The present disclosure generally relates to electric vehicles. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for distributing power in the electric vehicles having a plurality of parallelly connected battery packs.
BACKGROUND
[002] With the advancement in technology and with increasing awareness about environmental pollution, nowadays electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular among consumers. The main elements of an electric vehicle may be considered as an electric motor or electric engine that drives the vehicle, a rechargeable battery pack that powers the electric motor of the EV and a motor controller or Motor Control Unit (MCU) for controlling the operations of the motor.
[003] Often, there arises situations which require an electric vehicle to be driven by a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel. The electric vehicle may be driven by some or all of the plurality of parallelly connected battery packs depending on the situation and requirement. For example, when any battery pack of the plurality of battery packs develops any fault, then the electric vehicle needs to be driven with remaining battery packs. However, conventionally there is no effective mechanism which can selectively isolate one or more battery packs from remaining battery packs for smooth operation of the electric vehicle. Said differently, there is no mechanism available for monitoring and controlling the plurality of parallelly connected battery packs.
[004] Thus, there exists a need for further improvements in the technology, especially for low cost and optimal solution for monitoring and controlling a plurality of parallelly connected battery packs.
[005] The present disclosure is directed to overcome one or more limitations stated above or any other limitations associated with the prior art.
[006] The information disclosed in this background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the disclosure and should not be taken

as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.
SUMMARY
[007] The one or more shortcomings of the prior art are overcome, and additional advantages are provided through the provision of the system/method as disclosed in the present disclosure. Additional features and advantages are realized through the techniques of the present disclosure. Other embodiments and aspects of the disclosure are described in detail herein and are considered a part of the claimed disclosure.
[008] Pursuant to the embodiments of the present disclosure, in an aspect, a power distribution system for an Electric Vehicle (EV) is disclosed. The system comprises a battery unit comprising a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel and a vehicle control unit (VCU) communicatively connected to each of the plurality of battery packs. The VCU is configured to receive at least one parameter from each of the plurality of battery packs via a communication bus and select at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs by analysing the received at least one parameter.
[009] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, to analyze the at least one received parameter, the VCU is configured to compare value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs with a corresponding pre¬set threshold value and identify healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs based on the comparison. A battery pack is identified as healthy when the value of the at least one received parameter is in accordance with the corresponding pre-set threshold value.
[010] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one parameter comprises state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack, state of health (SOH) of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, and diagnostic data of the battery pack.
[Oil] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of battery packs is connected to a motor control unit (MCU) of the EV via a respective

battery pack by comparing the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other and selectively close the connecting means corresponding to the selected at least one healthy battery pack for supplying power to the MCU.
[012] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle comprises a plurality of compartments each configured to accommodate one or more battery packs. In a preferred embodiment, one compartment accommodates one battery pack. The VCU is configured to receive an ACK signal from at least one battery pack, generated in response to an input command sent from the VCU to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments. The VCU is further configured to identify at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signal and isolate the identified at least one compartment where the battery pack is absent from the remaining compartment(s) where a battery pack is present.
[013] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, to isolate the identified at least one compartment, the VCU is configured to selectively disconnect connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment, wherein the connecting means are configured to connect battery packs present in the identified at least one compartment with a motor control unit (MCU) of the EV.
[014] In another non-limiting embodiment, a method for distributing power in an Electric Vehicle (EV) is disclosed. The method comprises receiving, by a vehicle control unit (VCU) of the EV, at least one parameter from each of a plurality of battery packs, connected in parallel, via a communication bus and selecting, by the VCU, at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs by analysing the received at least one parameter.
[015] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, analysing the at least one received parameter comprises comparing value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs with a corresponding pre-set threshold value, and identifying healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs based on the comparison, wherein a battery pack is identified as healthy when

