Patent Description:
Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in demand for portable electronic products such as laptop computers, video cameras and mobile phones, and with the extensive development of electric vehicles, accumulators for energy storage, robots and satellites, many studies are being made on high performance secondary batteries that can be recharged repeatedly.

Currently, commercially available secondary batteries include nickel-cadmium batteries, nickel-hydrogen batteries, nickel-zinc batteries, lithium secondary batteries and the like, and among them, lithium secondary batteries have little or no memory effect, and thus they are gaining more attention than nickel-based secondary batteries for their advantages that recharging can be done whenever it is convenient, the self-discharge rate is very low and the energy density is high.

A battery pack used in electric vehicle applications generally includes a plurality of battery modules connected in series and a plurality of battery controllers. Each battery controller monitors and controls the state of the battery module that the battery controller manages. Recently, to meet the demand for high-capacity high-output battery packs, the number of battery modules included in the battery pack also increases. To efficiently manage the state of each battery module included in the battery pack, a single master-multi slave structure is disclosed. The single master-multi slave structure includes a plurality of slave controllers provided to the plurality of battery modules in a one-to-one relationship and a master controller to control the overall operation of the plurality of slave controllers. The master controller is configured to communicate with the plurality of slave controllers via a wireless channel, thereby providing a wireless battery control system.

Each slave controller may be referred to as a 'battery controller', and generally uses a module voltage, namely, a voltage across the battery module corresponding to the slave controller as its operating power. The module voltage (e.g., 12V) of the battery module including a plurality of battery cells is far higher than the upper limit of the voltage range (e.g., between <NUM> and <NUM> V) required to wake up (activate) the slave controller corresponding to the corresponding battery module. Accordingly, each slave controller needs a power supply circuit (for example, a direct current (DC)-DC converter) to drop the module voltage down to the rated voltage required to wake up the slave controller.

Further background art is described in <CIT>, which discloses a wireless battery system that allocates a cell controller (CC) to a cell, detects a cell state, and wirelessly communicates a cell state detected by the cell controller to a battery controller (BC). During the wireless communication, the battery controller transmits a beacon to the cell controller and specifies a duration for radio wave environment measurement and a frequency to be measured as a condition. The cell controller performs radio wave environment measurement under the specified condition and then returns a measurement result along with the cell state to the battery controller.

The present disclosure is directed to providing a battery controller that wakes up with power supplied from a specific battery cell in a battery module, thereby making it possible to wirelessly transmit module information without adding a power supply circuit to convert the module voltage of the battery module into the rated voltage required to wake up the battery controller, a wireless battery control system and a battery pack.

These and other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be understood by the following description and will be apparent from the embodiments of the present disclosure. Further, it will be readily understood that the objects and advantages of the present disclosure can be realized by the means set forth in the appended claims and combinations thereof.

A battery controller according to an aspect of the present disclosure is defined by the independent claim <NUM> and particularly is for a battery module comprising a positive terminal, a negative terminal and a plurality of battery cells electrically connected in series between the positive terminal and the negative terminal. The battery controller comprises a voltage measuring unit configured to generate a voltage signal indicating a cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, a control module operably coupled to the voltage measuring unit, and a balancing circuit. The control module is configured to wake up using a first cell voltage of a bottommost cell among the plurality of battery cells as power for operating the control module. The control module is configured to wirelessly transmit sensing data indicating the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells while the control module is operating. The balancing circuit is electrically connected in parallel to a series cell circuit of the remaining battery cells except the bottommost cell among the plurality of battery cells.

The control module comprises a power input terminal electrically connected to a positive terminal of the bottommost cell, and a reference terminal electrically connected to a negative terminal of the bottommost cell.

The battery controller may further comprise a protection circuit electrically connected between the positive terminal of the bottommost cell and the power input terminal. The protection circuit may be configured to regulate a voltage between the power input terminal and the reference terminal equal to or less than a predetermined set voltage.

The protection circuit may comprise a Zener diode having a first end electrically connected to the positive terminal of the bottommost cell and a second end electrically connected to the power input terminal.

