant communication method, it is possible to increase stability in communication between the CMU and the BMU.

Description

Battery management system with duplicated communication structure, battery pack, and electric vehicle having the same {Battery management system and battery pack with duplicated communication structure, and electric vehicle having the same}

The present invention relates to a battery management system that monitors battery state information and transmits and receives the monitored battery state information through a battery monitoring unit through redundant communication, a battery pack, and an electric vehicle equipped with the same.

Electric vehicles (EV, HEV, PHEV, BEV, etc.) and ESS (Energy Storage System) are equipped with batteries to store electricity and use it as an energy source. In addition, a battery management system is also installed in the electric vehicle and the ESS for battery control and stable use of the battery. Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a case in which a battery is mounted in an electric vehicle will be described as an example.

In general, a battery management system includes a plurality of cell monitoring units (CMUs) including cell monitoring circuits for monitoring battery state information such as battery voltage, current flowing through the battery, battery temperature, battery state of charge (SOC) or battery state of health (SOH). State information of the battery monitored by the cell monitoring circuit unit is transmitted to a battery monitoring unit (BMU) located outside the CMU.

Meanwhile, the BMU transmits battery-related control information to the cell monitoring circuit. Here, the control information related to the battery refers to information including control related to battery state monitoring or operation control of the battery, such as control information to monitor state information of the battery or control information to perform voltage balancing of battery cells constituting the battery. When the BMU transmits battery-related control information to the cell monitoring circuit, the cell monitoring circuit monitors battery state information or performs voltage balancing of battery cells according to the battery-related control information, and transmits the result to the BMU.

1 is an exemplary diagram of a conventional battery management system. A conventional CMU 200 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cell monitoring circuit 210 , a first connector 260 , a second connector 270 and an isolator 280 .

A battery may be configured by grouping a plurality of battery cells 10 into a plurality of battery cell stacks 100 . The battery cell stack 100 may include a plurality of battery cells 10 , and the cell monitoring circuit 210 monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 . The cell monitoring circuit unit 210 transmits state information of the monitored battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 300 . In addition, the cell monitoring circuit unit 210 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the BMU 300, and monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 according to the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 or performs voltage balancing of the battery cells 10.

The first connector 260 electrically connects the cell monitoring circuit 210 and the battery cell stack 100, and the second connector 270 electrically or communicatively connects the cell monitoring circuit 210 and the controller 310. The isolator 280 is provided for electrical insulation between the cell monitoring circuit unit 210 and the second connector 270 .

The BMU 300 includes a controller 310 , an external connector 370 and an external isolator 380 .

The controller 310 receives state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the cell monitoring circuit 210 . In addition, the controller 310 generates control information related to the battery cell stack 100 and transmits the generated control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 210 .

The external connector 370 electrically or communicatively connects the controller 310 and the cell monitoring circuit 210, and the external isolator 380 is provided for electrical insulation between the controller 310 and the external connector 370.

The CMU 200 may be provided for each battery cell stack 100, and thus the BMU 300 may be communicatively connected to two or more CMUs 200. At this time, communication may be connected between the two or more CMUs 200 by a wired isolated daisy chain method as shown in FIG. Through such a communication connection, state information of the battery cell stack 100 monitored by any one cell monitoring circuit unit 210 may be transmitted to the controller 310, and control information related to the battery cell stack 100 generated by the controller 310 may be transmitted to each cell monitoring circuit unit 210.

However, the communication connection shown in FIG. 1 is difficult to precisely match clocks between the CMU (200) and the BMU (300). Accordingly, when the CMU 200 shown in FIG. 1 communicates with the BMU 300, there is a problem that the communication speed is limited (that is, the communication connection by wired isolated daisy chain is a communication distance of 1 Mbps or more cannot be obtained).

2 is another exemplary view of a conventional battery management system. The conventional CMU 400 shown in FIG. 2 includes a cell monitoring circuit 410, a radio frequency (RF) communication unit 430, and a connector 460.

A battery may be configured by grouping a plurality of battery cells 10 into a plurality of battery cell stacks 100 . The battery cell stack 100 may include a plurality of battery cells 10 , and the cell monitoring circuit 410 monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 . The cell monitoring circuit unit 410 transmits state information of the monitored battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 500 . In addition, the cell monitoring circuit unit 410 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the BMU 500, and monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 or performs voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 according to the control information related to the battery cell stack 100.

The RF communication unit 430 transmits state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 500 (more specifically, the controller 510) through a first RF communication path P _RF1 provided between the cell monitoring circuit unit 410 and the BMU 500 (more specifically, the main RF communication unit 530). In addition, the RF communication unit 430 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first RF communication path P _RF1 from the BMU 500 (more specifically, the main RF communication unit 530), and transmits the received control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 410.

The connector 460 electrically or communicatively connects the cell monitoring circuit 410 and the battery cell stack 100 .

The BMU 500 includes a controller 510 and a main RF communication unit 530 .

The controller 510 receives state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the cell monitoring circuit 410 . In addition, the controller 510 transmits control information related to the battery cell stack 100 for controlling the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 410 based on state information of the battery cell stack 100 .

The main RF communication unit 530 receives the state information of the battery cell stack 100 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 and transmits the received state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the controller 510. In addition, the main RF communication unit 530 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 from the controller 510, and transmits the received control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 410 (more specifically, the RF communication unit 430) through a first RF communication path P _RF1 .

As such, the conventional CMU 400 shown in FIG. 2 transmits state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 500 through RF communication, and controls the battery cell stack 100 from the BMU 500. Receives control information. However, since the conventional CMU 400 shown in FIG. 2 relies only on the BMU 500 and RF communication, when a failure occurs in RF communication, the speed of information transmitted and received with the BMU 500 may decrease significantly. Alternatively, if there is severe RF communication failure between the CMU 400 and the BMU 500, it becomes impossible to transmit state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 500, and to receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100 from the BMU 500 also becomes impossible. In this way, when the transmission/reception speed of information between the CMU 400 and the BMU 500 decreases or the transmission/reception of information becomes impossible, it becomes difficult to monitor or control the state of the battery cell 10 of the battery cell stack 100. Since the CMU 400 becomes uncontrollable, it can cause a great risk to the safety of an electric vehicle or ESS.

The present invention has been prepared to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a battery management system capable of increasing stability in communication between a cell monitoring circuit unit and a BMU. In addition, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery management system capable of improving communication speed with a BMU, a battery pack, and an electric vehicle having the same.

However, the technical problem to be solved by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned problem, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the invention described below.

