KR20210114757A - Battery pack and controlling method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery pack and a control method thereof. The battery pack comprises: a plurality of battery cells; a plurality of cell controllers prepared to correspond to different parts of the plurality of battery cells and including a DC/DC converter to which a voltage of a corresponding battery cell is inputted; a first power circuit for receiving power from some battery cells of the plurality of battery cells without going through the DC/DC converter included in a cell controller corresponding to the corresponding battery cell to generate power for driving a battery pack; and a main control unit for controlling the plurality of cell controllers by using power of the first power circuit. Therefore, power can be stably supplied to a battery management system.

Description

BATTERY PACK AND CONTROLLING METHOD THEREOF

The present invention relates to a battery pack and a method for controlling the same.

Recently, with the spread of electronic devices such as smart phones, commercialization of electric vehicles, and expansion of energy storage devices, research on secondary batteries as a power supply source is also being actively conducted. Conventionally, a secondary battery is provided in the form of a battery module or battery pack including a plurality of battery cells connected in series and/or in parallel and a battery management system (BMS) that manages the operation of the battery cells.

In such a typical battery management system of a battery pack, a power supply circuit generates a driving voltage using a system voltage outputted by serially connecting a plurality of battery cells. The battery management system controls the operation of the battery pack based on the generated driving voltage. Recently, research and development has been conducted on a battery pack having a structure other than a structure in which battery cells are connected in series. However, in order to provide an optimal battery pack, it is not necessary to simply change the connection structure of the battery cells, and an appropriate design change is also required for the battery management system.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack having a configuration capable of stably supplying power to a battery management system of a battery pack having an improved battery cell connection structure, and a method for controlling the same.

In order to solve the above technical problem, according to an aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of battery cells; a plurality of cell controllers provided to correspond to different parts of the plurality of battery cells and including a DC/DC converter to which voltages of the corresponding battery cells are input; a first power circuit configured to receive power from some of the plurality of battery cells without going through a DC/DC converter included in a cell controller corresponding to the corresponding battery cell and generate power for driving the battery pack; and a main controller configured to control the plurality of cell controllers using power from the first power circuit.

In order to solve the above technical problem, according to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of battery cells are provided to correspond to different parts of the plurality of battery cells, and voltages of the corresponding battery cells are inputted. A method for controlling a battery pack, comprising: a plurality of cell controllers including a DC/DC converter to supplying power from some of the battery cells to the first power circuit without going through a DC/DC converter included in a cell controller corresponding to the battery cell; generating power for driving a battery pack in a first power circuit using the supplied power; and controlling the main controller to operate the DC/DC converter using the generated power.

In order to solve the above technical problem, according to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a DC/DC converter for converting a voltage from a battery cell to a predetermined voltage and outputting it; a control unit for controlling the operation of the DC/DC converter; a first output terminal for supplying an output voltage from the DC/DC converter to the outside; and a second output terminal for supplying the voltage from the battery cell to the outside without passing through the DC/DC converter.

In order to solve the above technical problem, according to another aspect of the embodiments of the present invention, a first power circuit for generating driving power based on a system voltage generated based on a plurality of battery cells; a second power circuit for generating driving power based on a voltage of one of the plurality of battery cells; and a main control unit that starts an operation based on the driving power supplied from the second power circuit, and operates with the driving power generated by the first power circuit after the driving power is supplied by the first power circuit; It provides a battery management system comprising a.

Due to the above configuration, even before the DC/DC converter connected to the battery cell starts operation, it is possible to generate a driving voltage for the operation of the battery management system, thereby stably supplying power to the battery management system.

1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cell module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a cell module according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a power circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a flowchart illustrating a method for controlling a battery pack according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power circuit according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cell module according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a battery pack according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a battery management system according to embodiments of the present invention.
12 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a cell controller according to embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In this document, the same reference numerals are used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions of the same components are omitted.

For various embodiments of the present invention disclosed in this document, specific structural or functional descriptions are only exemplified for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention, and various embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in various forms. and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in this document.

Expressions such as "first", "second", "first", or "second" used in various embodiments may modify various components regardless of order and/or importance, do not limit For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be renamed to the first component.

Terms used in this document are only used to describe specific embodiments, and may not be intended to limit the scope of other embodiments. The singular expression may include the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a battery pack 1a according to an embodiment of the present invention. The battery pack 1a may be used alone or in combination for an electric vehicle or an energy storage device.

The battery pack 1a includes the battery module 10 , a module controller 20a connected to the battery module to control and manage the operation of the battery module 10 , and a protection circuit 30 for ensuring the safety of the battery pack 10 . ) is included.