The control module may be configured to determine a reference cell voltage based on the cell voltage of at least one battery cell included in the series cell circuit. The control module may be configured to output a balancing control signal to the balancing circuit when the reference cell voltage is higher than the first cell voltage. The balancing circuit is configured to form a discharge path for the series cell circuit in response to the balancing control signal.

The balancing circuit may comprise a discharge resistor, and a discharge switch connected in series to the discharge resistor. The discharge switch is turned on in response to the balancing control signal.

The control module may be configured to determine a duty cycle of the balancing control signal based on a reference voltage difference that is a voltage obtained by subtracting the first cell voltage from the reference cell voltage.

The control module may be configured to determine the duty cycle using the following Equation <NUM>: <MAT>.

In Equation <NUM>, DB_V is the duty cycle, ΔV<NUM> is the reference voltage difference, and C<NUM> is a predetermined scaling factor.

The battery controller may further comprise a current sensor configured to generate a current signal indicating a current flowing from the positive terminal of the bottommost cell to the power input terminal. The control module may be configured to determine the duty cycle of the balancing control signal further based on the current signal.

The control module may be configured to determine, based on the current signal, a discharge capacity of the bottommost cell for each predetermined monitoring period The control module may be configured to determine the duty cycle using the following Equation <NUM>: <MAT>.

In Equation <NUM>, DB_VI is the duty cycle, ΔV<NUM> is the reference voltage difference, C<NUM> is a predetermined first scaling factor, ΔQ is the discharge capacity, C<NUM> is a predetermined second scaling factor, W<NUM> is a predetermined first weight, and W<NUM> is a predetermined second weight.

A wireless battery control system according to another aspect of the present disclosure comprises the battery controller.

A battery pack according to still another aspect of the present disclosure comprises the wireless battery control system.

A battery balancing method for a plurality of battery cells connected in series between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a battery module according to yet another aspect of the present disclosure, as defined by the independent claim <NUM>, comprises measuring a cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells, determining a reference cell voltage based on the cell voltage of at least one battery cell included in a series cell circuit of the remaining battery cells except a bottommost cell among the plurality of battery cells, wherein the bottommost cell is used as power for operating a battery controller for the battery module, determining a first duty cycle based on a reference voltage difference that is a voltage obtained by subtracting the first cell voltage from the reference cell voltage, when the reference cell voltage is higher than the first cell voltage of the bottommost cell, and outputting a balancing control signal having the first duty cycle to a discharge switch of a balancing circuit connected in parallel to the series cell circuit.

The battery balancing method may further comprise determining a second duty cycle based on a difference between a threshold cell voltage and the reference cell voltage and the first duty cycle, when the reference cell voltage is lower than the threshold cell voltage, the second duty cycle being smaller than the first duty cycle, and outputting the balancing control signal having the second duty cycle to the discharge switch.

According to at least one of the embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of the module voltage of the battery module, the cell voltage of a specific battery cell (e.g., a battery cell located at the lowest position) included in the battery module may be used as the operating power of the battery controller. Therefore, it is possible to wake up the battery controller without adding a power supply circuit to convert the module voltage to the rated voltage required to wake up the battery controller.

The effects of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned effects, and other effects not mentioned herein will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the appended claims.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure, and together with the following detailed description of the present disclosure, serve to provide a further understanding of the technical aspects of the present disclosure, and thus the present disclosure should not be construed as limited to the drawings.

Additionally, in describing the present disclosure, when it is deemed that a certain detailed description of relevant known elements or functions renders the key subject matter of the present disclosure ambiguous, the detailed description is omitted herein.

Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, it will be understood that the term "comprises" or "includes" when used in this specification, specifies the presence of stated elements, but does not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements. Additionally, the term "control unit" as used herein refers to a processing unit of at least one function or operation, and this may be implemented by hardware or software alone or in combination.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a battery pack according to the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the battery pack <NUM> includes a plurality of battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n (n is a natural number of <NUM> or greater), at least one relay Relay<NUM>, Relay<NUM> and a wireless battery control system <NUM>. The battery pack <NUM> may be mounted on an electrical system <NUM> (e.g., an electric vehicle) to supply power required for the operation of the electrical system.

Each of the battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n may include battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m (see <FIG>).