A battery management system according to the present invention includes a plurality of cell monitoring units (CMUs, Cell Monitoring Units) each measuring or monitoring states of a plurality of battery cells; And a battery monitoring unit (BMU) that communicates with the plurality of CMUs and receives state information of the battery cells or transmits control information related to the battery cells to manage the battery cells, wherein each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU includes a first communication method through a first communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU, and a second communication method through a second communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU. Communicate by a communication method, wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are a first optical communication path and a second optical communication path that are physically separated from each other, the first and second communication modes are a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method, respectively, the CMU includes a first optical communication unit and a second optical communication unit to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method, A first main optical communication unit and a second main optical communication unit corresponding to the communication unit and the second optical communication unit, respectively, and performing optical communication, wherein the first and second optical communication units and the first and second main optical communication units each include an optical transceiver, a light detecting element, and a light emitting element, and the CMU and the BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.

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Transmission from the CMU to the BMU is performed in one of the first and second communication methods, and transmission from the BMU to the CMU is another of the first and second communication methods.

The CMU and BMU communicate based on the preset roles of the first and second communication methods, but when a failure occurs in any one of the first and second communication methods, the other communication method is switched to communicate, and when the failure is resolved, the first and second communication methods return to the preset roles to perform communication.

The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication schemes, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other one of the first and second optical communication schemes, and the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU may be transmitted in a time division multiplexing scheme.

The first and second communication paths include the same communication path section, the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other one of the first and second optical communication methods, and the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in the same communication path section through the code division multiplexing method. Can be sent on time.

The BMU may include a plurality of optical communication means communicating with the CMU in an optical communication method.

The battery management system according to the present invention further includes a sub-battery monitoring unit (Sub-Battery Monitoring Unit) that relays communication between the CMU and the BMU, and communication between the CMU and the sub-BMU and at least one of the sub-BMU and the BMU can be performed using the redundant galvanic isolation communication method.

A battery pack according to the present invention includes a plurality of battery cell stacks including a plurality of battery cells; And a battery management system, wherein each of a plurality of cell monitoring units of the battery management system is configured to correspond to each of the plurality of battery cell stacks and measure or monitor states of the plurality of battery cells, and the CMU and the BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.

A battery pack according to the present invention includes a plurality of battery units including one or more battery cells connected in parallel and a cell monitoring unit (CMU) electrically connected to the battery cells to measure or monitor a state of the battery cells; one or more sub-battery monitoring units (sub BMUs) communicating with the plurality of battery units; and a battery monitoring unit (BMU) that communicates with the sub-BMU to receive state information of the battery cell or transmit control information related to the battery cell to manage the battery cell, wherein each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU include a first communication method through a first communication path provided between each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU, and a second communication method through a second communication path provided between each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU, and a dualized galvanic isolation communication method wherein the first communication path and the second communication path are physically separated from each other by a first optical communication path and a second optical communication path, the first communication method and the second communication method are a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method, respectively, and the sub-BMU includes a first optical communication unit and a second optical communication unit to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method, wherein the BMU is configured to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method and a first main optical communication unit and a second main optical communication unit that perform optical communication corresponding to the first and second optical communication units, respectively, wherein the first and second optical communication units and the first and second main optical communication units each include an optical transceiver, a light detecting element, and a light emitting element, and the sub-BMU and BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.

The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication schemes, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other one of the first and second optical communication schemes, and the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU may be transmitted in a time division multiplexing scheme.

The first and second communication paths include the same communication path section, the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other one of the first and second optical communication methods, and the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in the same communication path section through the code division multiplexing method. Can be sent on time.

The BMU may include a plurality of optical communication means communicating with the sub-BMU in an optical communication method.

Transmission from the sub-BMU to the BMU is performed in one of the first and second communication methods, and transmission from the BMU to the sub-BMU is performed in another communication method among the first and second communication methods.

An electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to drive the motor by converting power supplied from the battery pack, wherein the battery pack includes a plurality of battery cell stacks including a plurality of battery cells; And a battery management system of the present invention, wherein each of a plurality of cell monitoring units of the battery management system is configured to correspond to each of the plurality of battery cell stacks and measure or monitor states of the plurality of battery cells, and the CMU and the BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.

An electric vehicle according to the present invention includes a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to drive the motor by converting power supplied from the battery pack, wherein the battery pack is a battery pack according to the present invention.

Since the battery management system, the battery pack, and the electric vehicle equipped with the same according to the present invention have a dual communication structure with a first communication method through a first communication path and a second communication method through a second communication path, the first communication method and the second communication method. According to the present invention, the stability of communication between the CMU and the BMU can be improved, and furthermore, the safety of the electric vehicle equipped with the battery management system can be significantly promoted.

In addition, according to the present invention, since communication by the first communication method and the second communication method can be performed simultaneously, it is possible to improve the speed of communication between the CMU and the BMU.

In addition, in the present invention, when a sub-BMU relaying communication between a CMU and a BMU communicates with the BMU, a dual communication structure is adopted in which a first communication method through a first communication path and a second communication method through a second communication path are adopted. Therefore, the stability of communication between the sub-BMU and the BMU can be increased, and furthermore, the safety of the electric vehicle equipped with the battery management system can be greatly promoted.

In addition, since the present invention can simultaneously perform communication by the first communication method and the second communication method, there is an effect of improving the speed of communication between the sub-BMU and the BMU.

1 is an exemplary diagram of a conventional battery management system.
2 is another exemplary view of a conventional battery management system.
3 is a diagram illustrating a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure by an optical communication method and an RF communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the CMU and BMU shown in FIG. 3 in detail.
5 is a diagram illustrating a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure using a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure using an optical communication method and an RF communication method according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure using a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a battery management system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The accompanying drawings are provided by way of example in order to sufficiently convey the technical spirit of the present invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is not limited to the drawings presented below and can be embodied in any number of other forms.

Terms related to the present invention will be defined as follows.

Galvanic Isolation is a circuit technique that allows two or more electrical circuits to communicate, but blocks unwanted DC current. Specifically, it may be implemented using magnetic induction, capacitance, optical signals, electromagnetic waves, or acoustic signals. Using this, there is an effect of forming a communication path between systems having different reference potentials or preventing an unwanted current from flowing between systems sharing a ground due to a ground loop.

A multi-cell battery monitoring circuit (MCBMC) is electrically directly connected to a plurality of battery cells to measure/monitor/discharge the state of the cells and communicate with an external unit. A circuit capable of performing a function. At least part of this configuration may be implemented with a multi-cell battery monitoring IC (MCBMIC).

A multi-cell battery monitoring IC (MCBMIC, Multi-Cell Battery Monitoring Integrated Circuit) is an IC in which at least a part of the multi-cell battery monitoring circuit is implemented as an integrated circuit. Although there is an advantage of being able to share circuit blocks inside an IC necessary for functions required for a plurality of battery cells, there is a disadvantage in that a high voltage process must be used.

