JP7662598B2 - Method for controlling and manufacturing a power supply device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a method for controlling and manufacturing a power supply device.

Conventionally, battery modules consisting of multiple storage batteries (single cells) have been widely used as power sources for driving vehicles. To fully utilize the capacity of the battery module, charging and discharging are usually controlled under the management of a control unit such as a power supply device (BMS: Battery Management System) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2019-532605 A

In recent years, vehicles equipped with battery modules, such as electric vehicles (BEVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), have become increasingly popular. As a result, the number of used battery modules being collected is increasing as vehicles are replaced or scrapped. From the perspective of promoting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a demand for the reuse of used battery modules by manufacturing new power supply devices using collected used battery modules. As an example, if it is difficult to reuse an in-vehicle battery module that has been used for a long period of time as an in-vehicle battery module, it is expected that the battery module will be reused for other purposes, such as by being incorporated into a stationary power supply device.

However, the specifications (e.g., communication methods such as communication interfaces) of the control units (e.g., BMS) that control the charging and discharging of the battery modules differ from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, when manufacturing a new power supply device using used battery modules, it is necessary to combine battery modules from the same manufacturer, and it is not possible to freely combine battery modules from different manufacturers.

The present invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and its main purpose is to provide a new method for controlling and manufacturing a power supply device that can combine various battery modules.

The present invention provides a method for controlling a power supply device including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and having identification information attached thereto, a plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules, and a host control unit for controlling the connection between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of control units, in which the host control unit is configured to acquire the identification information of the battery modules, select one of the plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information, and connect the selected control unit to the battery module for which the identification information has been acquired.

The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing a power supply device, including a preparation step of preparing an assembly including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and having identification information attached thereto, and a plurality of control units that control charging and discharging of the battery modules, an acquisition step of acquiring the identification information of the battery modules, a selection step of selecting one of the plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information, and a connection step of connecting the selected control unit to the battery module for which the identification information has been acquired.

According to the above control method and manufacturing method, even if battery modules from different manufacturers are mixed, it is possible to deal with the situation by changing the control unit based on the identification information. Therefore, various battery modules can be used in combination, and the range of battery module choices can be expanded.

FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a power supply device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the host control unit and the control unit. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example of step S9. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method subsequent to the control method of FIG.

Below, preferred embodiments of the technology disclosed herein will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that matters other than those specifically mentioned in this specification that are necessary for implementing the present invention can be understood as design matters for a person skilled in the art based on the prior art in the relevant field. The present invention can be implemented based on the contents disclosed in this specification and the technical common sense in the relevant field. In addition, each drawing is drawn diagrammatically and does not necessarily reflect the actual product. In the following, the same reference numerals are used for components and parts that perform the same function, and duplicate explanations are omitted or simplified as appropriate.

[Power supply]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of a power supply device 100 according to an embodiment. The power supply device 100 is a device that supplies power to an external load (not shown) via a power conversion device that converts DC power to AC power, for example. The power supply device 100 is configured to be connected to an external power source (not shown) and be chargeable. The external power source may be a power source supplied from, for example, a power company, or may be a power source supplied from a solar power generation system, a wind power generation system, or other types of green energy power generation systems. The power supply device 100 may be a so-called stationary type that is installed in buildings of various facilities such as general homes, commercial facilities, hospitals, and factories. As shown in FIG. 1, the power supply device 100 according to this embodiment includes n (n≧2) battery modules 20, m (m≧2) control units 30, one upper control unit 40, a multi-switching switch 50, and a display screen 60.

The battery modules 20 are connected in parallel. The number n of the battery modules 20 may be 2 or more (n is an integer) and is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, 5 to 200 or 10 to 100. For example, in the case of a stationary power supply device 100 mounted in a 20-foot container, the number n of the battery modules 20 may be about 100. This single power supply device 100 can supply the power of about 20 houses. From the viewpoint of promoting the sustainable development goals, it is preferable that the battery modules 20 include second-hand reused products. The battery modules 20 may be partly or entirely reused products that were mounted on a moving body such as a vehicle (so-called in-vehicle use). The reused products may have various manufacturers, manufacturing times, usage histories, etc. Therefore, the technology disclosed herein is particularly effective. However, at least one of the battery modules 20 may be new.