The relay Relay<NUM> may be installed on a large current path on the side of a positive terminal (P +) of the battery pack <NUM>. The relay Relay<NUM> may be installed on a large current path on the side of a negative terminal (P-) of the battery pack <NUM>. Any one of the relay Relay<NUM> and the relay Relay<NUM> may be removed from the battery pack <NUM> where necessary.

The wireless battery control system <NUM> includes a plurality of controllers <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n and a controller <NUM>. Hereinafter, each of the plurality of battery controllers <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n is referred to as "slave", and the controller <NUM> is referred to as 'master'.

The slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n are electrically connected to the battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n in a one-to-one relationship.

Where i = <NUM> to n, the slave <NUM>i is electrically connected to the battery module <NUM>i to monitor the state of the battery module <NUM>i.

The slave <NUM>i is configured to measure a module parameter associated with the state of the battery module <NUM>i. For example, the module voltage of the battery module <NUM>i and the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m included in the battery module <NUM>i may be measured as the module parameter of the battery module <NUM>i.

The slave <NUM>i performs a variety of functions (for example, balancing) for controlling the state of the battery module <NUM>i. Each function may be directly performed by the slave <NUM>i based on the state of the battery module <NUM>i or may be performed in response to a command from the master <NUM>.

The master <NUM> may be coupled to each of the slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n to enable wireless communication. The master <NUM> receives sensing data wirelessly transmitted from the slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n. In addition, the master <NUM> wirelessly transmits the command for controlling the state of at least one of the slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n based on the sensing data from the slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the master <NUM> shown in <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the master <NUM> may include a relay driving unit <NUM>, a communication unit <NUM>, a power supply unit <NUM> and a control unit <NUM>.

The relay driving unit <NUM> is configured to control the relays Relay<NUM>, Relay<NUM>. The relay driving unit <NUM> may include relay driving circuits <NUM>, <NUM>. The relay drive circuit <NUM> turns on or off the relay Relay<NUM> by outputting a switching signal S1 having a first duty cycle corresponding to a first command from the control unit <NUM> to the relay Relay<NUM>. The relay driving circuit <NUM> turns on or off the relay Relay<NUM> by outputting a switching signal S2 having a second duty cycle corresponding to a second command from the control unit <NUM> to the relay Relay<NUM>.

The communication unit <NUM> includes an antenna <NUM>, a wireless communication circuit <NUM> and a wired communication circuit <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> is operably connected to each of the antenna <NUM> and the wired communication circuit <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> may demodulate a signal wirelessly received through the antenna <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> may modulate a signal that will be transmitted to the slave <NUM>i and wirelessly transmit the modulated signal through the antenna <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> may wirelessly transmit a signal corresponding to the signal modulated by the communication unit <NUM> to the slave <NUM>i.

The wired communication circuit <NUM> is coupled to enable two-way communication with an external device <NUM>. The wired communication circuit <NUM> wiredly transmits a signal received from the external device <NUM> to the control unit <NUM>. In addition, the wired communication circuit <NUM> wiredly transmits a signal received from the control unit <NUM> to the external device <NUM>. For example, the wired communication circuit <NUM> may communicate with the external device <NUM> using a controller network area (CAN).

The power supply unit <NUM> generates an operating voltage using power supplied from an external power source <NUM> (e.g., a lead acid battery of the electrical system <NUM>). The operating voltage generated by the power supply unit <NUM> may be supplied to the relay driving unit <NUM>, the communication unit <NUM> and/or the control unit <NUM>.

The control unit <NUM> includes at least one processor <NUM> and a memory <NUM>, and is operably connected to the communication unit <NUM>. The memory <NUM> is not limited to a particular type, and may include any known information storage device capable of recording, erasing, updating and reading data. The memory <NUM> may include, for example, dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), flash memory, read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) and register. The memory <NUM> may store program codes defining processes that may be executed by the control unit <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may store an ID table. The ID table may record a correlation between the plurality of slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n and a plurality of IDs. That is, the ID table includes the plurality of IDs allocated to the plurality of slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n in different values.

The memory <NUM> may be physically separated from the control unit <NUM>, and the memory <NUM> and the control unit <NUM> may be integrated into a semiconductor chip.

