TWI745543B - Battery charging system and electric vehicle charging station containing the system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to new energy vehicle technology, in particular to a battery charging system for charging electric vehicles and an electric vehicle charging station containing the system. The battery charging system according to the present invention includes: one or more battery charging units, each including: a charging module configured to be adapted to charge a plurality of battery packs; a power switching module, the power The switching module includes a plurality of charging channels, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs establishes a charging connection with the charging module through a respective corresponding charging channel; a communication switching module, the communication switching module includes a plurality of Communication channel, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs establishes a communication connection with the charging module via a respective corresponding communication channel; and a local monitoring module, the local monitoring module is configured to communicate with each battery The power switching module in the charging unit is connected to the communication switching module.

Description

Battery charging system and electric vehicle charging station containing the system

The present invention relates to new energy vehicle technology, in particular to a battery charging system for charging electric vehicles and an electric vehicle charging station containing the system.

In order to significantly reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of automobiles, the automobile industry is investing a lot of manpower and material resources to develop new types of automobiles that use electricity as a power source, such as electric cars. As the environmental impact is relatively small compared with traditional cars, the prospects of new energy vehicles are widely optimistic. However, there are still many difficulties in the popularization and promotion of the pure electric vehicle market. For example, the replenishment of battery energy is a more prominent problem. Specifically, in new cars, batteries are used to store electrical energy. Considering safety, cost and service life, the battery energy density of currently developed electric cars is not high, which limits their battery life after each charge. Therefore, providing cost-effective charging resources is an important aspect of making new energy vehicles accepted by the market.　　 At present, charging stations often meet the increasing demand for charging by expanding the number of chargers. However, this method has many disadvantages. For example, due to the relatively expensive charging equipment, the operator's investment and maintenance costs remain high; in addition, the shortage of urban land resources also limits the number of chargers in a charging station.　　 Therefore, it is an urgent need for the market to provide cost-effective charging equipment.

