KR102765732B1 - Apparatus and method for managing battery - Google Patents

Abstract

A battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention is a battery management device connectable to a charging device capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to status information of a battery cell, the battery management device including: a connecting unit configured to be connected to the charging device; a status information generating unit configured to generate status information on the battery cell; and a control unit configured to determine whether the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, and to transmit the status information generated by the status information generating unit to the charging device if the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, and to retransmit the generated status information depending on whether a response message is received from the charging device within a preset reference response time after transmitting the generated status information.

Description

{APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING BATTERY}

The present invention relates to a battery management device and method, and more particularly, to a battery management device and method that prevents charging of a battery cell from being interrupted due to a problem of communication delay.

Recently, as the demand for portable electronic products such as laptops, video cameras, and mobile phones has increased rapidly and the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites has become full-fledged, research on high-performance batteries capable of repeated charging and discharging is actively being conducted.

Currently commercialized batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-metal hydride batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, and lithium batteries. Among these, lithium batteries are receiving attention due to their advantages such as the fact that they have almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based batteries, are free to charge and discharge, have a very low self-discharge rate, and have high energy density.

If the electric vehicle is equipped with such a battery, the PLC communication between the electric vehicle and the power supply unit must be maintained continuously while the battery is being charged. In this case, the electric vehicle can be a client and the power supply unit can be a server, and TCP/IP communication can be performed.

For example, if an electric vehicle transmits a V2G request message containing battery status information to a power supply device, but a V2G response message is not received within the time specified in the DIN-70121 and ISO-15118 standards, a timeout may occur and charging may be stopped.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of communication between a conventional electric vehicle and a power supply device. Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of communication between a conventional electric vehicle and a power supply device.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electric vehicle can transmit battery status information (SI) to a power supply device and receive a response message (RM) from the power supply device within a timeout time (Tt).

On the other hand, referring to Fig. 2, if the battery status information (SI) is lost during the transmission process, the electric vehicle cannot receive a response message (RM) from the power supply until the time-out time (Tt) arrives. In this case, there is a problem that the battery charging is stopped as soon as the time-out time (Tt) arrives.

That is, since there is a problem in which the battery is not charged predictably due to communication delay or loss of communication packets, frequent charging of the battery is required, resulting in high consumption of electrical components inside the electric vehicle.

Additionally, there are several inconveniences in the process of charging the battery, as users must frequently check whether the battery charging ends unexpectedly.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a battery management device and method that prevents charging of a battery cell from being interrupted due to a temporary communication delay or loss of a communication packet.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention can be understood by the following description, and will be more clearly known by the embodiments of the present invention. In addition, it will be easily understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof indicated in the claims.

A battery management device according to one aspect of the present invention may be connectable to a charging device capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to status information of a battery cell.

In addition, a battery management device according to one aspect of the present invention may include a connecting unit configured to be connected to the charging device; a status information generating unit configured to generate status information on the battery cell; and a control unit configured to determine whether the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, transmit the status information generated by the status information generating unit to the charging device if the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, and retransmit the generated status information depending on whether a response message is received from the charging device within a preset reference response time after transmitting the generated status information.

The above control unit may be configured to, when connected to the charging device, transmit and receive a signal with the charging device at least once to calculate a communication time, and set the reference response time based on the calculated communication time.

The above control unit may be configured to set the reference response time to a smaller value between the calculated communication time and the preset threshold time.

The control unit may be configured to retransmit the generated status information to the charging device if the response message is not received within the reference response time.

The control unit may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the elapsed time required from the time the status information is transmitted until the response message is received, a preset threshold time, and the reference response time, if the response message is received within the reference response time.

The above control unit may be configured to update the reference response time to the threshold time when the elapsed time is greater than or equal to the threshold time.

The above control unit may be configured to update the reference response time to the elapsed time if the elapsed time is less than the threshold time and if the elapsed time is greater than the reference response time.

The above control unit may be configured to identify status information corresponding to a received response message among status information transmitted to the charging device, and calculate an elapsed time required from transmitting the identified status information until receiving the response message.

The above control unit may be configured to calculate an elapsed time from the transmission of the plurality of status information to the reception of a corresponding response message when a plurality of status information are transmitted and a plurality of response messages are received during a preset timeout period, and to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing at least one time among the calculated plurality of elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.

The above control unit may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the elapsed time corresponding to the most recently transmitted status information among the plurality of calculated elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.

The above control unit may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing a maximum elapsed time having a largest size among the plurality of calculated elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.

The above control unit may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the average elapsed time of the plurality of calculated elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.

A battery pack according to another aspect of the present invention may include a battery management device according to one aspect of the present invention.

A vehicle according to another aspect of the present invention may include a battery management device according to one aspect of the present invention.

A battery management method according to another aspect of the present invention may include a connection determination step for determining whether a charging device capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to status information of a battery cell is connected; a status information generation step for generating status information of the battery cell when it is determined to be connected to the charging device; a status information transmission step for transmitting the generated status information of the battery cell to the charging device; and a status information retransmission step for retransmitting the generated status information depending on whether a response message is received from the charging device within a preset reference response time.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since status information is retransmitted, there is an advantage in that charging of a battery cell can be prevented from being interrupted due to temporary communication delay and unexpected communication errors.

