KR101778664B1

KR101778664B1 - Charging Apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: KR101778664B1
Application number: KR1020150061793A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 김학인; 남호철; 김동현
Original assignee: 주식회사 엘지화학
Priority date: 2015-04-30
Filing date: 2015-04-30
Publication date: 2017-09-14
Also published as: KR20160129525A

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery including at least two battery packs which can be separated and combined; A charging unit for charging the at least two battery packs; A charging switch unit provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger; And a control unit for determining the simultaneous charging and individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and controlling the charging switch unit.

Description

[0001] Charging Apparatus and Method [0002]

The present invention relates to a charging apparatus, and more particularly, to a charging apparatus and a charging method capable of uniformly charging at least two or more battery packs which can be separated and combined.

Generally, a vacuum cleaner sucks dirt such as dust together with surrounding air, and then collects dirt in the air through a dust collecting device. Particularly, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus has a merit that it can be used semi-permanently since a rotating air current is formed in the air to separate dirt from the air by using the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the air, and no dust bag is required.

Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2014-0113856 discloses a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner which can selectively perform a handy cleaning or a stick cleaning. The handy-stick type vacuum cleaner has a structure in which a handy-type vacuum cleaner is detachably mounted on the front portion of the stick body. Therefore, the handy-type vacuum cleaner can be mounted on the front face of the stick body to perform cleaning, or the handy-type vacuum cleaner can be cleaned while being separated from the stick body. That is, the handy type vacuum cleaner and the stick main body are provided with battery packs, respectively, so that even if the handy type vacuum cleaner is separated from the stick body, it can be cleaned with the handy type vacuum cleaner. In addition, when the unit is coupled to the stick body, the handy type vacuum cleaner can be cleaned with a stronger suction force.

Such a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner is charged after the handy type vacuum cleaner is coupled to the stick body. That is, the battery pack of the handy type vacuum cleaner unit and the battery pack of the stick main body are simultaneously charged. However, each of the battery packs of the handy type cleaner and the stick main body can be charged with different states of charge (SOC). For example, if a Mini Vac is cleaned with a Mini Vac, the battery pack of the Mini Vac is discharged more than the battery pack of the stick. Lt; / RTI >

If the battery pack is charged at the same time by connecting the charger in this state, the battery pack with a high SOC will be charged in a short period of time. However, if the battery pack is charged beyond this limit, the battery management system And the charging is stopped. Therefore, a battery pack having a low SOC has a short charging time, and therefore, the use time of the battery pack is inevitably short due to a shortage of the charging capacity with respect to the usable capacity.

The present invention provides a charging apparatus and method for charging at least two or more battery packs that can be separated and combined.

The present invention provides a charging apparatus and method capable of equally charging at least two or more battery packs having different SOCs.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging apparatus comprising: a battery including at least two battery packs which can be separated and combined; A charging unit for charging the at least two battery packs; A charging switch unit provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger; And a control unit for controlling the charging switch unit by determining simultaneous charging and individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs.

And a connection switch unit for controlling a connection between the at least two battery packs and the charging unit to set a charging path.

The at least two battery packs have different charging capacities or the same charging capacity.

The charging switch unit includes a number of charging switches that is greater than or equal to the number of the at least two battery packs.

The charging switch unit includes one first charging switch for simultaneous charging of the at least two battery packs and at least one second charging switch for individually charging each of the at least two battery packs.

The connection switch unit may include a first connection switch provided between the battery and the charging switch unit, at least one second connection switch provided between the at least two battery packs, and at least one second connection switch provided between the at least two battery packs, At least one third connection switch, and a fourth connection switch provided between the battery and the charger.

The control unit may include at least two sensing units for sensing the states of at least two battery packs. At least one SOC estimation unit estimating an SOC of the at least two battery packs; And a determination unit for determining a simultaneous charging or individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and outputting a control signal for controlling the charging switch unit and the connection switch unit.

The at least one sensing unit is disconnected and connected to the at least one SOC estimating unit by the separation and combination of the at least one battery pack.

The control unit may include a power source unit for detecting the connection of the charger and generating power for driving the sensing unit, the SOC estimating unit, and the determining unit, and a controller for determining the simultaneous charging or the individual charging of the at least two battery packs And a data storage unit for storing the SOC.

And a pumping unit for pumping at least one of the control signals supplied from the control unit to the connection switch unit. According to an aspect of the present invention,

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a charging method comprising: connecting at least two battery packs; Estimating an SOC of the at least two battery packs; And simultaneously charging or separately charging the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs.

