TWI894003B - Multi-battery system and multi-battery self-adaptive arbitration and identification method - Google Patents

Abstract

A multi-battery system includes a plurality of battery modules. Each battery module of the plurality of battery modules includes a mirco-controller-unit. The micro-controller-unit is configured to perform a multi-battery self-adaptive arbitration and identification method, which includes receiving a plurality of first boot information, wherein each first boot information includes a configuration identification code and a first node identification code; generating an arbitration result according to the plurality of first boot information, wherein the arbitration result indicates a prioritization between the plurality of battery modules; and transmitting the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules.

Description

Multi-battery system and multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method

The present invention relates to a multi-battery system and a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, and in particular to a multi-battery system and a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method capable of adaptively arbitrating priority and communication control among multiple battery modules.

Due to the power requirements of electric vehicles, single battery modules can no longer meet market demand. Therefore, the battery management module divides multiple battery modules into two categories: main battery modules and slave battery modules based on system design to meet the power requirements of the battery management module. The communication identification of the battery module must be defined when connected to the controller area network (CAN) bus to maintain normal communication. Traditional communication identification methods use various serial identification codes to determine the communication identification between the main battery module and the slave battery module. For example, the product production project code is combined with the production serial identification code to be configured for the battery module. The serial identification code is generated when the battery module leaves the factory and is fixed. This design makes the product compatibility rigid and cannot cope with unexpected communication conflicts. The fixed serial identification code makes it easy to parse and copy the data signals transmitted by the battery module control method on the Controller Area Network (CAN) bus.

Therefore, concealing the battery module's communication behavior, preventing competitors from easily analyzing and replicating it, has become one of the industry's goals.

One of the primary objectives of this invention is to provide a multi-battery system and a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, which can simplify the production of single battery modules while still meeting the requirements of primary and secondary battery modules and improving material control.

The present invention provides a multi-battery system comprising a plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes a microcontroller configured to execute a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method. The multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method comprises the following steps: receiving a plurality of first activation signals from the plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of first activation signals includes a configuration identification code and a first random identification code; generating an arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals, wherein the arbitration result indicates a priority order among the plurality of battery modules; and transmitting the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules.

The present invention provides a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method for a multi-battery system, wherein the multi-battery system includes a plurality of battery modules. The multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method includes the following steps: receiving a plurality of first activation signals from the plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of first activation signals includes a configuration identification code and a first random identification code; generating an arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals, wherein the arbitration result indicates a priority order among the plurality of battery modules; and transmitting the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules.

1:Multi-battery system

2,3: Process

10, 12, 14, 16: Battery module

20: Electronic devices

S200, S202, S204, S206, S208, S300, S302, S304, S306, S308, S310, S312, S314: Steps

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a multi-battery system according to embodiment 1 of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a flow chart of the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a flow chart of the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 7 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a flow chart of the operation of the multi-battery system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Certain terms are used in this specification and the subsequent patent claims to refer to specific components. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that hardware manufacturers may use different terms to refer to the same component. This specification and the subsequent patent claims do not distinguish components by difference in name, but rather by difference in function. Throughout this specification and the subsequent patent claims, the word "including" is an open term and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to". In addition, the word "coupled" is used herein to include any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Therefore, if the text describes a first device coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device through other devices or connection means.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a multi-battery system 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The multi-battery system 1 includes a plurality of interconnected battery modules and is used to power an electronic device 20. It should be noted that the multi-battery system 1 of the present invention can be applied to an electric vehicle (electronic device 20), but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, for ease of explanation, the following embodiments illustrate a plurality of battery modules comprising a first battery module 10, a second battery module 12, and a third battery module 14. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the system can be extended to include more than three battery modules.

Referring to Figure 2, multiple battery modules are connected to the same Controller Area Network (CAN) bus on an electronic device 20. To prevent communication interference between the multiple battery modules, the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 of the multi-battery system 1 each include a microcontroller unit (not shown in Figure 1). Each microcontroller can execute a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method to coordinate communication between the multiple battery modules. The operation of the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method of the multi-battery system 1 can be summarized as a process 2, as shown in Figure 2. Process 2 includes the following steps:

Step S200: Start.