In addition, according to one aspect of the present invention, since the transmission cycle of the status information of the battery cell is determined by reflecting the time required for communication between the battery management device and the charging device during the process of charging the battery cell, there is an advantage in that resources required for transmitting the status information of the battery cell are reduced.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

The following drawings attached to this specification serve to further understand the technical idea of the present invention together with the detailed description of the invention described later, and therefore, the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited only to the matters described in such drawings.
Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of communication between a conventional electric vehicle and a power supply device.
Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of communication between a conventional electric vehicle and a power supply device.
FIG. 3 is a drawing exemplarily showing the configuration of a battery pack including a battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a battery pack including a battery management device and a charging device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a first example of a process in which a battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device.
FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a second example of a process in which a battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device.
FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a third example of a process in which a battery management device according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device.
FIG. 8 is a drawing schematically illustrating a battery management method according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The terms or words used in this specification and claims should not be interpreted as limited to their usual or dictionary meanings, but should be interpreted as having meanings and concepts that conform to the technical idea of the present invention, based on the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his or her own invention in the best manner.

Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical ideas of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that there may be various equivalents and modified examples that can replace them at the time of filing this application.

In addition, when describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted.

Terms that include ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., are used to distinguish one of the various components from the rest, and are not used to limit the components by such terms.

Throughout the specification, whenever a part is said to "include" a component, this does not mean that it excludes other components, but rather that it may include other components, unless otherwise stated.

Additionally, terms such as control unit described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented by hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

Additionally, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected" but also cases where it is "indirectly connected" with other elements in between.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

FIG. 3 is a drawing exemplarily showing the configuration of a battery pack (1) including a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a drawing schematically showing a battery pack (1) including a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention, and a charging device (200).

Referring to FIG. 3, a battery pack (1) may include a battery cell (10) and a battery management device (100).

Here, the battery cell (10) means a physically separate independent cell having a negative terminal and a positive terminal. As an example, one pouch-type lithium polymer cell may be considered as a battery cell (10).

Additionally, the battery pack (1) may include a battery module having one or more battery cells (10) connected in series and/or in parallel.

In the embodiment of Fig. 4, the charging device (200) can be connected to the battery pack (1). And, the charging device (200) connected to the battery pack (1) can supply a charging current corresponding to the status information (SI) of the battery cell (10).

For example, a battery pack (1) can be installed in an electric vehicle. In addition, a charging device (supply equipment) is a power supply device that can be connected to an electric vehicle and can supply charging current to a battery cell (10).

In addition, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, the battery management device (100) may include a connection unit (110), a status information (SI) generation unit (120), a control unit (130), and a storage unit (140).

The connecting portion (110) may be configured to be connected to the charging device (200).

Specifically, the battery pack (1) and the charging device (200) can be connected by connecting the connecting portion (110) and the charging device (200).

For example, referring to FIG. 4, a connecting portion (110) is provided on the positive terminal and negative terminal sides of the battery pack (1) and can be connected to a charging device (200). When the connecting portion (110) and the charging device (200) are connected, the battery pack (1) and the charging device (200) are connected, and the current output from the charging device (200) can be supplied to the battery cell (10). Therefore, when the connecting portion (110) and the charging device (200) are connected, the battery cell (10) can be charged.

The status information (SI) generation unit (120) may be configured to generate status information (SI) for the battery cell (10). Here, the status information (SI) for the battery cell (10) may include at least one of the voltage and charging state of the battery cell (10).

In addition, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can determine the charging C-rate required when charging the battery cell (10) based on the voltage and/or the state of charge of the battery cell (10). In addition, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can further include the determined charging C-rate in the state information (SI). Here, the charging C-rate is determined based on at least one of the voltage and the state of charge of the battery cell (10), and can be a value preset as an optimal charging C-rate corresponding to the current state of the battery cell (10).

The status information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the voltage of the battery cell (10). For example, referring to FIG. 4, the status information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the potential of both ends of the battery cell (10). Then, the status information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the voltage of the battery cell (10) by calculating the difference between the measured potentials of both ends of the battery cell (10).

In addition, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can estimate the state of charge (SOC) of the battery cell (10) based on the measured voltage of the battery cell (10). The state information (SI) generation unit (120) can estimate the state of charge of the battery cell (10) corresponding to the measured voltage of the battery cell (10) by referring to a pre-stored voltage-state of charge lookup table. Here, the voltage-state of charge lookup table can include a first lookup table in which the open circuit voltage (OCV) and the state of charge of the battery cell (10) are mapped, and a second lookup table in which the voltage and the state of charge of the battery cell (10) are mapped. Here, the second lookup table can be a lookup table in which the voltage and the state of charge of the battery cell (10) are mapped by considering the internal resistance component of the battery cell (10).

For example, if the battery cell (10) has not been charged or discharged for a predetermined period of time, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the open circuit voltage of the battery cell (10). Then, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can estimate the state of charge of the battery cell (10) corresponding to the measured open circuit voltage by referring to the first lookup table.

As another example, when a battery cell (10) is being charged, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the current voltage of the battery cell (10) being charged. Then, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can estimate the charging state of the battery cell (10) corresponding to the measured current voltage by referring to the second lookup table.

The control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether the connecting unit (110) is connected to the charging device (200).

The control unit (130) can be connected to the connection unit (110) via a wired line or wireless communication. In addition, the control unit (130) can check the status of the connection unit (110) to determine whether the connection unit (110) and the charging device (200) are connected.

Referring to FIG. 4, the control unit (130) is connected to the connection unit (110) through a wired line, and can check whether the connection unit (110) and the charging device (200) are connected through the wired line.

The control unit (130) may be configured to transmit the status information (SI) generated by the status information (SI) generation unit (120) to the charging device (200) when the connection unit (110) is connected to the charging device (200).

For example, the status information (SI) generation unit (120) can transmit status information (SI) about the generated battery cell (10) to the control unit (130). Then, the control unit (130) can transmit status information (SI) about the battery cell (10) received from the status information (SI) generation unit (120) to the charging device (200) through the connection unit (110).