the value of the at least one received parameter is in accordance with the corresponding pre-set threshold value.
[016] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the at least one parameter comprises state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack, state of health (SOH) of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, and diagnostic data of the battery pack.
[017] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of battery packs is connected to a motor control unit (MCU) of the EV via a respective connecting means, and the method further comprises selecting at least one healthy battery pack by comparing the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other, and selectively closing the connecting means corresponding to the selected at least one healthy battery pack for supplying power to the MCU.
[018] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle comprises a plurality of compartments each configured to accommodate one or more battery packs. The method comprises receiving ACK signals from at least one battery pack, generated in response to an input command sent from the VCU to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments. The method further comprises identifying at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signals, and isolating the identified at least one compartment from the remaining compartments where a battery pack is present.
[019] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, isolating the identified at least one compartment comprises selectively disconnecting, connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment, wherein the connecting means are configured to connect battery packs present in the identified at least one compartment with a motor control unit (MCU) of the EV.
[020] In another non-limiting embodiment, a power distribution system for an Electric Vehicle (EV) is disclosed. The system comprises a plurality of compartments each configured to accommodate one or more battery packs and a vehicle control unit (VCU) communicatively connected to each of the plurality of battery packs and the connecting

means. The one or more battery packs are connected to a motor control unit (MCU) of the EV via respective connecting means. The VCU is configured to send an input command to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments and in response receive ACK signals from at least one battery pack. The VCU is further configured to identify at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signals, and isolate the identified at least one compartment from the remaining compartments by selectively disconnecting the connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment. By isolating the identified at least one compartment, the techniques of the present disclosure reduce the chances of damage to battery packs and other electrical components of the vehicle thereby, increasing the lifespan of the battery packs and other electric components and improving the reliability of the vehicle as a whole.
[021] In accordance with the present disclosure, the proposed method/system, provides improved and optimal low-cost solution for controlling the parallelly connected battery packs in the vehicle. The disclosed solution uses a simple circuit for controlling the multiple parallel battery packs thereby bringing down the overall cost of the vehicle while reducing the chances of damage to battery packs and other electrical components of the vehicle. Thus, the proposed method/system make operating the vehicle safer and more reliable.
[022] It is to be understood that the aspects and embodiments of the disclosure described above may be used in any combination with each other. Several of the aspects and embodiments may be combined together to form a further embodiment of the disclosure. The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[023] The novel features and characteristics of the disclosure are set forth in the description. The disclosure itself, however, as well as a preferred mode of use, further objectives, and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following description of an illustrative embodiment when read in conjunction with the

accompanying drawings. One or more embodiments are now described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals represent like elements and in which:
[024] Figure 1 illustrates a block diagram 100 of a power distribution system for an electric vehicle (EV);
[025] Figure 2 illustrates an electrical line diagram 200 of the proposed system 210 for distributing power in the electric vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
[026] Figure 3 illustrates a block diagram 300 of a vehicle control unit (VCU), in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[027] Figure 4 depicts a flowchart illustrating a method 400 for distributing power for an electric vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[028] It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of the illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present disclosure. Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the drawings are illustrated for simplicity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the drawings may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[029] While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the Figures and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[030] Before describing detailed embodiments, it may be observed that the novelty and inventive step that are in accordance with the present disclosure resides in a method and system for controlling parallelly connected battery packs for distributing power in an electric vehicle. It is to be noted that a person skilled in the art can be motivated from the present disclosure and modify the various operations of the system and the method. However, such modification should be construed within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings only show those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present disclosure so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the description herein.
[031] In the present disclosure, the term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.
[032] The terms "comprise", "comprising", or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusions, such that a device that comprises a list of components does not include only those components but may include other components not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by "comprises... a" does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or apparatus.
[033] The terms like "at least one" and "one or more" may be used interchangeably or in combination throughout the description. The terms like "motor control unit" and "motor controller" and "MCU" may be used interchangeably throughout the description. The terms like "electric vehicle", "electrical vehicle", "EV", and "vehicle" may be used interchangeably throughout the description and may comprise any two-wheeler vehicle such as motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, mopeds, scooter type vehicle, and the like. However, it may be noted that the teachings of the present disclosure are equally applicable to any multi-wheeler vehicle including three and four-wheeler vehicles.