Step S202: Receive a plurality of first activation signals from a plurality of battery modules.

Step S204: Generate an arbitration result based on a plurality of first activation signals.

Step S206: Send the arbitration result to each battery module of the plurality of battery modules.

Step S208: End.

According to process 2, in step S200, the electronic device 20 is activated (for example, by the user pressing the start button of the electric vehicle) and transmits a power-on signal to the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14. After receiving the power-on signal, the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 each perform a self-detection safety boot and initiate communication to transmit a corresponding first power-on signal to a communication network of the electric vehicle. The first power-on signal may include a configuration identifier and a first random identifier. The configuration identifier may be customized based on, but is not limited to, the battery module's network management code and/or product information. First random identifier

In step S202, the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 receive first activation signals from each of the other battery modules via the electric vehicle's communication network. For example, the first battery module 10 receives first activation signals from the second battery module 12 and the third battery module 14 via the communication network. In one embodiment, the first activation signal from the first battery module 10 is "0x418," the first activation signal from the second battery module 12 is "0x415," and the first activation signal from the third battery module 14 is "0x451." In each first activation signal, "0x400" is the configuration identifier, while "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51" are the first random identifiers. It should be noted that the first random identification code can be generated by a processor in a plurality of battery modules executing a random code program, or by a random code generator in a plurality of battery modules, but is not limited thereto.

In step S204, the microcontroller unit generates an arbitration result based on the first random identification codes in the first activation signals from the battery modules. The arbitration result can indicate a priority ranking among the battery modules. Specifically, the microcontroller unit determines a first quantity of the battery modules based on the first activation signals from the battery modules. For example, the first random identification codes "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51" are three different random identification codes. Therefore, the electric vehicle's communication network has cumulatively received three random identification codes, indicating a first quantity of three. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit ranks the random identification codes "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51" to determine the priority order among the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14, using this as the arbitration result. For example, if the first random identification code "0x15" of the second battery module 12 is the smallest, the microcontroller unit designates the second battery module 12 as the first priority. Similarly, the microcontroller unit designates the first battery module 10 as the second priority, and the third battery module 14 as the third priority. Furthermore, the microcontroller unit may designate the first battery module 10, which has the highest priority, as the master battery module, the second battery module 12, which has the highest priority, and the third battery module 14, which has the highest priority, as the slave battery modules. It should be noted that the microcontroller unit may also instruct the battery module with a larger random identification code to be prioritized first, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In step S206, the microcontroller unit transmits the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules. For example, after the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 receive the arbitration result, the second battery module 12 can be configured as the master battery module and transmit a request signal to the first battery module 10 and the third battery module 14, which are configured as slave battery modules. The request signal instructs the first battery module 10 and the third battery module 14 to report the corresponding battery status, thereby establishing a communication link between each battery module. After establishing communication links between each battery module, the second battery module 12, acting as the master battery, verifies the battery status of each slave battery module and reports the authenticated slave battery module to the microcontroller unit, where it is managed. This completes the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, establishing the internal adaptive network of the multi-battery system 1 and entering a battery management process. This battery management process is well known in the art and will not be detailed here.

It should be noted that the priority order (master-slave relationship) between the multiple battery modules of the present invention is determined based on the first random identification code. Therefore, the priority order between the multiple battery modules may be different each time the multi-battery system 1 is started. However, one or more battery modules in the multiple battery modules may generate the same first random identification code. For example, the first random identification code of the first battery module 10 is "0x418", the first random identification code of the second battery module 12 is "0x418", and the first random identification code of the third battery module 14 is "0x451". In other words, the first random identification code of the first battery module 10 is the same as the first random identification code of the second battery module 12. In this case, the communication network receives two first random identification codes. Therefore, the microcontroller unit determines that the electronic device 20 is connected to two battery modules (the first number is two). In other words, the first battery module 10 and the second battery module 12 are considered to be the same battery module. To address the above issue, the operation of the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method of the multi-battery system 1 can be summarized as a process 3, as shown in Figure 3. Process 3 includes the following steps:

Step S300: Start.

Step S302: Receive a plurality of first activation signals from a plurality of battery modules.

Step S304: Record multiple first activation signals.