The control unit <NUM> is configured to control the overall operation of the master <NUM>. In addition, the controller <NUM> may determine the State Of Charge (SOC) and/or State Of Health (SOH) of each of the battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n based on the module parameter of each of the slaves <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n wirelessly received through the antenna <NUM>. Further, the control unit <NUM> generates a message for controlling the charge, discharge and/or balancing of at least one of the battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n based on the SOC and/or SOH of each of the battery modules <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>n. The message generated by the control unit <NUM> may be transmitted to the slave (e.g., <NUM>i) corresponding to the battery module (e.g., <NUM>i) to control using the message.

The processor <NUM> may selectively include a processor, an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), other chipset, a logic circuit, a register, a communication modem and a data processing device, well-known in the technical field to execute various control logics. At least one of the various control logics of the processor <NUM> may be combined together, and the combined control logics may be written in computer-readable code and stored in a computer-readable recording medium.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the slave according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, the slave <NUM>i is electrically connected to the battery module <NUM>i.

The battery module <NUM>i includes the plurality of battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m (m is a natural number of <NUM> or greater). Each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m may be, for example, a lithium ion cell. The type of the battery cell is not limited to the lithium ion battery. The battery cell is not limited to a particular type, and may include any type of battery cell that may be recharged repeatedly. The battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m are electrically connected in series between a node NN and a node NP. The node NN may be a negative terminal of the battery module <NUM>i. The node N P may be a positive terminal of the battery module <NUM>i. Each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m may have, for example, the cell voltage in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>.

Where <NUM> ≤ x <y ≤ m, the battery cell <NUM>x is electrically closer to the node NN and electrically farther away from the node NP than the battery cell <NUM>y. That is, a voltage between the negative terminal (or the positive terminal) of the battery cell <NUM>x and the node NN is lower than a voltage between the negative terminal (or the positive terminal) of the battery cell <NUM>y and the node NN. A voltage between the negative terminal (or the positive terminal) of the battery cell <NUM>x and the node NP is higher than a voltage between the negative terminal (or the positive terminal) of the battery cell <NUM>y and the node NP. The battery cell <NUM><NUM> may be referred to as "a bottommost cell (or a first battery cell)" of the battery module <NUM>i. The battery cell <NUM>m may be referred to as "a topmost cell" of the battery module <NUM>i.

The slave <NUM>i includes an antenna <NUM>, a voltage measuring unit <NUM> and a control module <NUM>. The slave <NUM>i may further include at least one of a protection circuit <NUM> and a balancing circuit <NUM>.

The voltage measuring unit <NUM> is configured to measure the cell voltage of each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m included in the battery module <NUM>i. To this end, the voltage measuring unit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m through a plurality of sensing lines.

The voltage measuring unit <NUM> may measure the module voltage of the battery module <NUM>i. The module voltage may be a voltage between the node NN and the node NP.

The control module <NUM> may be referred to as 'RF-SoC', and includes a power input terminal VDD, a reference terminal GND, a wireless communication circuit <NUM> and a processor <NUM>.

The power input terminal VDD is electrically connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> located at the lowest position.

The reference terminal GND is electrically connected to the node NN. The voltage between the power input terminal VDD and the reference terminal GND, namely, the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> is provided as the operating power of the control module <NUM>.

The protection circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected between the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the power input terminal VDD. That is, the protection circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to an electrical line connecting the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the power input terminal VDD.

The protection circuit <NUM> is configured to regulate the maximum value of voltage applied to the power input terminal VDD to a predetermined set voltage (for example, <NUM>. For example, when the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> is equal to or lower than the set voltage, the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> may be applied to the power input terminal VDD through the protection circuit <NUM>. On the contrary, when the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> is higher than the set voltage, the set voltage rather than the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> may be applied to the power input terminal VDD through the protection circuit <NUM>.

The protection circuit <NUM> may include a Zener diode including a first end and a second end. The first end (e.g., the cathode) of the Zener diode may be electrically connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM>, and the second end (for example, the anode) of the Zener diode may be electrically connected to the power input terminal VDD. The voltage between the power input terminal VDD and the reference terminal GND may be regulated below the set voltage by the breakdown voltage (e.g., <NUM>) of the Zener diode.