In addition, the control unit (130) can transmit not only status information (SI) for the battery cell (10) but also at least one of the target voltage and target SOC of the battery cell (10) to the charging device (200).

The charging device (200) can supply a charging current corresponding to the status information (SI) for the battery cell (10) received from the control unit (130) to the battery cell (10). In particular, the charging device (200) can supply a charging current corresponding to the charging C-rate among the status information (SI) for the battery cell (10).

For example, when the battery cell (10) is rapidly charged by the charging device (200), if a high C-rate is maintained, the battery cell (10) may be overcharged, which may cause problems such as lithium plating (Li-plating). Therefore, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) may determine the charging C-rate based on at least one of the voltage and SOC of the battery cell (10) in order to prevent overcharging of the battery cell (10). Then, the charging device (200) may supply a charging current corresponding to the charging C-rate determined by the state information (SI) generation unit (120) to the battery cell (10). Therefore, since the battery cell (10) is not overcharged even during the rapid charging process, the deterioration of the battery cell (10) may progress slowly.

The control unit (130) may be configured to retransmit the generated status information (SI) depending on whether a response message (RM) is received from the charging device (200) within a preset standard response time (Tr) after transmitting the generated status information (SI).

As described above, referring to FIG. 2, if a response message (RM) is not received within a preset timeout time (Tt) after transmitting status information (SI), charging may be stopped. That is, in the case where status information (SI) is transmitted only once as in the conventional case, rapid charging of the battery cell (10) may be stopped due to an unexpected communication error between the battery management device (100) and the charging device (200) even in a situation where charging of the battery cell (10) is not completed.

In order to prevent such an unexpected interruption of rapid charging, the user must frequently check whether the charging of the battery cell (10) is interrupted, and if the charging is unexpectedly interrupted, the user must reconnect the battery management device (100) and the charging device (200), which is inconvenient. In addition, frequent charging of the battery cell (10) may rapidly reduce the usable life of the battery cell (10). As another example, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the control unit (130) may control the operating state of the main switch (SW) to a turn-off state in order to interrupt the charging of the battery cell (10). If the charging is interrupted for an unexpected reason, the operating state of the main switch (SW) may be frequently switched, which may rapidly reduce the usable life of the main switch (SW). That is, if the charging is interrupted due to a reason such as a communication error, the electrical components inside the battery pack (1) may become increasingly worn out, which may cause the condition of the battery pack (1) to deteriorate.

In order to prevent the charging of the battery cell (10) from being interrupted due to a communication error with the charging device (200), the control unit (130) can transmit status information (SI) to the charging device (200) and then retransmit the status information (SI) depending on whether a response message (RM) is received within a standard response time (Tr).

Here, the preset standard response time (Tr) may mean a communication time between the battery management device (100) and the charging device (200) that is generally required. The standard response time (Tr) may be preset universally for all charging devices (200), or may be set based on the actual communication time required between the charging device (200) and the battery management device (100). The content of setting the standard response time (Tr) will be described in detail later.

FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating a first example of a process in which a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device (200). And FIG. 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating a second example of a process in which a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device (200).

Specifically, FIG. 5 is an example in which a battery management device (100) transmits status information (SI) to a charging device (200) and then receives a response message (RM) within a standard response time (Tr). FIG. 6 is an example in which a battery management device (100) transmits status information (SI) to a charging device (200) and then fails to receive a response message (RM) within a standard response time (Tr), thereby retransmitting status information (SI).

In particular, FIG. 6 is an example in which the first state information (SI1) transmitted by the control unit (130) is lost during the transmission process. However, even if the charging device (200) receives the first state information (SI1), if the first response message (RM1) corresponding to the first state information (SI1) is lost during the transmission process, the control unit (130) can retransmit the second state information (SI2). That is, the state information (SI) can be retransmitted depending on whether the control unit (130) received the response message (RM). Here, it should be noted that the first state information (SI1) and the second state information (SI2) are the same state information (SI), and modifiers such as first and second are used to distinguish a plurality of state information (SI) according to the temporal order in which they were transmitted in the example illustrated in the drawing.

Referring to FIG. 6, if the first state information (SI1) is lost during transmission, the control unit (130) may not receive the first response message (RM1) corresponding to the first state information (SI1). In this case, the control unit (130) may retransmit the second state information (SI2) to the charging device (200) immediately after the reference response time (Tr) has elapsed after transmitting the first state information (SI1). Thereafter, the control unit (130) may receive the second response message (RM2) corresponding to the second state information (SI2) from the charging device (200). That is, since the control unit (130) has received the response message (RM) corresponding to the state information (SI) for the battery cell (10), charging for the battery cell (10) may not be stopped even if the timeout time (Tt) elapses.

The battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can prevent the charging of the battery cell (10) from being interrupted due to a communication error. Therefore, the battery management device (100) has the advantage of preventing the deterioration of the battery cell (10) due to an unexpected interruption of charging during a rapid charging process, and further preventing the deterioration of the state of the battery pack (1).

Meanwhile, the control unit (130) equipped in the battery management device (100) may optionally include a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), another chipset, a logic circuit, a register, a communication modem, a data processing device, etc. known in the art to execute various control logics performed in the present invention. In addition, when the control logic is implemented as software, the control unit (130) may be implemented as a set of program modules. At this time, the program modules may be stored in a memory and executed by the control unit (130). The memory may be located inside or outside the control unit (130) and may be connected to the control unit (130) by various well-known means.