The battery module 10 includes a plurality of cell module arrays CMA#1 to CMA#N (N is an arbitrary positive integer). Each of the cell module arrays CMA#1 to CMA#N includes a plurality of cell modules including battery cells and a cell controller. That is, each of the cell module arrays CMA#1 to CMA#N includes a plurality of battery cells and a plurality of cell controllers. The plurality of battery cells and the plurality of cell controllers may correspond one-to-one. Alternatively, a plurality of battery cells may be divided into a plurality of groups, and a cell controller may be provided corresponding to each group. In other words, a plurality of cell controllers may be provided to correspond to different portions of the plurality of battery cells.

In more detail based on the lowest cell module array CMA#1, the cell module array CMA#1 includes a plurality of battery cells C1-1 to C1-M (M is any positive integer). Each of the battery cells C1-1 to C1-M is connected to each of the plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M in a one-to-one correspondence. In this case, the plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M may be formed on one substrate 11-1. However, this is only an example, and the plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M may be respectively formed on different substrates, or the plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M may be divided and formed on a plurality of substrates. There will be.

(Hereinafter, when it is not necessary to distinguish between a plurality of identical components, reference numerals are denoted as the cell module array (CMA), the battery cell (C), the cell controller (S), and the substrate (11).

The battery cell C is a rechargeable battery that can be charged and discharged. The battery cell C may be a lithium ion (Li-ion) battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, a nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) battery, a nickel hydrogen (Ni-MH) battery, or the like. As long as it is a rechargeable battery, the present invention is not limited thereto.

The cell controller S performs a function as a battery management system (hereinafter also referred to as 'BMS'). In this embodiment, the cell controller S may be a slave battery management system. The cell controller S may monitor the voltage, current, temperature, and the like of the corresponding battery cell C. For the monitoring operation of the cell controller S, a sensor or various measurement modules (not shown) may be installed at any location such as the battery cell C, a substrate on which the cell controller S is formed, or a charging/discharging path. The cell controller S may calculate a parameter indicating the state of the battery cell C, for example, SOC or SOH, based on the monitored measured values such as voltage, current, and temperature.

The cell controller S according to the present embodiment includes a DC/DC converter. The DC/DC converter takes the voltage of the corresponding battery cell (C) as an input. In addition, the DC/DC converter included in one cell controller S converts the input voltage, and the output of the converted voltage is connected in series with the output of the DC/DC converter included in the other cell controller S. In the case of the lowest cell module array (CMA#1), the voltages of the M battery cells (C1-1 to C1-M) are respectively applied to the DC/DC converters of the corresponding cell controllers (S1-1 to S1-M). is input The outputs of the DC/DC converters of the cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M are connected in series to each other, so that the sum of the output voltages of the DC/DC converters is output as the voltage of the cell module array CMA#1.

Voltage outputs of the plurality of cell module arrays CMA#1 to CMA#N included in the battery module 10 are connected in series with each other in the same manner, and the output voltages of the cell module arrays CMA#1 to CMA#N The sum of is output as the voltage of the battery module 10 . The voltage of the battery module 10 may correspond to a system voltage.

Also, a plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M included in the cell module array CMA#1 may be connected to each other for communication. Accordingly, measured values of voltage, current, temperature, etc. monitored by each cell controller S, or SOC or SOH calculated based thereon, may be transmitted to an adjacent cell controller S. And one of the plurality of cell controllers S1-1 to S1-M, for example, the lowermost cell controller S1-1, is the main control unit 21 in the module controller 20a for its data and other cell controllers. The data collected from (S) can be transmitted.

In FIG. 1 , the case in which the battery cell C and the cell controller S are provided in a one-to-one correspondence has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, one cell controller S may be configured to correspond to a plurality of battery cells C. The plurality of battery cells C may be connected to each other in series and/or in parallel. However, even if the plurality of battery cells C are connected in series and/or in parallel, their outputs will be input to the cell controller C and then be configured to be connected to the outputs of other cell controllers.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the cell module CM including the battery cell C and the cell controller S will be described in detail.

2 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cell module (CM#1) according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 2 shows a cell module CM#1 including a battery cell C1-1 that supplies driving power to the module controller 20a among the cell modules.

The cell module CM#1 includes a battery cell C1-1 and a cell controller S1-1. As described above, in the present embodiment, the case where the battery cells and the cell controller correspond one-to-one has been described, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the plurality of battery cells C transmit voltage through the cell controller S As long as the output is in the form of output, other configurations may be used.

The cell controller S1-1 includes at least a control unit 100 , a DC/DC converter 110 , and a communication unit 120 . The controller 100 controls the overall operation of the cell controller S1-1 as well as the operations of the DC/DC converter 110 and the communication unit 120 . Also, the controller 100 monitors the state of the battery cell C1-1. The control unit 100 may communicate with another cell controller S through the communication unit 120 . Also, the control unit 100 may communicate with the main control unit 21 of the module controller 20a through the communication unit 120 .