[034] While the present disclosure is illustrated in the context of electric vehicles, the techniques and aspects of the present disclosure and the features thereof can be used with other type of vehicles as well such as, but not limited to, hybrid electric vehicles.
[035] Pursuant to the embodiments of the present disclosure, a power distribution system for an Electric Vehicle (EV) is disclosed. The system comprises a battery unit comprising a plurality of battery packs connected in parallel and a vehicle control unit (VCU) communicatively connected to each of the plurality of battery packs. The VCU may be configured to receive at least one parameter from each of the plurality of battery packs via a communication bus and select at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs by analysing the received at least one parameter.
[036] Referring now to Figure 1, which illustrates a block diagram 100 of a power distribution system for an electric vehicle (EV). The system comprises a motor control unit (MCU) 110 communicatively connected with a battery unit or battery system 120 of the vehicle. The battery unit 120 may be configured to provide power to various components within the vehicle. The MCU 110 may regulate operations of a motor of the vehicle. The MCU 110 may convert battery power (or electrical energy from the battery unit 120) into mechanical energy to provide driving force for the vehicle. In an aspect, the MCU 110 may also convert mechanical energy into electrical energy to be stored in the battery unit 120. If the motor uses AC power, the MCU 110 may be configured to convert DC battery power into AC power.
[037] Nowadays, the electric vehicles are provided with multiple battery packs because many situations require the vehicles to be powered by multiple parallelly connected battery packs. To increase the range of the electric vehicles (especially two-wheeler vehicles), multiple battery packs are required. For instance, the battery unit 120 of Figure 1 may comprise a plurality of parallelly connected rechargeable battery packs 130-1,130-2 (collected represented by reference numeral 130). The plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 may be connected with the MCU 110 either directly or via respective connecting means. The system may further comprise a plurality of compartments 140-1, 140-2 (collected represented by reference numeral 140) to accommodate the plurality of battery packs 130. Each compartment is configured to accommodate one or more battery packs. In a preferred embodiment, one compartment

accommodates one battery pack. Monitoring and controlling various aspects of the parallelly connected battery packs 130 and isolation of selected battery packs from the plurality of battery packs 130 is a challenging task in such systems. In other words, isolation of selected compartments from the plurality of compartments 140 is a challenging task in such systems.
[038] For example, in some situations, during charging of the battery packs 130, an operator may want to charge only selective battery packs from the plurality of battery packs or during operation of the electric vehicle, the operator may want to use only selected battery packs for distributing power in the electric vehicle. Such situations are challenging task as they require selectively charging/connecting of battery packs .
[039] Further, distributing power in the vehicle using battery packs having different charging levels is also a challenging task. In an exemplary embodiment, if there are two parallelly connected battery packs 130-1, 130-2 in a vehicle (as shown in figure 1) and one battery pack 130-1 is fully charged while the other battery pack 130-2 is 50% charged. In such a situation, when the vehicle is turned ON then instead of flowing the current towards the motor, there may be substantial current flow between the two battery packs e.g., from the fully charged battery pack towards the less charged battery pack. Hence, instead of supplying the power to the MCU 110, the battery packs may start charging each other.
[040] The battery packs are usually placed in a vehicle within different battery compartments (not shown) which have electrically active terminals. If an operator decides to use only one battery pack for powering the vehicle, then he/she may isolate remaining battery packs of the plurality of battery packs by manually disconnecting them. However, when any impurity or metal particle enters into the compartment(s) of the isolated battery packs, there are chances of electrical short circuit.
[041] Further, during operation of the electrical vehicle, any battery pack may develop fault(s). However, conventionally there is no effective mechanism for detecting faulty battery packs from the plurality of battery packs 130. Furthermore, if one battery pack develops fault but the operator wants to operate the vehicle with remaining battery packs then he/she needs to isolate the faulty battery pack from healthy battery packs.

However, conventionally there are no effective techniques for automatically isolating the faulty battery packs from the healthy battery packs.
[042] To overcome these and other problems, the present disclosure proposes improved, optimal, and low-cost solutions (methods and apparatus/systems) for controlling a plurality of battery packs for distributing power in an electrical vehicle. The disclosed solution utilizes control signals for monitoring health of the battery packs and isolating selective battery packs from the plurality of battery packs without increasing chaos and complexity of electrical circuits inside the vehicle. Further, the proposed system can automatically detect and isolate faulty battery packs thereby saving considerable amount of time and manual efforts.
[043] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the following paragraphs with reference to Figures 2 to 3. In Figures 1 to 3, the same element or elements which have same functions are indicated by the same reference numerals.
[044] Referring now to Figure 2, which illustrates an electrical line diagram 200 of a proposed power distribution system 210 for distributing power in an electric vehicle (EV) comprising a plurality of parallelly connected battery packs, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In the proposed system 210, the battery unit or battery system 120 comprises a plurality of compartments 140-1, 140-2 which are configured to accommodate a plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 connected in parallel with each other. For instance, a first compartment 140-1 may be configured to accommodate a first battery pack 130-1 and a second compartment 140-2 may be configured to accommodate a second battery pack 130-2. Each of the plurality of battery packs or compartments may be connected to the Motor Control Unit (MCU) 110 via a respective connecting means (also referred to as "main switch" in the present disclosure). For instance, a first battery pack 130-1 may be connected to the MCU 110 via a first main switch 150-1 and a second battery pack 130-2 may be connected to the MCU 110 via a second main switch 150-2. The connecting means 150-1,150-2 may be collectively represented by reference numeral 150.