Alternatively, the first end of the Zener diode may be electrically connected to the power input terminal VDD, and the second end of the Zener diode may be electrically connected to the reference terminal GND. In this case, the breakdown voltage (e.g., <NUM>. 6V) of the Zener diode may be equal to or lower than the set voltage.

The wireless communication circuit <NUM> is electrically connected to the antenna <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> demodulates a radio signal received by the antenna <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> may modulate a signal from the processor <NUM> and provide the modulated signal to the antenna <NUM>. The antenna <NUM> may wirelessly transmit the modulated signal to the master <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> is operably coupled to the voltage measuring unit <NUM> and the wireless communication circuit <NUM>, and may include a memory <NUM>.

The memory <NUM> is not limited to a particular type, and may include any known information storage device capable of recording, erasing, updating and reading data. The memory <NUM> may include, for example, DRAM, SDRAM, flash memory, ROM, EEPROM and register. The memory <NUM> may store program codes defining processes that may be executed by the processor <NUM>. The memory <NUM> stores an ID allocated to the slave <NUM>i. The ID stored in the memory <NUM> may be used for wireless communication of the slave <NUM>i with the master <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may be physically separated from the processor <NUM>, and the memory <NUM> and the processor <NUM> may be integrated into a chip.

The processor <NUM> provides the wireless communication circuit <NUM> with data indicating a voltage signal from the voltage measuring unit <NUM>. The voltage signal indicates the cell voltage of each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m measured by the voltage measuring unit <NUM>. The wireless communication circuit <NUM> may modulate the data indicating the voltage signal, and wirelessly transmit the modulated data as the sensing data to the master <NUM> through the antenna <NUM>.

The processor <NUM> may selectively include a processor, an ASIC, other chipset, a logic circuit, a register, a communication modem and a data processing device, well-known in the technical field to execute various control logics. At least one of the various control logics of the control module <NUM> may be combined together, and the combined control logics may be written in computer-readable code and recorded on a computer-readable recording medium. The recording medium is not limited to a particular type, and may include any type of recording medium that is accessible by the processor included in the computer.

As described above, in the battery module <NUM>i, only the battery cell <NUM><NUM> among the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m is used as power for operating the control module <NUM>, which makes a large difference in SOC between the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the remaining battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m. For SOC balancing between the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m and the battery cell <NUM><NUM>, the balancing circuit <NUM> is configured to selectively form a discharge path for the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m except the battery cell <NUM><NUM>.

The balancing circuit <NUM> is electrically connected in parallel to the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m. That is, among the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m, the balancing circuit <NUM> is electrically connected in parallel to a series cell circuit of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m except the battery cell <NUM><NUM>. For example, the first end of the balancing circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the negative terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM>, and the first end of the balancing circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM>m.

The balancing circuit <NUM> includes a discharge resistor R and a discharge switch SW. The discharge resistor R and the discharge switch SW are electrically connected in series. That is, the balancing circuit <NUM> is a series circuit of the discharge resistor R and the discharge switch SW.

On-off of the discharge switch SW may be controlled by a balancing control signal SB from the processor <NUM>. For example, the discharge switch SW may be turned on in response to the balancing control signal SB having a predetermined high level voltage. On the contrary, the discharge switch SW may be turned off in response to the balancing control signal SB having a low level voltage. The balancing control signal SB may be a Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal. While the discharging switch SW is turned on, electrical energy of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m is consumed by the discharge resistance R, and thus the SOC of each of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m gradually decreases.

The processor <NUM> determines a reference cell voltage based on the cell voltage of at least one of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m. As an example, the reference cell voltage may be equal to the cell voltage of any one battery cell (for example, <NUM><NUM>) of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m. As another example, the reference cell voltage may be an average cell voltage of at least two of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m.

Subsequently, the processor <NUM> controls the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB based on a reference voltage difference which is a difference between the reference cell voltage and the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM>. The duty cycle is a percentage or a ratio of the pulse active time (for example, the high level voltage) to the time length of one period of the balancing control signal SB. For example, when one period is <NUM> sec and the pulse active time is <NUM> sec, the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB is <NUM> (or <NUM>%). As the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB is higher, the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m are discharged faster.