In addition, the battery management device (100) may further include a storage unit (140). The storage unit (140) may store data or programs required for each component of the battery management device (100) to perform operations and functions, or data generated in the process of performing operations and functions. The storage unit (140) is not particularly limited in type as long as it is a known information storage means known to be able to record, erase, update, and read data. As an example, the information storage means may include a RAM, a flash memory, a ROM, an EEPROM, a register, etc. For example, the first lookup table and the second lookup table may be stored in the storage unit (140). In addition, the storage unit (140) may store charging C-rate information corresponding to the voltage and/or charging state of the battery cell (10).

The above control unit (130), when connected to the charging device (200), may be configured to transmit and receive a signal with the charging device (200) at least once to calculate a communication time.

Specifically, when the control unit (130) is connected to the charging device (200), the control unit (130) can transmit and receive a signal with the charging device (200) at least once in order to calculate the time required for communication between the charging device (200) and the control unit (130). Preferably, the control unit (130) can calculate the communication time with the charging device (200) before the charging of the battery cell (10) starts after being connected to the charging device (200). For example, the control unit (130) can transmit and receive a signal with the charging device (200) at least 10 times and calculate the communication time with the charging device (200).

Additionally, the control unit (130) can be configured to set the reference response time (Tr) based on the calculated communication time.

For example, if the control unit (130) transmits and receives a signal once with the charging device (200), the time taken for the communication can be set as the reference response time (Tr). As another example, if the control unit (130) transmits and receives a signal twice or more with the charging device (200), the longest time taken for multiple communications, or the average time taken for multiple communications, can be set as the reference response time (Tr).

That is, the control unit (130) can set a reference response time (Tr) based on the actual time required for communication between the control unit (130) and the charging device (200) before charging of the battery cell (10) begins.

For example, the battery management device (100) may be equipped in an electric vehicle. In this case, the charging device (200) may be a power supply device capable of charging the electric vehicle. The communication speed of such a power supply device may vary depending on the time of production, the surrounding environment of the installed location, the number of times used, and the specifications of internal components. Therefore, the battery management device (100) may prevent the charging of the battery cell (10) from being interrupted due to a communication error by going through a preliminary communication process with the connected charging device (200) before the battery cell (10) is charged.

The above control unit (130) may be configured to set the reference response time (Tr) to a smaller value between the calculated communication time and a preset threshold time (Tc).

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, the reference response time (Tr) may be less than or equal to a threshold time (Tc). Here, the threshold time (Tc) may be a time corresponding to half of the timeout time (Tt).

Specifically, if the control unit (130) does not receive the first response message (RM1) corresponding to the first state information (SI1) within the reference response time (Tr) after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) may transmit the second state information (SI2). That is, the control unit (130) may be configured to receive the second response message (RM2) within the timeout time (Tt) after transmitting the first state information (SI1) so that charging of the battery cell (10) is not interrupted. However, if the reference response time (Tr) exceeds a time corresponding to half of the timeout time (Tt), even if the second state information (SI2) is transmitted, there may occur a case where the control unit (130) does not receive the second response message (RM2) within the timeout time (Tt) after the first state information (SI1) is transmitted.

For example, it is assumed that the timeout time (Tt) is set to 250 ms, the threshold time (Tc) is set to 120 ms, and the reference response time (Tr) is set to 150 ms. Then, after the first state information (SI1) is transmitted, the times at which the timeout time (Tt), the threshold time (Tc), and the reference response time (Tr) have elapsed are referred to as the timeout time, the threshold time, and the reference response time, respectively.

If the control unit (130) does not receive the first response message (RM1) for a reference response time (Tr) of 150 ms after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) may immediately transmit the second state information (SI2) at the reference response time. Here, the time at which the second state information (SI2) is transmitted may be a time after the threshold time has passed. Even if the charging device (200) receives the second state information (SI2) and normally transmits the second response message (RM2), the second response message (RM2) may reach the control unit (130) after the timeout time has passed. That is, since the second state information (SI2) is transmitted after the threshold time, the charging of the battery cell (10) may be stopped.

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can prevent charging of the battery cell (10) from being interrupted due to communication delay by setting the reference response time (Tr) to a time shorter than or equal to the threshold time (Tc).

If the response message (RM) is not received within the above-mentioned standard response time (Tr), the control unit (130) may be configured to retransmit the generated status information (SI) to the charging device (200).

In the embodiment of Fig. 6, the first state information (SI1) and the second state information (SI2) may be the same information.

Specifically, the control unit (130) can transmit the status information (SI) generated at the first time point at the first time point. And, if the control unit (130) does not receive the first response message (RM1), the control unit (130) can retransmit the status information (SI) generated at the first time point at the second time point.

For example, if the control unit (130) receives the first response message (RM1), the charging device (200) can normally supply the charging current corresponding to the first state information (SI1) to the battery cell (10). That is, after receiving the first response message (RM1), the control unit (130) does not need to transmit the second state information (SI2) identical to the first state information (SI1) to the charging device (200).

Accordingly, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention transmits the second state information (SI2) only when the first response message (RM1) corresponding to the first state information (SI1) transmitted first is not received within the reference response time (Tr), thereby reducing unnecessary resource consumption required for frequent data communication with the charging device (200).

If the response message (RM) is received within the above-mentioned standard response time (Tr), the control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether to update the standard response time (Tr) based on a result of comparing the elapsed time (Te) required from the time the status information (SI) is transmitted until the response message (RM) is received, a preset threshold time (Tc), and the standard response time (Tr).

Specifically, the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) set before charging of the battery cell (10) begins while the battery cell (10) is being charged. That is, the control unit (130) can adaptively update the reference response time (Tr) by considering the elapsed time (Te) required for communication with the charging device (200) even while the battery cell (10) is being charged.