Each of the battery modules 20 includes a plurality of single cells (not shown). The single cells are connected in series here. However, they may be connected in parallel. The configuration of the single cells included in the battery module 20 may be the same as in the past and is not limited in any way. The outer shape of the single cells may be any shape, such as a rectangular parallelepiped (corner), cylindrical, or pouch-shaped. The single cells are storage batteries, such as lithium-ion batteries. In this specification, the term "storage battery" refers to batteries in general that can be repeatedly charged and discharged, and is a concept that includes secondary batteries (chemical batteries) such as lithium-ion secondary batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries, and capacitors (physical batteries) such as lithium-ion capacitors and electric double-layer capacitors.

Each of the battery modules 20 is provided with identification information. The identification information typically includes information that allows the traceability of the battery module 20, such as ID information such as the model number, manufacturer name, country of manufacture, name of manufacturing plant, and date of manufacture of each cell included in the battery module 20, and may further include material information such as the positive electrode active material and the negative electrode active material. In one example, an optical symbol that can be read by a reading device is provided (assigned) to the surface (outer surface) of the battery module 20. However, the optical symbol may also be provided to each cell included in the battery module 20. In that case, the identification information may be provided, for example, to the lid of the cell (the surface to which the positive electrode terminal and the negative electrode terminal are attached) so that it is easily visible even in the state of the battery module 20.

In this specification, the term "optical symbol" is a general term for an information medium that stores information by combining areas with high and low optical reflectance, and is a concept that includes two-dimensional symbols (also called two-dimensional codes, two-dimensional bar codes, etc.) such as QR Code (registered trademark), data matrix, and data tags. However, the method of attaching identification information to the battery module 20 is not limited to this. For example, the optical symbol may be directly formed (direct marking) on the surface of each battery module 20 or cell by stamping, etching, etc. Alternatively, a small substrate containing identification information may be mounted inside the battery module 20 or cell without using an optical symbol.

As will be described in more detail later, each of the multiple battery modules 20 is configured so that it can only be controlled by a predetermined control unit 30 among the multiple control units 30, for example, due to the manufacturer that produced it. Each of the multiple battery modules 20 is connected to one of the multiple control units 30 by a multi-switch 50, and is controlled by the connected control unit 30.

The multiple control units 30 are electrically connected to the multiple battery modules 20 and the upper control unit 40. All of the multiple control units 30 are so-called lower control units located downstream (closer to the battery modules 20) of the circuit configuration than the upper control unit 40. The multiple control units 30 are each controlled by the upper control unit 40. The number m of the control units 30 is not particularly limited as long as it is 2 or more (where m is an integer). The number m of the control units 30 may be, for example, the same number as the number of major battery manufacturers. The number m of the control units 30 may be the same as the number n of the battery modules 20, or may be more or less than the number n of the battery modules 20. The multiple control units 30 are configured to control the charging and discharging of the battery modules 20. The battery modules 20 that can be controlled by each control unit 30 are identified by the identification information attached to the battery modules 20. Each of the multiple control units 30 may include information on the name of the battery manufacturer.

The configuration of the multiple control units 30 is not particularly limited. Each of the multiple control units 30 may be a conventionally known BMS (also called a BMU (Battery Monitoring Unit)) or the like. Each of the multiple control units 30 may be, for example, a microcomputer. The microcomputer may include, for example, an interface (I/F) that receives data and the like from an external device, a central processing unit (CPU) that executes program instructions, a ROM (Read Only Memory) that stores the program executed by the CPU, a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is used as a working area for expanding the program, and a storage device such as a memory that stores the above program and various data.