Connecting the at least two battery packs and connecting the live parts, and detecting the connection of the live parts.

The SOC of at least two or more battery packs is compared with a reference SOC to simultaneously charge or individually charge the battery pack having an SOC lower than the reference SOC.

And terminating the charging when the SOC of at least one battery pack reaches the limit SOC.

An electric device according to another aspect of the present invention includes at least two parts that can be separated and combined with each other; At least two battery packs respectively provided in the at least two parts and capable of being coupled to and detachable from each other; A load provided in at least one component and supplied with electric energy from the battery pack; A charging unit for charging the battery pack; A charging switch unit provided within the one component and provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger; And a control unit which is provided inside the one component and determines the simultaneous charging and the individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and controls the charging switch unit.

And a connection switch unit provided inside a part for controlling a connection between the at least two battery packs, the charging unit, and the load to set a charging and discharging path.

And a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner in which the handy type vacuum cleaner can be coupled to and detached from the stick body.

The battery pack is respectively provided in the handy type vacuum cleaner and the stick main body, and the load, the charging switch unit, and the connection switch unit are provided in the handy type vacuum cleaner.

The charging device of the present invention charges at least two or more battery packs simultaneously or individually according to the SOC of at least two or more battery packs that can be separated and combined. That is, at least two or more battery packs are charged by continuously estimating the SOC of at least two battery packs and charging the battery packs lower than the reference SOC. Therefore, the SOC of the at least two battery packs can be equalized by charging the battery pack having a low SOC at a longer time and charging the battery pack at a shorter time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of an electric device including a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.
2 is a configuration diagram of a control unit of a charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a flow diagram of a charging method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 to FIG. 6 are schematic diagrams of electric devices for explaining a current path according to a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but is capable of other various forms of implementation, and that these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, It is provided to let you know completely.

1. Example of charging device

1 is a configuration diagram of an electric device including a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electric device including a charging device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes first and second battery packs 110 and 120 that can be separated and combined, A charging unit 300 for supplying electric energy to the battery 100 and a battery 200 for supplying electric energy to the battery 100. The charging unit 300 includes a load 200 receiving electric energy from the battery 100, A connection switch unit 500 provided between the battery 100, the load 200 and the charger unit 300 to set a charge / discharge path, and at least two or more batteries And a controller 600 that detects and compares the states of the packs 110 and 120, respectively, and controls the charging switch unit 400 and the connection switch unit 500. A converter unit 700 for converting the power supplied from the charging unit 300 through the charging switch unit 400 and a pumping unit for pumping the control signal supplied from the control unit 600 to the connection switch unit 500 800). Here, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, the charging unit 300, the charging switch unit 400, the connection switch unit 500, the control unit 600, the converter unit 700 and the pumping unit 800, Can constitute the charging device according to the present invention.

1.1. Removable and attachable battery

The battery 100 stores and provides electrical energy. The battery 100 may include first and second battery packs 110 and 120 that can be separated and combined. For example, the first battery pack 110 may be provided on the stick main body of the handy-stick type compound cleaner, and the second battery pack 120 may be provided on the handy type vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 can be connected by fastening the handy type vacuum cleaner to the stick body, and the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are separated from each other by separating the handy type vacuum cleaner from the stick body. . Here, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in which the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are included, but the present invention may include a case where at least two battery packs can be separated and combined. Meanwhile, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 may include a plurality of battery cells that can be charged and discharged, and a predetermined number of battery cells may constitute a battery module. That is, each of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 may include at least one battery module, and each of the battery modules may include a plurality of battery cells. The type of the battery cell is not particularly limited, but may be, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium polymer battery, a nickel cadmium battery, a nickel hydride battery, or a nickel zinc battery. Here, the plurality of battery modules may be connected in series and / or in parallel in various ways to meet specifications of the battery packs 110 and 120, the load 200, etc., and a plurality of battery cells may also be connected in series and / Can be connected. Meanwhile, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 may have different capacities. For example, the second battery pack 120 may have a capacity larger than that of the first battery pack 110. That is, the second battery pack 120 may have a larger number of battery cells than the first battery pack 110, or the capacity of the battery cell may be larger. The larger the capacity, the more electric energy can be charged and thus the electric energy can be discharged for a long time. Of course, the capacity of the first battery pack 110 may be larger than that of the second battery pack 120, and the capacity of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 may be the same.