Preferably, the control unit (130) can compare the elapsed time (Te) required to receive the response message (RM) after transmitting the status information (SI) with the reference response time (Tr). Then, the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) with a time having a larger value between the elapsed time (Te) and the reference response time (Tr).

For example, in the embodiment of Fig. 5, the elapsed time (Te) taken by the control unit (130) to receive the response message (RM) after transmitting the status information (SI) may be shorter than the reference response time (Tr). In this case, the control unit (130) may maintain the reference response time (Tr) without changing it.

As another example, if the elapsed time (Te) taken by the control unit (130) to receive a response message (RM) after transmitting status information (SI) is longer than the reference response time (Tr), the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) to the elapsed time (Te).

That is, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can set an optimal reference response time (Tr) by adaptively updating the reference response time (Tr) even while the battery cell (10) is being charged. Therefore, the battery management device (100) has an advantage of being able to prevent the charging of the battery cell (10) from being interrupted while saving resources required for transmitting status information (SI) for the battery cell (10).

The above control unit (130) may be configured to update the reference response time (Tr) to the preset threshold time (Tc) when the elapsed time (Te) is longer than or equal to the preset threshold time (Tc).

Specifically, since the reference response time (Tr) is set to have a value less than or equal to the threshold time (Tc), if the elapsed time (Te) exceeds the threshold time (Tc), the elapsed time (Te) cannot but be greater than the reference response time (Tr). Therefore, if the reference response time (Tr) is updated by comparing only the reference response time (Tr) and the elapsed time (Te) without considering the threshold time (Tc), the reference response time (Tr) can be updated to the elapsed time (Te). In this case, even if the control unit (130) retransmits the status information (SI) for the battery cell (10), it may not receive the response message (RM) corresponding to the retransmitted status information (SI) within the timeout time (Tt).

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can update the reference response time (Tr) to the threshold time (Tc) when the elapsed time (Te) is equal to or greater than the preset threshold time (Tc). That is, the battery management device (100) has an advantage in that it can set the upper limit of the reference response time (Tr) to the threshold time (Tc) so that at least one state information (SI) retransmission and response message (RM) reception can be performed.

The above control unit (130) may be configured to update the reference response time (Tr) to the elapsed time (Te) if the elapsed time (Te) is less than the preset threshold time (Tc) and if the elapsed time (Te) is greater than the reference response time (Tr).

Specifically, the control unit (130) can compare the elapsed time (Te) and the critical time (Tc) in advance, and then compare the elapsed time (Te) and the reference response time (Tr).

For example, if the elapsed time (Te) is less than the threshold time (Tc), there is a very high possibility that at least one retransmission of status information (SI) and reception of a response message (RM) will be performed even if the reference response time (Tr) is updated to the elapsed time (Te). And, based on the updated reference response time (Tr), charging of the battery cell (10) can be prevented from being interrupted.

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has the advantage of being able to save resources required for transmitting status information (SI) and prevent unintentional interruption of charging of the battery cell (10) by adaptively updating the reference response time (Tr) even during the charging process of the battery cell (10).

The above control unit (130) may be configured to identify status information (SI) corresponding to a received response message (RM) among the status information (SI) transmitted to the charging device (200).

Specifically, when transmitting status information (SI), the control unit (130) may transmit an identification number of the status information (SI) together. For example, the control unit (130) may add an identification number to a packet including status information (SI) and transmit the packet with the added identification number to the charging device (200).

FIG. 7 is a diagram schematically illustrating a third example of a process in which a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention communicates with a charging device (200).

Referring to FIG. 7, if the control unit (130) of the battery management device (100) fails to receive the first response message (RM1) within the reference response time (Tr) after transmitting the first status information (SI1) to the charging device (200), the control unit (130) may transmit the second status information (SI2) to the charging device (200). Here, the first status information (SI1) and the second status information (SI2) may include the same information about the status information (SI) of the battery cell (10), and may be information with only different identification numbers. That is, the identification number of the first status information (SI1) may be 1, and the identification number of the second status information (SI2) may be 2.

And, the charging device (200) can add the identification number of the received status information (SI) to the response message (RM) and transmit it to the battery management device (100). That is, the charging device (200) can transmit the first response message (RM1) when receiving the first status information (SI1), and can transmit the second response message (RM2) when receiving the second status information (SI2).

When the control unit (130) receives a response message (RM), it can check the identification number of the response message (RM) and identify the status information (SI) corresponding to the identified identification number. For example, when the control unit (130) receives the first response message (RM1), the control unit (130) can determine that the first response message (RM1) corresponds to the first status information (SI1) by checking the identification number 1 of the response message (RM).

Additionally, the control unit (130) may be configured to calculate the elapsed time (Te) required from the time the identified status information (SI) is transmitted until the time the response message (RM) is received.

That is, when multiple status information (SI) and response messages (RM) are transmitted and received, the control unit (130) can check identification information for the status information (SI) and response messages (RM) in order to calculate the elapsed time (Te) as the time required for transmitting and receiving the corresponding status information (SI) and response messages (RM).

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the elapsed time (Te) from the time the battery management device (100) transmits the first status information (SI1) to the time the first response message (RM1) is received is referred to as the first elapsed time (Te1). In addition, the elapsed time (Te) from the time the battery management device (100) transmits the second status information (SI2) to the time the second response message (RM2) is received is referred to as the second elapsed time (Te2).

If the control unit (130) calculates the time taken to receive the response message (RM) after transmitting the state information (SI) without considering the identification information of the state information (SI) and the response message (RM), as the elapsed time (Te), the time taken to transmit the second state information (SI2) and receive the first response message (RM1) may be incorrectly calculated as the elapsed time (Te). In addition, since the control unit (130) can compare the incorrectly calculated elapsed time (Te) with the reference response time (Tr), the reference response time (Tr) may not be correctly updated.