Figure 2 is a functional block diagram of the upper control unit 40 and the control unit 30. Note that while only one control unit 30 is illustrated in Figure 2, the other control units 30 may have a similar configuration. As shown in Figure 2, the control unit 30 of this embodiment includes a transceiver unit 31 that transmits and receives information to and from the upper control unit 40 and the battery module 20, a charge/discharge unit 32 that controls the charging and discharging of the battery module 20, an equalization unit 33 that balances the multiple single cells included in one battery module 20, and an SOC calculation unit 34 that calculates the state of charge (SOC) of the battery module 20.

However, the equalization unit 33 and the SOC calculation unit 34 are not essential and may be omitted in other embodiments. The control unit 30 may further include a monitoring unit (not shown) that acquires the characteristics of each of the multiple cells that make up the battery module 20, such as the voltage, temperature, SOC, capacity, power consumption, etc., in the same manner as a general BMS.

The upper control unit 40 is electrically connected to the multiple control units 30, the multi-switch 50, and the display screen 60. The upper control unit 40 is located upstream of the multiple control units 30 in the circuit configuration (farther from the battery modules 20) and controls the multiple control units 30. The configuration of the upper control unit 40 is not particularly limited, but is, for example, a BMS or a microcomputer as described above. The upper control unit 40 is configured to control the connection between the multiple battery modules 20 and the multiple control units 30 by switching the multi-switch 50. The upper control unit 40 may be configured to be able to switch the connection and disconnection between an external load or an external power source (not shown) for each battery module 20 by controlling the multiple control units 30.

As shown in FIG. 2, the upper control unit 40 of this embodiment includes a transmitter/receiver 41 that transmits and receives information to and from an external control device (not shown) provided outside the power supply device 100 and multiple control units 30, an acquisition unit 42 that acquires identification information of the battery module 20, a selection unit 46 that selects one usable control unit 30 from the multiple control units 30 according to the acquired identification information, and a connection unit 47 that controls a multi-switch 50 to connect the selected control unit 30 to the battery module 20 for which the identification information has been acquired.

Here, the upper control unit 40 further includes a first determination unit 43 that determines whether or not there is an error in acquiring the identification information, a second determination unit 44 that determines whether or not the manufacturer names of the multiple cells in one battery module 20 are the same based on the acquired identification information, a third determination unit 45 that determines whether or not the maximum difference in the manufacturing dates of the multiple cells in one battery module 20 is within a predetermined number of years based on the acquired identification information, a discharge order determination unit 48 that determines the order of discharging the multiple battery modules 20 based on the SOC of the multiple battery modules 20, and a notification unit 49 that issues a warning. However, the first determination unit 43, the second determination unit 44, the third determination unit 45, the discharge order determination unit 48, and the notification unit 49 are not essential, and one or more of them may be omitted in other embodiments.

As shown in FIG. 1, the multi-changeover switch 50 is disposed between the multiple battery modules 20 and the multiple control units 30. The multi-changeover switch 50 is a switching means for switching the connection between the multiple battery modules 20 and the multiple control units 30. The multi-changeover switch 50 is switched by the upper control unit 40. When one of the multiple control units 30 is selected by the upper control unit 40 for each of the multiple battery modules 20, the multi-changeover switch 50 is switched to connect the selected control unit 30 to the battery module 20.

The display screen 60 is for displaying the status of the power supply device 100. The display screen 60 is, for example, a display. In this embodiment, the display screen 60 also serves as a notification means for issuing a warning to the user. The display screen 60 may be configured to specifically display the contents of the warning. Note that in this embodiment, as a notification means for the user, a warning is displayed on the display screen 60 to visually notify the user of the warning, but the power supply device 100 may be equipped with, for example, a sound generating means and a speaker instead of or in addition to the display screen 60, and may notify the user of the warning by sound, an alarm, or the like.

[Power supply device control method]
Fig. 3 is a flow chart showing an example of a control method. Although Fig. 3 describes the control of one battery module 20 among the plurality of battery modules 20, the same control can be performed for the other battery modules 20. There is no particular limitation on the timing of performing this control. For example, this control may be performed manually when a user replaces a battery module 20, or this control may be performed automatically when the power supply device 100 is turned on to start the power supply device 100.