A single-cell battery monitoring circuit (SCBMC) is electrically directly connected to one or more battery cells connected in parallel, and performs functions of measuring/monitoring/discharging the state of the corresponding cells and communicating with an external unit. A circuit capable of performing a function. At least part of this configuration may be implemented with a single-cell battery monitoring IC (SCBMIC).

A single-cell battery monitoring IC (SCBMIC, Single-Cell Battery Monitoring Integrated Circuit) is an IC in which at least a part of a single-cell battery monitoring circuit is implemented as an integrated circuit. Although there is a disadvantage of not being able to share a circuit block inside an IC required for a function required for a plurality of battery cells, there is an advantage that a general process can be used.

A cell monitoring unit (CMU) is a component that is directly connected to a battery cell, measures/monitors the state of the cell, and includes all functions of communicating with an external unit. A multi-cell battery monitoring circuit may be provided for multi-cells, or a single-cell battery monitoring circuit may be provided for single-cells. Typically, a plurality of CMUs exist in EVs and ESSs.

A battery monitoring unit (BMU) is a set of circuits that communicate with the CMU to collect cell data, transmit necessary control commands to the connected CMU, and manage the entire battery pack, depending on the configuration of the battery system. In an EV, there is usually one BMU, but in a large-capacity ESS, multiple BMUs may exist.

A battery management system (BMS) collectively refers to functions, circuits, PCBs, and S/W programs that perform control such as determination of battery cell state, state of health (SOH), state of charge (SOC), and cell balancing and discharge through collection/analysis of all cell data inside the battery pack.

A battery unit is a component including a circuit capable of measuring/monitoring the state of one or more battery cells connected in parallel, controlling the state of the corresponding cell, and communicating with an external unit. Specifically, it has a structure in which a single-cell battery monitoring circuit or a cell monitoring unit having a single-cell battery monitoring circuit is coupled to one or more battery cells connected in parallel. Here, the battery cell is a concept including one or more unit battery cells connected in parallel.

A battery module is a physical unit composed of a circuit capable of measuring/monitoring and balancing a plurality of battery cells, and includes a plurality of battery cells and a cell monitoring unit corresponding thereto. The cell monitoring unit may include a multi-cell battery monitoring circuit or a single-cell battery monitoring circuit. When the cell monitoring unit includes a single-cell battery monitoring circuit, the battery module may include a plurality of battery units.

A battery pack is a term mainly used in EVs, and includes battery cells, electronic and electrical devices, and all necessary wiring. It may be a configuration including a plurality of battery modules, a BMS, and various communication wires, or a configuration including a plurality of battery units instead of a plurality of battery modules.

A sub-BMU is a component required to act as a communication bridge between a CMU and a BMU in a battery pack including a plurality of battery units to which SCBMC is applied as a CMU. If the size of the battery pack is not large, direct communication connection to the CMU-to-BMU is possible, but if the size of the battery pack is large, it may be provided for communication relay. In a conventional battery pack in which MCBMIC is applied to a CMU, a sub-BMU is not normally required.

IR-PHY (Infrared Physical Layer) is a component including amplification, driving, and comparison functions necessary for driving and receiving infrared RX/TX front ends and electrical conversion of transmit/receive optical signals, and can perform at least some functions of Data I/F. As an example, it may be formed as a single semiconductor package.

The cell measurement wiring (WCM, Wire Harness for Cell Measurement) is a set of conductive wires electrically connected between the CMU and the battery cell to measure/monitor the voltage and temperature of the battery cell.

A battery management system according to the present invention may include a plurality of cell monitoring units (CMUs) that each measure or monitor states of a plurality of battery cells, and a battery monitoring unit (BMU) that communicates with the plurality of CMUs, receives state information of the battery cells, or transmits control information related to the battery cells to manage the battery cells.

In addition, the battery pack according to the present invention may include a plurality of battery cell stacks including a plurality of battery cells, a CMU each measuring or monitoring a state of each battery cell of the battery cell stack, and a battery monitoring unit (BMU) that manages the battery cells by communicating with the plurality of CMUs, receiving state information of the battery cells, or transmitting control information related to the battery cells.

Here, in the battery management system and battery pack according to the present invention, the CMU and the BMU include a redundant galvanic isolation communication method including a first communication method through a first communication path and a second communication method through a second communication path. It is characterized in that it communicates with a communication method. That is, the CMU and the BMU can communicate directly, but it is also possible to configure a sub-battery monitoring unit (sub-Battery Monitoring Unit) to relay communication between the CMU and the BMU. In this case, the CMU and the sub-BMU and/or the sub-BMU and the BMU may be configured to perform communication in a redundant galvanic isolation communication method. Here, the galvanic isolation communication method may be a communication method using magnetic induction, capacitance, optical signals, or electromagnetic waves.

In particular, the CMU and the BMU communicate using at least one of the first and second communication paths, but communicate using the other communication method when a failure occurs in any one of the first and second communication methods. More specifically, transmission from the CMU to the BMU is performed using any one of the first and second communication methods, and reception from the BMU to the CMU is performed using the other communication method of the first and second communication methods. and the second communication method, when a failure occurs in one communication method, the battery cell state information and control information may be transmitted and received through the other communication method.

In addition, the CMU and the BMU communicate based on the preset roles of the first and second communication methods, but when a failure occurs in either one of the first and second communication methods, the other communication method is switched to communicate, and when the failure is resolved, it may be configured to return to the preset roles of the first and second communication methods to perform communication.

For example, in a state where the first and second communication methods are set to the main communication and emergency communication methods, respectively, the CMU and the BMU initially transmit and receive data in the first communication method, and if a failure occurs in the first communication method, the second communication method set as an emergency communication method performs communication instead of the first communication method, and when the failure of the first communication method is resolved, it returns to the original setting state and returns to the first communication method, which is the main communication, for communication.

As another example, in a state where the first and second communication methods are set to the primary communication and secondary communication methods, respectively, the first and second communication methods initially transmit and receive data with their respectively set roles, and if a failure occurs in either communication method, the other communication method performs communication in place of the failure communication method, and when the communication failure is resolved, the first and second communication methods are returned to the original settings to perform communication as the primary and secondary communication.

The first communication method may be a first optical communication method performed through a first optical communication path as a first communication path, and the second communication method may be a first radio frequency (RF) communication method performed through a first RF communication path as a second communication path.

Also, the first communication method may be a first optical communication method performed through a first optical communication path as a first communication path, and the second communication method may be a second optical communication method performed through a second optical communication path as a second communication path.

In this configuration, the first and second communication methods may each transmit and receive data according to a predetermined role, but if necessary, the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU may be configured to be transmitted in any one of the first and second communication methods, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU may be transmitted in another optical communication method among the first and second communication methods.

In particular, the first and second optical communication systems may each transmit and receive data according to a predetermined role, but if necessary, the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU may be configured to be transmitted in any one of the first and second optical communication schemes, and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU may be transmitted in the other one of the first and second optical communications schemes.

