Event system and timekeeping for battery management and protection system

• US 8,957,639 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2012
• Issued: 02/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Holsen, Eivind, Onsum, Andreas
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): GRANT, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US13/412,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166855A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,078 Days
• Field of Search: 320/134
• US Class Current: 320/134
• 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 10/425 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: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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: H02H 7/18 for batteries; for accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Operating a battery management and protection system includes generating a set of events each of which has a respective frequency F/n₁, F/n₂ . . . F/n_m, where n_i are integers. One or more of the events are provided to one or more modules in the system. The events, which are generated and provided to the modules independently of a central processing unit, trigger performance of respective actions by the modules.

Claims

1. A battery management and protection system comprising:

a central processing unit that controls aspects of the battery management and protection system;

a plurality of modules each of which monitors at least one respective operational characteristic of a battery when the battery is coupled to the battery management and protection system, wherein each module determines whether the at least one respective operational characteristic is within a corresponding predetermined range, and wherein the modules collectively monitor battery voltage, battery current and battery temperature;

a dedicated routing network;

a timekeeper including a prescaler to generate synchronous pulse signals from an initial pulse signal, wherein each of the synchronous pulse signals has a different respective frequency F/n1 . . . F/nm, where n1 through nm are integers, and wherein the timekeeper generates the synchronous pulse signals independently of the central processing unit,

wherein respective ones of the synchronous pulse signals are transmitted, independently of the central processing unit, over the dedicated routing network to the modules,

wherein each module is arranged to select a respective one of the synchronous pulse signals based on information auto-loaded to registers during system start-up and, in response to the selected synchronous pulse signal, to perform a battery safety measurement, and

wherein at least one of the modules is arranged to select a first one of the synchronous signals having a first frequency, and a second one of the modules is arranged to select a second one of the synchronous signals having a different second frequency.

2. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein the prescaler divides a first one of the synchronous pulse signals to obtain a second one of the synchronous pulse signals, and divides the second one of the synchronous pulse signals to obtain a third one of the synchronous pulse signals.

3. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein each of the synchronous pulse signals has a different respective frequency F/n1 . . . F/nm, where n1 through nm are integers that are powers of two.

4. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein each of the modules is operable to select a respective one of the synchronous pulse signals.

5. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the synchronous pulse signals transmitted over the dedicated routing network triggers performance of a run-time battery protection event by one of the modules.

6. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the synchronous pulse signals transmitted over the dedicated routing network triggers performance of an action by a battery current protection module.

7. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the synchronous pulse signals transmitted over the dedicated routing network triggers performance of an action by a battery voltage protection module.

8. The battery management and protection system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the synchronous pulse signals transmitted over the dedicated routing network triggers performance of a measurement by at least one of the modules to detect one or more of the following:

a regular current, a high charge/discharge current, a short circuit, or a charge/discharge over current.

9. A method of operating a battery management and protection system comprising a central processing unit that controls aspects of the system, the method comprising:

generating, independently of the central processing unit, synchronous pulse signals each of which has a respective frequency F/n1 . . . F/nm, where n1 through nm are integers that are powers of two; and

providing, independently of the central processing unit, the pulse signals to a plurality of modules in the system, wherein the modules collectively monitor voltage, current and temperature of a battery when the battery is coupled to the battery management and protection system, and

wherein each module selects a respective one of the synchronous pulse signals based on information auto-loaded to registers during system start-up and, in response to the selected synchronous pulse signal, performs a battery safety measurement, and

wherein a first one of the modules selects a first one of the synchronous signals having a first frequency and, a second one of the modules selects a second one of the synchronous signals having a different second frequency.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein one or more of the pulse signals trigger battery protection scans by a voltage analog-to-digital converter module.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein one or more of the pulse signals trigger a determination by a current analog-to-digital converter module as to whether battery current is within a predetermined range.