Application US20190181656

MULTI-CELL BATTERY MANAGEMENT DEVICE
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US20190181656

1. A multi-cell battery management device, the device comprising: (5) (1)

a multi-cell battery pack including a power output terminal and a plurality of battery cells each having a positive terminal and a negative terminal and connected in series, and wherein each cell of the plurality of battery cells comprises: a) a cell control processor that monitors cell voltage, cell current, cell temperature, and cell fuse status;

b) a programmable cell balance shunt controlled by the cell control processor that varies internal resistance of each of the plurality of battery cells; and

c) a data communications circuit connected to the cell control processor and to the positive terminal and the negative terminal of each of the plurality of battery cells, the communications circuit enabling data communications over the positive terminal and the negative terminal of each of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the cell control processor responds to commands received via the data communications circuit to vary an operating state of the programmable cell balance shunt.

2. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 1, further comprising a battery management system (BMS) controller having a microcontroller (BMS MCU) therein that executes a computer program to monitor and control battery passive cell balancing and a control switch via a control signal. (1) (0)

3. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 2, wherein the BMS MCU transmits shunt control data or voltage control data to microprocessor controllers within each cell of the plurality of battery cells, wherein each of the plurality of battery cells responds by turning on or off the resistance of the programmable cell balance shunts to adjust the operating condition of their respective battery cells to achieve cell voltage balancing or a desired cell output voltage. (4) (0)

4. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 3, wherein the BMS controller operates to direct each of the microprocessor controllers within each of the plurality of battery cells to enable or disable the programmable cell balance shunts within each of the plurality of battery cells to achieve a desired cell voltage. (0)

5. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 3, wherein the BMS controller communicates precise programmable cell balance shunt settings to each of the microprocessor controllers within each of the plurality of battery cells to achieve voltage balancing. (0)

6. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 3, wherein the programmable cell balance shunt controlled by each of the microprocessor controllers within each of the plurality of battery cells varies internal resistance of each of the plurality of battery cells individually. (0)

7. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 3, wherein the BMS controller further comprises a power line communications integrated circuit (PLC) that enables the MCU of the BMS controller to communicate with each of the microprocessor controllers within each of the plurality of battery cell individually. (0)

8. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 1, wherein the multi-cell battery management device operates to reduce higher battery cell voltages to match those of lower battery cell voltages in the multi-cell battery pack to prevent damage. (0)

9. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 1, wherein the programmable cell balance shunt further comprises circuit components used to control battery cell output voltage by varying resistance of the programmable battery cell balance shunt. (0)

10. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 1, wherein the programmable cell balance shunt has low resistance to prevent significant loss of power via resistive thermal heating. (0)

11. The multi-cell battery management device of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of battery cells further comprises unique identification for communicating with the BMS controller, so that the BMS controller can identify which specific battery cell, of the plurality of battery cells, sent a particular communication. (0)

12. A method of achieving voltage balancing within a multi-cell battery pack, wherein the multi-cell battery pack has a battery management system (BMS) controller comprising a data communications circuit connected to a power output terminal of the multi-cell battery pack, and wherein the BMS controller performs the following steps: (5) (3)

i) obtaining cell voltage, cell current, cell temperature and cell fuse status data for each of a plurality of battery cells by transmitting and receiving via the data communications circuit,

ii) determining desired cell output voltages based on the cell voltage, cell current, cell temperature and cell fuse status for each of the plurality of battery cells,

iii) transmitting desired cell output voltage data to the data communications circuit of each of the plurality of battery cells using the data communications circuit of the BMS controller.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the BMS controller has a microcontroller (BMS MCU) therein; wherein the method further comprises controlling an operating state of each cell of the plurality of battery cells using the BMS MCU in communication with programmable cell balance shunts controlled by microprocessor controllers within each of the plurality of battery cells. (3) (0)

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising each of the plurality of battery cells responding to requests from the BMS controller to provide battery cell operating measurement data of each of the plurality of battery cells to the BMS controller to achieve voltage balancing. (0)

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the BMS controller operates to reduce higher battery cell voltages to match those of lower battery cell voltages in the multi-cell battery pack to prevent damage. (0)

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the data communications circuit is further connected to a cell control processor and to a positive terminal and a negative terminal of each cell of the plurality of battery cells, wherein the data communications circuit is further enabling data communication over the positive terminal and the negative terminal of each of the plurality of battery cells, and wherein the cell control processor is responding to commands received via the data communications circuit to vary an operating state of a programmable cell balance shunt. (0)

20. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of battery cells further comprises unique identification for communicating with the BMS controller, so that the BMS controller can identify which specific battery cell, of the plurality of battery cells, sent a particular communication. (0)

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Application US20190181656

MULTI-CELL BATTERY MANAGEMENT DEVICE

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