KR102637309B1 - method for switch the mode of the battery pack from outside and the battery pack from the outside - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery modules, a BMS (battery management system) that controls charging or discharging of the battery pack, a wake-up control unit that controls wake-up of the BMS, and overcurrent and overvoltage of the battery pack. , a protection circuit unit that protects low voltage, and a main FET, one end of which is connected to the protection circuit unit, the other end of which is connected to the (+) output terminal of the battery pack, and which controls the output of the battery pack according to the control of the BMS, The protection circuit part includes a blocking switch, one end of which is connected to the (+) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, and the other end of which is connected to the BMS and the main FET, and is turned on. Once set, when a blocking signal is received from the BMS, it is turned off to block the output of the battery pack.

Description

A battery pack capable of switching modes from the outside and a method for switching the mode of the battery pack from the outside {method for switch the mode of the battery pack from outside and the battery pack from the outside}

The present invention relates to a battery pack capable of externally switching modes and a method for externally switching modes of the battery pack.

More specifically, it relates to a battery pack that is additionally provided with a switch controlled by an external device inside the battery, allowing mode switching from the outside, and a method of switching the mode of the battery pack from the outside.

Due to the rapid increase in the use of fossil fuels, the demand for the use of alternative or clean energy is increasing, and as part of this, the most actively researched fields are power generation and storage using electrochemistry.

Currently, batteries are a representative example of electrochemical devices that use such electrochemical energy, and their use area is gradually expanding.

Recently, as technology development and demand for portable devices such as portable computers, portable phones, and cameras increase, the demand for batteries as an energy source is rapidly increasing.

Meanwhile, the battery is comprised of a battery management system. The battery management system can protect the battery by blocking discharge of the battery when the remaining capacity of the battery falls below a predetermined value. However, the battery is protected in this way. The battery management system installed to do this consumes battery power, so there was a problem in that the battery could not be used if left unattended for a long period of time.

Conventional technology to solve this problem includes a separate power cutoff switch. When the battery is not used for a long time, the power cutoff switch is turned off to prevent battery power consumption, and when the battery is used, the power cutoff switch is turned on. Therefore, there was a technology (prior art 1) to reactivate the battery management system.

In other words, prior art 1 has a problem in that the user must manually turn the power cutoff switch on or off.

Meanwhile, in recent years, due to the development of external device technology, when the power of the battery can be controlled from an external device, there is a technology (prior art 2) that automatically turns off the power of the battery depending on whether the external device is used.

However, the circuits of the technology that allows the user to directly turn on or off the power cutoff switch (prior art 1) and the technology that controls the power of the battery from an external device (prior art 2) are different, so the battery may change depending on the external device in which the battery is used. Because the design had to be different, there was a problem that the battery design cost increased.

Meanwhile, a conventional battery pack immediately cuts off the output of the battery pack when the battery pack is in any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage states, making it impossible to monitor the battery pack after it has been cut off.

Therefore, the present invention proposes a battery pack that can be used regardless of whether the battery power can be controlled from an external device.

Additionally, the present invention proposes a battery pack capable of monitoring the battery pack for a predetermined period of time even if the battery pack is in any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage states.

Korean Patent Publication KR 2013-0104149 A Korean Patent Publication KR 2018-0022162 A

The present invention provides a battery pack that can be used regardless of whether the battery power can be controlled from an external device.

Additionally, the present invention provides a battery pack capable of monitoring the battery pack for a predetermined period of time even if the battery pack is in any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage states.

A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery modules, a BMS (battery management system) that controls charging or discharging of the battery pack, a wake-up control unit that controls wake-up of the BMS, and overcurrent and overvoltage of the battery pack. , a protection circuit unit that protects low voltage and a main FET, one end of which is connected to the protection circuit unit and the other end of which is connected to the (+) output terminal of the battery pack, and the protection circuit unit includes a cut-off switch, The cut-off switch has one end connected to the (+) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, the other end connected to the BMS and the main FET, receives a cut-off signal from the BMS, blocks the output of the battery pack, and performs the wake-up operation. The control unit may control whether to wake up the battery pack depending on whether an external device connected to the battery pack can generate a wake up signal for the BMS.

The wake-up control unit includes a first switch, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch, and the other end of which is connected to the BMS; a second switch, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch, and the other end of which is connected to an external device; One end may be connected to one end of the blocking switch, and the other end may include a third switch connected to the BMS.

