Battery power source device

• US 20030001544A1
• Filed: 06/14/2002
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakanishi, Toshiaki
• Granted Patent: US 6,573,688 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/162
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

A battery power source device is provided, capable of detecting a charge/discharge current flowing through a secondary battery mounted on an electric vehicle, etc., at low cost, with high reliability, and with high precision. A voltage signal generated across a current detection resistor connected to an assembled battery in series is transmitted to a battery ECU via a transmission means. At the time of discharge from the assembled battery, the voltage signal is detected as a pulse signal using a discharge current detection unit, a first capacitor, and a pulse generation unit during discharge. At the time of discharge, the voltage signal is detected as a pulse signal using a charge current detection unit, a second capacitor, and a pulse generation unit during charge. Event counters calculate this pulse signal at the time of discharge and charge as a current flowing through the assembled battery.

Claims

1. A battery power source device to which electrical power is supplied from an assembled battery including a combination of a plurality of single cells or unit cells, each of which is a secondary battery, comprising:

a current detection resistor connected to the assembled battery in series;

transmission means for transmitting a voltage signal generated across the current detection resistor; and

a control device separated from the assembled battery, the current detection resistor, and the transmission means, wherein the control device comprises;

a discharge current detection unit that receives the voltage signal transmitted via the transmission means and outputs a current signal in proportion to a discharge current flowing through the current detection resistor at the time of discharge from the assembled battery;

a first capacitor that totals current signals output from the discharge current detection unit;

a pulse generation unit during discharge that, when a voltage of the first capacitor increases to a first threshold value, reverses an output signal and makes the first capacitor discharge, and when the voltage of the first capacitor decreases to a second threshold value, reverses the output signal again to generate a pulse and stops the first capacitor discharging;

a charge current detection unit that receives the voltage signal transmitted via the transmission means and outputs a current signal in proportion to a charge current flowing through the current detection resistor at the time of charge of the assembled battery;

a second capacitor that totals current signals output from the charge current detection unit;

a pulse generation unit during charge that, when a voltage of the second capacitor increases to a third threshold value, reverses an output signal and makes the second capacitor discharge, and when the voltage of the second capacitor decreases to a fourth threshold value, reverses the output signal again to generate a pulse and stops the second capacitor discharging; and

a current detection unit that counts the number of pulses output from the pulse generation unit during discharge and the pulse generation unit during charge and calculates a current flowing through the assembled battery at the time of discharge and charge using the counted number of pulses.

2. The battery power source device according to claim 1,

wherein the current detection unit included in the control device counts in advance the number of pulses output from the pulse generation unit during discharge and the pulse generation unit during charge immediately after power-up of the battery power source device, the counted number of pulses in advance is subtracted from the number of pulses counted during operation of the battery power source device, and a current flowing through the assembled battery is calculated using a result of the subtraction.

3. The battery power source device according to claim 1,

wherein each of the discharge current detection unit and the charge current detection unit further comprises:

a differential operation circuit having a first input terminal and a second input terminal;

a first resistor having one end connected to the first input terminal of the differential operation circuit;

a second resistor having one end connected to the second input terminal of the differential operation circuit;

a first constant current circuit having an output end connected to the first input terminal of the differential operation circuit;

a second constant circuit having an output end connected to the second input terminal of the differential operation circuit;

a first current source that operates in accordance with an output signal from the differential operation circuit and functions so that a voltage level at the first input terminal of the differential operation circuit becomes equal to a voltage level at the second input terminal; and

a second current source that operates in accordance with the output signal from the differential operation circuit, has a current mirror relationship with the first current source, and outputs a current signal in proportion to a current flowing through the current detection resistor to the outside,

wherein the control device further comprises;

a first switch having one end connected to the other end of the first resistor and the other end electrically connected to one end of the current detection resistor via the transmission means;

a second switch having one end connected to the other end of the second resistor and the other end electrically connected to the other end of the current detection resistor via the transmission means; and

a third switch connected between the other ends of the first resistor and the second resistor.

4. The battery power source device according to claim 3,

wherein the control device further comprises an offset correction unit that makes a correction to the current in accordance with a result obtained by subtracting a first counted number of pulses from a second counted number of pulses, where the first counted number of pulses is output from the pulse generation unit during discharge and the pulse generation unit during charge for a constant time period in a state where the first switch and the second switch are open and the third switch is closed during operation of the battery power source device, and the second counted number of pulses is output from the pulse generation unit during discharge and the pulse generation unit during charge in a state where the first switch and the second switch are closed and the third switch is opened during operation of the battery power source device.

5. The battery power source device according to claim 1,

wherein in the control device a side of the pulse generation unit during discharge and the pulse generation unit during charge and a side of the current detection unit are isolated electrically.

6. The battery power source device according to claim 1,

wherein the current detection resistor comprises:

an alloy plate subjected to a resistance value trimming;

a pair of metal plates on which both ends of the alloy plate are fixed and mounted and to which one end of the transmission means is fixed; and

molded resin for sealing the alloy plate.

7. The battery power source device according to claim 1, wherein

the assembled battery is configured to be separated into a plurality of blocks,

the battery power source device further comprises a current control unit that controls a charge/discharge current with respect to the assembled battery;

and

the control device further comprises;

a voltage detection unit that detects a battery voltage at each of the plurality of blocks; and

a voltage comparison unit that compares battery voltages obtained from the voltage detection unit,

wherein

as a result of the comparison by the voltage comparison unit, if a difference in voltage is generated among the battery voltages at the plurality of blocks, the current control unit controls so as to decrease a current flowing through the current detection resistor.