Apparatus and method for controlling battery module, power supply device and system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11735953-B2
Application number	US-202117186111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 26, 2021
Priority date	Aug 18, 2020
Publication date	Aug 22, 2023
Grant date	Aug 22, 2023

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an apparatus for controlling battery module, power supply device and power supply system. The apparatus includes a switch circuit and a first power controller. The first power controller is coupled with the switch circuit, a first busbar, a second busbar, and a battery module, and is configured to: control the switch circuit to conduct in a first direction, in a case of the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar being greater than the voltage of the battery module and the power of the battery module being smaller than a first preset power; and control the switch circuit to conduct in a second direction, in a case of the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar being smaller than the voltage of the battery module and the power of the battery module being greater than a second preset power.

First claim

We claim:

1. An apparatus for controlling a battery module, comprising:
a switch circuit, coupled with the battery module in series between a first busbar and a second busbar, to form a conductive loop comprising the switch circuit, the battery module, the first busbar, and the second busbar; and
a first power controller, coupled with the switch circuit, the battery module, the first busbar, and the second busbar, and configured to:
detect a voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar, and monitor a voltage and a power of the battery module;
enter a charging mode in a case of the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar being greater than the voltage of the battery module and the power of the battery module being smaller than a first preset power, and under the charging mode, control the switch circuit to conduct in a first direction, to charge the battery module via the conductive loop by using the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar; and
enter a discharging mode in a case of the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar being smaller than the voltage of the battery module and the power of the battery module being greater than a second preset power, and under the discharging mode, control the switch circuit to conduct in a second direction opposite to the first direction, to cause the battery module to supply power to the first busbar and the second busbar via the conductive loop, wherein

the switch circuit comprises a first branch and a second branch, the first branch comprises a first contactor and a first diode, wherein a control end of the first contactor is coupled with the first power controller, a first end of the first contactor is coupled with the battery module, a second end of the first contactor is coupled with a negative electrode of the first diode, and a positive electrode of the first diode is coupled with the first busbar; and the second branch comprises a second contactor and a second diode, wherein a control end of the second contactor is coupled with the first power controller, a first end of the second contactor is coupled with the second end of the first contactor, a second end of the second contactor is coupled with the first busbar, a positive electrode of the second diode is coupled with the first end of the first contactor, and a negative electrode of the second diode is coupled with the first end of the second contactor;
the first power controller is configured to: under the charging mode, turn on the first contactor and turn off the second contactor, so as to conduct the first branch in the first direction; and under the discharging mode, turn on the second contactor and turn off the first contactor, so as to conduct the second branch in the second direction;
the apparatus for controlling battery module further comprises a circuit breaker, wherein the circuit breaker is coupled in the conductive loop and coupled with the first power controller; and
the first power controller is further configured to: after turning off the first contactor, detect a voltage between the first end of the first contactor and the second end of the first contactor, and in a case of the voltage between the first end of the first contactor and the second end of the first contactor being smaller than a first preset voltage, switch the circuit breaker from a conductive state to a cutoff state; and after turning off the second contactor, detect a voltage between the first end of the second contactor and the second end of the second contactor, and in a case of the voltage between the first end of the second contactor and the second end of the second contactor being smaller than a second preset voltage, switch the circuit breaker from the conductive state to the cutoff state.

2. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 1 , further comprising: a current sensor, coupled with the first power controller, and configured to detect a current in the conductive loop,
wherein, the first power controller is further configured to: under the charging mode, turn on the second contactor in a case of the current detected by the current sensor being greater than a first preset current, after turning on the first contactor and turning off the second contactor; and under the discharging mode, turn on the first contactor in a case of the current detected by the current sensor being greater than a second preset current, after turning on the second contactor and turning off the first contactor.

3. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 1 , wherein the first power controller is further configured to:
under the charging mode, in a state of both the first contactor and the second contactor being turned on, turn off the first contactor in response to a monitored power of the battery module being greater than a third preset power; and
under the discharging mode, in the state of both the first contactor and the second contactor being turned on, turn off the second contactor in response to a monitored power of the battery module being smaller than a fourth preset power.

4. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 1 , wherein a rated power of the first diode is greater than or equal to a rated power of the battery module.

5. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 1 , further comprising:
an adjusting circuit comprising a resistor, wherein a first end of the resistor is coupled with the first end of the first contactor, and a second end of the resistor is coupled with the second end of the second contactor;
wherein, the first power controller is further configured to: in a case of the current detected by the current sensor being greater than a third preset current or in a case of a first difference between the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar and the voltage of the battery module being greater than a first preset difference, turn off the first contactor and the second contactor.

6. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 5 , wherein:
the adjusting circuit further comprises a third contactor coupled with the resistor in series, the first end of the resistor is coupled with the first end of the first contactor via the third contactor, or the second end of the resistor is coupled with the second end of the second contactor via the third contactor, and a control end of the third contactor is coupled with the first power controller; and
the first power controller is further configured to: in the case of the current detected by the current sensor being greater than the third preset current or in the case of the first difference between the voltage between the first busbar and the second busbar and the voltage of the battery module being greater than a first preset difference, turn off the first contactor and the second contactor and turn on the third contactor.

7. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 5 , wherein:
the first power controller is further configured to turn on the first contactor and the second contactor in response to receiving a discharging instruction, and turn off the first contactor and the second contactor in response to receiving a charging instruction.

8. The apparatus for controlling the battery module of claim 1 , wherein the circuit breaker comprises:
a first pair of contacts, coupled between the battery module and the switch circuit, and configured to be electrically contacted with each other in a case of the circuit breaker being in the conductive state and to be electrically isolated from each other in case of the circuit breaker being in the cutoff state; and
a second pair of contacts, coupled between the battery module and the second bulbar, and configured to be electrical

Assignees

• Baidu online network technology beijing co ltd

Inventors

• Li Xiaobin
• Yi Bin
• Zhang Jinxiao

Classifications

• H02J7/96

  in response to battery voltage · CPC title

• H02J7/82

  Control of state of charge [SOC] · CPC title

• H02J7/62

  against overcurrent · CPC title

• H02J2105/425

  the loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility · CPC title

• H02J7/865

  Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply (H02J7/50 takes precedence) · CPC title