KR20230174322A - Battery cell controller providing function of blocking internal leakage current - Google Patents

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules connected to each other in series, and a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the plurality of battery modules, and the plurality of battery modules One of the battery modules includes a battery cell, a power circuit, and a cell controller, wherein the cell controller changes the state of the battery cell from the disabled state to the battery management system when the state of the battery cell is in the disabled state. Receive an operation signal to change the state to the activated state, change the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state using the power circuit, and change the state of the battery cell to the deactivated state using the power circuit. In response to the change from the activated state, the state of the battery cell is maintained in the activated state using a power maintenance circuit included in the cell controller while the control circuit included in the cell controller is activated, and the control After the circuit is activated, the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state may be set to change from the power maintenance circuit to the control circuit.

Description

Battery cell controller that provides a function to block internal leakage current {BATTERY CELL CONTROLLER PROVIDING FUNCTION OF BLOCKING INTERNAL LEAKAGE CURRENT }

Various embodiments of this document relate to a battery cell controller that provides a function for blocking internal leakage current.

A battery pack may be composed of a plurality of electrically connected battery cells. A plurality of battery cells may be connected in series with each other or in parallel with each other. When a plurality of battery cells are connected to each other in series, each of the plurality of battery cells may age at different rates. When a plurality of battery cells are connected in series with each other, the amount of increase in internal resistance of the plurality of battery cells may be different.

A battery pack including a plurality of battery cells connected in series may include a battery management system (BMS) for monitoring the status of each battery cell and controlling charging and discharging. The battery management system may monitor a plurality of battery cells constituting a battery pack and transmit and/or receive data signals from the battery cells to control charging and discharging.

Even when the battery pack is not used for a long period of time, the cell controller included in the battery cell continues to consume power, which may consume all remaining battery cells. When the remaining battery cells are completely consumed, overdischarge of the battery cells may occur. Accordingly, a method may be required to block leakage current inside the battery cell by setting the state of the battery cell to a deactivated state. Additionally, when the state of the battery cell is in an inactive state, a method may be required to change the state of the battery cell from the inactive state to the activated state using only passive elements without power supply.

The technical problems to be achieved in this document are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. There will be.

According to one embodiment, a battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series to each other, and a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the plurality of battery cells, and one of the plurality of battery cells. The battery cell of includes a battery, a power circuit, and a cell controller for controlling the battery cell based on a signal received from the battery management system, wherein when the battery cell is in a deactivated state, the cell controller is configured to: Receive an operation signal for changing the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state from the battery management system, and, based on the operation signal, change the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state using the power circuit. changed to the activated state, and in response to the state of the battery cell being changed from the deactivated state to the activated state using the power circuit, while a control circuit included in the cell controller is activated. The state of the battery cell is maintained in the activated state using a power maintenance circuit, and after the control circuit is activated, a circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state is controlled from the power maintenance circuit. It can be set to change to a circuit.

According to one embodiment, the stability of power supply can be ensured by the battery pack having a plurality of battery cells connected in series.

According to one embodiment, by setting the state of the battery cell to a deactivated state, leakage current inside the battery cell can be blocked. Since leakage current inside the battery cell is blocked, the problem of continuous current consumption or overdischarge of the battery cell even when the battery pack is not used for a long period of time can be prevented.

The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. will be.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a battery pack, according to an embodiment.
Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of battery cells constituting a battery pack according to an embodiment.
Figure 3 shows an example of a cell controller included in a battery cell according to an embodiment.
Figure 4 is a flowchart of the operation of a cell controller according to an embodiment.
Figure 5 shows an example of signal flow within a cell controller according to one embodiment.
Figure 6 shows an example of a timing chart of signals transmitted and received within the cell controller.
Figure 7 shows an example of a signal flow for activating the states of a plurality of battery cells according to an embodiment.

1 is a schematic block diagram of a battery pack, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 1, according to one embodiment, the battery pack 100 includes a plurality of battery cells 120 connected in series with each other and a battery management system operatively coupled to the plurality of battery cells 120. , BMS) (110). A plurality of battery cells 120 may be connected in series to form the battery pack 100. Although not shown in FIG. 1, the plurality of battery cells 120 are connected to a load through an inverter or pulse generator, so that they can operate as a driving source for the load. Hereinafter, a module may refer to a circuit including circuit elements interconnected to provide a specific function. Depending on the embodiment, the battery pack 100 shown in FIG. 1 may refer to a battery module included in the battery pack. The battery module includes a plurality of battery cells 120, and the plurality of battery modules may constitute one battery pack.