An object of the present invention is to provide a battery charging system that can provide charging resources cost-effectively and efficiently. A battery charging system according to one aspect of the present invention includes: one or more battery charging units, each battery charging unit includes: a charging module configured to be suitable for charging a plurality of battery packs; 　　 power switching mode The power switching module includes a plurality of charging channels, wherein each of the plurality of battery groups establishes a charging connection with the charging module through a respective corresponding charging channel; 　　 communication switching module, the communication switching The module includes a plurality of communication channels, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs establishes a communication connection with the charging module via a respective corresponding communication channel; and a local monitoring module, the local monitoring module is configured to It is connected to the power switching module and the communication switching module in each battery charging unit, and for each battery charging unit, the local monitoring module is also configured to end the currently charged battery when it is determined that During the charging operation of the battery pack, the charging channel and the communication channel corresponding to the battery pack are disconnected, and the charging channels and communication channels corresponding to other battery packs in the multiple battery packs that need to be charged are turned on. Preferably, in the above battery charging system, the local monitoring module ensures that the charging module of each battery charging unit only establishes a corresponding charging connection and communication connection with one of the plurality of battery packs during charging . Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, the local monitoring module uses an interlocking mechanism to ensure that the charging module of each battery charging unit only establishes a corresponding charging with one of the plurality of battery packs during charging. connect.　　 Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, a communication switch-out board is further included, and the local monitoring module is connected to the power switch module and the communication switch module of each battery charging unit via the communication switch-out board.　　 Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, the local monitoring module determines whether it is necessary to end the charging operation according to the status information of the currently charged battery pack.　　 Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, the local monitoring module communicates with the battery management system of the battery pack via the communication switching module to receive charging requests and status information of the battery pack. Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, each of the charging channels includes a normally open DC contactor, and the local monitoring module controls the on-off state of the charging channel by controlling the normally open DC contactor .　　 Preferably, in the above-mentioned battery charging system, the communication between the charging module of each battery charging unit and the battery management system of the battery pack and the communication with the local monitoring module adopt the CAN bus protocol.　　 Another object of the present invention is to provide an electric vehicle charging station that can provide charging resources cost-effectively and efficiently. An electric vehicle charging station according to one aspect of the present invention includes: 　　 at least one battery charging system as described above; and a remote monitoring module configured to communicate with a local monitoring module of the battery charging system .　　 Preferably, in the above-mentioned electric vehicle charging station, the communication between the remote monitoring module and the local monitoring module adopts an Ethernet communication protocol. "Compared with the prior art, the battery charging system according to the above aspects of the present invention can automatically switch charging operations between battery packs, thereby effectively improving the utilization of charging equipment, thereby reducing the investment and operating costs of charging stations. In addition, during the charging process, by ensuring that the charging module of each battery charging unit only establishes a corresponding charging connection and communication connection with one of the multiple battery packs, the safety of equipment operation is improved. Furthermore, the hierarchical monitoring architecture including remote monitoring modules and local monitoring modules enables users to adopt corresponding monitoring strategies according to actual needs.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be explained more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are illustrated. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms, and should not be interpreted as being limited to the embodiments given herein. The foregoing embodiments are given to make the disclosure in this document comprehensive and complete, so as to more comprehensively convey the protection scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In this specification, terms such as "including" and "including" mean that in addition to units and steps that are directly and clearly stated in the specification and the scope of the patent application, the technical solution of the present invention does not exclude Or other units and steps clearly stated.　　 Terms such as "first" and "second" do not indicate the order of units in terms of time, space, size, etc., but are merely used to distinguish each unit.　　 It should be pointed out that the electric vehicles mentioned in this specification include pure electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles.　　 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention. "As shown in FIG. 1, the battery charging system 10 according to this embodiment includes a charging module 110, a power switching module 120, a communication switching module 130, and a local monitoring module 140.　　 In the battery charging system 10 shown in FIG. 1, the charging module 110 is a core component, which, for example, converts AC power from an external power source into DC power to charge the battery packs B1-Bn. As shown in FIG. 1, the charging module 110 includes at least two communication interfaces to communicate with the battery management system (not shown) of the battery packs B1-Bn and the local monitoring module 140 respectively.　　 Referring to Fig. 1, the power switching module 120 is located between the charging module 110 and the battery packs B1-Bn. In particular, the power switching module 120 includes a plurality of switch elements with controllable on and off states, and each switch element is connected between the charging module 110 and one of the plurality of battery packs B1-Bn to form a corresponding charging channel, As a result, the charging module 110 can selectively charge any one of the plurality of battery packs B1-Bn or establish a charging connection with any one of the plurality of battery packs B1-Bn. 1 again, the communication switching module 130 is located between the charging module 110 and the battery packs B1-Bn so that the charging module 110 can selectively communicate with the battery management system of any one of the plurality of battery packs B1-Bn . In particular, the communication switching module 130 includes a plurality of on-off state controllable switching elements, and each switching element is connected between the charging module 110 and the battery management system of one of the plurality of battery packs B1-Bn to form a corresponding Communication channel. During the charging process, with the help of the established communication connection with the battery management system, the charging module 110 can obtain the status information of the battery pack and optimize the charging operation based on the status information.　　 Preferably, the above-mentioned switching element may be, for example, a DC contactor, and more preferably, may be a normally open DC contactor.　　 Preferably, the communication between the charging module 110 and the battery management system of the battery packs B1-Bn adopts the CAN bus protocol. The local monitoring module 140 is configured to be connected to the power switching module 120 and the communication switching module 130 to control the on-off state of the charging channel and the communication channel. For example, the local monitoring module 140 can realize the on and off of the charging channel and the communication channel by controlling the DC contactor. On the other hand, the local monitoring module 140 can also communicate with the battery management system of the battery packs B1-Bn to receive charging requests and status information of the battery packs. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the local monitoring module 140 communicates with the battery management system of the battery packs B1-Bn via the communication switching module 130. Preferably, the communication between the local monitoring module 140 and the battery management system adopts the CAN bus protocol.　　 In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the local monitoring module 140 can also communicate with the charging module 110 and the remote monitoring module 160. Preferably, the communication between the local monitoring module 140 and the charging module 110 adopts the CAN bus protocol, and the communication with the remote monitoring module 160 adopts the Ethernet communication protocol.　　 Preferably, the battery charging system 10 shown in FIG. 1 further includes a communication opening board 150. The local monitoring module 140 can be connected to the power switching module 120 and the communication switching module 130 via the communication opening board 150, so as to control the on-off state of the charging channel and the communication channel. Preferably, in the control of the on-off state of the charging channel and the communication channel, the local monitoring module 140 should ensure that the charging module 110 only establishes a corresponding charging connection and charging connection with one of the multiple battery packs B1-Bn during operation. Communication connection. Preferably, the local monitoring module 140 can ensure a single charging connection by means of an interlocking mechanism, for example. "In this embodiment, preferably, the charging module 110 can realize automatic switching of charging operations between different battery packs B1-Bn.　　 FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a charging automatic switching method applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.　　 The flowchart shown in Fig. 2 starts at step 201, in which the local monitoring module 140 and the charging module 110 are turned on. Optionally, in this step, the remote monitoring module 160 can also be turned on to provide a remote control function. Then go to step 202 to query the status of the local monitoring module 140, the remote monitoring module 160, and the charging module 110 to determine whether it can operate normally, if it can, go to step 203, otherwise go to step 204, and generate a system abnormal alarm information. "In step 203, the local monitoring module 140 receives messages from the battery management systems of the battery packs B1-Bn in a polling manner. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the local monitoring module 140 communicates with the battery management system of the battery packs B1-Bn via the communication opening board 150 and the communication switching module 130 to receive possible charging requests. "In step 205, the local monitoring module 140 determines whether a charging request from the battery management system of the battery pack B1-Bn is received, and if there is a charging request, it proceeds to step 206, otherwise returns to step 203.　　 In step 206, the local monitoring module 140 establishes a communication connection with the battery management system of the battery pack that sends the charging request via the communication opening board 150 and shields the communication with the battery management system of other battery packs. It should be pointed out that in this step, when there are multiple charging requests, the local monitoring module 140 can determine the charging sequence of the battery pack according to the set strategy, and establish a communication connection with the battery management system of the battery pack with the highest priority. . Then it proceeds to step 207, the local monitoring module 140 communicates with the power switching module 120 via the communication opening board 150, for example, instructs the power switching module 120 to open the charging channel corresponding to the battery pack that has established a communication connection in step 206, and to The remaining charging channels are locked. At the same time, the local monitoring module 140 also communicates with the communication switching module 130 via the communication opening board 150, and instructs the communication switching module 130 to only turn on the battery that has established a communication connection in step 206 The communication channel corresponding to the group.