[045] In one non-limiting embodiment, the connecting means 150 may comprise an electrical component that can disconnect or connect a conducting path between a respective battery pack 130 and the MCU 110. In an embodiment, the connecting means 150 may include a solid-state switch, a relay switch, a contactor, and semiconductor switches like a field-effect transistor (FET), a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), and like. Each of the plurality of battery packs 130 may store electrical energy to provide power to the MCU 110. Each battery pack 130 may be made up of a number of cells that are grouped into modules.
[046] In the forthcoming paragraphs, some or all of the battery packs 130-1, 130-2 may be collectively referenced as battery pack(s) 130; some or all of the compartments 140-1,140-2 may be collectively referenced as compartment(s) 140; and some or all of the main switches 150-1, 150-2 may be collectively referenced as main switch(es) 150.
[047] Coming back to Figure 2, the system 210 may further comprise a vehicle control unit (VCU) 160 communicatively/electrically connected to each of the main switches 150, the battery packs 130 and/or compartments 140, and the MCU 110. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the VCU 160 is responsible for controlling the functional aspects of the vehicle including the controlling and isolating of the battery packs 130 using one or more control signals CS_MS1, CS_MS2 (collectively represented by reference numerals CS_MS); one or more signals or input commands Bl, B2; one or more acknowledgement signals Al, A2 as shown in Figure 2.
[048] In one non-limiting embodiment, the main switches 150 may be connected between the positive terminals of the battery packs 130 and one input terminal of the MCU 110, and the negative terminals of the battery packs 130 may be connected with the other input terminal of the MCU 110 either directly or via some connecting means. In an aspect, the negative terminals of the battery packs 130 and the other input terminal of the MCU 110 may connected to a common ground G.
[049] The forthcoming paragraphs describe the detailed operation of controlling and isolating battery packs in an electric vehicle for distributing power in the electric vehicle.

[050] In one non-limiting embodiment, the VCU 160 may continuously read/monitor vehicle states and key operations. When the VCU 160 senses that a key switch of the vehicle is activated, it reads the states of the battery packs (i.e., whether battery packs are present or not in the compartments). In an embodiment, when the VCU 160 senses that the key switch of the vehicle is activated, it may send input commands or signals towards the plurality of compartments 140 which are configured to accommodate the plurality of battery packs 130. For example, the VCU 160 may send an input command Bl towards the first compartment 140-1 which is configured to accommodate the first battery pack 130-1 and may send an input command B2 towards the second compartment 140-2 which is configured to accommodate the second battery pack 130-2.
[051] The VCU 160 may then receive acknowledgement (ACK) signals from some or all of the plurality of battery packs 130 or compartments 140 via a communication bus 170. The communication bus 170 may be bi-directional communication bus including, but not limited to, Controller Area Network (CAN) bus. For instance, the first battery pack 130-1 may send an acknowledgement signal Al to the VCU 160 via the communication bus 170 and the second battery pack 130-2 may send an acknowledgement signal A2 to the VCU 160 via the communication bus 170. Based on receiving of the acknowledge signals, the VCU 160 may determine whether battery packs are present in the compartments or not. For instance, upon receiving the ACK signals Al and A2, the VCU 160 may determine that the battery packs 130-1,130-2 are present in the compartments 140-1, 140-2 respectively.
[052] It may be noted here that the acknowledgement signals are received only from those compartments where a corresponding battery pack is present and connected. For example, if there is no battery pack present in the compartment 140-2 or if there is a battery pack but it is not connected, then acknowledgement signal A2 will not be received from the compartment 140-2. The VCU 160 may isolate such compartments (where battery pack is absent or is not connected) from remaining compartments using the main switches 150. For instance, upon receiving no acknowledgement from compartment 140-2, the VCU 160 may isolate compartment 140-2 from remaining compartments where battery packs are present by selectively disconnecting the connecting means 150-2 using the control signal CS_MS2. In one non-limiting