1.2. Load

The load 200 may include electrical and / or electronic components driven by electrical energy provided from the battery 100, for example, a motor in a vacuum cleaner that can be powered by receiving electrical energy from the battery 100 . At this time, the motor may be provided in a handy vacuum cleaner. That is, the motor can be separated and coupled to the stick body together with the second battery pack 120. [ Of course, the load 200 may include various electric and electronic products driven by a rechargeable battery 100 such as an electric car, a smart phone, etc., as well as a motor of a cleaner. On the other hand, the load 200, that is, the electric / electronic part may include a conversion device for converting electric energy provided from the battery 100. [

1.3. Live part

The charging unit 300 is connected to the stick main body, for example, to charge the first and second battery packs 110 and 120. The charging unit 300 may include a charger main body, a connector, a plug, and the like. In addition, an AC-DC converting unit for generating a DC power from an AC power source may be provided in the charger main body. Here, a plug may protrude from one surface of the charger main body, and a predetermined cable may be provided in one area of the charger main body. In another area of the connector, a connector connected to the charger main body may be provided. Therefore, when the plug is inserted into the socket and the connector is inserted into the predetermined portion of the stick main body, the charging unit 300 receives the household AC power and converts it into DC power to charge the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 .

1.4. charge The switch section

The charging switch unit 400 is provided between the battery 100 and the charging unit 300 to control the charging of the battery 100. [ The charging switch unit 400 may include first, second, and third charging switches 410, 420, and 430. In other words, the charging switch unit 400 may be provided in plurality according to the number of at least two battery packs. If two battery packs are provided, three charging switches may be provided, and three battery packs may be provided Four charging switches may be provided. Accordingly, the charging switch unit 400 may be constituted by at least one more number of switches than the number of the battery packs 110 and 120. The first to third charging switches 410, 420, and 430 may be connected in parallel and may be driven according to a control signal of the controller 600. That is, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 may be charged at the same time or only one according to the respective SOC, and the first to third charging switches 410, 420, 430 may be provided. For example, a first charging switch 410 is provided for simultaneous charging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, and a second charging switch 410 for individually charging the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 2 and third charging switches 420 and 430 may be provided. The first to third charging switches 410 may include FETs 411, 421 and 431 and diodes 412, 422 and 432, respectively. The first charging switch 410 may include a first FET 411 and a first diode 412 and the second charging switch 420 may include a second FET 421 and a second diode 422. [ And the third charge switch 430 may include a third FET 431 and a third diode 432. [ The drain terminal and the source terminal of the first to third first FETs 411, 421 and 431 are provided between the battery 100 and the charging unit 300, and the gate terminal is connected to the control unit 600. Accordingly, the first to third FETs 411, 421 and 431 are driven according to a control signal output from the controller 600 to supply power from the charger 300 to the battery 100 side. Here, the first FET 411 may be driven according to a control signal of the controller 600 when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged, and the second and third FETs 421 and 431 May be driven according to a control signal of the controller 600 when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are individually charged. The first to third diodes 412, 422 and 432 are connected in parallel to the first to third FETs 411, 421 and 431 respectively and are connected in a reverse direction between the charging unit 300 and the battery 100 . Since the first to third diodes 412, 422 and 432 are connected in the reverse direction between the charging unit 300 and the battery 100, when the first to third FETs 411, 421 and 431 are turned off, 300 to the battery 100 is blocked.

1.5. connect The switch section

The connection switch unit 500 is provided between the battery 100, the load 200, and the charger 300 to set charge / discharge paths therebetween. The connection switch unit 500 includes a first connection switch 510 provided between the charging switch unit 400 and the first battery pack 110 and a second connection switch 510 provided between the first battery pack 110 and the second battery pack 120. [ A third connection switch 530 provided between the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and between the charging unit 300 and the second battery pack 120, A fourth connection switch 540 provided between the charging units 300 and a fifth connection switch 550 provided between the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the load 200 . The connection switch unit 500 is driven according to a control signal output from the control unit 600, and at least one connection switch is driven according to a signal pumped by the pumping unit 700. The first connection switch 510 is turned on when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged or when the first battery pack 110 is charged alone. The second connection switch 520 is turned on when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged to connect the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 in series, The first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are turned off and turned on when the second battery pack 120 is charged alone. At this time. The first connection switch 510 and the second connection switch 520 are both turned on when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged and when the first battery pack 110 is charged alone, The switch 510 is turned on and the second connection switch 520 is turned off so that the first connection switch 510 is turned off and the second connection connection switch 520 is turned off when the second battery pack 120 is fully charged Turn on. The third connection switch 530 is turned on when the first battery pack 110 is completely charged to form a current path between the first battery pack 110 and the charger 300. The fourth connection switch 540 is turned on when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged or turned on when the second battery pack 120 is individually charged, To form a current path. On the other hand, the fifth connection switch 550 allows the energy of the battery 100 to be supplied to the load 200.