According to one embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 120 may be connected to each other in series. According to one embodiment, the first to nth battery cells 120-1 to 120-n may be sequentially connected in series in the first direction D1. For example, the negative terminal of the first battery cell 120-1 and the positive terminal of the second battery cell 120-2 may be electrically connected, and the negative terminal of the second battery cell 120-2 may be electrically connected to the positive terminal of the second battery cell 120-2. The positive terminal of the three battery cells 120-3 may be electrically connected. When the plurality of battery cells 120 are connected to each other in series, the voltage of the entire system may be set to the sum of each battery cell constituting the plurality of battery cells 120. In FIG. 1 , the plurality of battery cells 120 are shown arranged in the first direction D1, but this is only for explaining the electrical connection of the plurality of battery cells 120 and is not limited thereto. For example, a plurality of battery cells 120 may be stacked and assembled to form the battery pack 100.

According to one embodiment, the battery management system 110 measures the voltage and/or current of the plurality of battery cells 120, and determines the remaining capacity (state of charge, SOC) and the remaining battery cells 120. The state of each of the plurality of battery cells 120, such as state of health (SOH) and temperature, can be monitored, and charging and/or discharging of each of the plurality of battery cells 120 can be controlled.

According to one embodiment, the battery management system 110 uses a battery power line connected to each of the plurality of battery cells 120 to collect information about the state of the plurality of battery cells 120. A communication module (Cell Communication Module, CCM) can be used. A cell communication module is a device that transmits and receives data using a power line as a transmission medium. According to one embodiment, the plurality of battery cells 120 may transmit a signal containing information about each state to the battery management system 110 using a cell communication module, and the battery management system 110 , a signal containing information about charging and/or discharging of each of the plurality of battery cells 120 may be transmitted to each of the plurality of battery cells 120 using a cell communication module. According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of battery cells 120 may include the battery management system 110 and a cell communication module for transmitting and/or receiving signals.

According to one embodiment, the battery management system 110 may transmit and receive data in the first direction D1 or in the second direction D2, which is the reverse direction of the first direction. For example, a signal transmitted in the first direction D1 may be referred to as a downward signal. A signal transmitted in the second direction (D2) may be referred to as an uplink signal. In other words, the battery management system 110 and the plurality of battery cells may support two-way communication. For example, the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit an upward signal to the BMS in the second direction D2, and may transmit an upward signal to the second battery cell 120-2 in the first direction D1. Downlink signals can be transmitted.

For example, the battery management system 110 and the plurality of battery cells 120 included in the battery pack 100 may perform bus bar (BUS BAR) communication. As an example, the battery management system 110 and the plurality of battery cells 120 may perform power line communication.

According to one embodiment, the battery management system 110 and the plurality of battery cells 120 perform bus bar (BUS BAR) communication, so the wire harness can be omitted inside the battery pack 100. By omitting the wire harness inside the battery pack 100, the wiring structure is simplified and the weight of the battery pack 100 is reduced.

Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of battery cells constituting a battery pack according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 2 , each of the first to nth battery cells 120 - 1 to 120 - n of FIG. 1 may correspond to a battery cell 200 . The battery cell 200 may include a protection circuit 210, a cell controller 220, and a battery 230.

According to one embodiment, the battery 230 may store electrical energy. The battery 230 is a secondary battery that can be charged with electrical energy and discharge the charged electrical energy, and may include a negative electrode material, a positive electrode material, a separator, and an electrolyte solution. According to one embodiment, the battery cell 200 may include at least one battery 230. For example, the battery cell 200 may include 12 to 48 batteries 230.

According to one embodiment, the protection circuit 210 (or protection circuit module (PCM)) is a battery that can perform overdischarge, overcharge, overcurrent, and cell balancing of the battery 230. It is a protection circuit device of 230. Overcharging of the battery 230 may damage the battery 230 by causing internal overheating and swelling, and overdischarging of the battery 230 may damage the electrodes and cause failure of the battery 230. You can. The protection circuit 210 may disconnect the charging circuit in response to identifying that the voltage of the battery 230 has reached a charging limit voltage to prevent damage and/or failure of the battery 230, In response to identifying that the voltage at 230 has reached the discharge limit voltage, the discharge circuit may be shut off. According to one embodiment, the protection circuit 210 may obtain information about the state of the battery 230 and transmit the obtained information to the cell controller 220 (or a cell communication circuit within the cell controller 220). can be provided.

According to one embodiment, the cell controller 220 may receive a control signal from the battery management system 110 and control the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) based on the control signal. The cell controller 220 may be referred to as a slave BMS (or micro BMS). Battery management system 110 may be referred to as a master BMS.