embodiment, the VCU 160 may receive negative acknowledgement (NACK) signal from the compartments 140-2 where the battery pack is absent, and the VCU 160 may isolate the compartment 140-2 (where the battery pack is absent) from the remaining compartments where battery packs are present by selectively disconnecting the connecting 150-2 means using the control signal CS_MS2.
[053] In one non-limiting embodiment, each of the acknowledgement signals may comprise one or more parameters related to a corresponding battery pack. The one or more parameters may include a state of charge (SOC) of the corresponding battery pack, a state of health (SOH) of the corresponding battery pack, a temperature of the corresponding battery pack, and diagnostic data of the corresponding battery pack. In an alternative embodiment, after receiving the ACK signals (or after identifying the compartments where battery packs are present), the VCU 160 may send one or more signals towards the identified compartments and in response may receive the one or more parameters from the identified compartments.
[054] The SOC of a battery pack may be defined as the level of charge of the battery pack relative to its capacity. SOC represents short term capability of a battery pack and is usually expressed in terms of percentage. During the lifetime of a battery pack, its performance or health deteriorates with time. State of Health (SOH) is a measurement that reflects general condition of a battery pack and its ability to deliver specified performance compared with a fresh battery pack. The SOH takes into account various factors as charge acceptance, internal resistance, self-discharge, but not limited thereto. SOH is a measure of long-term capability of a battery pack. The diagnostic data may include any of SOC, SOH, temperature and/or other factors.
[055] The VCU 160 may analyse the received one or more parameters for each battery pack to identify at least one healthy battery pack from the plurality of battery packs 130 and then may select one or more battery packs from the identified healthy battery packs for supplying power to the vehicle. For instance, the VCU 160 may compare value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs 130 with corresponding pre-set threshold values and identify healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs 130 based on the comparison. A battery pack may be

identified as healthy when the values of its received parameters are in accordance with pre-set criteria.
[056] For a particular battery pack, the VCU 160 may compare its SOC and SOH values with corresponding threshold values. Also, the VCU 160 may compare the temperature of the particular battery pack with a threshold temperature value. The VCU 160 may identify a battery pack as a healthy battery pack when the values of SOC and SOH of the battery pack are higher than the corresponding threshold values and the value of temperature of the battery pack is lower than the threshold temperature value. The VCU 160 may selectively isolate the battery packs which are identified as unhealthy.
[057] After identifying healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs 130, the VCU 160 may select one or more battery packs from the identified healthy battery packs for distributing power in the electric vehicle. For instance, the VCU 160 may compare the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other for selecting the one or more battery packs for distributing power in the electric vehicle. The VCU 160 may then selectively close the connecting means corresponding to the selected one or more battery packs based on the control signals CS-MS.
[058] In this manner, the techniques of the present disclosure selectively use one or more battery packs for distributing power in the electric vehicle while isolating the remaining battery packs. The above-described techniques are now explained with the help of an example:
[059] Consider an example, where there are 6 compartments CI to C6 in an electrical vehicle each configured to accommodate one battery pack. Consider that there are a total of 5 battery packs available in the vehicle namely BP1 to BP5 having SOC, SOH, and temperature values as shown in Table 1.

Battery Pack Value of SOC (%) Value of SOH (%) Value of temperature (°C) Criteria for healthy battery
BP1 97 96 37°C SOH >85
BP2 80 86 35°C