In the control of this embodiment, first, in step S1, the identification information of the battery module 20 is read into the acquisition unit 42. Specifically, for example, if an optical symbol containing identification information is attached to the surface of the battery module 20, the user may manually operate a reading device (e.g., a scanner) to photograph the optical symbol and transmit the photographed image data to the acquisition unit 42 by wire or wirelessly. Alternatively, the acquisition unit 42 may automatically control an external reading device electrically connected thereto to photograph the optical symbol and transmit the photographed image data to the acquisition unit 42 by wire or wirelessly. From the photographed image data, the identification information stored in the optical symbol is read. In addition, if a small board containing identification information is mounted on the battery module 20, for example, the acquisition unit 42 may be electrically connected to the small board to directly read the identification information from the small board. As a result, the identification information is read into the acquisition unit 42. The identification information includes the ID information and material information described above, for example, information on the "manufacturer name" and "date of manufacture" of the single cell included in the battery module 20. Then, the process proceeds to step S2.

Next, in step S2, the first determination unit 43 determines whether the identification information has been successfully acquired from the information read in step S1 (acquisition unit 42) (whether an error has occurred that prevents the identification information from being acquired). When reading an optical symbol containing identification information, for example, an error may occur because the identification information cannot be acquired from the read image data due to lighting conditions, etc. Therefore, it is preferable to execute this step. However, this step is not essential, and can be omitted, for example, in cases where the battery module 20 is equipped with a small board containing identification information.

If the identification information cannot be obtained normally (the result of step S2 is NO), a warning is issued to the user as in step S3. The warning can be issued, for example, by the notification unit 49 displaying a warning on the display screen 60. Then, the control ends.

On the other hand, if the identification information has been successfully acquired (the result of step S2 is YES), the process proceeds to step S4. In step S4, the second determination unit 44 extracts and compares the "manufacturer name" information from the identification information for all (X number of) cells included in the battery module 20, and determines whether the manufacturer names of all the cells are the same. Note that this step is not essential, and if there is no visible evidence of the battery module 20 having been disassembled, for example, the battery module 20 does not contain cells with different manufacturers, manufacturing dates, usage histories, materials, etc. (the battery module 20 is a closed world), so this step can be omitted.

If the manufacturer names of the multiple cells are not all the same, in other words, if a single battery module 20 contains a mixture of cells from multiple manufacturers (if the result of step S4 is NO), a warning is issued to the user as in step S5. Then, control ends.

On the other hand, if all the cells have the same manufacturer name (if the result of step S4 is YES), proceed to step S6. In step S6, the third determination unit 45 extracts and compares the "manufacturing date" information from the identification information for all (X number of) cells included in the battery module 20, and determines whether the maximum difference between the manufacturing dates of all the cells is within a predetermined number of years. Note that this step is not essential, and like step S4, this step can be omitted. The maximum difference is found as the difference between the oldest and newest manufacturing dates. The predetermined number of years can be set arbitrarily and is stored in advance in the third determination unit 45.

In this embodiment, the specified number of years is 5 years. That is, if the maximum difference in the manufacturing dates of the cells included in one battery module 20 exceeds 5 years (if the result of step S6 is NO), a warning is issued to the user as in step S7. According to the inventor's study, if the maximum difference in the manufacturing dates exceeds 5 years, when the balancing described below is performed, the new cell will be pulled by the SOC of the old cell and will become the rate limiter, so the performance of the new cell cannot be fully utilized. Therefore, the control is terminated. The specified number of years is more preferably 3 years, and even more preferably 2 years. This makes it possible to keep the SOC variation low when the balancing described below is performed.

