Battery power source apparatus of electric car

• US 20050077874A1
• Filed: 11/28/2002
• Published: 04/14/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nakao, Yoshitada
• Granted Patent: US 7,019,488 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/62 charged by low-power generators primarily intended to support the batteries, e.g. range extenders
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/26 by cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/26 for electrical energy, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/13 in order to stay within battery power input or output limits; in order to prevent overcharging or battery depletion
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/613 Cooling or keeping cold
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/625 Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/63 Control systems charging or discharging in response to temperature H01M10/44 , H01M10/443; measurement of temperature H01M10/48 , H01M10/486
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/635 based on ambient temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/6563 with forced flow, e.g. by blowers
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/1423 with multiple batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Communication is provided for each of battery ECUs so that the battery ECUs are connected through a connection cable to communicate with each other. Operating power is constantly supplied to the battery ECU used as a master while being supplied to the battery ECUs used as slaves through a relay contact. When a vehicle stops running, the master battery ECU controls the relay contact to be turned OFF after collecting necessary data of each of the slave battery ECUs to store therein. When the vehicle restarts running, the master battery ECU turns the relay contact ON to transmit the necessary data to each of the slave battery ECUs.

Claims

1. A battery power source device of an electric power vehicle, comprising:

a plurality of battery pack blocks connected in any one of parallel and a combination of serial and parallel so as to be used for charge and discharge at a vehicle side, each of the plurality of battery pack blocks being provided by connecting a plurality of rechargeable batteries in series; and

battery ECUs provided for the respective battery pack blocks, each managing an operating status of each of the battery pack block, so that information is exchanged between the battery ECUs and a vehicle ECU mounted onto the vehicle, wherein

an address is set for each of the battery ECUs and a communication terminal is provided for each of the battery ECUs so that the battery ECUs are connected with each other through a communication line;

one of the plurality of battery ECUs is set to be a master, whereas the other battery ECUs are set to be slaves, so that operating power is supplied to each of the slave battery ECUs through at least one switch;

when running stop information is input from the vehicle ECU to the master battery ECU, the master battery ECU collects necessary data from each of the slave battery ECUs to store therein and then controls the at least one switch to be turned OFF to shutoff the power supply to each of the slave battery ECUs; and

when running start information is input from the vehicle ECU to the master battery ECU, the master battery ECU controls the at least one switch to be turned ON to supply power to each of the slave battery ECUs and to transmit the stored necessary data to each of the slave battery ECUs.

2. The battery power source device of the electric power vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the operating power is constantly supplied to the master battery ECU.

3. The battery power source device of the electric power vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the master battery ECU includes a non-volatile memory;

and, when the electric power vehicle stops running for at least a predetermined period of time, the supply of the operating power is shutoff after the necessary data of the master battery ECU and the slave battery ECUs are stored in the non-volatile memory.