BP3 86 90 39°C S0O85
Temperature <40
BP4 96 55 53°C

BP5 95 88 38°C

Table 1: Values of SOC, SOH, and temperature of different battery packs
[060] Once the key switch of the vehicle is activated, the VCU 160 may initially send signals Bl to B6 towards the compartments C1-C6 respectively which may in turn send acknowledgement to VCU 160. Consider that the VCU 160 receives acknowledgement only from compartments C1-C5 which means that compartment C6 does not have any battery pack. The VCU 160 may then compare SOC, SOH, temperature etc. of each battery pack BP1-BP5 with respective threshold values, as indicated in table 1. From the exemplary data of table 1, it is clear that the SOC, SOH, and temperature values of battery packs BP1, BP3, and BP5 satisfy all of the threshold conditions which means battery packs BP1, BP3, and BP5 are healthy battery packs.
[061] The VCU 160 may then compare SOC values of BP1, BP3, and BP5 with each other for selecting one or more battery packs from BP1, BP3, and BP5 for distributing power to the electric vehicle. Consider that the selection criteria are that the battery packs whose SOC values differ by less than 5% may be selected for distributing power in the electric vehicle. Based on this selection criteria, the VCU 160 select battery packs BP1 and BP5 for distributing power in the vehicle. The VCU 160 may selectively activate or turn ON the connecting means corresponding to battery packs BP1 and BP5 while turning OFF or deactivating the connecting means corresponding to battery packs BP2-BP4. This way the VCU 160 isolates the battery packs BP1 and BP5 from remaining battery packs and vice versa. The isolated battery packs BP1 and BP5 may then be used for performing various vehicle operations including pre-charging the MCU; supplying power to vehicle engine, headlamp, taillamp etc.
[062] In this manner, the present disclosure discloses a simplified circuit with minimal components for controlling multiple parallelly connected battery packs in electric vehicles. Particularly, the proposed techniques can automatically monitor health of battery packs present in the vehicle and may selectively provide power to the electrical

vehicle using one or more healthy battery packs. With the proposed design, the proposed techniques reduce the chances of damage to battery packs and other electrical components of the vehicle thereby, increasing the lifespan of the battery packs and other electric components and improving the reliability of the system as a whole. Thus, the proposed techniques make operating the vehicle having multiple battery packs safer and more reliable.
[063] Referring now to Figure 3, which shows a block diagram 300 of a vehicle control unit (VCU) 160 used in the vehicle, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the VCU 160 may comprise various hardware components such as at least one processor 310, at least one memory 320, at least one transceiver 330, and at least one interface 340. In addition to these, the VCU 160 may also comprise other components which are necessary for normal operation of the vehicle. The memory 320, the interface(s) 340, the transceiver 330, and the processor 310 may be responsible for carrying out the operations discussed in foregoing paragraphs.
[064] The at least one processor 310 may include, but not restricted to, a general-purpose processor, a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), microprocessors, microcomputers, micro-controllers, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.
[065] The at least one memory 320, the interface(s) 340, and the transceiver 330 may be communicatively coupled with the at least one processor 310. The memory 320 may comprise various instructions/data related to vehicle. The memory 320 may include a Random-Access Memory (RAM) unit and/or anon-volatile memory unit such as a Read Only Memory (ROM), optical disc drive, magnetic disc drive, flash memory, Electrically Erasable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), and so forth. The memory 320 may store one or more instructions executable by the at least processor 310.The at least

one transceiver 330 may assist the VCU 160 in communicating with various other electronic devices/components.
[066] The interfaces 340 may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, an input device-output device (I/O) interface, a network interface, and the like. The I/O interfaces may allow the VCU 160 to interact with other components/devices directly or through other devices (e.g., through a CAN bus). The network interface may allow the VCU 160 to interact with one or more devices/components either directly or via any network.
[067] Referring now to Figure 4, a flowchart is described illustrating an exemplary method 400 for distributing power for an Electric Vehicle (EV), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 400 is merely provided for exemplary purposes, and embodiments are intended to include or otherwise cover any methods or procedures for generating at least one pattern from at least one data set. In an embodiment, the various steps of the method 400 may be performed by the vehicle control unit (VCU) 160 or by the at least one processor 310 of the VCU 160.
[068] The method 400 may include, at block 402, receiving at least one parameter from each of a plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 via a communication bus 170. Each of the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 may be connected in parallel with each other. For example, the VCU 160 may be configured to receive the at least one parameter from each of the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 via the communication bus 170.
[069] At block 404, the method 400 may include selecting at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 by analyzing the received at least one parameter. For example, the VCU 160 may be configured to select the at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 by analyzing the received at least one parameter.
[070] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the operation of block 404 i.e., analyzing the received at least one parameter may comprise comparing value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs

