Battery management unit comprising a plurality of monitoring units

• US 9,362,597 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Butzmann, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Jelsma, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US13/979,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20140045004A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,667 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/36 Arrangements for testing, measuring or monitoring the electrical condition of accumulators or electric batteries, e.g. capacity or state of charge [SoC]
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/10 using a centralized architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery management unit includes a plurality of monitoring units. Each monitoring unit is configured to acquire at least one operating variable of at least one battery cell or of a battery module having a number of battery cells. Each monitoring unit is connected to a first bus. The battery management unit further includes a control device connected to the first bus and configured to communicate with at least one of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring unit via the first bus.

Claims

1. A battery management unit comprising:

a plurality of monitoring units, each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units being configured to record at least one operating variable of at least one battery cell, and each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units being connected to a first bus; and

a control device having a microcontroller and a translation unit, the translation unit being connected to the first bus and configured to communicate with at least one of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units via the first bus, the microcontroller being connected to the translation unit via a second bus and configured to communicate with the translation unit via the second bus,

wherein the translation unit and at least some of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units are structurally identical integrated circuits.

2. The battery management unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the translation unit is configured (i) to communicate via the first bus using a first bus protocol, and (ii) to communicate via the second bus using a second bus protocol, and

the first bus protocol is a differential bus protocol.

3. The battery management unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second bus is located entirely within an enclosure of the control device to be protected from electromagnetic irradiation and emission.

4. The battery management unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units are connected to the first bus in a daisy chain topology.

5. The battery management unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least some monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units are configured to record a voltage of one of the battery cells or of the battery module.

6. A battery comprising:

a plurality of battery cells; and

a battery management unit including a plurality of monitoring units and a control device, each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units being configured to record at least one operating variable of at least one battery cell of the plurality of battery cells, each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units being connected to a first bus, and the control device having a microcontroller and a translation unit, the translation unit being connected to the first bus and configured to communicate with at least one of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units via the first bus, the microcontroller being connected to the translation unit via a second bus and configured to communicate with the translation unit via the second bus, the translation unit and at least some of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units being structurally identical integrated circuits.

7. The battery as claimed in claim 6, wherein the battery is included in an electric motor vehicle.

8. A method for improving the electromagnetic compatibility in a battery management unit including a plurality of monitoring units and a control device, each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units and the control device being connected to a first bus, comprising:

recording at least one operating variable of at least one battery cell with each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units;

receiving the at least on operating variable from at least one monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units via the first bus using a translation unit of the control device, the translation unit being connected to the first bus, the translation unit and at least some of the monitoring units of the plurality of monitoring units being structurally identical integrated circuits; and

processing the at least on operating variable using a microcontroller of the control device, the microcontroller being connected to the translation unit via a second bus and configured to communicate with the translation unit via the second bus.