At this time, the transmission from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission from the BMU to the CMU are time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), or a combination thereof.

In particular, when the first and second communication methods are the first and second optical communication methods, respectively, transmission from the CMU to the BMU and transmission from the BMU to the CMU may be performed using the CDM method, the TDM method, or a combination thereof.

For example, when the first and second communication paths include the same communication path section, such as when a CMU and a BMU or a sub-BMU and a BMU communicate using air as a transmission medium or share a portion of an FOC or a light guide member as a transmission medium, transmission from the CMU to the BMU is performed by one of the first and second optical communication methods, and transmission from the BMU to the CMU is performed by the other optical communication method of the first and second optical communication methods. It is transmitted, but it can be transmitted in the same time zone through the same communication path section as TDM multiplexing method or CDM multiplexing method.

The BMU may be configured to perform redundant communication with the CMU or sub-BMU and may include an optical communication means for optical communication with the CMU or sub-BMU. In addition, the BMU may include a plurality of optical communication means for communicating with the CMU or the sub-BMU in an optical communication method in order to further increase communication speed and/or reliability.

In other words, the optical communication means of the BMU doubles communication with the CMU or sub-BMU, groups a plurality of CMUs or sub-BMUs into a plurality of groups for communication, or has a failure in communication with the CMU or sub-BMU. It can be configured in plurality to prepare for an emergency situation.

Hereinafter, for convenience of description, a case in which the first communication method is an optical communication method performed through the first optical communication path and the second communication method is an RF communication method performed through the first RF communication path will be described as an example.

3 is a diagram showing a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure by an optical communication method and an RF communication method in one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the CMU and BMU shown in FIG. 3 in detail.

Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , the CMU 1000 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a cell monitoring circuit unit 1210, a first optical communication unit 1220, and a first RF communication unit 1230. Also, the battery may be configured by grouping a plurality of battery cells 10 into a plurality of battery cell stacks 100 .

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 is electrically connected to the battery cell 10 of the battery cell stack 100 through a connector 1260 and monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 . Here, the battery cell stack 100 may include a plurality of battery cells 10 . When the battery cell stack 100 includes two or more battery cells 10, the two or more battery cells 10 may be connected in series, in parallel, or in a combination of series and parallel.

The state information of the battery cell stack 100 monitored by the cell monitoring circuit 1210 refers to information indicating the state of the battery cell 10, such as the voltage of the battery cell 10, the current flowing through the battery cell 10, the temperature of the battery cell 10, the SOC of the battery cell 10, or the SOH of the battery cell 10. As the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 is electrically or communicatively connected to various sensors, it can monitor the voltage of the battery cell 10, the current flowing through the battery cell 10, or the temperature of the battery cell 10. In addition, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may monitor the SOC of the battery cell 10 or the SOH of the battery cell 10 using information such as the voltage of the battery cell 10, the current flowing through the battery cell 10, or the temperature of the battery cell 10.

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may be composed of a multi-cell battery monitoring integrated circuit (MCBMIC) having a multi-channel in order to measure the multi-cell in order to monitor state information of the battery cell stack 100, or may include this.

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 and then controls at least one of a first optical communication unit 1220 and a first RF communication unit 1230 to be described later so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is configured to detect at least one of a first optical communication path P _OP1 and a first RF communication path P _RF1 provided between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000. to be transmitted to the BMU (2000) through

In addition, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 from the BMU 2000 through at least one of the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 . Here, the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 refers to information including control information related to state monitoring of the battery cell stack 100 or control related to operation control of the battery cell stack 100, such as control information to the effect of monitoring state information of the battery cell stack 100 or control information to the effect of performing voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 constituting the battery cell stack 100.

The BMU 2000 may include a controller 2210 , a first main optical communication unit 2220 and a first main RF communication unit 2230 .

The controller 2210 receives state information of the battery cell stack 100 from the cell monitoring circuit 1210 through at least one of the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

In addition, the controller 2210 generates control information related to the battery cell stack 100, and causes the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to be transmitted to the cell monitoring circuit 1210 through at least one of the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 . When the cell monitoring circuit 1210 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100, the cell monitoring circuit 1210 monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 or performs voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 according to the control information related to the battery cell stack 100.

The first main optical communication unit 2220 is an optical communication unit for optical communication between the BMU and the CMU or the sub-BMU, and performs optical communication with the first optical communication unit 1220 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 , and the first main RF communication unit 2230 performs RF communication with the first RF communication unit 1230 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

As described above, the first main optical communication unit 2220 may be provided in plurality to double communication with the CMU or sub-BMU, to group a plurality of CMUs or sub-BMUs into a plurality of groups for communication, or to prepare for an emergency situation in which communication with the CMU or sub-BMU occurs.

The CMU 1000 according to the present invention allows the cell monitoring circuit 1210 to transmit and receive information with the BMU 2000 (more specifically, the controller 2210) through optical communication with each other. It may include a first optical communication unit 1220.

The first optical communication unit 1220 is an optical communication unit provided in the CMU 1000, and may transmit state information of the battery cell stack 100 monitored by the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 to the BMU 2000 through a first optical communication path P _OP1 provided between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000. In addition, the first optical communication unit 1220 may receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first optical communication path P _OP1 from the BMU 2000 (more specifically, the first main optical communication unit 2220), and transmit the received control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210.

Here, the first optical communication path P _OP1 is a path provided for optical communication between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000, and may be formed of air, a fiber optic cable (FOC), or a light guide. To this end, the first optical communication method through the first optical communication path P _OP1 may be performed using a CDM method, a TDM method, or a combination thereof.

The first main optical communication unit 2220 is an optical communication unit provided in the BMU 2000, and can receive state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first optical communication path P _OP1 and transmit the received state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the controller 2210. In addition, the first main optical communication unit 2220 may transmit control information related to the battery cell stack 100 generated by the controller 2210 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 , when the number of first optical communication units 1220 is n, the number of first main optical communication units 2220 may be one. However, it is not necessarily limited only to this embodiment, and the first main optical communication unit 2220 may be provided in plurality. When the number of first optical communication units 1220 is n, the number of first main optical communication units 2220 may be a plurality smaller than n or n. When the number of first main optical communication units 2220 is n, the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220 may perform optical communication in a 1:1 correspondence with each other.

Furthermore, although not shown in the drawings, when there are a plurality of first main optical communication units 2220, a signal multiplexing means, that is, a multiplexer (MUX; not shown) may be provided between the first main optical communication unit 2220 and the controller 2210. At this time, the multiplexer may receive a signal (for example, a signal including battery state information) from the at least one first main optical communication unit 2220 and transmit the signal to the controller 2210, or receive a signal transmitted from the controller 2210 (eg, a signal including battery-related control information) and transmit it to the at least one first main optical communication unit 2220.