If the external device cannot generate a wake-up signal from the BMS, the first switch is turned on to connect the other end of the protection circuit unit and the BMS, and can generate a wake-up signal from the BMS from the external device. In this case, it may be in an OFF state.

The second switch is turned on when a BMS wake-up signal is received from an external device, thereby connecting the battery module and the BMS.

When the output of the battery pack is blocked by the protection circuit unit, the third switch may be controlled by the BMS and transmit diagnostic signals for the plurality of battery modules to the BMS for a predetermined period of time and then be blocked. there is.

The BMS may turn on the main FET when the BMS is woken up by the wake-up control unit.

The protection circuit unit further includes a second cutoff switch in addition to the cutoff switch, one end of the second cutoff switch is connected to the (-) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, and the other end is connected to the (-) terminal of the battery pack. ) can be connected to the output terminal.

In the present invention, one type of battery pack can be used to supply power to an external device regardless of whether the battery power can be controlled from the external device.

Additionally, the present invention can monitor the battery pack for a predetermined period of time even if the battery pack is in any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage states.

1 is a block diagram showing a battery pack and an external device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is an actual circuit diagram of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 3 is a flowchart of a battery pack wake-up method and a protection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Below, with reference to the attached drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present invention. However, the present invention may be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In order to clearly explain the present invention in the drawings, parts unrelated to the description are omitted, and similar parts are given similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

Terms containing ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by the terms. The above terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, a first component may be named a second component without departing from the scope of the present invention, and similarly, the second component may also be named a first component. The terms used in this application are only used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be “connected” to another part, this includes not only cases where it is “directly connected,” but also cases where it is “electrically connected” with another element in between. . Additionally, when a part is said to “include” a certain component, this does not mean excluding other components, but may include other components, unless specifically stated to the contrary. The term “step of” or “step of” as used throughout the specification does not mean “step for.”

The terms used in the present invention are general terms that are currently widely used as much as possible while considering the function in the present invention, but this may vary depending on the intention or precedent of a person working in the art, the emergence of new technology, etc. In addition, in certain cases, there are terms arbitrarily selected by the applicant, and in this case, the meaning will be described in detail in the description of the relevant invention. Therefore, the terms used in the present invention should be defined based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of the present invention, rather than simply the name of the term.

1. Battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention

The battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention can be used to supply power to an external device 500.

Specifically, the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention is a battery pack that can be integratedly used by an external device regardless of whether the BMS of the battery pack can generate a wake-up signal.

The external device 500 refers to a portable device such as a portable computer, a portable phone, or a camera.

Hereinafter, a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

A battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of battery modules 10, a BMS 300 that controls charging or discharging of the battery pack, a wake-up control unit 200 that controls wake-up of the BMS, and a battery pack. It may be configured to include a protection circuit unit 100 that protects against overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage, and a main FET 400, one end of which is connected to the protection circuit unit, and the other end of which is connected to the (+) output terminal of the battery pack.

Meanwhile, the protection circuit unit 100 is configured to include a blocking switch 110, one end of which is connected to the (+) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, and the other end of which is connected to the BMS 300. And it is connected to the main FET (400), receives a blocking signal from the BMS (300) and blocks the output of the battery pack, and the wake-up control unit (200) is configured to allow an external device connected to the battery pack to be connected to the BMS. The wake-up circuit of the battery pack can be controlled depending on whether a wake-up signal can be generated.

Specifically, the wake-up control unit 200 has a first switch 210, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch and the other end of which is connected to the BMS, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch, and the other end of the wake-up control unit 200. It may be configured to include a second switch 220 connected to an external device, one end of which is connected to one end of the blocking switch 110, and a third switch 230 whose other end is connected to the BMS 300.

The first switch 210 is in the ON state when the external device cannot generate a wake-up signal for the BMS 300, and the external device can generate a wake-up signal for the BMS 300. In this case, it is OFF.

In other words, since the first switch 210 cannot generate a BMS wake-up signal from an external device, it must be in an on state so that the plurality of battery modules 10 constituting the battery pack and the BMS 300 are always connected. does not exist. However, the first switch 210 may be forcibly turned off by the user using the battery pack. For example, when the battery is not used for a long time, if the battery module and the BMS 300 are continuously connected, the BMS ( Since a problem of consuming battery power may occur in 300), in this case, it may be desirable for the user to directly turn off the first switch to reduce battery power consumption.