The first to fifth connection switches 510 to 550 may each include at least one FET and at least one diode, and the FET and the diode may be connected in parallel. The first connection switch 510 may include a first FET 511 and a first diode 512 connected in parallel and the second connection switch 520 may include a second FET 521 and a second FET 522 connected in parallel. And a diode 522. The third connection switch 530 may include two third FETs 531a and 531b connected in series and two third diodes 532a and 532b. The fourth connection switch 540 may include a fourth FET 541 and a fourth diode 542 connected in parallel and the fifth connection switch 550 may include a fifth FET 551 and a fifth FET 552 connected in parallel. And a parasitic diode 552. The first connection switch 510 is connected between the charging switch unit 400 and the first battery pack 110 and the first diode 512 is connected between the charging switch unit 400 and the first battery pack 110, And is connected in the forward direction toward the battery pack 110. [ The second connection switch 520 is connected between the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 so that the second FET 521 is connected between the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, And is connected in the forward direction toward the second battery pack 120. The third connection switch 530 is connected between the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the charging unit 300 through the third and third FETs 531a and 531b, 532a, and 532b are provided in mutually opposite directions. At this time, the source terminal of the 3a-th FET 531a is connected to the battery 100 side, the drain terminal thereof is connected to the source terminal of the 3b-FET 531b, and the source terminal of the 3b- 531a and the drain terminal may be connected to the charging unit 300 side. The third diode 532a may be connected in a reverse direction from the battery 100 to the charging unit 300 and the third diode 532b may be connected to the battery 100 in the forward direction toward the battery charging unit 300. The fourth connection switch 540 is connected between the second battery pack 120 and the charging unit 300 and the fourth diode 542 is connected between the second battery pack 120 and the charging unit 300 ) Direction. The fifth connection switch 550 is connected between the battery 100 and the load 200 and the fifth diode 555 is connected in reverse from the battery 100 to the load 200 have.

1.6. The control unit

The control unit 600 measures and compares the SOC of the battery packs 110 and 120 and outputs control signals for driving the charging switch unit 300 and the connection switch unit 400. That is, the controller 600 measures and compares the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, and then, according to the simultaneous charging or the single charging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, And outputs a control signal for driving gate terminals of the FETs of the connection switch unit 300 and the connection switch unit 400, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2, the controller 600 includes sensing units 611 and 612 for sensing states of voltages and currents of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, sensing units 611 and 612 The SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the SOC according to the sensed data of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, And a determination unit 630 for determining charging or individual charging. The configuration and functions of the controller 600 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Meanwhile, when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged, the control unit 600 turns on the first charging switch 410 and turns on the first, second, and fourth connection switches 510, 520, and 540 ). At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the second and third charge switches 420 and 430 and turns off the third and fifth connection switches 530 and 550. Accordingly, a current path is generated from the charger 300 to the charger 300 through the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 so that the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged. In addition, the controller 600 turns on the second charging switch 420 and turns on the third connection switch 530 when the first battery pack 110 alone is charged. At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the first and third charging switches 410 and 430, and turns off the second, fourth, and fifth connection switches 520, 540, and 550. Therefore, a current path is generated from the charger 300 to the charger 300 through the first battery pack 110, so that the first battery pack 110 is charged singly. The control unit 600 turns on the third charging switch 430 and turns on the second and fourth connection switches 520 and 540 when the second battery pack 120 is charged alone. At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the first and second charging switches 410 and 420, and turns off the first, third, and fifth connection switches 510, 530, and 550. Therefore, a current path is generated from the charging unit 300 to the charging unit 300 through the second battery pack 120, so that the second battery pack 120 is charged singly.