In addition, when the number of first main optical communication units 2220 is plural, some of them are used as main optical communication means, and the rest are used as auxiliary or emergency optical communication means to perform optical communication by replacing them when a failure occurs in the main optical communication means.

The first optical communication unit 1220 performs digital communication with the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210, the first main optical communication unit 2220 performs digital communication with the controller 2210, and the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220 may perform optical communication with each other.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the first optical communication unit 1220 may include a first optical transceiver 1221 , a first light emitting element 1222 and a first light detecting element 1223 . For example, the first optical communication unit 1220 may be an infrared physical layer (IR-PHY) device including a first optical transceiver 1221, a first light emitting device 1222, and a first light detecting device 1223.

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may transfer status information of the monitored battery cell stack 100 to the first optical communication unit 1220 as a digital signal TXD1. In this case, the first optical transceiver 1221 of the first optical communication unit 1220 may transfer an electrical signal including state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the first light emitting element 1222 .

The first light emitting device 1222 may be made of or include a light emitting device (LED). The first light emitting device 1222 converts the state information of the battery cell stack 100 into an optical signal, and transmits the converted state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000 through a first optical communication path P _OP1 .

The first main optical communication unit 2220 of the BMU 2000 may include a first main optical transceiver, a first main light detecting element 2222 and a first main light emitting element. For example, the first main optical communication unit 2220 may be an IR-PHY element including a first main optical transceiver, a first main light detection element 2222 and a first main light emitting element.

The first main light detection device 2222 may include or include a Light Detecting Device (LDD), and the LDD may be a photo detector. The first main photodetector 2222 may receive state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the first light emitting device 1222, convert the state information of the battery cell stack 100 into an electrical signal, and transmit it to the first main optical transceiver. In this case, the first main optical transceiver may transfer state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the controller 2210 as a digital signal RXD1.

The controller 2210 may obtain state information of the battery cell stack 100 from RXD1. At this time, the controller 2210 may generate control information related to the battery cell stack 100, such as control information to continuously monitor state information of the battery cell stack 100 or control information to perform voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 constituting the battery cell stack 100, and transmit the generated control information to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 of the CMU 1000.

Specifically, the controller 2210 may generate control information related to the battery cell stack 100 and transmit the generated control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the first main optical communication unit 2220 as a digital signal TXD2. In this case, the first main optical transceiver of the first main optical communication unit 2220 may transfer an electrical signal including control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the first main light emitting device.

The first main light emitting device may include or include LEDs. The first main light emitting device converts the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 into an optical signal, and transmits the converted control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the CMU 1000 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

In this case, the first optical communication unit 1220 of the CMU 1000 , more specifically, the first photodetector 1223 may receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100 . The first photodetection element 1223 may be formed of LDD or may include LDD. The first photodetection element 1223 may receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted from the first main light emitting element, convert the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 into an electrical signal, and transmit it to the first optical transceiver 1221.

At this time, the first optical transceiver 1221 may transmit control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit 1210 as a digital signal RXD2, and the cell monitoring circuit 1210 may continuously monitor state information of the battery cell stack 100 or balance voltage of the battery cells 10 constituting the battery cell stack 100 according to control information related to the battery cell stack 100. carry out

The CMU 1000 according to the present invention allows the cell monitoring circuit 1210 to transmit and receive information with the BMU 2000 (more specifically, the controller 2210) through RF communication with each other. It may include a first RF communication unit 1230.

The first RF communication unit 1230 is an RF communication unit provided in the CMU 1000, and may transmit state information of the battery cell stack 100 monitored by the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 to the BMU 2000 through a first RF communication path P _RF1 provided between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000. In addition, the first RF communication unit 1230 may receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first RF communication path P _RF1 , and transmit the received control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210.

Here, the first RF communication path P _RF1 is a path provided for RF communication between the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220, and may be formed of air. In this case, the first RF communication method through the first RF communication path (P _RF1 ) may be performed using a TDM method, a CDM method, an FDM method, or a combination thereof.

The first main RF communication unit 2230 is an RF communication unit provided in the BMU 2000, and can receive state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first RF communication path P _RF1 and transmit the received state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the controller 2210. In addition, the first main RF communication unit 2230 may transmit control information related to the battery cell stack 100 generated by the controller 2210 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

The first RF communication unit 1230 performs digital communication with the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210, the first main RF communication unit 2230 performs digital communication with the controller 2210, and the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230 may perform RF communication with each other.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the first RF communication unit 1230 may include a first RF transceiver 1231 and a first RF antenna 1232 .

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may transfer status information of the monitored battery cell stack 100 to the first RF communication unit 1230 as a digital signal. In this case, the first RF transceiver 1231 of the first RF communication unit 1230 transmits state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000 through the first RF antenna 1232 .

The first main RF communication unit 2230 of the BMU 2000 may include a first main RF transceiver 2231 and a first main RF antenna 2232 . The first main RF antenna 2232 receives state information of the battery cell stack 100 transmitted through the first RF antenna 1232, and in this case, the first main RF transceiver 2231 may transmit the state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the controller 2210 as a digital signal.

The controller 2210 may obtain state information of the battery cell stack 100 from a digital signal transmitted by the first main RF transceiver 2231 . At this time, the controller 2210 may generate control information related to the battery cell stack 100, such as control information to continuously monitor state information of the battery cell stack 100 or control information to perform voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 constituting the battery cell stack 100, and transmit the generated control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 of the CMU 1000.

Specifically, the controller 2210 may generate control information related to the battery cell stack 100 and transmit it to the first main RF communication unit 2230 as a digital signal. In this case, the first main RF transceiver 2231 of the first main RF communication unit 2230 transmits control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the CMU 1000 through the first main RF antenna 2232.

In this case, the first RF communication unit 1230 of the CMU 1000, more specifically, the first RF antenna 1232 may receive control information related to the battery cell stack 100. When the first RF antenna 1232 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100, the first RF transceiver 1231 transmits the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 to the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 as a digital signal.

At this time, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 continuously monitors state information of the battery cell stack 100 or performs voltage balancing of the battery cells 10 constituting the battery cell stack 100 according to control information related to the battery cell stack 100.

Meanwhile, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 controls at least one of the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 through at least one of the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 . That is, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may control the first optical communication unit 1220 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 only through the first optical communication path P _OP1 , or may control the first RF communication unit 1230 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 only through the first RF communication path P _RF1 . . Alternatively, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may control both the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 through both the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

Here, the control performed by the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may be performed in a form in which the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 transmits a digital signal to at least one of the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230. That is, the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 may operate only when receiving a digital signal from the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 . Alternatively, the control performed by the cell monitoring circuit 1210 may be performed in a form in which the cell monitoring circuit 1210 supplies power to at least one of the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230. That is, the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 may operate only when power is supplied from the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 .