Meanwhile, the second switch 220 is turned on when a BMS wake-up signal is received from an external device, thereby connecting the other end of the protection circuit unit to the BMS 300.

Specifically, the second switch 220 can receive a wake-up signal from an external device and wake up the BMS by connecting the battery module and the BMS 300.

Meanwhile, when the second switch 220 is turned on only while receiving a wake-up signal from the external device and provides power to the BMS through the second switch path, the BMS 300 wakes up and simultaneously switches on the second switch 220. 3 By turning on the switch 230, even if the second switch 220 is turned off, power can be continuously supplied through the path of the third switch 230.

That is, the BMS 300 that wakes up turns on the third switch 230 and turns on the main FET at the same time as it wakes up, so that the output of the battery pack is supplied to an external device.

Meanwhile, the first switch 210 and the second switch 220 cannot both be turned on at the same time. This is because, when both switches are in the on state, the battery management system cannot properly perform the functions of the first and second switches described above.

For example, when the external device 500 can control the battery power, if the first and second switches 210 and 220 are turned on, even if the external device 500 turns off the second switch 220, Power is supplied to the BMS 300 through the first switch 210, so that continuous current consumption may occur in the battery. In order to avoid this problem, a situation in which the first switch 210 and the second switch 220 are turned on at the same time does not occur.

Meanwhile, when the output of the battery pack is blocked by the protection circuit unit 100, the third switch 230 is controlled by the BMS 300 and provides diagnostic signals for the plurality of battery modules for a predetermined period of time. After being transmitted to the BMS 300, it may be blocked.

Specifically, in the prior art, when the battery pack is in any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage states, the output of the battery pack is immediately blocked and the BMS (300) is also turned off to determine the state of the battery pack after the output of the battery pack is blocked. Could not be monitored.

In order to solve this problem, the third switch is connected to one end of the cutoff switch 110 that cuts off the power to the battery pack and further monitors the status of the battery pack for a predetermined period of time (preferably less than a few seconds), and then BMS ( 300) can be turned off according to the control.

That is, by providing an additional power line connected to the front of the protection circuit unit 100 that cuts off the power of the battery pack, the diagnostic signal of the battery pack can be monitored even if the power of the battery pack is cut off by the protection circuit unit 100. .

Meanwhile, the battery pack according to the embodiment of the present invention described above may further include a DC/DC converter. The DC/DC converter is capable of converting the output voltage of the battery module to a voltage suitable for the BMS, It may be desirable to be provided between the wake-up control unit and the BMS.

Meanwhile, Table 1 below shows the output of the DC/DC converter according to the first and second switch controls of the wake-up controller in the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The output of the DC/DC converter is supplied to the BMS to wake up the BMS (300).

first switch second switch Output of DC/DC converter 0 0 0 0 One One One 0 One

Looking at Table 1 above, when any one or more of the first and second switches (210, 220) is on, the output of the DC/DC converter is output, and when both the first and second switches (210, 220) are off, the DC/DC converter is output. It can be seen that the output of the converter is 0. For example, when the external device 500 can generate a wake-up signal, the first switch 210 is turned off (0) by the user. At this time, when the second switch 220 is turned on, the output of the DC/DC converter is generated through the path of the second switch 220 and the BMS can be woken up.

As another example, when an external device cannot generate a wake-up signal, it may be desirable to leave the second switch 220 in an off state. When the second switch 220 is left in the off state and the first switch 210 is turned on by the user, the output of the DC/DC converter is emitted through the first switch path and the BMS 300 can be woken up. there is.

That is, it can be seen that the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention can control the output of the DC/DC converter with only one of the first and second switches 210 and 220.

Meanwhile, Table 2 below shows the output of the DC/DC converter according to the control of the first, second, and third switches (210, 220, and 230) of the wake-up control unit in the battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.

first switch second switch third switch Output of DC/DC converter 0 0 0 0 0 0 One One 0 One 0 One 0 One One One One 0 0 One One 0 One One

Meanwhile, since the operations of the first and second switches shown in Table 2 may be the same as the operations of the first and second switches in Table 1 above, they will be omitted and will be described focusing on the operation of the third switch. Meanwhile, the operation of the third switch will be described. 3 The switch can be turned on under the control of the BMS when either the first switch or the second switch is turned on and the BMS is woken up. For this reason, the third switch continues to operate the third switch even if the first switch or the second switch is turned off after the first switch or the second switch is turned on and wakes up the BMS through the first switch or the second switch path. Power can be supplied to the BMS through the switch path.