1.7. Converter section

The converter unit 700 converts the DC power supplied from the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 through the charging switch unit 400. The converter unit 700 may include first to third converters 710, 720, and 730 that convert DC power supplied through the first to third charging switches 410, 420, and 430, respectively. At this time, the first to third converters 710, 720 and 730 can convert the power supplied from the charger 300 to different DC voltages. For example, when the charging capacity of the second battery pack 120 is greater than the charging capacity of the first battery pack 110, the first converter 710 charges the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 simultaneously And the second converter 720 generates a second DC voltage for exclusive charging of the first battery pack 110 and the third converter 730 generates the second DC voltage for charging the second battery pack 120 Can be generated. Thus, the first DC voltage may be greater than the second and third DC voltages, and the third DC voltage may be greater than the second DC voltage. That is, the first DC voltage may be generated to be larger than the second and third DC voltages to charge the sum of the charge capacities of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, respectively. Of course, if the capacities of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are the same, two converters may be required.

1.8. Pumping section

The pumping unit 800 pumps a control signal supplied from the control unit 600 to the connection switch unit 500. That is, the connection switch unit 500 maintains the high voltage state of the source terminal, and a voltage higher than the voltage of the source terminal is required at the gate terminal to transmit the voltage to the drain terminal, and the pumping unit 800 is provided to generate the voltage . In other words, the converter unit 700 converts the power supplied from the charger 300 according to the capacities of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, A third connection switch 730 for setting the current path of the battery 100 and the charging unit 300 and a second connection switch 730 for setting the discharge path between the battery 100 and the load 200 The fifth connection switch 750 is driven by the signals pumped by the first to fourth pumping devices 810, 820, 830, 840.

2. Configuration of control unit

2 is a block diagram for explaining a configuration of a control unit of a charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2, the control unit of the present invention includes sensing units 611, 612, and 610 that respectively sense states of voltage, current, and temperature of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, The SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the SOC according to the sensing data of the second sensing units 611 and 612 and the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, And a determination unit 630 that determines whether the packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously or individually charged. Further, although not shown, the controller 600 may further include a power supply unit for supplying power to the controller 600, and a data storage unit for storing data for driving the control unit and the charging apparatus, such as a reference SOC and a limit SOC.

2.1. Sensing portion

The sensing units 611, 612, and 610 are provided to sense the states of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, respectively. The sensing units 611 and 612 may be provided in the number corresponding to the number of the at least two battery packs so that the state of at least two or more battery packs Respectively. The sensing units 611 and 612 sense voltages and currents of the battery packs 110 and 120, for example. The first sensing unit 611 is provided in the stick body for sensing the state of the first battery pack 110 and the second sensing unit 612 is provided for sensing the state of the second battery pack 120. [ For example, in a handy vacuum cleaner. The sensing units 611 and 612 can sense voltages and currents of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and can sense the battery modules in the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, Voltage and current can be sensed. Accordingly, the first and second sensing units 611 and 612 may each include a plurality of sensors, for example, at least one voltage sensor and at least one current sensor. The voltage sensor can measure the voltage of at least one of the battery packs 110 and 120, the battery module, or the battery cell. The current sensor can measure the current of each of the battery packs 110 and 120. The current sensor may include a Hall current transformer (Hall CT) that measures current using, for example, a Hall element and outputs a signal corresponding to the measured current. The sensing units 611 and 612 may further include first and second battery packs 110 and 120 or a temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring an ambient temperature. The temperature sensor may measure the temperature of one or a plurality of regions of the battery pack 110, 120 or the battery module, and at least one of the temperature sensors may be provided.

2.2. SOC Estimation part

The SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the SOC of each of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120. The SOC estimating unit 620 may be provided in the handy-type vacuum cleaner of the handy-stick type vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, the SOC estimating unit 620 maintains a connection state with the second sensing unit 612, and may be connected to the first sensing unit 611 when the handy type vacuum cleaner is coupled to the stick body. The SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the capacity of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 measured from the first and second sensing units 611 and 612, To estimate the respective SOCs. That is, the SOC estimating unit 620 accumulates the current values measured for the predetermined time from the sensing units 611 and 612 and divides them by the capacities of the battery packs 110 and 120, SOC can be estimated. In this case, the capacities of the battery packs 110 and 120 can be estimated by various methods. For example, the capacity of each of the battery packs 110 and 120 may be estimated by varying the internal resistance of each of the battery packs 110 and 120 The current and voltage of each of the battery packs 110 and 120 can be measured and the internal resistance of each of the battery packs 110 and 120 can be indirectly calculated using Ohm's law. Meanwhile, the SOC estimating unit 620 can estimate the SOC of each battery pack 110, 120 continuously or at predetermined time intervals while the first and second battery packs 110, 120 are charged or discharged. Here, at least two SOC estimation units 620 may be provided to estimate the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, respectively.