In the DC/DC converter 110 , the output of the corresponding battery cell C1-1 is connected to an input terminal. That is, the output voltage of the battery cell C1-1 corresponding to the input terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 is applied as an input. The DC/DC converter 110 converts the output voltage of the input battery cell C1-1 into a predetermined voltage and outputs the converted voltage. One end (eg, a + terminal) of voltages output from the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 is applied to the cell controller S1 - 2 which is a neighboring cell controller. In addition, the other terminal (for example, - terminal) of the voltage output from the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 is supplied to the outside as the negative terminal (PACK(-)) of the system voltage. To this end, the cell controller S1-1 may include a terminal (a first output terminal) to which the output voltage of the DC/DC converter 110 is output.

Meanwhile, an additional path for supplying power from the node between the battery cell C1-1 and the input terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 to the outside is formed. This additional path allows the power of the battery cell C1-1 to be supplied to the outside without going through the DC/DC converter 110 . The battery cell C1-1 supplies the stored power to the module controller 20a without going through the DC/DC converter 110 to provide driving power necessary for the module controller 20a to start an operation. To this end, the cell controller S1-1 may include a terminal (second output terminal) to which the voltage of the battery cell C1-1 is output without passing through the DC/DC converter 110 .

The communication unit 120 may be connected to a communication unit of another cell controller and a communication unit of the module controller 20a to exchange various data and control signals. For example, data on voltage, current, and temperature monitored by each cell controller S or data on SOC and SOH calculated by the cell controller S are transmitted through the communication unit 120, and the module controller ( A control signal for operation may be received from 20a). The communication unit 120 may be connected to the communication units of other cell controllers and the communication unit of the module controller 20a in a ring-type network structure. However, this is an example, and a connection method between communication units is not limited to a ring-type network structure. For example, when the communication unit 120 performs wireless communication, the connection of the communication units may be implemented in a star-type network structure to perform communication with the communication unit of the module controller 20a in a one-to-one manner.

The cell controller S1-1 may receive power for operation from a power circuit (not shown). The power circuit may receive power from the battery cell C1-1 corresponding to the cell controller S1-1, and alternatively or additionally may receive power from an external component such as the module controller 20a. . The control unit 100, the DC/DC converter 110 and the communication unit 120 may operate based on the power supplied by the above-described power circuit.

According to the connection configuration of the battery cells C described in this embodiment, the system voltage is not output before the DC/DC converter 110 included in each cell controller S starts operation. That is, since the output voltage is not output before the DC/DC converter 110 starts operation, the output voltages PACK(+) and PACK(-) of the battery module 10 are not output. A battery management system such as the conventional module controller 20a generates a driving voltage based on the system voltage provided by the battery module 20a. However, in the connection configuration of the battery cell C as in the present embodiment, it is impossible to generate a driving voltage for the battery module 20a. Therefore, power is transferred from some of the plurality of battery cells (the lowest battery cell C1-1 in this embodiment) to the battery module ( 20a), it is possible to solve this problem.

3 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a cell module CM#m according to an embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIG. 3 shows a cell module CM#m including a battery cell C other than the battery cell C1-1 that supplies driving power to the module controller 20a among the cell modules. (m is an integer where 1<m≤M)

The cell module CM#m includes a battery cell C1-m and a cell controller S1-m like the cell module CM#1. In addition, the cell controller S1-m includes at least a control unit 100 , a DC/DC converter 110 , and a communication unit 120 . The configuration and functions of the control unit 100 , the DC/DC converter 110 , and the communication unit 120 are the same as those of the cell controller S1-1, and thus overlapping descriptions will be omitted.

In the case of the cell controller S1-m, unlike the cell controller S1-1, a path for directly supplying power to the outside without passing through the DC/DC converter 110 is not provided. That is, the cell module CM#m is configured such that the power stored in the battery cells C1-m is converted into a predetermined voltage by the DC/DC converter 110 and output. However, for the convenience of manufacturing the cell controllers S, the cell controller S1-m may be manufactured in the same manner as the cell controller S1-1. In this case, the cell controller S1-m may be implemented in a manner that does not use a path for outputting the voltage of the battery cell C without passing through the DC/DC converter 110 .

The DC/DC converter 110 of the cell controller S1-m converts the output voltage of the input battery cell C1-m into a predetermined voltage and outputs the converted voltage. One end (for example, + terminal) of the voltages output from the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 is applied to the cell controller S1-(m+1), which is a neighboring cell controller. In addition, the other terminal (eg - terminal) of the voltages output from the output terminal of the DC/DC converter 110 is applied to the cell controller S1-(m-1), which is another neighboring cell controller. Of course, one end (for example, + terminal) of the output of the cell controller S located at the top of the battery module 10 is supplied to the outside as the positive terminal (PACK(+)) of the system voltage.