For example, when the external device can generate a wake-up signal, the first switch may be turned off and the second switch may be turned on under the control of the external device. Specifically, the second switch may be configured as a relay, and when a predetermined current flows, the relay turns on and supplies power to the BMS through the second switch path. In this way, when power is supplied to the BMS, the BMS is woken up, and the woken up BMS can turn on the main FET and the third switch. Meanwhile, when the BMS turns on the third switch, power is supplied to the BMS through the third switch path, so output is generated in the DC/DC converter regardless of whether the first switch or the second switch is on or off.

Meanwhile, since one end of the third switch is connected to one end of the blocking switch, power can be supplied to the BMS even if one or more status signals among overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage are detected by the BMS and the blocking switch is turned off. At this time, when the cutoff switch is turned off, the output of the battery pack may be blocked.

That is, even when the battery's protection circuit operates and the battery output is blocked (even if both the first and second switches are turned off), the third switch is on and the output of the DC/DC converter is generated, so the BMS continues to operate. You can perform monitoring (power hold function) on the battery pack.

The protection circuit unit 100 is configured to further include a second blocking switch 120 in addition to the blocking switch 110, and one end of the second blocking switch 120 is connected to the (-) side of the plurality of battery modules. It is connected to one terminal, and the other terminal can be connected to the (-) output terminal of the battery pack.

The reason for additionally providing a second blocking switch like this may be to prepare for the event that one blocking switch fails and cannot perform its normal function.

For example, if the battery pack is in any of the following states: overcurrent, overvoltage, or low voltage, the output of the battery pack must be blocked, but damage to the battery pack and external devices connected to the battery pack can be prevented. In the case where only a switch is provided, if one cut-off switch breaks down, the output of the battery pack cannot be blocked even though it is supposed to block the output of the battery pack, which can cause major problems such as ignition of the battery or damage to external devices. , a second cut-off switch is additionally provided in preparation for this case.

2. A battery pack wake-up method and a battery pack protection method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a battery pack wake-up method and a battery pack protection method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3.

A method of waking up the battery pack and protecting the battery pack when a protection situation occurs according to an embodiment of the present invention includes checking whether an external wake-up signal can be generated by checking whether a BMS wake-up signal can be generated by an external device to which the battery pack is connected. Step (S100), first switch and second switch control steps (S200, S300) for controlling the first switch and the second switch according to the confirmation result of the step of checking whether the external wake-up signal is generated, the BMS of the battery pack wakes When up, the main FET connection step turns on the main FET and connects the output of the battery pack to an external device. When any of overcurrent, overvoltage, or low voltage is detected in the battery pack, the main FET is connected to the battery pack's BMS. It may be configured to include a main FET blocking step (S400) of blocking, and a third switch-on step (S410) of turning on the third switch while performing the main FET blocking step in the BMS.

In the present invention, the first switch and second switch control steps vary depending on whether an external device connected to the battery pack can generate a BMS wake-up signal.

Specifically, in the first switch and second switch control steps (S200, S300), when it is impossible to generate a BMS wake-up signal from an external device, a first switch-on step is performed to turn on the first switch to turn on the BMS. Provided (S200). The first switch can be turned on or off by directly being operated by the user using the battery pack.

That is, if it is impossible to generate a BMS wake-up signal from an external device, the user can turn on the first switch so that power is supplied to the BMS through the first switch. At this time, it may be desirable for the second switch to be set to the off state.

Meanwhile, when it is possible to generate a BMS wake-up signal in an external device, the user performs a first switch-off step in which the user turns off the first switch and a second switch control step in which the external device controls the second switch, so that the external device When a BMS wake-up signal is received by switch 2, the second switch is turned on and provides power to the BMS (S300).

That is, when the BMS wake-up signal can be generated from an external device, the first switch is set to the off state by the user, and the second switch is turned on under the control of the external device to supply power to the BMS. .

Meanwhile, in the third switch-on step, when any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage is detected in the BMS and the BMS generates a blocking signal to block the output of the battery pack, the BMS operates the protection circuit unit. At the same time as blocking the output of the battery, the BMS turns on the third switch for a predetermined period of time, transmits a diagnostic signal for the battery module to the BMS through the third switch path, and then turns off the third switch in the BMS. to cut off the power supplied to the BMS.

Specifically, the third switch has an additional power line that is connected to the front of the protection circuit that cuts off the power of the battery pack and supplies power to the BMS, so that even if the power of the battery pack is cut off by the protection circuit, the battery pack Diagnostic signals can be additionally monitored in the BMS for a certain period of time.