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may control the first optical communication unit 1220 to transmit state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 . At this time, when there is no communication failure by the first optical communication unit 1220, since smooth optical communication is performed between the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 can receive the response signal transmitted from the controller 2210 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

However, when a failure occurs in communication by the first optical communication unit 1220, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 cannot receive a response signal from the controller 2210 or receives the response signal after a longer time than expected. Here, failure in communication by the first optical communication unit 1220 refers to a case in which a communication failure occurs between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the first optical communication unit 1220, a failure in communication between the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220, or a failure in communication between the first main optical communication unit 2220 and the controller 2210.

In spite of the fact that the cell monitoring circuit 1210 controls the first optical communication unit 1220 to transmit the state information of the battery cell stack 100 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 , when a response signal cannot be received from the controller 2210 or the response signal is received only after a longer time than expected, the cell monitoring circuit 1210 can recognize that a failure has occurred in the optical communication path.

As such, when the cell monitoring circuit 1210 recognizes that a failure has occurred in the optical communication path, the cell monitoring circuit 1210 controls the first RF communication unit 1230 instead of the first optical communication unit 1220, so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 only through the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

When the CMU 1000 includes only the first optical communication unit 1220 and communication by the first optical communication unit 1220 fails, transmission and reception of information between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the controller 2210 becomes impossible or delayed, bringing great danger to the electric vehicle in which the CMU 1000 is mounted. However, since the CMU 1000 according to the present invention includes the first RF communication unit 1230 in addition to the first optical communication unit 1220, when a failure occurs in communication through the first optical communication unit 1220, the first RF communication unit 1230 may transmit and receive information between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the controller 2210. Therefore, according to the present invention, the safety of the electric vehicle in which the CMU (1000) is mounted can be greatly promoted.

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may control the first RF communication unit 1230 to transmit state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 . At this time, when there is no communication failure by the first RF communication unit 1230, since smooth RF communication is performed between the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 can receive the response signal transmitted from the controller 2210 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

However, when a failure occurs in communication by the first RF communication unit 1230, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 cannot receive a response signal from the controller 2210 or receives the response signal after a longer time than expected. Here, failure in communication by the first RF communication unit 1230 refers to a case in which a communication failure occurs between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the first RF communication unit 1230, a failure in communication between the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230, or a failure in communication between the first main RF communication unit 2230 and the controller 2210.

In spite of the fact that the cell monitoring circuit 1210 controls the first RF communication unit 1230 to transmit the state information of the battery cell stack 100 through the first RF communication path P _RF1 , if a response signal cannot be received from the controller 2210 or the response signal is received only after a longer time than expected, the cell monitoring circuit 1210 can recognize that a failure has occurred in the RF communication path.

As such, when the cell monitoring circuit 1210 recognizes that a failure has occurred in the RF communication path, the cell monitoring circuit 1210 controls the first optical communication unit 1220 instead of the first RF communication unit 1230, so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 only through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

When the CMU 1000 includes only the first RF communication unit 1230 and communication by the first RF communication unit 1230 fails, transmission and reception of information between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the controller 2210 becomes impossible or delayed, bringing great danger to an electric vehicle in which the CMU 1000 is mounted. However, since the CMU 1000 according to the present invention includes the first optical communication unit 1220 in addition to the first RF communication unit 1230, when a failure occurs in communication through the first RF communication unit 1230, the first optical communication unit 1220 may transmit and receive information between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the controller 2210. Therefore, according to the present invention, the safety of the electric vehicle in which the CMU (1000) is mounted can be greatly promoted.

Meanwhile, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 controls both the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 through both the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

That is, unlike the previous case, when there is no failure in communication by both the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230, smooth optical communication between the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220 can be achieved, and smooth RF communication can be achieved between the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230. At this time, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 transmits the state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000 through both the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 , so that the speed at which the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 can be further improved, and further, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100. The speed can also be further improved.

Even in this case, when a communication failure occurs in any one of the communication paths between the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first main optical communication unit 2220 or between the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230, communication can be performed with the other communication path in which the failure does not occur.

As such, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 may perform communication with the BMU 2000 by using the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 complementary to each other or in parallel.

Here, the fact that the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 can complementarily use the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 means that when a failure occurs in communication by the first optical communication unit 1220 and transmitting and receiving information (that is, battery status information and battery-related control information) through the first optical communication path P _OP1 acts as a great danger to an electric vehicle in which the CMU 1000 is mounted, As a supplementary measure for this, it means that information can be exchanged through the first RF communication path (P _RF1 ).

In addition, the fact that the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 can complementarily use the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 means that when communication by the first RF communication unit 1230 fails and transmitting and receiving information (ie, battery status information and control information related to the battery) through the first RF communication path P _RF1 acts as a great danger to an electric vehicle in which the CMU 1000 is mounted, As a supplementary measure for this, it means that information can be exchanged through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

The cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 is a first optical communication path (P_OP1) and the first RF communication path (P_RF1) can be used in parallel means that in order to improve the speed at which information (that is, battery status information and control information related to the battery) is transmitted and received between the cell monitoring circuit 1210 and the BMU 2000 (more specifically, the controller 2210) when there is no failure in communication by both the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230, the first optical communication path (P_OP1) and the first RF communication path (P_RF1) is used, and when a failure occurs in one of the communications by the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230, information can be exchanged using the communication path through the other one.

Such complementary or parallel use is also related to the characteristics of each communication. That is, in optical communication, when a tangible obstacle exists in the first optical communication path P _OP1 , communication performance is remarkably degraded, but is not interfered with by electromagnetic waves. In contrast, in RF communication, communication performance is significantly degraded when electromagnetic interference exists in the first RF communication path (P _RF1 ), but even if a tangible obstacle exists in the first RF communication path (P _RF1 ), the communication performance is not significantly affected unless the first RF communication path (P _RF1 ) is completely shielded.

Accordingly, the present invention includes a first optical communication unit 1220 and a first RF communication unit 1230 in order to use the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the first RF communication path P _RF1 complementarily or in parallel. According to the present invention, even if a failure occurs in communication by one of the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000 need only perform communication through the other communication unit, so that the safety of the electric vehicle in which the CMU 1000 is mounted can be greatly promoted. In addition, communication by the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230 is performed simultaneously, so that the speed of communication between the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 and the BMU 2000 can be improved.

Previously, the first optical communication unit 1220 transmits state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000, and the first optical communication unit 1220 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 from the BMU 2000.

That is, when transmitting state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000, the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 controls the first optical communication unit 1220 so that the state information of the battery cell stack 100 is transmitted to the BMU 2000 through the first optical communication path P _OP1 . In addition, when the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 receives control information related to the battery cell stack 100 from the BMU 2000, the first RF communication unit 1230 is controlled so that the control information related to the battery cell stack 100 is received through the first RF communication path P _RF1 .

