Current Scheduling for Parallel Buck Regulated Battery Modules

In an electrical energy storage and delivery system, a parallel connection of battery modules can be used to increase the storage capability and power delivery demands. Parallel connection of batteries requires a robust battery management system as batteries may have different operating parameters such as state-of-charge (SoC), open-circuit voltage (OCV), internal resistance or battery chemistry. This paper focuses on current scheduling for a parallel connection of battery modules by utilizing buck regulators in the battery management system (BMS) of each module to improve the system performance via simultaneous, sequential and hybrid discharge scheduling algorithms. The results indicate the feasibility of the scheduling algorithms and motivate the use of parallel connected battery modules despite changes in battery operating parameters.