Meanwhile, the technical idea of the present invention has been described in detail according to the above embodiments, but it should be noted that the above embodiments are for explanation and not limitation. Additionally, those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiments are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

10: plural battery modules
100: protection circuit part
110 ; cutoff switch
120: second blocking switch
200: Wake-up control unit
210: first switch
220: second switch
230: third switch
300:BMS
400: Main FET
500: external device

Claims (10)

A plurality of battery modules;
A battery management system (BMS) that controls the charging or discharging of the battery pack;
A wake-up control unit that controls wake-up of the BMS;
Protection circuitry that protects the battery pack from overcurrent, overvoltage, and undervoltage; and
A main FET, one end of which is connected to the protection circuit part and the other end of which is connected to the (+) output terminal of the battery pack to control the output of the battery pack according to the control of the BMS;
In the battery pack consisting of,
The protection circuit part,
It consists of a disconnect switch,
The cutoff switch is,
One end is connected to the (+) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, and the other end is connected to the BMS and the main FET, and is set to the ON state. When a blocking signal is received from the BMS, it is turned OFF. Blocks the output of the battery pack,
The wake-up control unit,
a first switch, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch, and the other end of which is connected to the BMS;
a second switch, one end of which is connected to the other end of the blocking switch, and the other end of which is connected to an external device;
A battery pack comprising a third switch, one end of which is connected to one end of the cutoff switch, and the other end of which is connected to the BMS.
delete In claim 1,
The first switch is,
If the external device cannot generate a BMS wake-up signal, it is set to the ON state and connects the other end of the protection circuit unit with the BMS to provide power to the BMS,
A battery pack characterized in that it is set to the OFF state when the BMS can generate a wake-up signal from an external device.
In claim 1,
The second switch is,
A battery pack that turns on when a BMS wake-up signal is received from an external device, connects the battery module and the BMS, and provides power to the BMS.
In claim 1,
The BMS is,
When the BMS is woken up by the wake-up control unit,
A battery pack characterized in that the main FET and the third switch are turned on.
In claim 5,
The BMS is,
If an abnormal signal is detected in the battery pack and the cutoff switch is controlled to block the output of the battery pack,
By maintaining the ON state of the third switch for a predetermined period of time, the third switch is maintained through the third switch path.
A battery pack characterized in that the third switch is turned off after receiving diagnostic signals for the plurality of battery modules.
In claim 1,
The protection circuit part,
It is configured to further include a second blocking switch in addition to the blocking switch,
A battery pack, wherein one end of the second cutoff switch is connected to the (-) terminal of the plurality of battery modules, and the other end is connected to the (-) output terminal of the battery pack.
In the method of waking up the battery pack of claim 1 and protecting the battery pack when a protection situation occurs,
A step of checking whether an external wake-up signal can be generated by checking whether a BMS wake-up signal can be generated from an external device to which the battery pack is connected;
A first switch and second switch control step of controlling the first switch and the second switch according to the confirmation result of the step of checking whether an external wake-up signal is generated;
When the BMS of the battery pack wakes up, turning on the main FET and the third switch to supply power to the BMS, and connecting the main FET and the third switch to connect the output of the battery pack to an external device;
A main FET blocking step that blocks the main FET in the BMS of the battery pack when any one of overcurrent, overvoltage, and low voltage is detected in the battery pack;
A third switch-off step of turning off the third switch after a predetermined time after performing the main FET blocking step in the BMS;
A battery pack wake-up and protection method comprising:
In claim 8,
The first switch and second switch control steps include:
If it is impossible to generate a BMS wake-up signal from an external device,
Performing a first switch-on step of turning on the first switch to provide power to the BMS,
If it is possible to generate a BMS wake-up signal from an external device,
A first switch off step of turning off the first switch; and
A second switch control step of controlling the second switch;
By doing,
A battery pack wake-up method and protection method, wherein when a BMS wake-up signal is received from an external device to a second switch, the second switch is turned on to provide power to the BMS.
In claim 8,
The third switch-off step is,
When the BMS detects any of the following conditions: overcurrent, overvoltage, or undervoltage, the BMS generates a cutoff signal to block the output of the battery pack,
Battery pack wake-up method and protection characterized by turning on the third switch for a predetermined time, transmitting a diagnostic signal for the battery module to the BMS through the third switch path, and then blocking the third switch. method.

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