Battery power source device, method for controlling the same, and method for providing address

• US 20030129457A1
• Filed: 12/31/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kawai, Hirokazu, Kadono, Masahiro
• Granted Patent: US 6,919,707 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/7
• 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 10/441 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 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A method for controlling and addressing a battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or serially in parallel, each battery pack system having a battery pack block and a battery ECU connected thereto, is provided. The battery ECUs are connected to each other over communication lines, and a plurality of address setting terminals and address lines are connected to each other differently to provide a unique address to each battery ECU. When an abnormal state is detected in one of the battery pack blocks over the communication line, control is provided to the abnormal one of the battery pack blocks, identified by its address, to turn off its open/close relay contact to disconnect it from the parallel or the serial parallel connection, thereby preventing the function of the entire battery power source device from being stopped or degraded.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or serially in parallel to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected serially with each other, and a battery ECU provided to the battery pack block, for controlling an operating condition of the battery pack block, the method comprising, when said battery ECU has detected an abnormal state in one of the battery pack blocks, providing control to disconnect the battery pack block detected as to be an abnormal state from the parallel connection.

2. A method for providing an address in a battery power source device, the battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel and/or serially to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected serially with each other, and a battery ECU provided to the battery pack block, for controlling an operating condition of the battery pack block, said battery ECU being provided with a communication device for communication among said battery ECUs and with an external apparatus, the method comprising:

providing each of said battery ECUs with address setting terminals and connection lines, both of them being the same in number as bits corresponding to a number of the battery pack blocks; and

setting the battery ECUs to have a different state of connection between the connection lines and said address setting terminals.

3. A method for providing an address in a battery power source device, the battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or serially in parallel to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected serially with each other, and a battery ECU provided to the battery pack block, for controlling an operating condition of the battery pack block, said battery ECU being provided with a communication device for communication among said battery ECUs and being provided with address setting terminals and connection lines, both of them being the same in number as bits corresponding to a number of the battery pack blocks, the method comprising:

setting, among the plurality of battery ECUs, a particular battery ECU to a master battery ECU by a connection between the connection lines and said address setting terminals while the other battery ECUs being set to slave battery ECUs.

4. A battery power source device having a plurality of battery pack systems connected in parallel or serially in parallel to each other, each battery pack system including a battery pack block having a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected serially with each other, and a battery ECU provided to the battery pack block, for controlling an operating condition of the battery pack block, wherein

said battery ECUs each are provided with a communication device for communication among said battery ECUs and each are provided with address setting terminals and connection lines, both of them being the same in number as bits corresponding to a number of the battery pack blocks, and

among the plurality of battery ECUs, a particular battery ECU is set to a master battery ECU by a connection between the connection lines and said address setting terminals while the other battery ECUs are set to slave battery ECUs.

5. The battery power source device according to claim 4, wherein

said master battery ECU has a function for collecting information on an operating condition of each slave battery ECU and communicating the information with outside.

6. The battery power source device according to claim 4, further comprising a function for setting, when an abnormal state is detected in the battery pack block controlled by said master battery ECU, one of the other battery ECUs, the one being connected in parallel to said abnormal battery pack block, to serve as a master battery ECU, and for disconnecting thereafter the abnormal battery pack block from the parallel connection.