Then, step 208 is entered, and the local monitoring module 140 queries the status information of the battery pack in the charging state. The status information mentioned here includes, but is not limited to, the SOC and temperature of the battery, for example.

Subsequently, in step 209, the local monitoring module 140 determines whether the charging of the battery pack is completed according to the status information of the battery pack, if it is completed, it proceeds to step 210, otherwise returns to step 208.

In step 210, the local monitoring module 140 communicates with the power switching module 120 and the communication switching module 130 via the communication opening board 150, and instructs the power switching module 120 and the communication switching module 130 to connect the charging channel in step 207 And the communication channel is switched to the disconnected state, and the cover of the battery management system of other battery packs is cancelled. After completing step 210, the method shown in FIG. 2 returns to step 203 to automatically charge the next battery pack.

It should be pointed out that in the method flow shown in FIG. 2, optionally, all or part of the operations performed by the local monitoring module 140 may also be performed by the remote monitoring module 160.

Although in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the local monitoring module 140 only manages the operation of a battery charging unit including a charging module, a power switching module, and a communication switching module, the present invention can also be extended to local Supervise A situation where the control module 140 controls and manages the operation of two or more battery charging units.

Fig. 3A is a schematic block diagram of a battery charging system according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the battery charging system 10 shown in FIG. 3A, the local monitoring module 140 can simultaneously manage the charging operations of multiple battery charging units.

3B is a schematic block diagram of a battery charging unit applicable to the battery charging system of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A. As shown in FIG. 3B, each of the battery charging units C1-Cn includes a charging module 110, a power switching module 120, and a communication switching module 130. These modules have the same features as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , Function and working principle. In particular, the local monitoring module 140 can control the charging module, the power switching module, and the communication switching module in each battery charging unit in the same manner as the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electric vehicle charging station according to another embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the electric vehicle charging station 1 of this embodiment includes one or more battery charging systems 10A-10N and remote monitoring modules 20 according to the embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1-3, wherein the remote The monitoring module 20 is configured to communicate with the local monitoring module in the battery charging system 10A-10N.