According to one embodiment, the cell controller 220 may include various circuits for controlling the battery cell 200 (or battery 230). For example, the cell communication circuit included in the cell controller 220 obtains information about the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) and transmits the obtained information about the state of the battery cell 200. It can be transmitted to other battery cells or the battery management system 110. For example, a power circuit included in the cell controller 220 may be used to release electrical energy stored in the battery 230. For example, the control circuit included in the cell controller 220 can be used to control the power circuit. A specific example of the cell controller 220 will be described later in FIG. 3.

Figure 3 shows an example of a cell controller included in a battery cell according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 3, the cell controller 220 may include various circuits for controlling the battery cell 200 (or battery 230). The cell controller 220 may include a wake-up circuit 310, a power circuit 320, a control circuit 330, a power maintenance circuit 340, and/or a cell communication circuit 350. Depending on the embodiment, the cell controller 220 may include at least one of a wake-up circuit 310, a power circuit 320, a control circuit 330, a power maintenance circuit 340, and a cell communication circuit 350. there is. For example, at least some of the wake-up circuit 310, power circuit 320, control circuit 330, power maintenance circuit 340, and cell communication circuit 350 may be omitted depending on the embodiment.

According to one embodiment, the control circuit 330 is operatively or operably coupled with or connected to the power circuit 320, the power maintenance circuit 340, and the cell communication circuit 350. (connect with) can be done. For example, the power circuit 320, power maintenance circuit 340, and cell communication circuit 350 may be controlled by the control circuit 330. For example, control circuit 330 may include hardware components for processing data based on one or more instructions. For example, control circuit 330 may be referred to as a microprocessor.

According to one embodiment, the wake-up circuit 310 may be composed of only passive elements. For example, the wake-up circuit 310 can be used to activate the power circuit 320 with only passive elements without a power supply. For example, the weather circuit 310 may include a high pass filter, a detector circuit, and/or a smoothing circuit. Wake-up circuit 310 may be used to activate power circuit 320 by receiving a high-frequency signal (or high-frequency pulse) from battery management system 110 or another battery cell.

According to one embodiment, the power circuit 320 may be used to supply electrical energy stored in the battery 230, or to supply electrical energy to the battery cell 200 or the cell controller 220 within the battery cell 200. there is.

According to one embodiment, the power circuit 320 may operate in an activated state or a deactivated state.

For example, when the power circuit 320 is in an inactive state, all power to the cell controller 220 may be cut off. By setting the power circuit 320 to an inactive state, leakage current may not occur. The fact that the power circuit 320 is in an inactive state may mean that the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) is in an inactive state (or sleep state).

For example, when the power circuit 320 is in an activated state, power (eg, voltage or current) may be supplied to the active elements of the cell controller 220. When the power circuit 320 is in an activated state, power may be supplied to the control circuit 330, the power maintenance circuit 340, or the cell communication circuit 350. The power circuit 320 may supply direct current power (DC Power) to the control circuit 330, the power maintenance circuit 340, or the cell communication circuit 350. The control circuit 330, power maintenance circuit 340, or cell communication circuit 350 may be activated by receiving power from the power circuit 320. The fact that the power circuit 320 is in an activated state may mean that the battery cell 200 is in an activated state (or awake state).

According to one embodiment, the power circuit 320 may maintain the supply of power by receiving a power maintenance signal from the control circuit 330. The power circuit 320 may stop supplying power based on the fact that the power maintenance signal is not received from the control circuit 330.

According to one embodiment, the power maintenance circuit 340 may be used to maintain power supplied from the power circuit 320 until the control circuit 330 is activated. For example, when the power circuit 320 is deactivated, the control circuit 330 may also be deactivated. The control circuit 330 may be activated by receiving power through the power circuit 320. A specific time may be required until the control circuit 330 is activated. Accordingly, the power maintenance circuit 340 may be used to maintain power supplied from the power circuit 320 until the control circuit 330 is activated. An embodiment in which the power supplied from the power circuit 320 is maintained until the control circuit 330 is activated using the power maintenance circuit 340 will be described later with reference to FIG. 5 .

According to one embodiment, the cell communication circuit 350 may communicate with other battery cells or the battery management system 110 through a battery power line connected to the battery cell 200. For example, the cell communication circuit 350 can transmit and receive data using a wire as a transmission medium. According to one embodiment, the cell communication circuit 350 may transmit information about the state of the battery cell 200 to another battery cell or the battery management system 110. The cell communication circuit 350 may receive information about the state of another battery cell (or a battery of another battery cell) from another battery cell or the battery management system 110 . The cell communication circuit 350 provides a signal for controlling the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) transmitted from the battery management system 110 (e.g., a signal for charging or discharging the battery cell 200). ) can be received from another battery cell or the battery management system 110.