2.3. [0040]

The determination unit 630 determines whether the battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged or individually charged using the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 estimated by the SOC estimating unit 620, To this end, a control signal is generated. The determination unit 630 may be provided in the handy-type vacuum cleaner of the handy-stick type vacuum cleaner. Here, the determination unit 630 determines the simultaneous charging or the individual charging based on the set SOC. For example, when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are both below the reference SOC, the SOC is determined to be 80%, and a control signal for the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 is determined to be simultaneously charged. It is judged as individual charging and a control signal for that is outputted. The determination unit 630 determines whether the SOC exceeds the reference SOC using the SOC of each of the battery packs 110 and 120 continuously estimated during simultaneous or individual charging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 It can be judged in real time to determine whether or not the battery is charged. In addition, the determination unit 630 may determine whether the SOC exceeds the limit SOC in order to prevent overcharge of the battery packs 110 and 120. That is, when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 exceed the limit SOC of, for example, 95%, the determination unit 630 outputs a control signal for turning off the charging switch unit 300 to terminate charging So that overcharging of the battery packs 110 and 120 can be prevented.

The operation of the determination unit 630 will be briefly described below. The judging unit 630 turns on the first FET 411 of the charging switch unit 400 when the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 estimated by the SOC estimating unit 620 is lower than the reference SOC, And outputs control signals for turning on the first, second, and fourth FETs 511, 521, and 541 of the connection switch unit 500. When the SOC of the first battery pack 110 is lower than the reference SOC, the determination unit 600 turns on the second FET 422 of the charging switch unit 400 and turns on the third FET 531 of the connection switch unit 500 And outputs a control signal for turning on the switch SW1. When the SOC of the second battery pack 120 is lower than the reference SOC, the determination unit 630 turns on the third FET 431 of the charging switch unit 400 and turns on the second and fourth And outputs a control signal for turning on the FETs 521 and 541. Such a charge control signal may continue until at least two battery packs 110 and 120 reach a set SOC, for example, 95% SOC. That is, when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 exceed the limit SOC of 95%, the determination unit 630 outputs a control signal for turning off the charging switch unit 400 to terminate charging Overcharging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 can be prevented.

2.4. Power supply unit and data storage unit

The power unit (not shown) senses the connection of the charger 300 and provides power to the components constituting the controller 600. That is, when the charging unit 300 is connected, the charge sensing signal DET_CHG is supplied to the power supply unit. Accordingly, the power supply unit is enabled to receive power from the charging unit 300 and supply power to the components constituting the control unit 600 do. Such a power source may be provided in the handy-type vacuum cleaner of the handy-stick type vacuum cleaner. Accordingly, when the handy type cleaner and the stick-type main body are connected, the power source unit can be connected to the first sensing unit 611. At least one of the sensing units 611 and 612, the SOC estimating unit 620 and the calculating unit 630 may have different driving power sources. At least one power source having a different potential for driving the component may be generated.

In addition, a data storage unit (not shown) stores data such as a reference SOC for simultaneous charging or individual charging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, and a limit SOC for charging termination. That is, the determination unit 630 compares the SOCs of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 estimated by the SOC estimation unit 620 with the reference SOC and the limit SOC stored in the data storage unit, It is possible to judge completion of charging. The reference SOC, the limit SOC, and the like can be variously set according to the sizes and specifications of the battery packs 110 and 120 or the battery module, the number of battery cells, and the like.

As described above, the charging apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention simultaneously or simultaneously charges at least two battery packs 110 and 120 according to the SOC of at least two battery packs 110 and 120 that can be separated and combined . That is, the SOC of at least two battery packs 110 and 120 is estimated and the at least two battery packs 110 and 120 are charged by charging the battery packs 110 and 120 lower than the reference SOC. Accordingly, it is possible to equalize the SOC of at least two battery packs 110 and 120 by charging the battery pack having a low SOC with a longer time and charging the battery pack with a shorter time, .

3. Example of charging method

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are diagrams for illustrating a current path according to a charging method. Hereinafter, a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Referring to FIG. 2, a charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention includes connecting at least two battery packs (S110), detecting connection of a charger (S120), and connecting at least two SOC (140) comparing at least two or more SOCs of the at least two battery packs with a reference SOC; and comparing (140) at least two or more battery packs simultaneously if the SOC of at least two or more battery packs is lower than the reference SOC And S160 separately charging at least one battery pack when the SOC of the at least one battery pack is lower than the reference SOC (S160). The method may further include a step (S190) of comparing the SOC of at least two battery packs with a limit SOC (S180) and terminating the charging when the limit SOC is reached (S190).