The embodiments and examples presented herein are provided in order to best illustrate the embodiments according to the present technology and its specific applications, and thereby enable those skilled in the art to implement and use the present invention. However, those skilled in the art will know that the above description and examples are provided only for ease of description and examples. The presented description is not intended to cover every aspect of the invention or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed.

In view of the above, the scope of the present disclosure is determined by the scope of the following patent applications.

10‧‧‧Battery charging system 10A‧‧‧Battery charging system 10B‧‧‧Battery charging system 10N‧‧‧Battery charging system 110‧‧‧Charging module 120‧‧‧Power switching module 130‧‧‧Communication switching module Group 140‧‧‧Local monitoring module 150‧‧‧Communication opening board 160‧‧‧Remote monitoring module B1‧‧‧Battery group B2‧‧‧Battery group Bn Unit C2‧‧‧Battery charging unit Cn‧‧‧Battery charging unit

The above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become clearer and easier to understand through the following description of each aspect in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The same or similar elements in the accompanying drawings are represented by the same reference numerals. The drawings include: 　　 Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a battery charging system according to an embodiment of the present invention.　　 FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a charging automatic switching method applicable to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.　　 FIG. 3A is a schematic block diagram of a battery charging system according to another embodiment of the present invention.　　 FIG. 3B is a schematic block diagram of a battery charging unit applicable to the battery charging system of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A.　　 FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of an electric vehicle charging station according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10‧‧‧Battery charging system

110‧‧‧Charging Module

120‧‧‧Power Switch Module

130‧‧‧Communication switching module

140‧‧‧Local Monitoring Module

150‧‧‧Communication open board

160‧‧‧Remote monitoring module

B1‧‧‧Battery Pack

B2‧‧‧Battery Pack

Bn‧‧‧Battery Pack

Claims (10)

A battery charging system, comprising: one or more battery charging units, each battery charging unit includes: a charging module, the charging module is configured to be suitable for charging a plurality of battery packs; 　　 power switching mode The power switching module includes a plurality of charging channels, wherein each of the plurality of battery sets establishes a charging connection with the charging module through a respective corresponding charging channel; 　　 a communication switching module, the communication switching module includes a plurality of Communication channels, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs establishes a communication connection with the charging module through a respective corresponding communication channel; and a local monitoring module, the local monitoring module is configured to communicate with each battery charging unit The power switching module is connected to the communication switching module, and for each battery charging unit, the local monitoring module is also configured to disconnect when it is determined that the charging operation of the currently charged battery pack needs to be ended. The charging channel and the communication channel corresponding to the battery pack, and the charging channel and the communication channel corresponding to other battery packs that need to be charged in the plurality of battery packs are turned on. For example, the battery charging system of item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the local monitoring module ensures that the charging module of each battery charging unit only establishes a corresponding charging connection and communication with one of the plurality of battery packs during charging connect. For example, the battery charging system of the second item in the scope of patent application, the local monitoring module uses an interlocking mechanism to ensure that the charging module of each battery charging unit only establishes a corresponding charging connection with one of the multiple battery packs when charging . For example, the battery charging system of the first item of the scope of patent application further includes a communication opening board, and the local monitoring module is connected to the power switching module and the communication switching module of each battery charging unit via the communication opening board. For example, the battery charging system of the first item in the scope of patent application, wherein the local monitoring module determines whether the charging operation needs to be terminated according to the status information of the currently charged battery pack. For example, the battery charging system of item 5 of the scope of patent application, wherein the local monitoring module communicates with the battery management system of the battery pack via the communication switching module to receive charging requests and status information of the battery pack. For example, the battery charging system of item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein each charging channel includes a normally open DC contactor, and the local monitoring module controls the on-off state of the charging channel by controlling the normally open DC contactor . For example, the battery charging system of item 6 of the scope of patent application, wherein the communication between the charging module of each battery charging unit and the battery management system of the battery pack and the communication with the local monitoring module adopt the CAN bus protocol. An electric vehicle charging station, comprising: 　　 at least one battery charging system as in any one of items 1 to 8 in the scope of the patent application; and a remote monitoring module configured to be connected to the battery charging system Local monitoring module communication. For example, the electric vehicle charging station of item 9 of the scope of patent application, wherein the communication between the remote monitoring module and the local monitoring module adopts the Ethernet communication protocol.

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