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has an advantage in that it verifies identification information of status information (SI) and a response message (RM), and calculates the time required for transmission and reception of the corresponding status information (SI) and response message (RM) as an elapsed time (Te), thereby allowing the reference response time (Tr) to be updated more accurately.

The above control unit (130) may be configured to calculate the elapsed time (Te) from the time the plurality of state information (SI) is transmitted until the corresponding response message (RM) is received when the plurality of state information (SI) is transmitted and the plurality of response messages (RM) are received during a preset timeout time (Tt).

For example, the timeout time (Tt) may be preset to 250 ms, and the reference response time (Tr) may be preset to 50 ms. Referring to FIG. 7, if the control unit (130) does not receive the first response message (RM1) for 50 ms after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) may transmit the second state information (SI2). Then, the control unit (130) may retransmit the second state information (SI2). That is, if the control unit (130) does not receive the response message (RM) corresponding to the state information (SI) transmitted within the reference response time (Tr), the control unit (130) may retransmit the state information (SI) having different identification information.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the battery management device (100) may transmit first state information (SI1) to the charging device (200), and if the first response message (RM1) is not received within the reference response time (Tr), the battery management device (100) may transmit second state information (SI2) to the charging device (200). Then, the battery management device (100) may receive both the first response message (RM1) and the second response message (RM2) within the reference response time (Tr) after the second state information (SI2) is transmitted. In this case, the first state information (SI1) and the first response message (RM1) may not be lost during the communication process, and the first response message (RM1) may not reach the battery management device (100) within the reference response time (Tr) due to reasons such as a communication delay or a processing delay within the charging device (200). The control unit (130) can calculate a first elapsed time (Te1) after transmitting the first status information (SI1) and receiving the first response message (RM1), and can calculate a second elapsed time (Te2) after transmitting the second status information (SI2) and receiving the second response message (RM2).

The control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time (Tr) based on a result of comparing at least one of the generated multiple elapsed times (Te), a preset threshold time (Tc), and the reference response time (Tr).

Below, a process in which the control unit (130) updates the reference response time (Tr) using some or all of the multiple elapsed times (Te) calculated is specifically described.

For example, the control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time (Tr) based on a result of comparing the elapsed time (Te) corresponding to the most recently transmitted status information (SI) among the plurality of calculated elapsed times (Te), the preset threshold time (Tc), and the reference response time (Tr).

Specifically, the control unit (130) may use only the elapsed time (Te) required to receive the most recently transmitted status information (SI) and the response message (RM) corresponding to the status information (SI) to update the reference response time (Tr). In this case, the control unit (130) may retransmit the status information (SI) only once.

For example, if the control unit (130) does not receive the first response message (RM1) within the reference response time (Tr) after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) may transmit the second state information (SI2). In addition, the control unit (130) may compare the second elapsed time (Te2) required until the second response message (RM2) is received after transmitting the second state information (SI2) with the reference response time (Tr).

If the second elapsed time (Te2) exceeds the reference response time (Tr) and is less than the threshold time (Tc), the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) to the second elapsed time (Te2). That is, the control unit (130) can adaptively update the reference response time (Tr) by considering the communication time with the charging device (200) during the charging process of the battery cell (10). Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention has an advantage of being able to charge the battery cell (10) while updating the reference response time (Tr) to the optimal communication time with the charging device (200).

If the control unit (130) does not receive the second response message (RM2) until the time-out time (Tt) has elapsed after transmitting the second status information (SI2), the control unit (130) may terminate the charging of the battery cell (10). That is, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, if the control unit (130) does not receive the second response message (RM2), the control unit (130) may control the operation state of the main switch (SW) to a turn-off state to terminate the charging of the battery cell (10). In this case, since a defect may exist inside the charging device (200) and the charging current corresponding to the status information (SI) for the battery cell (10) may not be supplied, the control unit (130) may terminate the charging of the battery cell (10).

As another example, the control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time (Tr) based on a result of comparing the maximum elapsed time (Te) having the largest size among the plurality of calculated elapsed times (Te), a preset threshold time (Tc), and the reference response time (Tr).

Specifically, the control unit (130) can calculate a plurality of elapsed times (Te) based on a plurality of response messages (RM) received before the timeout time (Tt) elapses after transmitting the first state information (SI1). Since the plurality of response messages (RM) arrive within the timeout time (Tt) after the corresponding state information (SI) is transmitted, the battery management device (100) and the charging device (200) may be in a state where they are communicating normally although there is a slight communication delay. Therefore, the control unit (130) can adaptively update the reference response time (Tr) by considering the maximum elapsed time (Te) according to the communication delay.

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 7, the control unit (130) can compare the sizes of the first elapsed time (Te1) and the second elapsed time (Te2). Here, since the first elapsed time (Te1) is greater than the second elapsed time (Te2), the control unit (130) can compare the first elapsed time (Te1) with the reference response time (Tr). Since the first elapsed time (Te1) is greater than the reference response time (Tr) and less than the threshold time (Tc), the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) to the first elapsed time (Te1). Thereafter, the control unit (130) can re-update the updated reference response time (Tr) depending on whether the response message (RM) is received within the updated reference response time (Tr) after transmitting the newly generated status information (SI) to the charging device (200).

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can save resource consumption consumed for communication with the charging device (200) during the charging process of the battery cell (10) by updating the reference response time (Tr) by reflecting the communication delay with the charging device (200).

As another example, the control unit (130) may be configured to determine whether to update the reference response time (Tr) based on a result of comparing the average elapsed time (Te) of the calculated plurality of elapsed times (Te), a preset threshold time (Tc), and the reference response time (Tr).

