BATTERY ID SETTING SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DRIVING THE SAME

• US 20110175574A1
• Filed: 07/23/2010
• Published: 07/21/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: SUSUMU, Segawa, SIM, Sesub, YANG, Jongwoon, KIM, Jinwan
• Granted Patent: US 8,436,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/121
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery identification (ID) setting system effectively managing a plurality of batteries and a method of driving the same. The battery ID setting system having an external terminal includes a master battery management system (BMS) outputting ID setting signals, and a plurality of slave BMSs transmitting battery information signals containing absolute battery IDs and battery potential differences of batteries to the master BMS in response to the ID setting signals. The master BMS receives the battery information signals to assign and store the relative battery IDs corresponding to the absolute battery IDs of the batteries.

Claims

1. A battery identification (ID) setting system having an external terminal, the battery ID setting system comprising:

a master battery management system (BMS) outputting ID setting signals; and

a plurality of slave BMSs transmitting battery information signals containing absolute battery IDs and battery potential differences of batteries to the master BMS in response to receiving the ID setting signals,

wherein the master battery management system receives the battery information signals in order to assign and store relative battery IDs corresponding to the absolute battery IDs of the batteries.

2. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein each of the slave BMSs receives a relative battery ID signal containing the relative battery ID corresponding to the absolute battery ID of the respective battery from the master BMS and stores the relative battery ID corresponding to the respective battery.

3. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the absolute battery IDs comprise serial numbers of the batteries.

4. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the battery potential differences are potential differences between negative terminals of the batteries and ground terminals of the slave BMSs.

5. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the relative battery IDs are sequentially assigned starting with a battery having a lowest battery potential difference to a battery having a highest battery potential difference.

6. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the relative battery IDs correspond to a sequential order from one side to the other side of the batteries in accordance with the battery potential differences of the batteries.

7. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connection switches connected in parallel between the external terminal and the slave BMSs in order to be controlled by the slave BMSs.

8. The battery ID setting system of claim 7, wherein each of the connection switches is connected to a positive terminal of the respective batteries of the slave BMSs when the ID setting signals are transmitted to the slave BMSs.

9. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the master BMS comprises:

a master controller controlling communications with the slave BMSs;

a master communication unit including a communication terminal, from which the ID setting signals and the relative battery ID signals are transmitted and to which the battery information signals are received, and a ground terminal, from which a ground voltage is output; and

a master memory storing the absolute battery IDs and the relative battery IDs such that the absolute battery IDs correspond to the relative battery IDs.

10. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein each of the slave BMSs comprises:

a slave controller controlling communication with the master BMS;

a slave communication unit including a communication terminal, to which the ID setting signal and the relative battery ID signal are received and from which the battery information signal is transmitted, and a ground terminal, to which a ground voltage is applied;

a slave potential measuring unit measuring the battery potential difference of a respective one of the batteries; and

a slave memory storing the absolute battery ID and the relative battery ID such that the absolute battery ID corresponds to the relative battery ID.

11. The battery ID setting system of claim 10, wherein the slave potential measuring unit comprises:

a charge switch connected to a negative terminal of the respective one of the batteries;

a resistor, connected to the charge switch, to measure the battery potential difference of the respective one of the batteries;

a capacitor, connected between a ground terminal of the slave BMS and the resistor, to charge a current that flows through the resistor; and

a discharge switch, connected in parallel to the capacitor and between the resistor and the ground terminal of the slave BMS, to discharge the current charged in the capacitor.

17. The battery ID setting system of claim 1, wherein the slave BMSs receive relative battery ID signals containing the relative battery IDs corresponding to the absolute battery IDs of the batteries from the master BMS and store the relative battery ID corresponding to the respective battery.

12. A method of driving a battery ID setting system comprising a master battery management system (BMS) and a plurality of slave BMSs, the master BMS performing:

transmitting ID setting signals to the slave BMSs;

selecting one of battery information signals containing absolute battery IDs and battery potential differences of batteries transmitted from the slave BMSs in response to the ID setting signals and confirming whether the selected battery information signal is received;

assigning a relative battery ID corresponding to the absolute battery ID from the selected one of the battery information signals and storing the assigned relative battery ID when the selected one of the battery information signals is received; and

transmitting relative battery ID signals containing the respective relative battery IDs to corresponding slave BMSs among the slave BMSs.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the master BMS repeatedly performs the confirming whether the battery information signals are received, the assigning and storing the relative battery IDs, and the transmitting the relative battery ID signals.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the slave BMSs performs:

confirming whether the ID setting signal is received;

measuring the battery potential difference when the ID setting signal is received; and

transmitting the battery information signal to the master BMS.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the slave BMSs performs:

confirming whether the relative battery ID signal is received from the master BMS; and

storing the relative battery ID when the relative battery ID signal is received.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein each of the slave BMSs performs again the transmitting the battery information signal when the relative battery ID signal is not received.

18. A method of assigning relative battery identifications (IDs) according to respective battery potential differences of a plurality of batteries, the method comprising:

transmitting ID setting signals corresponding to the plurality of batteries;

receiving battery information signals having absolute battery IDs and the respective battery potential differences transmitted in response to the ID setting signals;

assigning the relative battery IDs corresponding to the respective absolute battery IDs of the plurality of batteries according to the respective battery potential differences and storing the assigned relative battery IDs; and

transmitting relative battery ID signals containing the assigned relative battery IDs corresponding to the plurality of batteries respectively.