Meanwhile, although not shown, the cell controller S according to FIGS. 2 and 3 may further include means for supplying emergency power between neighboring cell controllers. For example, when an abnormality occurs in any one cell controller, a path for supplying power may be additionally provided so that emergency power for operation in a neighboring cell controller can be supplied.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the module controller 20a and the protection circuit 30 will be described.

The module controller 20a functions as a battery management system. For example, the module controller 20a may operate as a master BMS with the cell controller S. Accordingly, the cell controller S can operate as a slave BMS with the module controller 20a. The module controller 20a includes a main control unit 21, a first power circuit 22, a voltage regulator 23, an emergency power circuit 24, a first communication unit 25, a second communication unit 26, a voltage detection unit ( 27) and a current detection unit 28 may be included at least.

The main control unit 21 controls the operation of each component in the module controller 20a to control the operation of the battery pack 1a. When the voltage regulator 23 generates a driving voltage based on the driving power supplied by the first power supply circuit 22 , the main controller 21 performs an operation using the generated driving voltage. That is, the main controller 21 may control the cell controllers S or control the operation of each component in the battery pack 1a based on the power supplied by the first power circuit 22 .

The main controller 21 controls the operation of the emergency power circuit 24 to supply emergency power to any one of the cell controllers S included in the battery module 10 . The main control unit 21 communicates with each of the cell controllers S in the battery module 10 through the first communication unit 25 . In addition, the main control unit 21 communicates with an external device, for example, a host controller, and the like through the second communication unit 26 . The upper controller may be a vehicle controller such as an electric vehicle or a system controller of an energy storage device.

The main controller 21 may control the operation of the protection circuit 30 . That is, the main control unit 21 turns on the switching unit 31 to enable charging or discharging of the battery pack 1a, or turns off the switching unit 31 to stop charging or discharging of the battery pack 1a. can In addition, the main control unit 21 may control the operation of the circuit breaker 32 to cut off the circuit in an emergency.

Additionally, the main control unit 21 is connected to the voltage detection unit 27 and the current detection unit 28 to detect the voltage and current based on the voltage and current monitored by the voltage detection unit 27 and the current detection unit 28. . Although not shown, the main controller 21 may receive a value for temperature measurement from a module for measuring the temperature of the battery pack 1a.

In addition, although not shown, the main controller 21 may control to reduce the deviation of the SOC of each battery cell in the battery module 10 to perform a cell balancing operation in order to equalize the SOC. To this end, a circuit for cell balancing may be provided in the battery module 10 . In the present embodiment, since the battery cell C1-1 is used as a driving power for the operation of the module controller 20a, the amount of discharge may be greater than that of other battery cells. Accordingly, the main controller 21 may perform the cell balancing operation so that the deviation between the SOC of the battery cell C1-1 and the state of charge of the other battery cells is less than or equal to the reference value. That is, when the SOC of the battery cell supplying power to the first power circuit 22 is lower than the SOC of another battery cell among the plurality of battery cells, cell balancing is performed.

The first power circuit 22 receives power from some (eg, one) battery cells among the plurality of battery cells C included in the battery module 10 . The first power circuit 22 receives power from the battery cell C without going through a DC/DC converter included in the cell controller S corresponding to the battery cell C. The first power circuit 22 generates power for driving the battery pack 1a based on the received power. The first power circuit 22 may start an operation based on an enable signal that is an externally applied control signal. Alternatively, the first power circuit 22 may start an operation based on a control signal generated by a user manipulation.

The voltage regulator 23 generates a driving voltage based on the power supplied from the first power supply circuit 22 . The voltage regulator 23 may generate a plurality of voltages V1 , V2 , and V3 as driving voltages.

Hereinafter, the configuration of the first power circuit 22 and the voltage regulator 23 will be described in more detail.

4 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a power circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A voltage is applied to an input terminal of the first power circuit 22 from any one of the plurality of battery cells. In this embodiment, the first power circuit 22 will be connected to the battery cell C1-1 located at the bottom of the battery module 10 .

A switch 22a is connected to the enable terminal of the first power circuit 22 . The first power circuit 22 supplies power from the battery cell C1-1 to the voltage regulator 23 when an enable signal is applied by the switch 22a. At this time, the first power circuit 22 converts the voltage applied from the battery cell C1-1 into a predetermined voltage and outputs it. For example, the voltage level may be converted to a voltage such as 11V suitable for use as an input of the voltage regulator 23 . In addition to the voltage regulator 23 , the first power circuit 22 may supply power according to the output voltage to the switching unit 31 or the circuit breaker 32 of the protection circuit 30 .

The voltage regulator 23 converts the power supplied by the first power circuit 22 into a plurality of driving voltages required for the operation of the module controller 20a and outputs the converted power. For example, the voltage regulator 23 may output a voltage such as 5V or 3.3V. In addition, the voltage regulator 23 may output a reference voltage 5V ref for use in determining abnormality of the battery pack 1a or the like.