As the reference voltage difference is larger, the processor <NUM> may increase the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB. When the reference cell voltage is higher than the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM>, the processor <NUM> may reduce the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB as the reference voltage difference is smaller. For example, a relationship between the reference voltage difference and the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB may be expressed by the following Equation <NUM>.

DB_V denotes the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB, ΔV<NUM> denotes the reference voltage difference, and C<NUM> denotes a predetermined scaling factor. The reference voltage difference may be periodically determined every predetermined monitoring period (e.g., <NUM> sec) during the operation of the control module <NUM>. In addition, the operation of determining the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB based on the reference voltage difference may be repeated every predetermined monitoring period.

Accordingly, the processor <NUM> may balance (reduce) the SOC difference between the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m and the battery cell <NUM><NUM> by increasing the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB while the SOC of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> decreases rapidly due to the increasing power consumption from the battery cell <NUM><NUM> by the control module <NUM>. On the contrary, the processor <NUM> may gradually reduce the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB while the SOC of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> decreases slowly due to the low power consumption of the control module <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of the slave according to a second embodiment of the present disclosure. The slave <NUM> according to the second embodiment will be described based on differences from the first embodiment (see <FIG>) to avoid redundancy.

Unlike the first embodiment, the slave <NUM> of the second embodiment further includes a current sensor <NUM>, and controls the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB based on the current measured by the current sensor <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the current sensor <NUM> is installed on a power supply path between the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the control module <NUM>. That is, the current sensor <NUM> may be disposed on an electrical line connecting the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the power input terminal VDD, or an electrical line connecting the negative terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the reference terminal GND. For example, the current sensor <NUM> may be disposed on a current path between the positive terminal of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the first end of the protection circuit <NUM>.

The current sensor <NUM> measures the current flowing through the power supply path between the battery cell <NUM><NUM> and the control module <NUM>, and generates a current signal indicating the measured current. The current sensor <NUM> may include a shunt resistor or a hall effect sensor.

The processor <NUM> is operably coupled to the current sensor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may control the duty cycle of the balancing control signal S B based on the current signal from the current sensor <NUM>.

In detail, the processor <NUM> determines, based on the current signal, the discharge capacity of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> consumed as the power for operating the control module <NUM> fore eachy predetermined monitoring period (for example, <NUM> sec). The discharge capacity of a certain monitoring period may be the cumulative amount of current measured at each unit time (for example, <NUM> sec) by the current sensor <NUM> during the corresponding monitoring period. The processor <NUM> may determine the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB for the next monitoring period based on the discharge capacity of the latest monitoring period. For example, as the discharge capacity of the previous monitoring period increases, the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB for the next monitoring period may increase. A relationship between the discharge capacity of the previous monitoring period and the duty cycle of the next monitoring period may be expressed by the following Equation <NUM>.

In Equation <NUM>, DB_I denotes the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB of the next monitoring period, ΔQ denotes the discharge capacity of the previous monitoring period, and C<NUM> denotes a predetermined scaling factor.

For example, assume that C<NUM>=<NUM>%/mAh. According to Equation <NUM>, where ΔQ = <NUM> mAh for the first monitoring period, the duty cycle is maintained at <NUM>% during the second monitoring period following the first monitoring period. In addition, where ΔQ = <NUM> mAh for the second monitoring period, the duty cycle is maintained at <NUM>% during the third monitoring period following the second monitoring period. In addition, where ΔQ = <NUM> mAh for the third monitoring period, the duty cycle is maintained at <NUM>% during the fourth monitoring period following the third monitoring period.

Alternatively, the processor <NUM> may determine the duty cycle of the next monitoring period based on the reference voltage difference and the discharge capacity of the previous monitoring period. A relationship between the reference voltage difference, the previous discharge capacity and the next duty cycle may be expressed by the following Equation <NUM>. Equation <NUM> is a combination of Equation <NUM> and Equation <NUM>.