Specifically, as in the previous embodiment, if the control unit (130) receives multiple response messages (RM) before the timeout time (Tt) elapses after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) can calculate multiple elapsed times (Te) based on the multiple response messages (RM). In addition, the control unit (130) can calculate an average time of the multiple elapsed times (Te).

That is, the control unit (130) can calculate the average time required for communication with the charging device (200) by calculating the average time of multiple elapsed times (Te). In addition, the control unit (130) can update the standard response time (Tr) based on the result of comparing the calculated average time with the standard response time (Tr), so that the optimal communication time with the charging device (200) can be updated to the standard response time (Tr).

Therefore, the battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention can prevent the charging of the battery cell (10) from being unexpectedly interrupted by updating the reference response time (Tr) based on the optimal communication time with the charging device (200).

The battery management device (100) according to the present invention can be applied to a BMS (Battery Management System). That is, the BMS according to the present invention can include the battery management device (100) described above. In this configuration, at least some of the components of the battery management device (100) can be implemented by supplementing or adding the functions of the components included in the conventional BMS. For example, the connection unit (110), status information (SI) generation unit (120), control unit (130), and storage unit (140) of the battery management device (100) can be implemented as components of the BMS.

In addition, the battery management device (100) according to the present invention may be equipped in a battery pack (1). That is, the battery pack (1) according to the present invention may include the battery management device (100) described above and one or more battery cells (10). In addition, the battery pack (1) may further include electrical components (relays, fuses, etc.) and a case, etc.

FIG. 8 is a diagram schematically illustrating a battery management method according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, the battery management method can be performed by a battery management device (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Step S100 is a connection determination step that determines whether a charging device (200) capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to the status information (SI) of the battery cell (10) is connected, and can be performed by the control unit (130).

Specifically, referring to FIG. 4, the control unit (130) can check whether the connection unit (110) is connected to the charging device (200) through a line connected to the connection unit (110).

When the connecting part (110) and the charging device (200) are connected, step S200 can be performed.

Step S200 is a reference response time (Tr) setting step that presets a reference response time (Tr) before charging of the battery cell (10) begins, and can be performed by the control unit (130).

The control unit (130) can communicate with the charging device (200) at least once and set the time required for communication with the charging device (200) as the standard response time (Tr).

For example, the control unit (130) may communicate with the charging device (200) once and set the time taken for communication as the standard response time (Tr).

As another example, the control unit (130) may communicate with the charging device (200) multiple times and set the largest time or average time among the multiple times taken for communication as the reference response time (Tr).

After the standard response time (Tr) is set, step S300 can be performed.

Step S300 is a status information (SI) generation step that generates status information (SI) of the battery cell (10) when it is determined to be connected to the charging device (200), and can be performed by the status information (SI) generation unit (120).

The state information (SI) generation unit (120) can measure the voltage of the battery cell (10) and estimate the SOC of the battery cell (10) based on the measured voltage. In addition, the state information (SI) generation unit (120) can determine the charging C-rate required for the battery cell (10) based on the measured voltage of the battery cell (10) and/or the estimated SOC of the battery cell (10).

The state information (SI) generation unit (120) can generate state information (SI) of the battery cell (10) including at least one of the measured voltage of the battery cell (10) and the estimated SOC of the battery cell (10) and the determined charging C-rate.

Step S400 is a state information (SI) transmission step that transmits the state information (SI) of the generated battery cell (10) to the charging device (200), and can be performed by the control unit (130). Then, when the state information (SI) transmitted from the control unit (130) is received by the charging device (200), the charging device (200) can output a charging current corresponding to the received state information (SI). That is, when the charging device (200) receives the state information (SI), charging of the battery cell (10) can begin.

Step S500 is a step for determining whether a response message (RM) is received within a standard response time (Tr) after the control unit (130) transmits status information (SI) of the battery cell (10), and can be performed by the control unit (130).

When the charging device (200) receives status information (SI), it can transmit a response message (RM) corresponding to the received status information (SI) to the control unit (130).

If the control unit (130) receives a response message (RM) corresponding to the status information (SI) transmitted within the standard response time (Tr), step S600 may be performed, and if the response message (RM) is not received, step S800 may be performed.

First, step S600 is a reference response time (Tr) update step that updates the reference response time (Tr) when the control unit (130) receives a response message (RM) within the reference response time (Tr) after the status information (SI) is transmitted, and can be performed by the control unit (130).

The control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) by comparing the elapsed time (Te) required to receive a response message (RM) after transmitting status information (SI) with the reference response time (Tr).

For example, if the elapsed time (Te) is greater than the reference response time (Tr), the control unit (130) can update the reference response time (Tr) to the elapsed time (Te). As another example, if the elapsed time (Te) is less than the reference response time (Tr), the control unit (130) can maintain the reference response time (Tr) as is without updating it.

However, if the elapsed time (Te) exceeds the threshold time, the control unit (130) may update the reference response time (Tr) to the threshold time. And, preferably, if the reference response time (Tr) is updated to the threshold time, the control unit (130) may not perform step S600. That is, since the upper limit of the reference response time (Tr) is the threshold time, if the reference response time (Tr) is updated to the threshold time, the control unit (130) may no longer perform step S600.

Step S700 is a charging completion confirmation step for confirming whether charging of the battery cell (10) has been completed, and can be performed by the control unit (130).

The control unit (130) can check the status information (SI) of the battery cell (10) generated by the status information (SI) generation unit (120) to check whether the charging of the battery cell (10) is complete. If, in the embodiment of Fig. 4, the charging of the battery cell (10) is complete, the control unit (130) can control the operation state of the main switch to a turn-off state to terminate the charging of the battery cell (10).