Step S306: Reset multiple battery modules.

Step S308: Receive a plurality of second activation signals from a plurality of battery modules.

Step S310: Record a plurality of first activation signals and generate an arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals and the plurality of second activation signals.

Step S312: Send the arbitration result to each battery module of the plurality of battery modules.

Step S314: End.

Referring to FIG. 4 , in step S300 , the electronic device 20 is activated (e.g., by a user pressing the start button of the electric vehicle) and transmits a power-on signal to the first battery module 10 , the second battery module 12 , and the third battery module 14 . After receiving the power-on signal, the first battery module 10 , the second battery module 12 , and the third battery module 14 each perform a self-check to safely boot up and initiate communication to transmit a corresponding first power-on signal to a communication network of the electric vehicle. In step S302 , the first battery module 10 , the second battery module 12 , and the third battery module 14 receive first power-on signals from the other battery modules via the communication network of the electric vehicle. For example, the first battery module 10 receives first power-on signals from the battery modules 12 and the third battery module via the communication network. In one embodiment, the first activation signal of the first battery module 10 is "0x418," the first activation signal of the second battery module 12 is "0x415," and the first activation signal of the third battery module 14 is "0x451." "0x400" in each first activation signal is the configuration identification code, while "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51" are the first random identification codes.

Referring to Figure 5 , in steps S304 and S306 , the microcontroller unit records a plurality of first activation signals, resets a plurality of battery modules, and generates a first random code record. In one embodiment, the second battery module 12 with the smallest first random identification code serves as the master battery module. Second battery module 12 can transmit a reset message via the communication network to instruct the first battery module 10 , the second battery module 12 , and the third battery module 14 to reset the first activation signal and generate a second activation signal (a new first activation signal). Note that the second activation signal includes a configuration identification code and a second random identification code. The second random identification code includes a fixed code and a second random code. Furthermore, a reset message can also be transmitted by the microcontroller unit to the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14, but this is not limited to the above. It should be noted that the random identification codes of the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 can be reset, but not limited to, once. Those skilled in the art can readily derive this information from the reset to two or more times. In step S308, the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 receive a second activation signal from each of the other battery modules via the electric vehicle's communication network. Note that step S308 is similar to step S302 and will not be further described here.

Referring to Figure 6 , in step S310 , the microcontroller unit records a plurality of second activation signals, resets a plurality of battery modules, and generates a second random code record. In one embodiment, the first random code record includes "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51," and the second random code record includes "0x29," "0x57," and "0x01." The microcontroller unit determines that both random code records correspond to a battery quantity of 3. Therefore, the microcontroller unit can prioritize the plurality of battery modules based on the first random code record or the second random code record. In another embodiment, the first random code record includes "0x18," "0x15," and "0x51," and the second random code record includes "0x29," "0x29," and "0x01." The microcontroller unit determines that the battery quantity corresponding to the first random code record is 3 and the battery quantity corresponding to the second random code record is 2. In this way, the microcontroller unit can prioritize the multiple battery modules based on the first random code record.

In step S312, the microcontroller unit transmits the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG6 , after the first battery module 10, the second battery module 12, and the third battery module 14 receive the arbitration result, the third battery module 14 can be configured as a master battery module and transmit a request signal to the first battery module 10 and the second battery module 12, which are configured as slave battery modules. The request signal instructs the first battery module 10 and the second battery module 12 to report the corresponding battery status, thereby establishing a communication link between each battery module. After establishing communication links between each battery module, the third battery module 14, acting as the master battery, verifies the battery status of each slave battery module and reports the authenticated slave battery module to the microcontroller unit, where it is managed. This completes the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, establishing the internal adaptive network of the multi-battery system 1 and entering a battery management process. This battery management process is well known in the art and will not be detailed here.

It should be noted that the primary battery module can periodically update the battery status of the slave battery modules. Referring to Figure 7 , the second battery module 12, acting as the primary battery module, sends request messages to the first battery module 10 and the third battery module 14 at a request time interval of T1. Accordingly, the first battery module 10 and the third battery module 14 transmit the corresponding battery status to the second battery module 12, acting as the primary battery module, at a request time interval of T1. Furthermore, if the primary battery module fails to obtain the battery status of a slave battery module, it can remove the slave battery module's authentication. For example, as shown in Figure 7, the third battery module 14 does not respond to the second request signal sent by the second battery module 12. Therefore, the second battery module 12 deauthenticates the third battery module 14 after the request signal is sent for a time period T1. In other words, in this embodiment, the slave battery module only includes the first battery module 10.