According to one embodiment, the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) may be set to a deactivated state to block leakage current. When the battery cell 200 is in an inactive state, power may not be supplied to the control circuit 330. The power circuit 320 is activated first, and the control circuit 330 is activated through the activated power circuit 320, so that the state of the battery cell 200 can be changed from the deactivated state to the activated state. In this case, a certain amount of time may be required until the control circuit 330 is activated. Accordingly, the power maintenance circuit 340 may be used to supply power through the power circuit 320 until the control circuit 330 is activated. The above-described embodiment will be described in detail below. According to one embodiment, signals inside the cell controller 220 may be transmitted and received based on pulse waves. The active elements inside the cell controller 220 (e.g., the power circuit 320, the control circuit 330, the power maintenance circuit 340, or the cell communication circuit 350) have the level of the pulse waveform signal. Based on being above the reference level, it can be determined that the signal has been received. Accordingly, the operation of transmitting a signal may correspond to the operation of transmitting a signal of a pulse waveform above the reference level.

Figure 4 is a flowchart of the operation of a cell controller according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 4, in operation 410, the cell controller 220 of the battery cell 200 sends an operation signal to change the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) from a deactivated state to an activated state. You can receive it. For example, when the state of the battery cell 200 is in the inactive state, the cell controller 220 receives an operation signal from the battery management system 110 to change the state of the battery cell 200 from the inactive state to the activated state. You can receive it.

According to one embodiment, the battery cells 200 within the battery pack 100 may be connected in series with other battery cells. Depending on its location, the battery cell 200 may receive an operation signal directly from the battery management system 110 or may receive an operation signal from the battery management system 110 through other battery cells.

According to one embodiment, an operation signal for changing the state of the battery cell 200 from a deactivated state to an activated state may be configured as a high-frequency signal (or high-frequency pulse). The operation signal may be transmitted to the power circuit 320 through the wake-up circuit 310. The operating signal may be transmitted to the power circuit 320 through a high-pass filter of the wake-up circuit 310.

In operation 420, the cell controller 220 may change the state of the battery cell 200 from a deactivated state to an activated state. For example, the cell controller 220 may change the state of the battery cell 200 from a deactivated state to an activated state using the power circuit 320 based on an operation signal.

According to one embodiment, the operation signal may pass through the wake-up circuit 310 and be changed into a wake-up operation signal. The power circuit 320 may be activated based on the wake-up operation signal. When the power circuit 320 is activated, the state of the battery cell 200 may be changed from a deactivated state to an activated state.

For example, the power circuit 320 may supply power (or direct current power) to the control circuit 330, the power maintenance circuit 340, or the communication circuit 350 based on the wake-up operation signal.

In operation 430, the cell controller 220 may maintain the state of the battery cell 200 in an activated state using the power maintenance circuit 340 while the control circuit 330 is activated. For example, the cell controller 220 responds to a change in the state of the battery cell 200 from an inactive state to an activated state using the power circuit 320, and the control circuit 330 included in the cell controller 220 While activated, the state of the battery cell 200 can be maintained in an activated state using the power maintenance circuit 340 included in the cell controller 220.

According to one embodiment, the control circuit 330 may be activated based on power supplied from the power circuit 320. The activated control circuit 330 transmits a power maintenance signal to the power circuit 320, thereby maintaining the power circuit 320 to continuously supply power. However, the control circuit 330 may not be activated immediately upon receiving power. Accordingly, while the control circuit 330 is activated, the cell controller 220 can maintain the state of the battery cell 200 in an activated state using the power maintenance circuit 340.

In operation 440, the cell controller 220 may change the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell 200 in an activated state from the power maintenance circuit 340 to the control circuit 330. For example, after the control circuit 330 is activated, the cell controller 220 changes the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell 200 in the activated state from the power maintenance circuit 340 to the control circuit 330. You can.

According to one embodiment, the control circuit 330 of the cell controller 220 may be activated and then transmit a power maintenance release signal to the power maintenance circuit 340. The power maintenance circuit 340 may receive a power maintenance release signal. The power maintenance circuit 340 generates a signal (hereinafter referred to as a power activation signal) for maintaining activation of the power circuit 320 by not transmitting a signal to be transmitted to the power circuit 320 based on the power maintenance release signal. It may not be sent. The activated control circuit 330 may transmit a power activation signal to the power circuit 320 by transmitting a power maintenance signal to the control circuit 330 instead of the power maintenance circuit 340. That is, after the control circuit 330 is activated, the cell controller 220 may change the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell 200 in the activated state from the power maintenance circuit 340 to the control circuit 330. .