with a corresponding pre-set threshold value, and identifying healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 based on the comparison. A battery pack may be identified as healthy when the value of the at least one received parameter is in accordance with the corresponding pre-set threshold value.
[071] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one parameter may comprise state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack, state of health (SOH) of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, and diagnostic data of the battery pack.
[072] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of battery packs 130-1, 130-2 may be is connected to a motor control unit (MCU) 110 of the EV via a respective connecting means 150-1, 150-2 and the method 400 may further comprises selecting at least one healthy battery pack by comparing the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other; and selectively closing the connecting means corresponding to the selected at least one healthy battery pack for supplying power to the MCU 110.
[073] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, each of the connecting means 150-1, 150-2 may be a relay switch configured to connect the respective battery pack to the MCU 110.
[074] In another non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, the vehicle may comprise a plurality of compartments 140-1, 140-2 each configured to accommodate one or more battery packs and the method 400 may comprise receiving ACK signals Al, A2 from at least one battery pack, generated in response to an input command sent from the VCU 160 to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments. The method may further comprise identifying at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signals Al, A2 and isolating the identified at least one compartment from the remaining compartments where a battery pack is present.
[075] In one non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, isolating the identified at least one compartment may comprise selectively disconnecting the connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment, wherein

the connecting means are configured to connect battery packs present in the identified at least one compartment with a motor control unit (MCU) 110 of the EV.
[076] The above method 400 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform specific functions or implement specific abstract data types.
[077] The order in which the various operations of the method are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the methods can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.
[078] The various operations of method described above may be performed by any suitable means capable of performing the corresponding functions. The means may include various hardware and/or software component(s) and/or module(s), including, but not limited to the processors 310 of Figure 3. Generally, where there are operations illustrated in Figures, those operations may have corresponding counterpart means-plus-function components. It may be noted here that the subject matter of some or all embodiments described with reference to Figures 1-3 may be relevant for the method and the same is not repeated for the sake of brevity.
[079] The present disclosure is described by considering that one compartment accommodates one battery pack. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and in an embodiment the one compartment may accommodate more than one batter pack.
[080] In a non-limiting embodiment of the present disclosure, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media may be utilized for implementing the embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. Certain aspects may comprise a computer program product for performing the operations presented herein. For example, such a computer program product may comprise a computer readable media having

instructions stored (and/or encoded) thereon, the instructions being executable by one or more processors to perform the operations described herein. For certain aspects, the computer program product may include packaging material.
[081] Well-known functions or constructions may not be described in detail for brevity and/or clarity. As used herein the expression "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.
[082] While considerable emphasis has been placed herein on the particular features of this disclosure, it will be appreciated that various modifications can be made, and that many changes can be made in the preferred embodiments without departing from the principles of the disclosure. These and other modifications in the nature of the disclosure or the preferred embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the disclosure herein, whereby it is to be distinctly understood that the foregoing descriptive matter is to be interpreted merely as illustrative of the disclosure and not as a limitation.
EQUIVALENTS;
[083] The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained with reference to the non-limiting embodiments in the description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.
[084] The foregoing description of the specific embodiments will so fully reveal the general nature of the embodiments herein that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such specific embodiments without departing from the generic concept, and, therefore, such adaptations and modifications should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalents of the disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description

and not of limitation. Therefore, while the embodiments herein have been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the embodiments herein can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the embodiments as described herein.
[085] Any discussion of documents, acts, materials, devices, articles and the like that has been included in this specification is solely for the purpose of providing a context for the disclosure. It is not to be taken as an admission that any or all of these matters form a part of the prior art base or were common general knowledge in the field relevant to the disclosure as it existed anywhere before the priority date of this application.

WE CLAIM:

1. A power distribution system (210) for an Electric Vehicle (EV), said system
(210) comprising:
a battery unit (120) comprising a plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) connected in parallel; and
a vehicle control unit (VCU) (160) communicatively connected to each of the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2), wherein the VCU (160) is configured to:
receive at least one parameter from each of the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) via a communication bus (170); and
select at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) by analyzing the received at least one parameter.
2. The system (210) as claimed in claim 1, wherein to analyze the at least one
received parameter, the VCU (160) is configured to:
compare value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs with a corresponding pre-set threshold value; and
identify healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) based on the comparison, wherein a battery pack is identified as healthy when the value of the at least one received parameter is in accordance with the corresponding pre-set threshold value.
3. The system (210) as claimed in claims 1 and 2, wherein the at least one parameter comprises state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack, state of health (SOH) of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, and diagnostic data of the battery pack.
4. The system (210) as claimed in claims 1-3, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs is connected to a motor control unit (MCU) (110) of the EV via a respective connecting means (150-1, 150-2), and wherein the VCU (160) is further configured to:
select at least one healthy battery pack by comparing the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other; and