In this case, it is not necessary to provide the first photodetection element 1223 in the first optical communication unit 1220, and since the receiving function can be omitted from the first optical transceiver 1221 and the transmitting function can be omitted from the first RF transceiver 1231, the structure of the CMU 1000 can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. In addition, when the transmission function is omitted from the first RF transceiver 1231, it is not necessary to set the frequency of the RF signal transmitted from the first RF transceiver 1231 as different as the number of cell monitoring circuit units 1210, so frequency interference or control complexity can be further alleviated.

Conversely, when the cell monitoring circuit unit 1210 transmits state information of the battery cell stack 100 to the BMU 2000, it is transmitted to the BMU 2000 using the first RF communication path P _RF1 , and when control information related to the battery cell stack 100 is received from the BMU 2000, it is also possible to receive it through the first optical communication path P _OP1 .

Furthermore, transmission from the CMU (1000) to the BMU (2000) is performed by any one of the above-described optical communication method and RF communication method, and reception from the BMU (2000) to the CMU (1000) is performed by the other communication method of the optical communication method and the RF communication method. However, if a failure occurs between the optical communication method and the RF communication method, it is also possible that both transmission and reception are performed by the communication method without the failure.

In addition, in the battery management system according to the present invention, the CMU (1000) and the BMU (2000) perform communication by selecting any one of the optical communication method and the RF communication method as the main communication method, and the other communication method can stand by as an emergency communication method. At this time, if a failure occurs in the communication method being used as the main communication method, it may be controlled to perform communication by switching to an emergency communication method, which is another communication method.

In addition, the CMU (1000) and the BMU (2000) can be controlled to perform communication by switching back to the original main communication method when the communication failure of the main communication method is resolved even when the emergency communication method is switched in this way.

As another example, the CMU (1000) and the BMU (2000) set the first and second communication methods as the primary and secondary communication methods, respectively, and perform communication in the first and second communication methods of their respectively set roles. If a failure occurs in either communication method, the other communication method performs communication in place of the failed communication method, and when the communication failure is resolved, the first and second communication methods are returned to the original setting state to perform communication as the primary and secondary communication, respectively. can be configured.

In the above, the case where the first communication method is the first optical communication method performed through the first optical communication path P _OP1 and the second communication method is the first RF communication method performed through the first RF communication path P _RF1 has been described as an example, but it is also possible that the first and second communication methods are configured as optical communication methods.

5 is a diagram illustrating a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure using a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the battery management system according to an embodiment of the present invention includes CMUs 1000 that are each electrically connected to a plurality of batteries through cell measurement lines (WCMs) to measure or monitor states of a plurality of battery cells (ie, battery cell stack 100), and both first and second communication methods redundant between the CMU 1000 and the BMU 2000 are made only by optical communication, and the CMU 1000 In order to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method, a first optical communication unit 1220 and a second optical communication unit 1240 are provided. In addition, the BMU 2000 includes a first main optical communication unit 2220 and a second main optical communication unit 2240 that perform optical communication corresponding to the first optical communication unit 1220 and the second optical communication unit 1240, respectively.

This is, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, in the previous embodiment, the first RF communication unit 1230 and the first main RF communication unit 2230 are replaced by the second optical communication unit 1240 and the second main optical communication unit 2240. Only the difference is that, since the operation and control principle of the first and second communication methods are the same, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although not shown in the drawings, one embodiment of the present invention described through FIGS. 3 to 5 may be applied to a battery system including a battery pack, battery rack, or battery bank provided in an energy storage system.

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, one embodiment of the present invention described above may be applied to a battery system including a battery pack included in an electric vehicle. For example, an electric vehicle according to the present invention is an electric vehicle including a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to convert power supplied from the battery pack and drive the motor, and the battery pack is characterized in that it is configured to include a plurality of battery cell stacks 100 including a plurality of battery cells, and the battery management system of the present invention.

In the above, as an embodiment of the present invention, the communication redundancy structure between the CMU (1000) and the BMU (2000) has been described in a configuration in which the CMU (1000) includes a multi-cell battery monitoring IC (or MCBMIC) to measure or monitor the state of a plurality of battery cells.

6 is a diagram showing a battery management system and a battery pack having a communication redundancy structure by an optical communication method and an RF communication method as another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6 , a battery management system and battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention include a battery cell stack 100 including one or more battery cells connected in parallel and a plurality of battery units including a CMU 1000 mounted on one side of the battery cell and measuring or monitoring the state of the battery cell, one or more sub-BMUs 3000 communicating with the plurality of battery units, and communicating with the sub-BMU 3000, receiving state information of the battery cells, or related to the battery cells. It is configured to include a BMU (2000) that manages battery cells by transmitting control information.

Here, the sub-BMU 3000 and the BMU 2000 communicate in a dualized galvanic isolation communication method including a first communication method through a first communication path and a second communication method through a second communication path, wherein the first and second communication methods are an optical communication method and an RF communication method, respectively, and when a failure occurs in either one of the optical communication method and the RF communication method, communication is performed using the other communication method.

To this end, the sub BMU 3000 includes a first optical communication unit 1220 and a first RF communication unit 1230 for optical communication and RF communication, and the BMU 2000 may include a first main optical communication unit 2220 and a first main RF communication unit 2230 corresponding to the first optical communication unit 1220 and the first RF communication unit 1230.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the CMU 1000 is mounted on one or more battery cells connected in parallel, and includes a single-cell battery monitoring circuit (SCBMC) or a single-cell battery monitoring IC (SCBMIC) that is electrically directly connected to the battery cells to measure or monitor the state of the battery cells. At this time, the CMU 1000 may be configured to communicate directly with the BMU 2000, but it may also be configured to communicate with the sub-BMU 3000 installed for relaying communication with the BMU 2000, and communication with the BMU 2000 or the sub-BMU 3000 may be performed by a galvanic isolation method, in particular an optical communication method.

The other embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 6 differs from the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 in that the CMU 1000 is directly mounted on the battery cell and measures or monitors one or more battery cells connected in parallel. 000) and its operation and control principle are the same, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the first and second communication methods dualized between the sub-BMU 3000 and the BMU 2000 are configured only in the optical communication method, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 6 configured of the optical communication method and the RF communication method, respectively. In addition, the BMU 2000 includes a first main optical communication unit 2220 and a second main optical communication unit 2240 that perform optical communication corresponding to the first optical communication unit 1220 and the second optical communication unit 1240 of the sub-BMU 3000, respectively.

7 is different from the embodiment of FIG. 6 in that the first RF communication unit 1230 of the sub-BMU 3000 and the first main RF communication unit 2230 of the BMU 2000 are replaced by the second optical communication unit 1240 and the second main optical communication unit 2240, respectively, and the operation and control principles of the first and second communication methods are different from one embodiment of the present invention and another embodiment of FIG. 6 Since it is the same as the example, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Although not shown in the drawings, another embodiment of the present invention described through FIGS. 6 and 7 can be applied to a battery system including a battery pack, battery rack, or battery bank provided in an energy storage system.