According to one embodiment, the cell controller 220 may disable the operation of the power circuit 320 by stopping transmission of the power maintenance signal. For example, the cell controller 220 may receive a signal from the battery management system 110 to change the state of the battery cell 200 from an activated state to a deactivated state. The control circuit 330 of the cell controller 220 stops transmitting the power maintenance signal based on the signal for changing the state of the battery cell 200 from the activated state to the deactivated state, thereby You can change the state from enabled to disabled.

A specific example of the operations 410 to 440 described above can be explained with reference to FIG. 5 .

Figure 5 shows an example of signal flow within a cell controller according to one embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the cell controller 220 of the battery cell 200 may receive an operation signal from the battery management system 110 (or a controller of the battery management system 110). For example, the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) may be in a deactivated state. The battery management system 110 may transmit an operation signal to the battery cell 200 (or the cell controller 220) to change the state of the battery cell 200 from an inactive state to an activated state. The operation signal may be referred to as a wakeup signal.

The operation signal may be transmitted to the power circuit 320 through the wake-up circuit 310 of the cell controller 220. The operation signal may pass through the wake-up circuit 310 composed of passive elements and be transmitted to the power circuit 320. For example, the operating signal may pass through the high-pass filter 311 of the wake-up circuit 310. A high-pass filter may be configured to pass signals above a predefined frequency band. An operation signal composed of a high frequency band may pass through the high-pass filter 311. The operation signal that has passed the high-pass filter 311 may pass through the detection circuit 312. The operating signal can be demodulated by passing through the detection circuit 312. The operation signal that passes through the detection circuit 312 may pass through the smoothing circuit 313. By passing the operation signal through the smoothing circuit 313, noise (or ripple) can be removed.

The operation signal passing through the wake-up circuit 310 may be converted into a wake-up operation signal. The wake-up operation signal may be referred to as a wakeup logic signal. The wake-up operation signal can be converted into a power activation signal through the diode 301. The power activation signal transmitted to the power circuit 320 may be transmitted through the power circuit activation line. The wake-up operation signal may be input to the power circuit activation line through the diode 301. Power circuit 320 may be activated based on receiving a power activation signal through a power circuit activation line. The power circuit 320 may supply power based on receiving a power activation signal through the power circuit activation line. Power circuit 320 may supply power while the power activation signal is maintained.

The control circuit 330 activated by power supply may input a power maintenance signal to the power circuit activation line through the diode 303. The power maintenance signal can be converted into a power activation signal through the diode 303. However, a certain amount of time may be required until the control circuit 330 is activated. The power maintenance circuit 340 receives power through the power circuit 320, so that a rapid power maintenance signal can be input to the power circuit activation line through the diode 302 until the control circuit 330 is activated. . The rapid power maintenance signal can be converted to a power activation signal through the diode 302.

After the control circuit 330 is activated, the control circuit 330 may transmit a power maintenance release signal to the power maintenance circuit 340. In order to change the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell 200 in the activated state from the power maintenance circuit 340 to the control circuit 330, the control circuit 330 sends a power maintenance release signal to the power maintenance circuit 340. can be sent to. The power maintenance circuit 340 may receive a power maintenance release signal from the control circuit 330. The power maintenance circuit 340 may stop transmitting the rapid power maintenance signal in response to the power maintenance release signal. The power maintenance circuit 340 may stop transmission of the rapid power maintenance signal by lowering the level of the rapid power maintenance signal below the reference level. Even if transmission of the rapid power maintenance signal is stopped, activation of the power circuit 320 can be maintained because the power maintenance signal is being transmitted from the control circuit 330.

According to one embodiment, the cell controller 220 may receive a signal from the battery management system 110 to change the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) from an activated state to a deactivated state. A signal for changing the state of the battery cell 200 from the activated state to the deactivated state may be received through the cell communication circuit 350 of the cell controller 220. The cell communication circuit 350 can transmit and receive communication data with the control circuit 330. Based on the received signal, the cell communication circuit 350 may transmit a signal to request the control circuit 330 to change the state of the battery cell 200 to a deactivated state. The control circuit 330 may receive a signal from the cell communication circuit 350 to request that the state of the battery cell 200 be changed to a deactivated state. Control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance signal based on the received signal. For example, the control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance signal by lowering the level of the power maintenance signal below a reference level based on the received signal. As transmission of the power maintenance signal is discontinued, the power activation signal may not be transmitted to the power circuit 320. The power circuit 320 that does not receive the power activation signal may be deactivated. Depending on the deactivation of the power circuit 320, the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) may change from an activated state to a deactivated state.