Furthermore, after the multi-battery system 1 completes the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, additional battery modules can be added to the multi-battery system 1. Referring to Figure 8 , when a fourth battery module 16 is connected to the multi-battery system 1, the fourth battery module 16 performs a self-detection safety boot and transmits a third activation signal to the electric vehicle's communication network. This third activation signal may include a configuration identifier and a third random identifier. The third activation signal is similar to the first activation signal and will not be further described here. The second battery module 12, acting as the master battery module, receives the third activation signal from the fourth battery module 16 via the communication network and configures the fourth battery module 16 as a slave battery module. Finally, the second battery module 12 sends a request signal to the fourth battery module 16 to obtain the battery status of the fourth battery module 16 and establish a communication link.

Referring to Figure 9 , when the second battery module 12, acting as the master battery module, fails to send a request signal to the first battery module 10 and the third battery module 14 for a set time period T2, the microcontroller unit deauthenticates the master and slave battery modules. At this point, the microcontroller unit can re-execute the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method to re-coordinate the communication behavior of the multiple battery modules.

In summary, the priority order of the multiple battery modules in the multi-battery system of the present invention is determined by corresponding random codes. Therefore, the priority order of the multiple battery modules may vary each time the electric vehicle is started. As a result, compared to conventional technologies, the data signals transmitted by the multiple battery modules on the CAN bus are less easily recorded individually.

The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the patent application of the present invention should fall within the scope of the present invention.

S200, S202, S204, S206, S208: Steps

Claims (6)

A multi-battery system includes: a plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of battery modules includes a microcontroller, wherein the controller is used to execute a multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method, wherein the multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method includes the following steps: receiving a plurality of first activation signals from the plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of first activation signals includes a configuration identification code and a first random identification code; transmitting a multiplexed The invention relates to a method for determining an arbitration result of the first activation signal and the second activation signal. The method comprises: receiving a configuration message to instruct the plurality of battery modules to reset the plurality of first activation signals and generate a plurality of second activation signals, wherein each of the plurality of second activation signals includes the configuration identifier and a second random identifier; receiving the plurality of second activation signals respectively from the plurality of battery modules; generating an arbitration result according to the plurality of first activation signals and the plurality of second activation signals; and transmitting the arbitration result to each of the plurality of battery modules. The multi-battery system of claim 1, wherein the first random identification code comprises a first random code, and the second random identification code comprises a second random code. The multi-battery system as described in claim 2, wherein the step of generating the arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals and the plurality of second activation signals includes: determining a first quantity of the plurality of battery modules based on the first random code; determining a second quantity of the plurality of battery modules based on the second random code; and generating the arbitration result based on the first quantity and the second quantity. A multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method is used in a multi-battery system, wherein the multi-battery system includes a plurality of battery modules. The multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method includes the following steps: receiving a plurality of first activation signals from the plurality of battery modules, wherein each of the plurality of first activation signals includes a configuration identification code and a first random identification code; sending a reset message to instruct the plurality of battery modules to reset the battery modules. Resetting the plurality of first activation signals and generating a plurality of second activation signals, wherein each of the plurality of second activation signals includes the configuration identification code and a second random identification code; receiving the plurality of second activation signals from the plurality of battery modules; generating an arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals and the plurality of second activation signals; and transmitting the arbitration result to each battery module of the plurality of battery modules. The multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method as described in claim 4, wherein the first random identification code includes a first random code, and the second random identification code includes a second random code. The multi-battery adaptive arbitration and identification method as described in claim 5, wherein the step of generating the arbitration result based on the plurality of first activation signals and the plurality of second activation signals includes: determining a first number of the plurality of battery modules based on the first random code; determining a second number of the plurality of battery modules based on the second random code; and generating the arbitration result based on the first number and the second number.