On the other hand, if the maximum difference between the manufacturing dates of the multiple cells is within 5 years (if the result of step S6 is YES), the process proceeds to step S8. In step S8, the selection unit 46 selects one usable control unit 30 from the multiple control units 30 according to the acquired identification information. In one example, each of the multiple control units 30 includes information on the battery manufacturer's name, and the information on the battery manufacturer's name of each control unit 30 is stored in advance in the selection unit 46. The selection unit 46 compares the "manufacturer name" information extracted in step S4 with the information on the battery manufacturer's name of the control unit 30, and selects one control unit 30 so that the manufacturer names of both are the same. In another example, a correspondence table in which the identification information of the battery module 20 is associated (linked) with one usable control unit 30 is stored in advance in the selection unit 46. The selection unit 46 selects one control unit 30 according to the acquired identification information based on this correspondence table. Then, the process proceeds to step S9.

In the next step S9, the connection unit 47 controls the multi-switch 50 to connect the control unit 30 selected in step S8 to the battery module 20 for which the identification information has been acquired. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of this process. In FIG. 4, the number m of control units 30 is 3, and the number n of battery modules 20 is 3. After step S8, when the control units 30 corresponding to each of the multiple battery modules 20 are identified, the upper control unit 40 controls the multi-switch 50 to connect the multiple battery modules 20 to the corresponding control units 30. Note that here, the battery modules 20 and the control units 30 are connected in a 1:1 ratio, but for example, multiple battery modules 20 may be connected to one control unit 30, or there may be a control unit 30 to which no battery modules 20 are connected.

In the next step S10, the upper control unit 40 transmits an instruction to balance the multiple single cells included in the battery module from the transceiver unit 41 to the control unit 30. The upper control unit 40 transmits an instruction to balance the capacity of the multiple single cells. Then, in the control unit 30, the transceiver unit 31 receives the instruction from the upper control unit 40, and the equalization unit 33 balances the capacity of the multiple single cells based on this instruction. In one example, a reference capacity that serves as a basis for balancing is stored in the equalization unit 33 in advance. The reference capacity may be set to the lowest value among the actual capacities of the multiple single cells, for example. The equalization unit 33 balances the multiple single cells connected in series to the above-mentioned reference capacity, for example, based on an instruction from the upper control unit 40. For example, in a normal state, the voltage value of each single cell is measured when the ignition is turned on/off, and if there is a variation, balancing is performed to make the voltage values of each single cell uniform. In one example, the high-voltage cell is discharged to bring it to a low voltage. Note that the process of balancing the capacity of multiple cells (e.g., the process of matching the capacity) is a conventionally known technique, so a detailed explanation is omitted here. Then, the control ends.

According to the above control method, even if battery modules 20 from different manufacturers are mixed, they can be connected to one of the multiple control units 30 based on the identification information. Therefore, various battery modules 20 can be freely combined and used, and the range of battery module 20 selection can be expanded.

In addition, in battery modules 20 and the like that are easily disassembled, there may be cases where cells with different manufacturers, manufacturing dates, usage histories, etc. are mixed in with one battery module 20. However, by performing the second determination (step S4), it is possible to prevent the battery module 20 from being charged or discharged while cells with unknown ID information (e.g., non-genuine products) are mixed in. Furthermore, by performing the third determination (step S6), it is possible to fully utilize the performance of each of the multiple cells contained in one battery module 20.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a control method following the control method of Figure 3. In a preferred embodiment, the control of steps S1 to S10 of Figure 3 is performed for each of the multiple battery modules 20, and then the control of steps S11 to S12 of Figure 5 is executed.

First, in step S11, the capacities of the multiple cells included in the battery module 20 are balanced, and then the SOC calculation unit 34 of the control unit 30 calculates the state of charge (SOC) of each battery module 20. The state of charge (SOC) is transmitted from the transceiver unit 31 of the control unit 30 and received by the transceiver unit 41 of the upper control unit 40.

In the next step S12, the discharge order determination unit 48 of the upper control unit 40 determines the discharge order based on the received SOC of each battery module 20. In one example, the discharge order is determined so that the battery module 20 with the lowest SOC is discharged first.