According to one embodiment, the cell controller 220 may communicate with the battery management system 110 (or another battery cell) through a power line. In FIG. 5, the electrical path through which the operation signal is transmitted and the electrical path through which the signal transmitted and received through the cell communication circuit 350 are transmitted are shown to be distinct; however, this is for convenience of explanation. The electrical path through which the operation signal is transmitted and the electrical path through which the signal transmitted and received through the cell communication circuit 350 are transmitted may be configured to be the same. For example, the frequency of signals for communication between battery cells may be set lower than the frequency of operation signals. Accordingly, signals for communication between battery cells may be blocked by the high-pass filter 311. Since signals for communication between battery cells do not pass through the wake-up circuit 310, they can be transmitted and received only through the cell communication circuit 350. In other words, signals for communication between battery cells may not generate wake-up operation signals.

Figure 6 shows an example of a timing chart of signals transmitted and received within the cell controller.

Referring to FIG. 6, an operation signal may be received from the battery management system 110. The operation signal may be converted into a wake-up operation signal 610 through the wake-up circuit 310. The wake-up operation signal may be maintained for a period 611 from the time point 601. The level of the wake-up operation signal 610 may be maintained above the reference level during the period 611 from the time point 601. In other words, the operation signal transmitted from the battery management system 110 may also be maintained for the length of the section 611. The wake-up operation signal may be converted into a power activation signal 620 through the diode 301. Power activation signal 620 may be transmitted to power circuit 320. Power circuit 320 may be activated in response to power activation signal 620. The power circuit 320 may supply power in response to the power activation signal. Power circuit 320 may supply power starting at point 602. In other words, at time 602, the state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) may change from a deactivated state to an activated state. The power circuit 320 may be activated while the power activation signal 620 is maintained. The power circuit 320 may supply power while the power activation signal 620 is maintained.

The power circuit 320 may supply power to the control circuit 330, the power maintenance circuit 340, or the cell communication circuit 350. The power maintenance circuit 340 may transmit a rapid power maintenance signal 650 to the power circuit 320 based on the power supplied from the power circuit 320 . The rapid power maintenance signal 650 may be converted into a power activation signal 620 through the diode 302. Additionally, the control circuit 330 may be activated based on power supplied from the power circuit 320. Control circuit 330 may not be activated immediately after power is applied. Control circuit 330 may be activated at time 603 after power is applied. The control circuit 330 may transmit the power maintenance signal 660 to the power circuit 320 from time point 603. The power maintenance signal 660 may be converted into a power activation signal 620 through the diode 303. After the power maintenance signal 660 is transmitted, the control circuit 330 may transmit a power maintenance release signal 650 to the power maintenance circuit 340. The power maintenance circuit 340 may stop transmitting the rapid power maintenance signal 640 in response to the power maintenance release signal 650. The power maintenance circuit 340 may stop transmitting the rapid power maintenance signal 640 while the power maintenance release signal 650 is maintained.

The power activation signal 620 may be converted from the wake-up operation signal 610 through the diode 301 and transmitted to the power circuit 320. The power activation signal 620 may be converted from the rapid power maintenance signal 640 through the diode 302 and transmitted to the power circuit 320. The power activation signal 620 may be converted from a power maintenance signal through the diode 303 and transmitted to the power circuit 320. In other words, the state of the battery cell 200 may be changed from a deactivated state to an activated state by the wake-up operation signal 610. After the state of the battery cell 200 is changed from the inactive state to the activated state, while the control circuit 330 is activated, by the rapid power maintenance signal 640 transmitted through the power maintenance circuit 340, the battery cell ( The state of 200) may be maintained in the activated state. After the control circuit 330 is activated, the state of the battery cell 200 may be maintained in an activated state by the power maintenance signal 660 transmitted through the control circuit 330.

At time 604, control circuit 330 may stop transmitting power maintenance signal 660. For example, control circuit 330 may stop transmitting power maintenance signal 660 based on a signal received from battery management system 110 . For example, the control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance signal 660 based on the fact that the battery cell 200 (or battery 230) is in an overdischarge state. For example, the control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance signal 660 based on identifying that a physical shock has occurred to the battery cell 200 (or battery 230). For example, the control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance signal 660 based on detecting an abnormal state of the battery cell 200 (or battery 230).

As transmission of the power maintenance signal 660 is stopped, transmission of the power activation signal 620 converted from the power maintenance signal 660 may also be stopped. Based on the interruption of transmission of the power activation signal 620, the power circuit 320 may stop supplying power. Power circuit 320 may stop supplying power at point 605. Additionally, the control circuit 330 may stop transmitting the power maintenance release signal 650. At time 605, the state of the battery cell 200 may change (or switch) from an activated state to a deactivated state. Based on the state of the battery cell 200 changing from an activated state to a deactivated state, leakage current inside the cell controller 220 may be blocked. By blocking leakage current inside the cell controller 220, the cell controller 220 can be prevented from continuously consuming current. According to the above-described embodiment, even when the battery pack 100 is not used for a long period of time, leakage current inside the cell controller 220 is blocked, so the battery cell 200 may not be overdischarged. In addition, when the leakage current inside the cell controller 220 is blocked and the battery cell 200 is in an inactive state, an operation signal consisting of a high-frequency pulse transmitted from the battery management system 110 is transmitted through the wake-up circuit 310. By being received, the power circuit 320 can be activated.