Step S800 is a state information (SI) retransmission step that retransmits the state information (SI) if the control unit (130) does not receive a response message (RM) within a standard response time (Tr) after the state information (SI) is transmitted, and can be performed by the control unit (130).

The status information (SI) retransmitted by the control unit (130) may be status information (SI) for which a corresponding response message (RM) has not been received within the above-mentioned reference response time (Tr). However, when transmitting the status information (SI), the control unit (130) may further include identification information to identify the corresponding response message (RM) and transmit it to the charging device (200). After the status information (SI) is retransmitted by the control unit (130), step S500 may be performed again.

If step S600 has not been performed during the timeout time (Tt) after the first state information (SI1) is transmitted to the charging device (200) by the control unit (130), the control unit (130) can terminate charging of the battery cell (10).

For example, in the embodiment of FIG. 8, if step S600 is not performed for a timeout time (Tt) from the time step S400 is performed, the control unit (130) may terminate charging of the battery cell (10).

That is, if the control unit (130) does not receive a response message (RM) until the timeout time (Tt) elapses after transmitting the first state information (SI1), the control unit (130) can terminate charging of the battery cell (10).

Therefore, the battery management method according to another embodiment of the present invention adaptively updates the reference response time (Tr) during the charging process of the battery cell (10), thereby preventing the charging of the battery cell (10) from being terminated due to an unexpected communication delay, and has the advantage of reducing the consumption of resources required to transmit status information (SI) of the battery cell (10).

The embodiments of the present invention described above are not implemented only through devices and methods, but may also be implemented through a program that realizes a function corresponding to the configuration of the embodiments of the present invention or a recording medium on which the program is recorded, and such implementation can be easily implemented by an expert in the technical field to which the present invention belongs based on the description of the embodiments described above.

Although the present invention has been described above by means of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and variations are possible by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention and the equivalent scope of the patent claims to be described below.

In addition, the present invention described above is capable of various substitutions, modifications, and changes within a scope that does not depart from the technical spirit of the present invention by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains, and therefore is not limited to the above-described embodiments and the attached drawings, and all or part of each embodiment may be selectively combined and configured so that various modifications can be made.

1: Battery pack
10: Battery Cell
100: Battery management device
110: Connection
120: Status information generation unit
130: Control Unit
140: Storage
200: Charging device
SI: Status Information
RM: Response message
Tt: Time out time
Tc: critical time
Tr: Reference response time
Te: Elapsed time

Claims (15)

A battery management device that can be connected to a charging device capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to the status information of a battery cell,
A connecting portion configured to be connected to the charging device;
A status information generation unit configured to generate status information for the above battery cell; and
A control unit configured to determine whether the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, transmit status information generated by the status information generating unit to the charging device if the connecting unit is connected to the charging device, and retransmit the generated status information depending on whether a response message is received from the charging device after transmitting the generated status information.
The above control unit,
It is configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on the result of comparing the elapsed time taken until the response message is received after transmitting the above status information, the preset threshold time, and the preset reference response time.
The above standard response time is the time set for retransmitting the status information to the charging device when the control unit does not receive the response message.
A battery management device wherein the above threshold time is set to be equal to or greater than the reference response time and less than a preset time-out time.
In the first paragraph,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that, when connected to the charging device, the device transmits and receives a signal at least once with the charging device to calculate a communication time, and sets the reference response time based on the calculated communication time.
In the second paragraph,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that it is configured to set the reference response time to a smaller value between the calculated communication time and the preset threshold time.
delete delete In the first paragraph,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that the device is configured to update the reference response time to the threshold time when the elapsed time is greater than or equal to the threshold time.
In the first paragraph,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that if the elapsed time is less than the threshold time, and if the elapsed time is greater than the reference response time, the reference response time is updated to the elapsed time.
In the first paragraph,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that it is configured to identify status information corresponding to a received response message among status information transmitted to the charging device, and calculate the elapsed time required from transmitting the identified status information until receiving the response message.
In Article 8,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that, when a plurality of status information are transmitted and a plurality of response messages are received during the timeout period, the device calculates the elapsed time from the transmission of the plurality of status information until the reception of the corresponding response message, and determines whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing at least one time among the calculated plurality of elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.
In Article 9,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that it is configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the elapsed time corresponding to the most recently transmitted status information among the plurality of elapsed times calculated above, the threshold time, and the reference response time.
In Article 9,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that it is configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the maximum elapsed time having the largest size among the plurality of elapsed times calculated above, the threshold time, and the reference response time.
In Article 9,
The above control unit,
A battery management device characterized in that it is configured to determine whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the average elapsed time of the above-described plurality of elapsed times, the threshold time, and the reference response time.
A battery pack comprising a battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and claims 6 to 12.
A vehicle comprising a battery management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and claims 6 to 12.
A connection determination step for determining whether a charging device capable of supplying a charging current corresponding to the status information of the battery cell is connected;
A status information generation step for generating status information of the battery cell when it is determined to be connected to the charging device;
A status information transmission step for transmitting status information of the generated battery cell to the charging device; and
Including a status information retransmission step for retransmitting the generated status information depending on whether a response message is received from the charging device;
The above status information retransmission step is:
Comprising a step of determining whether to update the reference response time based on a result of comparing the elapsed time taken until the response message is received after transmitting the status information, the preset threshold time, and the preset reference response time,
The above standard response time is the time set for the control unit to retransmit the status information to the charging device if it does not receive the response message.
A battery management method wherein the above threshold time is set to be equal to or greater than the reference response time and less than a preset time-out time.

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