First, at least two battery packs are connected (S110). The first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are provided in different areas of the electric device and can be separated and combined, and can be combined for charging. For example, in the case of a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner, a handy type vacuum cleaner provided with a second battery pack 120 is combined with a stick-type body provided with the first battery pack 110 to form first and second battery packs 110 and 120 ). At this time, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are connected and the controller 600 is connected. For example, the first sensing unit 611 for sensing the state of the first battery pack 110 may be connected to the SOC estimating unit 620.

Then, when the charger 300 is connected, the connection state of the charger 300 is detected (S120). For example, when a charger for converting a household power source into a predetermined direct current power source is connected to a predetermined region of a stick main body of a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner, a power source supplied from the charger is supplied to a power source unit of the control unit 600, Can be detected. When power is supplied to the power supply unit, the power supply unit generates at least one internal power supply for driving the components of the control unit 600 and supplies the at least one internal power supply to the respective components of the control unit 600.

The first and second sensing units 611 and 612 measure the voltage, current, and temperature of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120, and the SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the first, And SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 (S130). For example, the SOC estimating unit 620 estimates the capacity of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the currents of the battery packs 110 and 120 measured from the first and second sensing units 611 and 612, The SOC of each of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 can be estimated. That is, the SOC estimating unit 620 accumulates the current values measured for the predetermined time from the sensing units 611 and 612 and divides them by the capacities of the battery packs 110 and 120, SOC can be estimated.

Then, the estimated SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 is compared with a reference SOC (S140). If the SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 is lower than the reference SOC, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are simultaneously charged (S150). For example, when the SOC of the first battery pack 110 is 30% and the SOC of the second battery pack is 70%, the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are all charged do. The control unit 600 outputs a control signal to turn on the first FET 411 of the charge switch unit 400 and turn on the first, second and fourth FETs 511, 521, and 541 of the connection switch unit 500 ). At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the second and third FETs 421 and 431 of the charge switch unit 400 and turns off the third and fifth FETs 531 and 551 of the connection switch unit 500 Off. 4, a current path is generated from the charger 300 to the charger 300 through the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 so that the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 are electrically connected to each other, Is simultaneously charged.

The SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 is continuously estimated while charging the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 at the same time, 120) with the reference SOC (S160). If at least one of the battery packs 110 and 120 is equal to or higher than the reference SOC and at least one of the other battery packs 110 and 120 is lower than the reference SOC, . For example, when the SOC of the first battery pack 110 is lower than the reference SOC, the controller 600 turns on the second FET 421 of the charging switch unit 400 to charge the first battery pack 110 alone , The third FET 531 of the connection switch unit 500 is turned on. At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the first and third FETs 411 and 431 of the charge switch unit 400 and turns off the second, fourth and fifth FETs 521 and 522 of the connection switch unit 500, 541 and 551 are turned off. 5, a current path is generated from the charging unit 300 to the charging unit 300 through the first battery pack 110 to charge the first battery pack 110 alone. If the SOC of the second battery pack 120 is lower than the reference SOC, the controller 600 turns on the third FET 431 of the charging switch unit 400 to charge the second battery pack 120 alone, The second and fourth FETs 521 and 541 of the connection switch unit 500 are turned on. At the same time, the control unit 600 turns off the first and second FETs 411 and 421 of the charge switch unit 400 and turns off the first, third and fifth FETs 511 and 511 of the connection switch unit 500, 531 and 551 are turned off. 6, a current path is generated from the charging unit 300 to the charging unit 300 through the second battery pack 120, so that the second battery pack 120 is charged singly.

The SOC of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 is continuously estimated during the simultaneous charging and individual charging of the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 and the charging process. Then, the charging can be continued until the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 reach the predetermined limit SOC, for example, 95% SOC. That is, when the first and second battery packs 110 and 120 exceed the limit SOC of 95% (S180), the determination unit 630 determines that the control signal for turning off the charge switch unit 400 to terminate the charge So that at least two battery packs 110 and 120 can be prevented from overcharging (S190).