W<NUM> and W<NUM> are predetermined weights having the same or different positive values. For example, W<NUM> =<NUM>- W<NUM>. For example, assume that ΔV<NUM> = <NUM> mV, C <NUM> =<NUM> [%/mV], C<NUM> =<NUM> [%/ mAh ], W<NUM> =<NUM>, W<NUM> =<NUM>. According to Equation <NUM>, where ΔQ = <NUM> mAh, the duty cycle may be maintained at <NUM>% during the next monitoring period, and where ΔQ = <NUM> mAh, the duty cycle may be maintained at <NUM>% during the next monitoring period.

In at least one of the first embodiment and second embodiment, when the reference cell voltage is equal to or lower than the cell voltage of the battery cell <NUM><NUM> (the reference voltage difference ≤ 0V), the processor <NUM> may set the duty cycle of the balancing control signal SB to <NUM>. While the duty cycle is <NUM>, the discharge switch SW is kept off.

<FIG> is a flowchart showing a method for balancing the plurality of battery cells included in the battery module using the slave according to the first embodiment of <FIG>. The method of <FIG> may be repeated every predetermined monitoring period while the control module <NUM> corresponding to the slave <NUM>i is operating.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in the step S510, the processor <NUM> measures the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m included in the battery module <NUM>i using the voltage measuring unit <NUM>.

In step S520, the processor <NUM> determines a reference voltage difference. The reference voltage difference is obtained by subtracting the first cell voltage of the first battery cell <NUM><NUM> from a reference cell voltage. The reference cell voltage may be the cell voltage of any one (e.g., <NUM><NUM>) of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m except the battery cell <NUM><NUM> or an average cell voltage of two or more of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m.

In step S525, the processor <NUM> determines whether the reference voltage difference is larger than 0V or not. When a value of the step S525 is "yes", step S530 is performed. When the value of the step S525 is "no", the method may end and the duty cycle is set to <NUM>.

In step S530, the processor <NUM> determines a first duty cycle based on the reference voltage difference (see Equation <NUM>).

In step S540, the processor <NUM> determines whether the reference cell voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold cell voltage. The threshold cell voltage may be a predetermined voltage (e.g., <NUM>. 8V) corresponding to a predetermined SOC (e.g., <NUM>%). A value of the step S540 being "yes" indicates that the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m are sufficiently charged. When the value of the step S540 is "yes", step S550 is performed. The value of the step S540 being "no" indicates that at least one of the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m may be overdischarged. When the value of the step S540 is "no", step S560 is performed.

In step S550, the processor <NUM> outputs a balancing control signal SB having the first duty cycle to the discharge switch SW.

In step S560, the processor <NUM> determines a second duty cycle based on a difference between the threshold cell voltage and the reference cell voltage, and the first duty cycle. The second duty cycle is smaller than the first duty cycle. The processor <NUM> may determine the second duty cycle using the following Equation <NUM>.

In Equation <NUM>, DB_V denotes the first duty cycle, ΔV<NUM> denotes the difference between the threshold cell voltage and the reference cell voltage (i.e., Threshold cell voltage - Reference cell voltage), C<NUM> denotes a predetermined scaling factor, and DB_V_L denotes the second duty cycle. C<NUM> may be a preset positive value that makes (ΔV<NUM> × C<NUM>) larger than <NUM>. For example, when the voltage resolution of an analog to digital converter (ADC) embedded in the voltage measuring unit <NUM> or the processor <NUM> to measure the cell voltage is <NUM>/<NUM> V, C<NUM> may be preset to be equal to or larger than <NUM> [<NUM>/V]. From Equation <NUM>, it can be seen that ΔV<NUM> and DB_V_L have an inversely proportional relationship.

In step S570, the processor <NUM> outputs the balancing control signal SB having the second duty cycle to the discharge switch SW. In this case, it is possible to protect the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m from overdischarge, compared to the balancing control signal SB having the first duty cycle.

In the method of <FIG>, the steps S540, S560 and S570 may be omitted.

<FIG> is a flowchart showing a method for balancing the plurality of battery cells included in the battery module using the slave according to the second embodiment of <FIG>. The method of <FIG> may be repeated every predetermined monitoring period while the control module <NUM> corresponding to the slave <NUM>i is operating.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in step S610, the processor <NUM> measures the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m included in the battery module <NUM>i using the voltage measuring unit <NUM>.

