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EP-4718682-A9 - ACCUMULATOR AND METHOD FOR OPERATING AN ACCUMULATOR

EP4718682A9EP 4718682 A9EP4718682 A9EP 4718682A9EP-4718682-A9

Abstract

The present invention relates to a battery (1), in particular an IoT battery, comprising at least one battery cell (2) for receiving, storing, and discharging energy, an energy interface (3) for connecting the battery (1) to an end device and/or an external energy source, and a first control unit (4) for controlling the at least one battery cell (2) and/or the energy interface (3). The invention also relates to a method for operating a battery (1). According to the invention, the battery (1) is characterized in that the first control unit (4) comprises a first control core (5) and a second control core (6), or that the battery (1) comprises a second control unit (7) in addition to the first control unit (4).

Inventors

  • Szekacs, Endre
  • Fech, Daniel

Assignees

  • Einhell Germany AG

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250912

Claims (15)

  1. Accumulator (1), in particular an IoT accumulator, with at least one accumulator cell (2) for receiving, storing and releasing energy, an energy interface (3) for connecting the accumulator (1) to an end device and/or an external power source, and a first control unit (4) for controlling the at least one accumulator cell (2) and/or the energy interface (3), characterized by , that the first control unit (4) comprises a first control core (5) and a second control core (6) or that the accumulator (1) comprises a second control unit (7) in addition to the first control unit (4).
  2. Accumulator (1) according to the previous claim, characterized in that the first control unit (4) or the first control core (5) of the first control unit (4) is designed as a battery management system.
  3. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second control unit (7) or the second control core (6) is designed as an IoT interface (8) or comprises an IoT interface (8).
  4. Accumulator (1) according to the previous claim, characterized in that the second control unit (7) or the second control core (6) comprises a programming interface (9).
  5. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first control unit (4) and/or the second The control unit (7) is designed as a microcontroller, in particular as a programmable microcontroller.
  6. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the accumulator (1) comprises at least one accumulator data interface (10) for, in particular, bidirectional data exchange.
  7. Accumulator (1) according to the previous claim, characterized in that the battery data interface (10) is exclusively connected to the second control unit (7) or the second control core (6).
  8. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that a data connection (11) between the second control unit (7) and the first control unit (4) or the second control core (6) and the first control core (5) includes read rights but in particular no write rights.
  9. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first control unit (4) has a data storage device (12), wherein the data storage device (12) comprises a protected area (13) which is in particular exclusively assigned to the first control core (5).
  10. Accumulator (1) according to the previous claim, characterized in that the data storage (12) has an unprotected area (14) which is in particular exclusively assigned to the second control core (6).
  11. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the first control unit (4) or the first control core (5) comprises a read-only memory (15) (ROM).
  12. Accumulator (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second control unit (7) or the second control core (6) comprises a direct access memory (16) (RAM).
  13. Method for operating an accumulator (1), which is designed in particular according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that basic functions of the accumulator (1) are controlled by a first control unit (4) or a first control core (5) of the first control unit (4) and extended functions of the accumulator (1) are controlled by a second control unit (7) or a second control core (6) of the first control unit (4).
  14. Method according to the preceding claim, characterized in that the basic functions relate to the operational safety of the accumulator (1), and the extended functions include user-defined and/or device-specific functions.
  15. Method according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in the event of a conflict, control commands of the first control unit (4) are executed with priority over control commands of the second control unit (7) or control commands of the first control core (5) are executed with priority over control commands of the second control core (6).

Description

The present invention relates to a battery, in particular an IoT battery, comprising at least one battery cell for receiving, storing and discharging energy, an energy interface for connecting the battery to an end device and/or an external energy source, and a first control unit for controlling the at least one battery cell and/or the energy interface. The invention also relates to a method for operating a battery. Rechargeable batteries have been around for a long time. They are used, for example, to power power tools. Usually, several batteries are used alternately to avoid interruptions while working with the power tool. The increased capacities of recent decades allow even larger power devices, such as lawnmowers, to be operated with rechargeable batteries. Most power tool manufacturers use battery systems with corresponding chargers and batteries whose energy interfaces are designed in a specific way, so that batteries from one manufacturer are generally not compatible with power tools from another manufacturer. Therefore, purchasing a battery system significantly contributes to customer loyalty to a power tool manufacturer. It is therefore desirable to equip batteries with additional functions as a selling point, thereby giving the batteries themselves, and potentially also the end devices they power, a market advantage. For example, intelligent functions such as user programmability can be added to the batteries. Furthermore, batteries can be given extensive communication capabilities with users and other devices. In this way, the batteries can be integrated into the ever-evolving Internet of Things (IoT). An intelligent An IoT battery, for example, can communicate with a user via various end devices. The energy output and input, particularly the voltage and current levels, as well as the timing and intervals of energy output and input, can potentially be individually set or programmed by the user. However, it should be ensured that the operational safety of the battery is not compromised. The object of the present invention is therefore to propose a safe accumulator and a method by which an accumulator can be operated safely. The problem is solved by an accumulator and a method for operating an accumulator with the features of the independent patent claims. The accumulator according to the invention is designed in particular as an IoT accumulator. This includes, for example, some or all of the functions already described above. The accumulator preferably comprises at least one accumulator cell for receiving, storing, and discharging energy. The accumulator cell provides, in particular, the basic function of the accumulator: operating connected end devices. The accumulator can have a varying number of accumulator cells depending on the required energy capacity. For example, the accumulator may comprise at least two accumulator cells. The accumulator cells are, in particular, rechargeable by a charger connected to the accumulator. Furthermore, the accumulator preferably includes a power interface for connecting the accumulator to an end device and/or an external power source. The power interface provides, in particular, a connection between the at least one accumulator cell and a connected charger or end device. The accumulator also includes a first control unit for controlling the at least one battery cell and/or the energy interface. In known batteries, the first control unit manages, for example, the charging and discharging processes and monitors the battery's operating parameters. According to the invention, the accumulator is characterized in that the first control unit comprises a first control core and a second control core, or that the accumulator comprises a second control unit in addition to the first control unit. The aim of this embodiment is, in particular, to separate the safety functions of the accumulator from the extended functions, so that, for example, it is ensured that the safety functions are not affected by the extended functions and thus, preferably, that the accumulator is always operated within predefined safety parameters. The separate control structure creates, for example, a secure area to which a user has no access within the scope of the accumulator's intelligent functions. It is always ensured that the accumulator can perform its basic functions safely. The unsecured area can be configured very freely by the user or through updates, for example, without any risk to the operational safety of the accumulator. It is advantageous if the first control unit or the first control core of the first control unit is configured as a battery management system. This allows the first control unit or control core to take over the essential tasks of monitoring and controlling the battery cells. This includes, for example, monitoring the state of charge, voltage, current flow, and/or temperature of individual battery cells and/or the entire battery. This specialization ensures that t