In this embodiment, the switch 22a may be a physical switch such as a tact switch. When the user manually operates the switch 22a to apply an enable signal to the first power circuit 22, the first power circuit 22 operates, whereby the operation of the module controller 20a can be started. will be.

The first power circuit 22 may have an input terminal and an output terminal insulated from each other. An input terminal of the first power supply circuit 22 operates in a high voltage region (system voltage region), and an output terminal of the first power supply circuit 22 operates in a low voltage region (output voltage or voltage regulator 23 of the first power supply circuit 22 ) of the output voltage region). Accordingly, in the first power circuit 22 , an input terminal and an output terminal are insulated from each other, thereby preventing hardware damage or the like.

5 is a diagram illustrating another configuration of a power circuit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

A voltage is applied to an input terminal of the first power circuit 22 from any one of the plurality of battery cells. In this embodiment, the first power circuit 22 will be connected to the battery cell C1-1 located at the bottom of the battery module 10 .

The output terminal of the relay 22b is connected to the enable terminal of the first power circuit 22 . The first power circuit 22 supplies power from the battery cell C1-1 to the voltage regulator 23 when an enable signal is applied from the output terminal of the relay 22b. At this time, the first power circuit 22 converts the voltage applied from the battery cell C1-1 into a predetermined voltage and outputs it. For example, the voltage level may be converted to a voltage such as 11V suitable for use as an input of the voltage regulator 23 .

The voltage regulator 23 converts the power supplied by the first power circuit 22 into a plurality of driving voltages required for the operation of the module controller 20a and outputs the converted power. For example, the voltage regulator 23 may output a voltage such as 5V or 3.3V. In addition, the voltage regulator 23 may output a reference voltage 5V ref for use in determining abnormality of the battery pack 1a or the like.

In this embodiment, the relay 22b may operate based on an external enable signal. In addition, when an enable signal from the outside is applied to the module controller 20a, the corresponding signal is also applied to the main controller 21 . Therefore, even if the application of the enable signal from the outside is stopped, the main control unit 21 continuously applies the power hold signal generated based on the enable signal from the outside to the relay 22b, so that the relay 22b is supplied with the first power supply. Allows continuous application of the enable signal to circuit 22 .

The first power circuit 22 and the relay 22b may have an input terminal and an output terminal insulated from each other. An input terminal of the first power circuit 22 and an output terminal of the relay 22b operate in a high voltage region, and an output terminal of the first power circuit 22 and an input terminal of the relay 22b operate in a low voltage region. Accordingly, the input terminal and the output terminal of the first power circuit 22 and the relay 22b are insulated from each other to prevent hardware damage and the like.

In this way, the first power circuit 22 receives power from some of the battery cells C1-1 from among the plurality of battery cells without going through the DC/DC converter of the corresponding cell controller S1-1, so that a plurality of It is possible to generate driving power necessary for the operation of the module controller 20a even in a state in which the operation of the cell controllers S is stopped and the system voltage is not output.

Returning to FIG. 1 again, the description is continued.

The emergency power circuit 24 supplies emergency power to any one of the cell controllers S based on the control of the main control unit 21 . For example, when an abnormality occurs in the cell controller S1-1 and thus power cannot be supplied, power is supplied through the emergency power circuit 24 .

The first communication unit 25 is a communication interface for communication with the plurality of cell controllers (S). The first communication unit 25 receives data from the cell controller S for monitoring the battery cell C and data calculated by the cell controller S. In addition, the first communication unit 25 transmits a control signal to the cell controllers (S) to control the operation of the cell controllers (S).

The second communication unit 26 is a communication interface for communication with an external device. For example, communication with the host controller may be performed through the second communication unit 26 .

In FIG. 1 , the first communication unit 25 and the second communication unit 26 are illustrated as performing wired communication, but are not limited thereto. For example, any one or both of the first communication unit 25 and the second communication unit 26 may be configured to perform wireless communication. In addition, although the first communication unit 25 and the second communication unit 26 are illustrated as one component, a plurality of communication modules may be included to support a plurality of communication protocols as necessary.

The voltage detector 27 monitors an output voltage of the battery module 10 , that is, a system voltage. The voltage of the battery module 10 monitored by the voltage detection unit 27 is applied to the main control unit 21 .

Similarly, the current detection unit 28 monitors the charging/discharging current of the battery module 10 . The charging/discharging current of the battery module 10 monitored by the current detection unit 28 is applied to the main control unit 21 .

The main controller 21 may calculate a parameter necessary for controlling the battery pack 1a by using the voltage and current detected by the voltage detector 27 and the current detector 28 .

The protection circuit 30 is configured to ensure the safety of the battery pack 10 . The protection circuit 30 includes a switching unit 31 and a current breaker 32 .

