Communication system for battery management systems in electric or hybrid vehicles

• US 10,131,246 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2018
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: H55 SA
• Original Assignee: H55 SA
• Inventors: Demont, Sebastien
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Inge, Joseph
• Application Number:
  US15/943,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20180290556A1
• Time in Patent Office: 232 Days
• Field of Search: 307 91
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/10 characterised by the energy transfer between the charging station and the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/40195 by using a plurality of nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4035 in which slots of a TDMA packet structure are assigned based on a contention resolution carried out at a master unit TDM/TDMA multiplex systems per se H04J3/1694; hybrid switching systems H04L12/64
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/417 with deterministic access, e.g. token passing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/40215 Controller Area Network CAN
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/4028 the transportation system being an aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A circuit can include a CAN bus and multiple nodes. The multiple nodes can reboot at the same time so that a Time 0 is set at boot for each node. Each node can store an ID node and determine from its ID node one time slot of a plurality of periodic time slots starting from Time 0 in which to transmit on the CAN bus. Each node can transmit messages on the CAN bus in its determined time slot subsequent to Time 0.

Claims

1. A communication system for battery management systems in a vehicle, the communication system comprising:

a communication bus; and

a plurality of battery management systems configured to communicate with one another via the communication bus and reboot at the same time so that a reboot time is set at boot of the plurality of battery management systems, the plurality of battery management systems comprising a first battery management system and a second battery management system,

wherein the first battery management system is configured to;

determine from a first identifier a first time slot of a plurality of time slots starting from the reboot time in which to transmit via the communication bus,

monitor a first battery, and

subsequent to the reboot time, transmit a first message via the communication bus in the first time slot and not in the plurality of time slots other than the first time slot, the first message comprising first information about the first battery,

wherein the second battery management system is configured to;

determine from a second identifier a second time slot of the plurality of time slots starting from the reboot time in which to transmit via the communication bus, the second identifier being different from the first identifier,

monitor a second battery different from the first battery, the second battery and the first battery being configured to individually and together power an electronic device, and

subsequent to the reboot time, transmit a second message via the communication bus in the second time slot and not in the plurality of time slots other than the second time slot, the second message comprising second information about the second battery.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first battery management system and the second battery management are configured to periodically reboot at the same time.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first battery management system and the second battery management are configured to reboot at the same time at least once every first time duration.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein the first time duration is between 1 ms and 10 s.

5. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a device management system configured to communicate via the communication bus and reboot at the same time as the plurality of battery management systems so that the reboot time is set at boot of the device management system, wherein the device management system is configured to:

determine from a third identifier a third time slot of the plurality of time slots starting from the reboot time in which to transmit via the communication bus, the third identifier being different from the first identifier and the second identifier,

perform a functionality not performed by the plurality of battery management systems, and

subsequent to the reboot time, transmit a third message via the communication bus in the third time slot and not in the plurality of time slots other than the third time slot.

6. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a central monitoring unit configured to periodically reboot the first battery management system and the second battery management system.

7. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a central monitoring unit configured to reboot the first battery management system and the second battery management at least once every first time duration.

8. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the first time duration is between 1 ms and 10 s.

9. The communication system of claim 7, wherein the first time duration is 100 ms.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein a total number of battery management systems in the plurality of battery management systems is at least 40 and no greater than 500.

11. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first battery management system is configured to periodically transmit in the first time slot, and the second battery management system is configured to periodically transmit in the second time slot.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein when the first battery management system and the second battery management system are desynchronized after a period of time, the first battery management system is configured to detect a desynchronization between the first battery management system and the second battery management system from the first battery management system attempting to transmit while the second battery management system is transmitting.

13. The communication system of claim 12, wherein the first battery management system is configured to resynchronize with the second battery management system from detecting the desynchronization.

14. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first identifier is based on a non-modifiable code provided to the first battery management system at manufacture.

15. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising a central monitoring unit configured to:

process the first information and the second information; and

control the first battery management system and the second battery management system responsive to processing the first information and the second information.

16. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery management systems is configured to reboot at the same time by powering off and then at the same time powering on.

17. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of battery management systems is configured to reboot at the same time by resetting at the same time.

18. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first battery management system comprises a first field programmable gate array or a first application specific integrated circuit, and the second battery management system comprises a second field programmable gate array different from the first field programmable gate array or a second application specific integrated circuit different from the first application specific integrated circuit.

19. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is an airplane, a car, a truck, or a boat.

20. The communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a first galvanic isolation between the first battery management system and the communication bus, the first galvanic isolation being configured to connect and disconnect the first battery management system from the communication bus; and

a second galvanic isolation between the second battery management system and the communication bus, the second galvanic isolation being configured to connect and disconnect the second battery management system from the communication bus.

21. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first battery management system comprises a first memory device configured to store the firstidentifier, and the second comprises a second memory device configured to store the second identifier, the second memory device being different from the first memory device.

22. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication bus comprises a controller area network (CAN) bus, and the first message comprises the first identifier and the second message comprises the second identifier.

23. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication bus does not support successful communication by both the first battery management system and the second battery management at the same time.

24. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the first slot corresponds to a first multiple of the first identifier, and the second slot corresponds to a second multiple of the second identifier.

25. A method of operating a vehicle comprising a communication bus and a plurality of battery management systems, the method comprising:

rebooting the plurality of battery management systems at the same time;

setting a reboot time at boot of the plurality of battery management systems;

determining, by a first battery management system of the plurality of battery management systems, from a first identifier a first time slot of a plurality of time slots starting from the reboot time in which to transmit via the communication bus;

monitoring, by the first battery management system, a first battery;

subsequent to the reboot time, transmitting, by the first battery management system, a first message via the communication bus in the first time slot and not in the plurality of time slots other than the first time slot, the first message comprising first information about the first battery;

determining, by a second battery management system of the plurality of battery management systems, from a second identifier a second time slot of a plurality of time slots starting from the reboot time in which to transmit via the communication bus, the second identifier being different from the first identifier;

monitoring, by the second battery management system, a second battery different from the first battery;

subsequent to the reboot time, transmitting, by the second battery management system, a second message via the communication bus in the second time slot and not in the plurality of time slots other than the second time slot, the second message comprising second information about the second battery; and

powering the vehicle with the first battery and the second battery.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising periodically rebooting the first battery management system and the second battery management at the same time.

27. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

periodically transmitting in the first slot with the first battery management system; and

periodically transmitting in the second slot with the second battery management system.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising detecting, by the first battery management system, a desynchronization between the first battery management system and the second battery management system from the first battery management system attempting to transmit while the second battery management system is transmitting.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising resynchronizing the first battery management system with the second battery management system from detecting the desynchronization.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

connecting and disconnecting the first battery management system from the communication bus with a first galvanic isolation between the first battery management system and the communication bus; and

connecting and disconnecting the second battery management system from the communication bus with a second galvanic isolation between the second battery management system and the communication bus.