In step S620, the processor <NUM> determines a reference voltage difference. The reference voltage difference is obtained by subtracting the first cell voltage of the first battery cell <NUM><NUM> from a reference cell voltage. The reference cell voltage may be the cell voltage of any one (e.g., <NUM><NUM>) of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m except the battery cell <NUM><NUM> or an average cell voltage of two or more of the battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m.

In step S625, the processor <NUM> determines whether the reference voltage difference is larger than 0V or not. When a value of the step S625 is "yes", step S630 is performed. When the value of the step S625 is "no", the method may end and the duty cycle is set to <NUM>.

In step S630, the processor <NUM> determines a third duty cycle based on the reference voltage difference and the previous discharge capacity (see Equation <NUM>). The previous discharge capacity may indicate the cumulative amount of current flowing through the current sensor <NUM> over the previous monitoring period. Before the lapse of one monitoring period from the start of wakeup of the control module <NUM>, the discharge capacity at the step S620 may be set to a predetermined initial value (e.g., <NUM> mAh).

In step S640, the processor <NUM> determines whether the reference cell voltage is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold cell voltage. The threshold cell voltage may be a predetermined voltage (e.g., <NUM>. 8V) corresponding to a predetermined SOC (e.g., <NUM>%). A value of the step S640 being "yes" indicates that the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m are sufficiently charged. When the value of the step S640 is "yes", step S650 is performed. The value of the step S640 being "no" indicates that at least one of the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m may be overdischarged. When the value of the step S640 is "no", step S660 is performed.

In step S650, the processor <NUM> outputs a balancing control signal SB having the third duty cycle to the discharge switch SW.

In step S660, the processor <NUM> determines a fourth duty cycle based on a difference between the threshold cell voltage and the reference cell voltage, and the third duty cycle. The fourth duty cycle is smaller than the third duty cycle. The processor <NUM> may determine the fourth duty cycle using the following Equation <NUM>.

In Equation <NUM>, DB_VI denotes the third duty cycle, ΔV<NUM> denotes the difference between the threshold cell voltage and the reference cell voltage, C<NUM> denotes a predetermined scaling factor, and DB_VI_L denotes the fourth duty cycle. C<NUM> may be a preset positive value that makes (ΔV<NUM> × C<NUM>) larger than <NUM>. For example, when the voltage resolution of the ADC embedded in the voltage measuring unit <NUM> or the processor <NUM> to measure the cell voltage is <NUM>/<NUM> V, C<NUM> may be preset to be equal to or larger than <NUM> [<NUM>/V]. From Equation <NUM>, it can be seen that ΔV<NUM> and DB_VI_L have an inversely proportional relationship.

In step S670, the processor <NUM> outputs the balancing control signal SB having the fourth duty cycle to the discharge switch SW. In this case, it is possible to protect the second to mth battery cells <NUM><NUM> to <NUM>m from overdischarge, compared to the balancing control signal SB having the third duty cycle.

In the method of <FIG>, the steps S640, S660 and S670 may be omitted.

The embodiments of the present disclosure described hereinabove are not implemented only through the apparatus, and may be implemented through programs that realize the functions corresponding to the configurations of the embodiments of the present disclosure or recording media having the programs recorded thereon, and this implementation may be easily achieved by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the embodiments previously described.

Claim 1:
A battery controller (<NUM>i, i=<NUM>...n) for a battery module (<NUM>i, i=<NUM>...n) comprising a positive terminal (P+), a negative terminal (P-) and a plurality of battery cells (<NUM>j, j=<NUM>...m) electrically connected in series between the positive terminal and the negative terminal, the battery controller comprising:
a voltage measuring unit (<NUM>) configured to generate a voltage signal indicating a cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells; and
a control module (<NUM>) operably coupled to the voltage measuring unit,
wherein the control module is configured to:
wake up using a first cell voltage of a bottommost cell (<NUM><NUM>) among the plurality of battery cells as power for operating the control module, and
wirelessly transmit sensing data indicating the cell voltage of each of the plurality of battery cells while the control module is operating,
characterized in that the battery controller further comprises a balancing circuit (<NUM>) electrically connected in parallel to a series cell circuit of the remaining battery cells (<NUM>j, j=<NUM>...m) except the bottommost cell among the plurality of battery cells.