For example, after balancing, if the SOC of the first battery module 20 (e.g., manufactured in 2020-2022) is 80%, the SOC of the second battery module 20 (e.g., manufactured in 2018-2020) is 50%, and the SOC of the third battery module 20 (e.g., manufactured in 2016-2018) is 30%, the discharge order is determined so that the third battery module 20, the second battery module 20, and the first battery module 20 are discharged in that order. When the power supply device 100 is used for stationary purposes, such as storing power from a solar power generation system, the higher the SOC value, the more power can be stored. For this reason, it is preferable to preferentially allocate the battery module 20 with a low SOC for use in discharging, and conversely, to preferentially allocate the battery module 20 with a high SOC for use in charging. The upper control unit 40 then transmits discharge instructions to the multiple control units 30 in the order determined above. In other words, the multiple battery modules 20 (or the control unit 30) are sequentially connected to the external load in the order determined above.

In a preferred embodiment, balancing is not performed between the multiple battery modules 20. For example, capacity balancing is not performed between the multiple battery modules 20. In other words, it is preferable that the multiple battery modules 20 connected in parallel each have an independent circuit configuration. It is preferable that the multiple battery modules 20 connected in parallel are not electrically connected to each other. If the multiple battery modules 20 are balanced, the performance of the battery modules 20 with a relatively high SOC cannot be fully utilized because it is limited by the battery modules 20 with a low SOC.

[Manufacturing method of power supply device]
The power supply device 100 can be manufactured, for example, by a manufacturing method including the following steps: a preparation step, an acquisition step, and a connection step. The rest of the manufacturing process may be the same as in the past. The acquisition step may also include a procedure for replacing the battery module 20 as necessary. The power supply device 100 may be for stationary use as described above.

In the preparation process, first, an assembly is prepared that includes a plurality of battery modules 20 connected in parallel and a plurality of control units 30 that control the charging and discharging of the battery modules 20. As described above, each of the plurality of battery modules 20 includes a plurality of single cells. Each of the plurality of battery modules 20 is provided with identification information. The identification information includes, for example, information such as the "manufacturer name" and the "date of manufacture". The plurality of battery modules 20 preferably include second-hand reused products, and some or all of them may be reused products that were installed in a moving body such as a vehicle (so-called in-vehicle use). The assembly may further include a host control unit 40, etc.

Next, in the acquisition process, the identification information of the battery module 20 is acquired. For example, as described in step S1 of the above control method corresponding to this process, the identification information can be acquired by, for example, a user photographing an optical symbol attached to the surface of the battery module 20 and reading it from the photographed image data. At this time, if the identification information cannot be acquired, the battery module 20 from which the identification information cannot be acquired may be replaced with a new battery module 20, and the identification information may be acquired again.

In the acquisition process, if the multiple cells contained in one battery module 20 include cells with different manufacturer name information, the battery module 20 with the different manufacturer name may be replaced with a new battery module 20, and the identification information may be acquired again. Also, in the acquisition process, if the maximum difference between the manufacturing dates of the multiple cells contained in one battery module 20 exceeds a predetermined number of years, the battery module with the maximum difference exceeding the predetermined number of years may be replaced with a new battery module 20, and the identification information may be acquired again.

Next, in the selection process, one of the multiple control units 30 is selected according to the acquired identification information. For example, as described in step S8 of the above control method corresponding to this process, a control unit 30 with the same manufacturer name may be selected, or a control unit 30 may be selected based on a correspondence table in which the identification information and the control units 30 are associated (linked). Next, in the connection process, the selected control unit 30 is connected to the battery module 20 for which the identification information was acquired.

According to the manufacturing method described above, even if battery modules 20 from different manufacturers are mixed, they can be connected to one of the multiple control units 30 based on the identification information. Therefore, various battery modules 20 can be freely combined and used, expanding the range of battery module 20 choices.

The above describes an embodiment of the present invention, but the above embodiment is merely an example. The present invention can be embodied in various other forms. The present invention can be embodied based on the contents disclosed in this specification and the technical common sense in the relevant field. The technology described in the claims includes various modifications and variations of the above-exemplified embodiment.