As described above, the charging method according to an embodiment of the present invention compares the SOC of at least two battery packs with the reference SOC to perform simultaneous charging or individual charging. That is, at least two or more battery packs are simultaneously charged to stop charging when the SOC of at least one of the battery packs reaches a reference SOC, and when the SOC of at least another battery pack having an SOC lower than the reference SOC becomes a reference SOC . In addition, the charging may be continued beyond the reference SOC, and the charging is terminated when the limit SOC is reached in order to prevent overcharging.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but may be embodied in various forms. In other words, the above-described embodiments are provided so that the disclosure of the present invention is complete, and those skilled in the art will fully understand the scope of the invention, and the scope of the present invention should be understood by the appended claims .

110, 120: Battery pack 200: Load
300: Charging unit 400: Charging switch unit
500: connection switch unit 600: control unit
700: converter section 800: pumping section

Claims

A battery including at least two battery packs which can be separated and combined;
A charging unit for charging the at least two battery packs;
A charging switch unit provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger; And
And a control unit for determining the simultaneous charging and individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and controlling the charging switch unit,
Wherein the control unit includes at least two sensing units for sensing states of at least two battery packs,
At least one SOC estimation unit for estimating an SOC of the at least two battery packs,
And a determination unit for determining a simultaneous charging or individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and outputting a control signal for controlling the charging switch unit and the connection switch unit,
Wherein the at least one sensing portion is disconnected and connected to the at least one SOC estimating portion by disconnection and engagement of the at least one battery pack.

The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a connection switch section for controlling a connection between the at least two battery packs and the charging section to set a charging path.

The charging device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the at least two battery packs have different charging capacities or have the same charging capacity.

The charging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the charging switch unit includes a number of charging switches that is greater than or equal to the number of the at least two battery packs.

The battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the charging switch unit includes one first charging switch for simultaneous charging of the at least two battery packs and at least one second charging switch for individually charging each of the at least two battery packs Charging device.

The battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the connection switch unit comprises: a first connection switch provided between the battery and the charging switch unit;
At least one second connection switch provided between the at least two battery packs,
At least one third connection switch provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger,
And a fourth connection switch provided between the battery and the charger.

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[2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller comprises: a power unit for generating power for driving the sensing unit, the SOC estimating unit,
Further comprising a data storage unit for storing a reference SOC for determining simultaneous charging or individual charging of the at least two battery packs.

The battery pack according to claim 2, further comprising: a converter unit for converting power supplied from the charging unit through the charging switch unit and supplying the power to the at least one battery pack;
Further comprising a pumping unit for pumping at least one of the control signals supplied from the control unit to the connection switch unit.

Connecting at least two battery packs;
Estimating an SOC of the at least two battery packs; And
And simultaneously charging or separately charging the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs,
Further comprising the step of connecting the charging unit after connecting the at least two battery packs and detecting the connection of the charging unit.

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12. The charging method as claimed in claim 11, wherein the SOC of the at least two battery packs is compared with a reference SOC to simultaneously charge or individually charge the battery pack having an SOC lower than the reference SOC.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising terminating charging if the SOC of at least two battery packs reaches a limit SOC.

At least two parts capable of being separated and combined with each other;
At least two battery packs respectively provided in the at least two parts and capable of being coupled to and detachable from each other;
A load provided in at least one component and supplied with electric energy from the battery pack;
A charging unit for charging the battery pack;
A charging switch unit provided within the one component and provided between the at least two battery packs and the charger; And
And a control unit which is provided inside the one component and controls the charging switch unit by determining the simultaneous charging and the individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs,
Wherein the control unit includes at least two sensing units for sensing states of at least two battery packs,
At least one SOC estimation unit for estimating an SOC of the at least two battery packs,
And a determination unit for determining a simultaneous charging or individual charging of the at least two battery packs according to the SOC of the at least two battery packs and outputting a control signal for controlling the charging switch unit and the connection switch unit,
Wherein the at least one sensing portion is disconnected and connected to the at least one SOC estimating portion by disconnection and engagement of the at least one battery pack.

16. The electric device according to claim 15, further comprising a connection switch part provided inside the one part, for controlling the connection between the at least two battery packs, the charging part and the load to set the charging and discharging path.

17. The electric device according to claim 16, wherein the handy-type vacuum cleaner includes a handy-stick type vacuum cleaner that can be coupled to and detached from the stick body.

The electric device according to claim 17, wherein the battery pack is provided in the handy type vacuum cleaner and the stick main body, respectively, and the load, the charging switch portion and the connection switch portion are provided in the handy type vacuum cleaner.