Method for activating a plurality of monitoring units for a battery, battery and motor vehicle having said battery

• US 9,893,388 B2
• Filed: 02/18/2013
• Issued: 02/13/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH, Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Thoelmann, Karsten, Butzmann, Stefan
• Primary Examiner(s): Slifka, Sarah A
• Application Number:
  US14/386,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20150064513A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/12 Recording operating variables ; Monitoring of operating variables
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/0525 Rocking-chair batteries, i.e. batteries with lithium insertion or intercalation in both electrodes; Lithium-ion batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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: 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 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A battery comprises a plurality of battery modules, a plurality of monitoring units with a respective monitoring unit connected to a battery module, a battery control unit, and a first communication network to which the monitoring units are connected. The first communication network is configured to transmit data from or to the battery control unit. Furthermore, the battery comprises a second communication network configured to transmit an activation signal for activating a monitoring unit to a further monitoring unit.

Claims

1. A battery comprising:

a plurality of battery modules;

a plurality of monitoring units, each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units being operably connected to a respective battery module of the plurality of battery modules and configured to at least measure a battery module voltage of the respective battery module;

a battery control unit;

a first communication network including a bus configured to connect each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units to the battery control unit, the battery control unit being configured to communicate with the plurality of monitoring units via the first communication network; and

a second communication network, which is separate from the first communication network, including a plurality of connections configured to connect the battery control unit with the plurality of monitoring units, the battery control unit being configured to transmit an activation signal to the plurality of monitoring units via the second communication network,

wherein each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units includes a switching element operably connected to the second communication network, the switching element being configured to activate the respective monitoring unit in response to the respective monitoring unit receiving the activation signal via the second communication network from one of (i) the battery control unit and (ii) a further monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units.

2. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of connections of the second communication network configured to sequentially connect the battery control unit with the plurality of monitoring units in a daisy chain configuration.

3. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the switching elements of each monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units comprise optocouplers each having an optical receiver and an associated optical transmitter,

the optical receiver of each switching element being operably connected to activate the respective monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units, and

the optical transmitter of each switching element being operably connected to receive the activation signal via the second communication network from one of (i) the battery control unit and (ii) a further monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring units.

4. The battery as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second communication network comprises a plurality of clock-controlled delay elements, the battery control unit being configured to provide a clock signal to the plurality of clock-controlled delay elements to sequentially transmit the activation signal to the plurality of monitoring units.

5. The battery as claimed in claim 4, wherein:

the delay elements of the plurality of clock-controlled delay elements each have at least one data input, a clock input and a data output,

the data output of each delay element of the plurality of clock-controlled delay elements is connected to a respective switching element of a respective monitoring unit of the plurality of monitoring unit, and

the data input of a first delay element of the plurality of clock-controlled delay elements is connected to the battery control unit and configured to receive the activation signal from the battery control unit and the data output of the first delay element is connected to the data input of a second delay element of the plurality of clock-controlled delay elements.

6. The battery as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a battery management system.