The switching unit 31 controls the flow of current during charging and discharging of the battery module 10 . For example, when it is determined by the main controller 21 that the battery module 10 is in an overvoltage state, the switching unit 31 shuts off the switching unit 31 to stop the operation of the battery pack 1a. The switching unit 31 may include a contactor, a relay, a switching element, and the like.

The current breaker (Circuit Breaker) 32 may automatically cut off the current when an overcurrent occurs.

Although not shown, a cooling means for controlling the temperature of the battery pack 1a may be further included as the protection circuit 30 .

6 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the battery pack 1a according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 6 , when an operation of a system in which the battery pack 1a is mounted, for example, a vehicle or an energy storage device is started ( S10 ), an enable signal for starting the operation of the first power circuit 22 is generated. It waits for input (S11).

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when an enable signal is applied from the switch 22a or an external device (Yes in S11), from a specific cell to the module controller 20a, which is a master BMS, without going through a DC/DC converter. Power is supplied (S12). For example, power is supplied from the battery cell C1-1 to the first power circuit 22 of the module controller 20a without going through the DC/DC converter 110 included in the cell controller S1-1.

The first power circuit 22 generates a driving voltage based on the received power and applies it to the voltage regulator 23 ( S13 ). And the module controller 20a, which is the master BMS, starts an operation based on the power generated based on the battery cell C1-1 and the first power circuit 22, and the DC/DC converter ( 110) controls the operation (S14). That is, the main control unit 21 starts an operation based on the voltage from the voltage regulator 23 .

A system voltage is generated by the operation of the main controller 21 and the DC/DC converters 110 of the cell controller S (S15), and finally the battery pack 1a outputs the voltage (S16).

Also, during the operation of the system, the main controller 21 may perform a cell balancing operation such that a deviation between the SOC of the battery cell C1-1 and the state of charge of other battery cells is equal to or less than a reference value.

As described above, according to the configuration of the battery pack 1a according to the present embodiment, in the configuration in which the voltages of the plurality of battery cells are output through the DC/DC converter, before the DC/DC converter starts operation (system voltage) It is possible to receive power required for the operation of the battery management system (module controller 20a) even before the output is performed. Accordingly, it is possible to stably supply power to the battery management system.

7 is a diagram showing the configuration of a battery pack 1b according to another embodiment of the present invention. 7 has the same configuration as the battery pack 1a of FIG. 1 except that the second power circuit 29 is added, and thus the overlapping description will be omitted and the differences will be mainly described.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the battery pack 1b further includes a second power supply circuit 29 . The system voltage output by the battery module 10 is applied to an input terminal of the second power circuit 29 . The second power circuit 29 generates power for driving the battery pack 1b based on the power supplied by the entire battery module 10 . That is, the second power circuit 29 generates power for driving the battery pack 1b based on the system voltage generated based on the plurality of battery cells.

The output of the first power supply circuit 22 and the output of the second power supply circuit 29 are supplied to the voltage regulator 23 . A diode for preventing reverse flow may be provided between the first power circuit 22 and the voltage regulator 23 and between the second power circuit 29 and the voltage regulator 23 .

As described above, the main control unit 21 wakes up based on the power supplied from the first power supply circuit 22 when the system is started. After the operation of the main control unit 21 is started, when the DC/DC converters operate to output a system voltage, the main control unit 21 performs an operation based on the power supplied from the second power circuit 29 . That is, after the power is supplied from the second power supply circuit 29 , the main control unit 21 switches the used power from the first power supply circuit 22 to the second power supply circuit 29 . To this end, the main controller 21 may stop the operation of the first power circuit 22 or stop the operation of the cell controller S1-1.

8 is a diagram showing the configuration of a power circuit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , it can be seen that the second power circuit 29 is additionally included as compared with FIGS. 4 and 5 . In the second power circuit 29 , a system voltage output by converting and summing voltages of a plurality of battery cells by a DC/DC converter is applied to an input terminal. The second power supply circuit 29 converts the system voltage into a predetermined voltage and outputs it. For example, the voltage level may be converted to a voltage such as 12V suitable for use as an input of the voltage regulator 23 . In the present embodiment, it has been described that the second power circuit 29 outputs a voltage different from that of the first power circuit 22 , but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the same voltage may be output.

On the other hand, when the main control unit 21 detects that driving power is supplied by the second power supply circuit 29, the relay 22b is blocked at the input terminal of the relay 22b by applying a signal to the pull-down resistor 22c. Apply the signal to make it happen. In this embodiment, a ground potential is applied to the relay 22b. In this case, the main control unit 21 will also block the output of the power hold signal so that the relay 22b does not operate. As a result, the enable signal is not applied to the first power supply circuit 22 and the first power supply circuit 22 stops its operation. That is, after the battery pack 1a normally operates, the operation of the first power circuit 22 is stopped to reduce unnecessary power consumption. In addition, since the first power circuit 22 is used only for waking up of the module controller 22b, deterioration of the battery cell C1-1 that supplies power to the second power circuit 22 is accelerated compared to other battery cells. can be minimized.