In addition, although not shown in the drawings, another embodiment of the present invention described above may be applied to a battery system including a battery pack included in an electric vehicle. For example, an electric vehicle according to the present invention is an electric vehicle including a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to convert power supplied from the battery pack to drive the motor, and the battery pack is a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by the limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations from these descriptions. Therefore, the technical spirit of the present invention should be grasped only by the claims, and all equivalent or equivalent modifications thereof will be said to fall within the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention.

10: battery cell 100: battery cell stack
1000: CMU
1210: cell monitoring circuit unit 1220: first optical communication unit
1221: first light transceiver 1222: first light emitting element
1223: first light detection element 1230: first RF communication unit
1231: first RF transceiver 1232: first RF antenna
1240: second optical communication unit 2000: BMU
2210: controller 2220: first main optical communication unit
2221: first main optical transceiver 2222: first main optical detection element
2223: first main light emitting element 2230: first main RF communication unit
2231: first main RF transceiver 2232: first main RF antenna
2240: second main optical communication unit
3000: Sub BMU

Claims (16)

A plurality of cell monitoring units (CMU, Cell Monitoring Unit) each measuring or monitoring the state of a plurality of battery cells; and
A battery monitoring unit (BMU) configured to communicate with the plurality of CMUs, receive state information of the battery cells, or transmit control information related to the battery cells to manage the battery cells;
Each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU communicates by a communication method including a redundant galvanic isolation communication method including a first communication method through a first communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU and a second communication method through a second communication path provided between each of the plurality of CMUs and the BMU,
The first communication path and the second communication path are a first optical communication path and a second optical communication path physically separated from each other,
The first communication method and the second communication method are a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method, respectively;
The CMU includes a first optical communication unit and a second optical communication unit to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method,
The BMU includes a first main optical communication unit and a second main optical communication unit that perform optical communication corresponding to the first optical communication unit and the second optical communication unit, respectively, in order to perform the first optical communication scheme and the second optical communication scheme,
Each of the first and second optical communication units and the first and second main optical communication units includes an optical transceiver, a light detection element, and a light emitting element,
The battery management system, characterized in that the CMU and the BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.
delete According to claim 1,
Transmission from the CMU to the BMU is performed in one of the first and second communication methods,
The battery management system, characterized in that the transmission from the BMU to the CMU is performed by another communication method among the first and second communication methods.
According to claim 1,
The CMU and BMU,
Communicate based on the preset roles of the first and second communication methods,
When a failure occurs in any one of the first and second communication methods, switching to the other communication method and communicating;
When the failure is resolved, the first and second communication methods return to the preset roles to perform communication.
According to claim 1,
The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods,
The transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other optical communication method among the first and second optical communication methods,
The battery management system, characterized in that the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in a time division multiplexing method.
According to claim 1,
The first and second communication paths include the same communication path section,
The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods,
The transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other optical communication method among the first and second optical communication methods,
The battery management system, characterized in that the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in a code division multiplexing method and transmitted at the same time through the same communication path section.
According to claim 1,
The battery management system, characterized in that the BMU includes a plurality of optical communication means for communicating with the CMU in an optical communication method.
According to claim 1,
Further comprising a sub battery monitoring unit (sub BMU, Sub-Battery Monitoring Unit) relaying communication between the CMU and BMU,
The battery management system, characterized in that communication is made between the CMU and the sub-BMU and at least one of the sub-BMU and the BMU by the redundant galvanic isolation communication method.
a plurality of battery cell stacks including a plurality of battery cells; and
Including the battery management system according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 8,
Each of the plurality of cell monitoring units of the battery management system is configured to measure or monitor a state of the plurality of battery cells in correspondence with each of the plurality of battery cell stacks,
The battery pack, characterized in that the CMU and the BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.
A plurality of battery units including one or more battery cells connected in parallel and a cell monitoring unit (CMU) electrically connected to the battery cells to measure or monitor states of the battery cells;
one or more sub-battery monitoring units (sub BMUs) communicating with the plurality of battery units; and
A battery monitoring unit (BMU) configured to communicate with the sub BMU to receive state information of the battery cell or transmit control information related to the battery cell to manage the battery cell;
Each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU communicate in a redundant galvanic isolation communication method including a first communication method through a first communication path provided between each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU and a second communication method through a second communication path provided between each of the one or more sub-BMUs and the BMU;
The first communication path and the second communication path are a first optical communication path and a second optical communication path that are physically separated from each other,
The first communication method and the second communication method are a first optical communication method and a second optical communication method, respectively;
The sub-BMU includes a first optical communication unit and a second optical communication unit to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method;
The BMU includes a first main optical communication unit and a second main optical communication unit that perform optical communication corresponding to the first optical communication unit and the second optical communication unit, respectively, in order to perform the first optical communication method and the second optical communication method;
Each of the first and second optical communication units and the first and second main optical communication units includes an optical transceiver, a light detection element, and a light emitting element,
The battery pack, characterized in that the sub BMU and BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.
According to claim 10,
The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods,
The transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other optical communication method among the first and second optical communication methods,
The battery pack, characterized in that the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in a time division multiplexing method.
According to claim 10,
The first and second communication paths include the same communication path section,
The transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU is transmitted in one of the first and second optical communication methods,
The transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU is transmitted in the other optical communication method among the first and second optical communication methods,
The battery pack, characterized in that the transmission signal from the CMU to the BMU and the transmission signal from the BMU to the CMU are transmitted in a code division multiplexing method and transmitted at the same time through the same communication path section.
According to claim 10,
The battery pack, characterized in that the BMU includes a plurality of optical communication means for communicating with the sub-BMU in an optical communication method.
According to claim 10,
Transmission from the sub-BMU to the BMU is performed in one of the first and second communication methods,
The battery pack, characterized in that the transmission from the BMU to the sub-BMU is performed by another communication method among the first and second communication methods.
An electric vehicle comprising a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to drive the motor by converting power supplied from the battery pack,
The battery pack,
a plurality of battery cell stacks including a plurality of battery cells; and
Including the battery management system according to any one of claims 1, 3 to 8,
Each of the plurality of cell monitoring units of the battery management system is configured to measure or monitor a state of the plurality of battery cells in correspondence with each of the plurality of battery cell stacks,
The electric vehicle, characterized in that the CMU and BMU communicate using another communication method when a failure occurs in one of the first and second communication methods.
An electric vehicle comprising a battery pack, a motor, and an inverter controlled to drive the motor by converting power supplied from the battery pack,
The electric vehicle characterized in that the battery pack is the battery pack according to any one of claims 10 to 14.