BATTERY SYSTEM AND CONTROL METHOD THEREOF

• US 20170133865A1
• Filed: 12/21/2015
• Published: 05/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Industrial Technology Research Institute
• Inventors: CHIUEH, Tzi-Cker, LIANG, Shih-Hao, JUANG, Kai-Cheung, LING, Shou-Hung
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,067 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0047 with monitoring or indicating devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

A battery system includes a main control module and a battery pack. The battery pack includes a plurality of battery modules. During the transition of mode switching, each of the battery modules outputs a constant current. The battery modules monitor the battery status of the battery modules respectively. Based on a load requirement, the battery status of the battery modules and a conversion efficiency, the main control module dynamically controls a voltage conversion operation mode of a voltage converter of the battery system and dynamically controls the operation modes of the battery modules respectively.

Claims

1. A battery system, comprising:

a main control module; and

a battery pack coupled to the main control module and a voltage converter, the battery pack comprising a plurality of battery modules, each of the plurality of battery modules outputting a constant current during a transition of mode switching;

wherein the plurality of battery modules monitor the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules,

the main control module dynamically controls a voltage conversion operation mode of the voltage converter of the battery system and dynamically controls the operation modes of each of the plurality of battery modules according to a load requirement, the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules and a conversion efficiency.

2. The battery system according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules comprises:

a switch control unit coupled to the main control module;

a battery status monitoring unit coupled to the main control module and the switch control unit;

at least one battery coupled to the battery status monitoring unit and the voltage converter; and

a plurality of switches controlled by the switch control unit.

3. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein the switch control unit controls the plurality of switches in a short condition or in an open condition according to a battery control signal from the main control module.

4. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein

the battery status monitoring unit monitors the status of the at least one battery to generate and output a battery status signal of the battery module to the main control module.

5. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein

the battery status monitoring unit monitors a plurality of current signals of the battery module and outputs to the switch control unit which accordingly controls switching rates of the plurality of switches.

6. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the plurality of battery modules has an enable mode and a bypass mode;

when a battery module of the plurality of battery modules is in the enable mode, a first current is on a first current path comprising the battery module, a second current on a second current path has a pre-determined value, a sum of the first and the second currents is a total current, a first switch of the plurality of switches is in a short condition, and a second switch of the plurality of switches is in an open condition.

7. The battery system according to claim 6, wherein

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is during the transition of mode switching, the battery status monitoring unit monitors the first current and the second current and outputs to the switch control unit which disconnects the first switch step-by-step and conducts the second switch step-by-step, and

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is during the transition of mode switching, the sum of the first current and the second current is still the total current;

and during the transition of mode switching, the first current decreases, and the second current increases.

8. The battery system according to claim 6, wherein

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is in the bypass mode, the first switch is in the open condition to decrease the first current to the pre-determined value, and the second switch is in the short condition to increase to the total current.

9. The battery system according to claim 2, wherein

if the voltage converter has a plurality of different conversion efficiencies, the main control module selects one from the conversion efficiencies and determines an output voltage of the battery pack according to a load voltage requirement and a load current requirement of the battery system, and determines the operation modes of each of the plurality of battery modules according to the determined output voltage of the battery pack and the battery capacities of each of the plurality of battery modules.

10. A control method for a battery system, comprising:

monitoring the battery status of a plurality of battery modules of the battery system; and

dynamically controlling a voltage conversion operation mode of the battery system and dynamically controlling the operation modes of each of the plurality of battery modules according to a load requirement, the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules and a conversion efficiency;

wherein during a transition of mode switching, each of the plurality of battery modules outputs a constant current.

11. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

monitoring a plurality of current signals of each of the plurality of battery modules by the plurality of battery modules to control switching rates of a plurality of switches of each of the plurality of battery modules.

12. The control method according to claim 10, further comprising:

determining the load requirement or determining the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules; and

dynamically controlling the voltage conversion operation mode of the battery system and the operation modes of each of the plurality of battery modules according to the load requirement, the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules and the conversion efficiency if the load requirement varies or if the battery status of each of the plurality of battery modules varies.

13. The control method according to claim 11, wherein

each of the plurality of battery modules has an enable mode and a bypass mode;

when a battery module of the plurality of battery modules is in the enable mode, a first current is on a first current path comprising the battery module, a second current on a second current path has a pre-determined value, a sum of the first and the second currents is a total current, a first switch of the plurality of switches is in a short condition, and a second switch of the plurality of switches is in an open condition.

14. The control method according to claim 13, wherein

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is during the transition of mode switching, the battery status monitoring unit monitors the first current and the second current and outputs to a switch control unit, which disconnects the first switch step-by-step and conducts the second switch step-by-step, and

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is during the transition of mode switching, the sum of the first current and the second current is still the total current;

and during the transition of mode switching, the first current decreases, and the second current increases.

15. The control method according to claim 13, wherein

when the battery module of the plurality of battery modules is in the bypass mode, the first switch is in the open condition to decrease the first current to the pre-determined value, and the second switch is completely in the short condition to increase to the total current.

16. The control method according to claim 10, wherein

if the battery system has a plurality of different conversion efficiencies, one conversion efficiency among the conversion efficiencies is selected and a total output voltage of the plurality of battery modules is determined according to a load voltage requirement and a load current requirement of the battery system, and the operation modes of each of the plurality of battery modules are determined according to the total output voltage of each of the plurality of battery modules and the battery capacities of the battery modules.