9 is a diagram showing the configuration of a cell module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of FIG. 9 , the cell controller S1-1 further includes a switching element 130 . The switching element 130 is provided on the power supply path output from the battery cell C1-1 through the second output terminal without passing through the DC/DC converter 110 , and the controller 100 controls the switching element 130 . By turning OFF the power supply to the first power circuit 22 of the module controller 20b from the battery cell C1-1 may be blocked.

When the main control unit 21 of the module controller 20b detects that the second power circuit 29 supplies driving power, the main control unit 21 applies a control signal to the control unit 100 to the switching element ( 130) may be turned off. This embodiment may be performed simultaneously or selectively with stopping the operation of the relay 22b.

10 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of the battery pack 1b according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10 , when an operation of a system in which the battery pack 1b is mounted, for example, a vehicle or an energy storage device is started ( S20 ), an enable signal for starting the operation of the first power circuit 22 is generated. It waits for input (S21).

As shown in FIG. 8, when an enable signal is applied from the switch 22a or an external device (Yes in S21), power is supplied from a specific cell to the module controller 20a, which is the master BMS, without going through the DC/DC converter. do (S22). For example, power is supplied from the battery cell C1-1 to the first power circuit 22 of the module controller 20b without going through the DC/DC converter 110 included in the cell controller S1-1.

The first power circuit 22 generates a driving voltage based on the received power and applies it to the voltage regulator 23 ( S23 ). And the module controller 20b, which is the master BMS, starts an operation based on the power generated based on the battery cell C1-1 and the first power circuit 22, and the DC/DC converter ( 110) controls the operation (S24). That is, the main control unit 21 starts an operation based on the voltage from the voltage regulator 23 .

Thereafter, a system voltage is generated and output by the operation of the main controller 21 and the operation of the DC/DC converters 110 of the cell controller S ( S25 ), and the second power circuit 29 is based on the system voltage to generate a driving voltage (S26).

The main control unit 21 determines whether the driving voltage is generated in the second power circuit 29 (S27), and when the driving voltage is generated in the second power circuit 29, the module controller 20b, which is the master BMS, The operating power is switched from the first power supply circuit 22 to the second power supply circuit 29 (S28).

And finally, the battery pack 1a outputs a voltage (S29).

Also in this embodiment, during the operation of the system, the main controller 21 may perform a cell balancing operation so that the deviation between the SOC of the battery cell C1-1 and the state of charge of other battery cells is less than or equal to a reference value.

As described above, according to the configuration of the battery pack 1b according to the present embodiment, even before the DC/DC converter starts to operate (before the system voltage is output), the operation of the battery management system (module controller 20b) the power required for it can be supplied. Accordingly, it is possible to stably supply power to the battery management system.

11 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a battery management system (MBMS) according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the module controllers 20a and 20b that are the master battery management system may include a controller (MCU) 1100 , a memory 1110 , an input/output interface 1120 , and a communication interface 1130 .

The MCU 1100 processes various operations and calculations in the module controllers 20a and 20b and controls each configuration. That is, the MCU 1100 may function as the main controller 21 .

In the memory 1110 , an operating system program and a program for performing a function of the main controller 21 are recorded. The memory 1110 may include a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 1110 may be at least one of various storage media such as semiconductor memories such as RAM, ROM, and flash memory, magnetic disks, and optical disks. The memory 1110 may be a memory embedded in the MCU 1100 or may be an additional memory installed separately from the MCU 1100 .

The input/output interface 1120 performs input/output of various input signals and output signals. For example, the MCU 1100 included in the module controllers 20a and 20b may receive signals from various sensors through the input/output interface 1120 .

The communication interface 1130 is configured to communicate with the outside by wire and/or wirelessly.

By executing the program stored in the memory 1110 by the MCU 1100 , a module performing the function of the main control unit 21 may be implemented. The memory 1110 may function as a storage means. Also, the MCU 1100 may operate together with the communication interface 1130 to perform functions as the first communication unit 25 and the second communication unit 26 .

12 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a cell controller S according to embodiments of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 12 , the cell controller S, which is a slave battery management system, may include a controller (MCU) 1200 , a memory 1210 , an input/output interface 1220 , and a communication interface 1230 .

The MCU 1200 processes various operations and calculations in the cell controller S and controls each configuration. That is, the MCU 1200 may function as the control unit 100 .

In the memory 1210 , an operating system program and a program for performing the functions of the control unit 100 are recorded. The memory 1210 may include a volatile memory and a non-volatile memory. For example, the memory 1210 may be at least one of various storage media such as a semiconductor memory such as a RAM, a ROM, and a flash memory, a magnetic disk, and an optical disk. The memory 1210 may be a memory embedded in the MCU 1200 or an additional memory installed separately from the MCU 1200 .