(First modified example) For example, in the second judgment (step S4) of the control method or the acquisition step of the manufacturing method described above, it is determined whether the manufacturer names of the multiple cells are the same. Then, in the manufacturing method, a battery module 20 including cells with different manufacturer names is replaced with a new battery module 20. However, this is not limited to this. In a modified example, if the identification information includes the manufacturer name, the country of manufacture, and the name of the manufacturing plant, it may be determined whether all three pieces of information are the same. Also, in another modified example, if the identification information includes material information such as the positive electrode active material, it may be further determined whether the positive electrode active material is the same.

(Second Modification) For example, in the third judgment (step S6) of the control method or the acquisition step of the manufacturing method described above, it is determined whether the maximum difference between the manufacturing dates of the multiple single cells is within a predetermined number of years. Then, in the manufacturing method, a battery module 20 including a single cell whose maximum difference exceeds a predetermined number of years is replaced with a new battery module 20. However, this is not limited to this. In the modification, it may be determined whether the battery module 20 or single cell is a recall target based on the information of the manufacturer name and the manufacturing date. Whether or not it is a recall target can be determined by comparing the information of the manufacturer name and the manufacturing date in the identification information with a database of batteries that are recall targets stored in, for example, the upper control unit 40 or an external storage device (not shown). It is preferable that the database is connected to the Internet, an intranet, or other data source and configured to be updated as necessary. In this case, in the manufacturing method, the identification information may be acquired again after the battery module 20 including the recall target single cell is replaced with a new battery module 20. This prevents the power supply device 100 from being charged or discharged if a defective cell (e.g., a recalled product) is still present.

As described above, specific aspects of the technology disclosed herein include those described in the following sections.
Item 1: A method for controlling a power supply device including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and each having identification information attached thereto, a plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules, and a host control unit for controlling a connection between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of control units, wherein the host control unit is configured to acquire the identification information of the battery modules, select one of the plurality of control units in accordance with the acquired identification information, and connect the selected control unit to the battery module for which the identification information has been acquired.
Item 2: The method for controlling a power supply device according to item 1, wherein the upper control unit issues a warning when the identification information of the battery module cannot be acquired.
Clause 3: The method for controlling a power supply device described in clause 1 or 2, wherein the battery module includes a plurality of single cells connected in series, and the upper control unit connects the battery module to one of the plurality of control units, and then transmits an instruction to the control unit to balance the plurality of single cells included in the battery module, and the control unit balances the plurality of single cells based on the instruction from the upper control unit.
Clause 4: The method for controlling a power supply device according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein, after performing the balancing, each of the plurality of control units calculates a state of charge (SOC) of the battery module and transmits the state of charge to the upper control unit, and the upper control unit receives the SOC from the plurality of control units, determines an order of discharging the battery modules based on the SOC, and then transmits instructions for discharging to the plurality of control units in the determined order.
Clause 5: The method for controlling a power supply device according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the host control unit does not perform balancing among the plurality of battery modules.
Item 6: The method for controlling a power supply device according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of battery modules is a reusable item for vehicle mounting, and the power supply device is for stationary use.
Clause 7: A method for manufacturing a power supply device, comprising: a preparation step of preparing an assembly including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and having identification information attached thereto, and a plurality of control units that control charging and discharging of the battery modules; an acquisition step of acquiring the identification information of the battery modules; a selection step of selecting one of the plurality of control units in accordance with the acquired identification information; and a connection step of connecting the selected control unit to the battery module from which the identification information has been acquired.
Item 8: A method for manufacturing a power supply device as described in Item 7, wherein if the identification information of the battery module cannot be acquired in the acquisition process, the battery module from which the identification information cannot be acquired is replaced with a new battery module, and the identification information is acquired again.
Item 9: The method for manufacturing a power supply device according to item 7 or 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of battery modules is a reusable item for vehicle mounting, and the power supply device is for stationary use.