Figure 7 shows an example of a signal flow for activating the states of a plurality of battery cells according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 7 , in state 710, the state of the plurality of battery cells 120 connected in series within the battery pack 100 may be set to a deactivated state. The battery management system 110 transmits an operation signal to change the state of the battery cell (or the first battery cell 120-1) inside the first battery cell 120-1 from an inactive state to an activated state. You can. For example, the battery management system 110 may transmit an operation signal consisting of a high-frequency pulse to the first battery cell 120-1 for a predetermined time through a power line. The first battery cell 120-1 directly connected to the battery management system 110 may receive an operation signal from the battery management system 110 (or a controller of the battery management system 110). An operating signal consisting of high-frequency pulses can be transmitted to the power circuit through a wake-up circuit consisting of passive elements.

In state 720, the power circuit of the first battery cell 120-1 may be activated as the operation signal (or the power activation signal converted from the operation signal) is transmitted to the power circuit. In other words, as the operation signal (or the power activation signal converted from the operation signal) is transmitted to the power circuit, the battery cell inside the first battery cell 120-1 (or the first battery cell 120-1) The state may be changed from a disabled state to an activated state. The cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit a response signal indicating that the battery cell is in an active state to the battery management system 110 using a cell communication circuit. For example, the frequency of the operation signal may be set to be greater than the frequency of the response signal. The battery management system 110 may identify that the battery cell state of the first battery cell 120-1 has changed to the activated state based on the response signal received from the first battery cell 120-1.

In state 730, the cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit an operation signal to the second battery cell 120-2, which is in an inactive state. For example, the cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit an operation signal to the second battery cell 120-2 after the response signal is transmitted. For another example, the cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit an operation signal to the second battery cell 120-2 based on a signal received from the battery management system 110. . Depending on the embodiment, the cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit the response signal to the battery management system 110 and simultaneously transmit an operation signal to the second battery cell 120-2. there is.

For example, the cell controller of the first battery cell 120-1 may transmit an operation signal consisting of a high-frequency pulse to the second battery cell 120-2 for a predetermined time through the power line. An operation signal consisting of a high-frequency pulse may be transmitted to the power circuit included in the second battery cell 120-2 through a wake-up circuit included in the second battery cell 120-2.

In state 740, within the second battery cell 120-2, the operation signal (or a power activation signal converted from the operation signal) is transmitted to the power circuit, thereby powering the second battery cell 120-2. The circuit can be activated. In other words, as the operation signal (or the power activation signal converted from the operation signal) is transmitted to the power circuit, the battery cell inside the second battery cell 120-2 (or the second battery cell 120-2) The state may be changed from a disabled state to an activated state. The cell controller of the second battery cell 120-2 may transmit a response signal to the battery management system 110 to indicate that the battery cell is in an activated state using a cell communication circuit. For example, the cell controller of the second battery cell 120-2 sends a response signal to the battery management system 110 to indicate that the state of the battery cell is activated, by using the first battery cell 120-2 connected in series. A response signal can be sent to -1). The first battery cell 120-1 may receive a response signal from the second battery cell 120-2 to indicate that the battery cell of the second battery cell 120-2 is active.

In state 750, the first battery cell 120-1 sends a message to the battery management system 110 based on the response signal received from the second battery cell 120-2. ) can transmit a response signal to indicate that the state of the battery cell is active. The battery management system 110 may identify that the battery cell state of the second battery cell 120-2 has changed to the activated state based on the response signal received from the first battery cell 120-1.

Operations performed in states 730 to 750 may be similarly performed in the third to nth battery cells 120-3 to 120-n. As the above-described operations are sequentially performed on the third battery cell 120-3 to the n-th battery cell 120-n, the third battery cell 120-3 to the n-th battery cell 120-n The states of the plurality of included battery cells may sequentially change from a deactivated state to an activated state. In state 760, the states of a plurality of battery cells included in the first to nth battery cells 120-1 to 120-n may be set to the activated state. In state 760, a plurality of cell controllers within the battery pack may be activated and operate. Expressed another way, in state 760, the battery system of the battery pack may be operational.

According to the above-described embodiment, a high-frequency pulse can be effectively transmitted only to one adjacent battery cell due to the internal impedance of the battery cell. Accordingly, based on the above-described operations, the states of all the plurality of battery cells 120 may be changed from the deactivated state to the activated state in the order according to the serial connection.