selectively close the connecting means corresponding to the selected at least one healthy battery pack for supplying power to the MCU (110).
5. The system (210) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle comprises a
plurality of compartments (140-1,140-2) each configured to accommodate one or more
battery packs, and the VCU (160) is configured to:
receive ACK signals (Al, A2) from at least one battery pack, generated in response to an input command sent from the VCU (160) to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments (140-1, 140-2);
identify at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signals (Al, A2); and
isolate the identified at least one compartment from the remaining compartments where a battery pack is present.
6. The system (210) as claimed in claim 5, wherein to isolate the identified at least
one compartment, the VCU (160) is configured to:
selectively disconnect, connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment, wherein the connecting means are configured to connect battery packs present in the identified at least one compartment with a motor control unit (MCU) (110) of the EV.
7. A method (400) of distributing power for an Electric Vehicle (EV), said method
(400) comprising:
receiving (402), by a vehicle control unit (VCU) (160) of the EV, at least one parameter from each of a plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2), connected in parallel, via a communication bus (170); and
selecting (404), by the VCU (160), at least one battery pack from the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) by analyzing the received at least one parameter.
8. The method (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein analyzing the at least one
received parameter comprises:
comparing value of the at least one received parameter of each of the plurality of battery packs with a corresponding pre-set threshold value; and

identifying healthy battery packs from the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) based on the comparison, wherein a battery pack is identified as healthy when the value of the at least one received parameter is in accordance with the corresponding pre-set threshold value.
9. The method (400) as claimed in claims 7-8, wherein the at least one parameter comprises state of charge (SOC) of a battery pack, state of health (SOH) of the battery pack, temperature of the battery pack, and diagnostic data of the battery pack.
10. The method (400) as claimed in claims 7-9, wherein each of the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) is connected to a motor control unit (MCU) (110) of the EV via a respective connecting means (150-1, 150-2), and wherein the method (400) further comprises:
selecting at least one healthy battery pack by comparing the SOC of the identified healthy battery packs with each other; and
selectively closing the connecting means corresponding to the selected at least one healthy battery pack for supplying power to the MCU (110).
11. The method (400) as claimed in claim 7, wherein the vehicle comprises a
plurality of compartments (140-1,140-2) each configured to accommodate one or more
battery packs, the method (400) comprising:
receiving ACK signals (Al, A2) from at least one battery pack, generated in response to an input command sent from the VCU (160) to the one or more battery packs accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments;
identifying at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based on the received ACK signals (Al, A2); and
isolating the identified at least one compartment from the remaining compartments where a battery pack is present.
12. The method (400) as claimed in claim 11, wherein isolating the identified at
least one compartment comprises:
selectively disconnecting, connecting means corresponding to the identified at least one compartment, wherein the connecting means are configured to connect battery

packs present in the identified at least one compartment with a motor control unit (MCU) (110) of the EV.
13. A power distribution system (210) for an Electric Vehicle (EV), said system (210) comprising:
a plurality of compartments (140-1, 140-2) each configured to accommodate one or more battery packs (130-1, 130-2), wherein the one or more battery packs (130-1, 130-2) are connected to a motor control unit (MCU) (110) of the EV via respective connecting means (150-1, 150-2); and
a vehicle control unit (VCU) (160) communicatively connected to each of the plurality of battery packs (130-1, 130-2) and the connecting means (150-1, 150-2), wherein the VCU (160) is configured to:
send input commands (Bl, B2) to the one or more battery packs
accommodated within each of the plurality of compartments (140-1, 140-2) and
in response receive ACK signals (Al, A2) from at least one battery pack;
identify at least one compartment where a battery pack is absent, based
on the received ACK signals (Al, A2); and
isolate the identified at least one compartment from the remaining
compartments by selectively disconnecting the connecting means
corresponding to the identified at least one compartment.