20 Battery module 30 Control unit 31 Transmitter/receiver 32 Charging/discharging unit 33 Equalization unit 34 SOC calculation unit 40 Upper control unit 41 Transmitter/receiver 42 Acquisition unit 43 First determination unit 44 Second determination unit 45 Third determination unit 46 Selection unit 47 Connection unit 48 Discharge order determination unit 49 Notification unit 50 Multi-switch 60 Display screen 100 Power supply device

Claims (9)

A plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and each having identification information attached thereto;
A plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules;
A host control unit that controls connections between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of control units;
A control method for a power supply device comprising:
The battery module includes a plurality of cells,
the identification information includes information on the names of manufacturers of the plurality of single cells,
The upper control unit is
acquiring the identification information of the battery module;
determining whether the manufacturer names of all the cells included in one battery module are the same based on the acquired identification information;
A method for controlling a power supply device , which is configured to select one of a plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information only for battery modules in which the manufacturer names of all of the single cells are determined to be the same , and to connect the selected control unit to the battery module for which the identification information was acquired. A plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and each having identification information attached thereto;
A plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules;
A host control unit that controls connections between the plurality of battery modules and the plurality of control units;
A control method for a power supply device comprising:
The battery module includes a plurality of cells,
the identification information includes information on dates of manufacture of the plurality of cells,
The upper control unit is
acquiring the identification information of the battery module;
determining whether or not a maximum difference between the dates of manufacture of the plurality of cells included in one of the battery modules is within a predetermined number of years based on the acquired identification information;
A method for controlling a power supply device, which is configured to select one of a plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information only for battery modules in which the manufacturing dates of a plurality of the single cells are determined to be within a predetermined number of years, and to connect the selected control unit to the battery module for which the identification information was acquired . The plurality of cells are connected in series,
the upper control unit connects the battery module to one of the plurality of control units, and then transmits an instruction to the control unit to balance the plurality of single cells included in the battery module;
The control unit balances the plurality of single cells based on an instruction from the upper control unit.
A method for controlling the power supply device according to claim 1 or 2 . Each of the plurality of control units calculates a state of charge (SOC) of the battery module after performing the balancing and transmits the state of charge (SOC) to the upper control unit;
the upper control unit receives the SOC from the plurality of control units, determines an order of discharging the battery modules based on the SOC, and then transmits an instruction to the plurality of control units to discharge the battery modules in the determined order.
The method for controlling the power supply device according to claim 3. The upper control unit does not perform balancing among the plurality of battery modules.
A method for controlling the power supply device according to claim 1 or 2 . At least one of the plurality of battery modules is a reusable product for vehicle use,
The power supply device is for stationary use.
A method for controlling the power supply device according to claim 1 or 2 . a preparation step of preparing an assembly including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and having identification information attached thereto, and a plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules;
acquiring the identification information of the battery module;
a selection step of selecting one of the plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information;
a connecting step of connecting the selected control unit and the battery module from which the identification information has been obtained;
Including,
The battery module includes a plurality of cells,
the identification information includes information on the names of manufacturers of the plurality of single cells,
A method for manufacturing a power supply device, in which, if a battery module includes a battery with a different manufacturer name among the multiple batteries included in the battery module during the acquisition process, the battery module including the battery with the different manufacturer name is replaced with a new battery module . a preparation step of preparing an assembly including a plurality of battery modules connected in parallel and having identification information attached thereto, and a plurality of control units for controlling charging and discharging of the battery modules;
acquiring the identification information of the battery module;
a selection step of selecting one of the plurality of control units according to the acquired identification information;
a connecting step of connecting the selected control unit and the battery module from which the identification information has been obtained;
Including,
The battery module includes a plurality of cells,
the identification information includes information on dates of manufacture of the plurality of cells,
In the method for manufacturing a power supply device, if the maximum difference between the manufacturing dates of the multiple cells contained in one battery module in the acquisition process exceeds a predetermined number of years, the battery module whose maximum difference exceeds the predetermined number of years is replaced with a new battery module . At least one of the plurality of battery modules is a reusable product for vehicle use,
The power supply device is for stationary use.
A method for manufacturing the power supply device according to claim 7 or 8.

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