According to one embodiment, a battery pack includes a plurality of battery cells connected in series to each other, and a battery management system (BMS) for controlling the plurality of battery cells, and one of the plurality of battery cells. The battery cell of includes a battery, a power circuit, and a cell controller for controlling the battery cell based on a signal received from the battery management system, wherein when the battery cell is in a deactivated state, the cell controller is configured to: Receive an operation signal for changing the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state from the battery management system, and, based on the operation signal, change the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state using the power circuit. changed to the activated state, and in response to the state of the battery cell being changed from the deactivated state to the activated state using the power circuit, while a control circuit included in the cell controller is activated. The state of the battery cell is maintained in the activated state using a power maintenance circuit, and after the control circuit is activated, a circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state is controlled from the power maintenance circuit. It can be set to change to a circuit.

According to one embodiment, after the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state is changed from the power maintenance circuit to the control circuit, the cell controller informs the battery management system that the state of the battery cell is in the activated state. It may be set to transmit a response signal to indicate that it is in an activated state.

According to one embodiment, the frequency of the operation signal may be set to be greater than the frequency of the response signal.

According to one embodiment, the battery management system changes the state of the other battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state to another battery cell directly connected to the battery cell, based on the first response signal. It can be set to transmit different operating signals to change.

According to one embodiment, the cell controller further includes a wake-up circuit consisting of at least one passive element, and the power circuit is configured to activate the control circuit in response to the operation signal received through the wake-up circuit. can be set.

The various embodiments of this document and the terms used herein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various changes, equivalents, or replacements of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numbers may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the above items, unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, “A or B”, “at least one of A and B”, “at least one of A or B”, “A, B or C”, “at least one of A, B and C”, and “A Each of phrases such as “at least one of , B, or C” may include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or any possible combination thereof. Terms such as "first", "second", or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish one element from another, and may be used to distinguish such elements in other respects, such as importance or order) is not limited. One (e.g. first) component is said to be "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g. second) component, with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively". Where mentioned, it means that any of the components can be connected to the other components directly (e.g. wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

The term “module” used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and is interchangeable with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit, for example. It can be used as A module may be an integrated part or a minimum unit of the parts or a part thereof that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, the module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

Various embodiments of this document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory or external memory) that can be read by a machine. . For example, the processor of the device may call at least one instruction among one or more instructions stored from a storage medium and execute it. This allows the device to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. A storage medium that can be read by a device may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g. electromagnetic waves), and this term refers to cases where data is semi-permanently stored in the storage medium. There is no distinction between temporary storage cases.

According to one embodiment, methods according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided and included in a computer program product. Computer program products are commodities and can be traded between sellers and buyers. A computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g. compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM)), or through an application store (e.g. Play Store), or on two user devices (e.g. : Smartphones) can be distributed (e.g. downloaded or uploaded) directly or online. In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the above-described components may include a single or plural entity, and some of the plurality of entities may be separately placed in other components. there is. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations described above may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (eg, modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each component of the plurality of components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component of the plurality of components prior to the integration. . According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, or omitted. Alternatively, one or more other operations may be added.

Claims (5)

In the battery pack,
A plurality of battery cells connected in series with each other; and
A battery management system (BMS) for controlling the plurality of battery cells; Including,
One battery cell among the plurality of battery cells,
battery;
power circuit; and
Comprising a cell controller for controlling the battery cells based on signals received from the battery management system,
The cell controller is,
When the state of the battery cell is in a deactivated state, receive an operation signal from the battery management system to change the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state to an activated state,
Based on the operation signal, change the state of the battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state using the power circuit,
While the control circuit included in the cell controller is activated in response to the state of the battery cell changing from the deactivated state to the activated state using the power circuit, using a power maintenance circuit included in the cell controller maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state,
After the control circuit is activated, the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state is set to change from the power maintenance circuit to the control circuit.
Battery pack.
After the circuit for maintaining the state of the battery cell in the activated state is changed from the power maintenance circuit to the control circuit, to transmit a response signal to the battery management system to indicate that the state of the battery cell is the activated state. set
Battery pack.
The method of claim 2, wherein the frequency of the operation signal is:
set to be greater than the frequency of the response signal
Battery pack.
The method of claim 2, wherein the battery management system,
Based on the first response signal, it is set to transmit another operation signal to change the state of the other battery cell from the deactivated state to the activated state to another battery cell directly connected to the battery cell.
Battery pack.
The method of claim 1, wherein the cell controller:
Further comprising a wake-up circuit consisting of at least one passive element,
The power circuit is,
configured to activate the control circuit in response to the operation signal received through the wake-up circuit.
Battery pack.

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