Battery assembly controller which monitors voltages of secondary batteries and semiconductor integrated circuit used for the battery assembly controller

• US 10,581,124 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2018
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co., Ltd. (Winbond Electronics Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakatsuka, Junji, Mori, Gorou
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US16/225,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20190123397A1
• Time in Patent Office: 440 Days
• Field of Search: 320116, 320117, 320118, 320128, 320134, 320136
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4257 Smart batteries, e.g. electronic circuits inside the housing of the cells or batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0025 Sequential battery discharge in systems with a plurality of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007184 in response to battery voltage gradient
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/02 for charging batteries from ac mains by converters
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery assembly controller controls terminal voltages of a plurality of series-connected secondary batteries to be equal. The controller includes a discharge circuit selectively reducing the terminal voltages of the secondary batteries; and a monitoring circuit directly connected to positive and negative electrodes of the secondary batteries to monitor the terminal voltages of the secondary batteries.

Claims

1. A battery assembly controller controlling a plurality of series-connected secondary batteries, the controller comprising:

a discharge circuit reducing terminal voltages of the plurality of secondary batteries; and

a monitoring circuit configured to monitor the terminal voltages of the secondary batteries, wherein

the discharge circuit includes a plurality of switches, each being connected to an associated one of the secondary batteries,

the battery assembly controller further includes;

a plurality of cell balancing terminals connecting the plurality of secondary batteries and the plurality of switches together; and

a plurality of voltage detection terminals connecting the plurality of secondary batteries and the monitoring circuit together, and

the plurality of cell balancing terminals and the plurality of voltage detection terminals are different terminals from each other.

2. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a filtering capacitor switchably connected to the secondary batteries.

3. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit includes a filtering capacitor and a resistor switchably connected to the secondary batteries.

4. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein each of the switches includes a plurality of sub-switches connected in series.

5. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein each of the switches includes a sub-switch and a resistor, which are connected in series.

6. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, further comprising

a control circuit controlling not to turn on odd-numbered and even-numbered switches simultaneously, where the switches are sequentially numbered as 1, 2, 3, . . . , from a high-potential side, wherein

the control circuit controls not to turn on adjacent ones of the switches simultaneously.

7. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein

one of the switches with highest potential is a p-channel MOS transistor, and

one of the switches with lowest potential is an n-channel MOS transistor.

8. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein

each of the switches is a MOS transistor, and

the discharge circuit further includes

a plurality of resistors, each being connected between a gate and a source of one of the MOS transistors,

a plurality of current supplies, and

a plurality of other switches, each being connected between the gate of one of the MOS transistors and associated one of the current supplies.

9. The battery assembly controller of claim 7, wherein the discharge circuit further includes a plurality of short-circuit switches, each being connected between a gate and a source of one of the MOS transistors.

10. The battery assembly controller of claim 1, wherein the discharge circuit further includes a plurality of resistors, each being connected in parallel to associated one of the switches.

11. The battery assembly controller of claim 9, wherein the discharge circuit further includes a plurality of Zener diodes, each being connected in series to associated one of the resistors.

12. A semiconductor integrated circuit used for a battery assembly controller controlling a plurality of series-connected secondary batteries, the semiconductor integrated circuit comprising:

a discharge circuit reducing terminal voltages of the plurality of secondary batteries and including a plurality of switches, each being connected to an associated one of the secondary batteries;

a monitoring circuit monitoring the terminal voltages of the secondary batteries;

a plurality of cell balancing terminals connecting the plurality of secondary batteries and the plurality of switches together; and

a plurality of voltage detection terminals connecting the plurality of secondary batteries and the monitoring circuit together,

wherein the plurality of cell balancing terminals and the plurality of voltage detection terminals are different terminals from each other.