The input/output interface 1220 performs input/output of various input signals and output signals. For example, the MCU 1200 included in the cell controller S may receive signals from various sensors through the input/output interface 1220 .

The communication interface 1230 is a configuration capable of communicating with the outside by wire and/or wirelessly.

By executing the program stored in the memory 1210 by the MCU 1200 , a module for performing the function of the control unit 100 may be implemented. The memory 1210 may function as a storage means. Also, the MCU 1200 may operate together with the communication interface 1230 to perform a function as the communication unit 120 .

Terms such as "include", "compose", or "have" described above mean that the corresponding component may be inherent unless otherwise stated, so excluding other components is not recommended. It should be construed as being able to further include other components. All terms, including technical or scientific terms, may be interpreted as having the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs, unless otherwise defined. Terms commonly used, such as those defined in the dictionary, should be interpreted as being consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art, and are not interpreted in an ideal or excessively formal meaning unless explicitly defined in the present invention.

The above description is merely illustrative of the technical spirit of the present invention, and various modifications and variations will be possible without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical spirit of the present invention, but to explain, and the scope of the technical spirit of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. The protection scope of the present invention should be construed by the following claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

1a, 1b battery pack 10 battery modules
CMA Cell Module Array C Battery Cells
S cell controller 20a, 20b module controller

Claims (14)

a plurality of battery cells;
a plurality of cell controllers provided to correspond to different parts of the plurality of battery cells and including a DC/DC converter receiving a voltage of the corresponding battery cell as an input;
a first power circuit configured to receive power from some of the plurality of battery cells without going through a DC/DC converter included in a cell controller corresponding to the corresponding battery cell and generate power for driving a battery pack; and
and a main controller configured to control the plurality of cell controllers by using the power of the first power circuit. The method according to claim 1,
The first power circuit starts an operation based on an external control signal. The method according to claim 1,
The first power circuit starts an operation based on a control signal generated by a user manipulation. The method according to claim 1,
and a second power supply circuit configured to generate power for driving the battery pack based on a system voltage generated based on the plurality of battery cells. 5. The method according to claim 4,
The main control unit wakes up based on the power from the first power supply circuit to start the operation of the DC/DC converters of the plurality of cell controllers, and then controls the battery pack based on the power from the second power supply circuit. A battery pack that controls the action. The method according to claim 1,
The main control unit performs cell balancing when an SOC of a battery cell supplying power to the first power circuit is lower than an SOC of another battery cell among the plurality of battery cells. The method according to claim 1,
A battery pack in which outputs of DC/DC converters included in each of the plurality of cell controllers are connected in series to generate a system voltage. The method according to claim 1,
and transmitting data about the plurality of cells from a cell controller corresponding to a battery cell supplying power to the first power circuit to the main controller. The method according to claim 1,
The battery pack, characterized in that the plurality of battery cells and the plurality of cell controllers are provided in a one-to-one correspondence. A plurality of battery cells, a plurality of cell controllers provided to correspond to different parts of the plurality of battery cells, the plurality of cell controllers including a DC/DC converter receiving voltages of the corresponding battery cells as an input, and power for driving the battery pack A method of controlling a battery pack comprising: a first power circuit to generate a first power circuit; and a main control unit for managing the plurality of cell controllers,
supplying power from some of the plurality of battery cells to the first power circuit without passing through a DC/DC converter included in a cell controller corresponding to the corresponding battery cell;
generating power for driving a battery pack in the first power circuit using the supplied power; and
controlling the main controller to operate the DC/DC converter using the generated power. 11. The method of claim 10,
generating power for driving the battery pack based on a system voltage generated based on the plurality of battery cells after the main controller operates the DC/DC converter; and
and operating the main controller using power for driving the battery pack generated based on the system voltage as a power source. 11. The method of claim 10,
and performing, by the main controller, cell balancing when an SOC of a battery cell supplying power to the first power circuit is lower than an SOC of another battery cell among the plurality of battery cells. a DC/DC converter to which a voltage from a battery cell is applied and converted into a predetermined voltage and output;
a control unit for controlling an operation of the DC/DC converter;
a first output terminal for supplying an output voltage from the DC/DC converter to the outside; and
and a second output terminal for supplying the voltage from the battery cell to the outside without passing through the DC/DC converter. a first power supply circuit for generating driving power based on a system voltage generated based on a plurality of battery cells;
a second power circuit for generating driving power based on a voltage of one of the plurality of battery cells; and
A main control that starts an operation based on the driving power supplied from the second power circuit, and operates with the driving power generated by the first power circuit after the driving power is supplied by the first power circuit A battery management system comprising;

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