Voltage measuring apparatus

• US 20050218900A1
• Filed: 03/10/2005
• Published: 10/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sanken Electric Company Limited
• Inventors: Iwabuchi, Akio, Aizawa, Kazuya
• Granted Patent: US 7,023,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/426
• 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: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4264 with capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 6/42 Grouping of primary cells into batteries H01M6/40 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The voltage measuring apparatus includes a voltage measuring unit 2 being connected to a battery 1, a voltage converting unit 3 connected to the voltage measuring unit 2, and a controller 4 which controls the operation of the voltage measuring unit 2 based on output of the voltage converting unit 3. The voltage measuring unit 2 includes Pch-MOSFET elements P1 and P2 constituting a first switch group connected to both terminals of a voltage source Vcn in the battery 1 , a capacitor Cn connected between the elements P1 and P2, and Nch-MOSFET elements N3 and N4 constituting a second switch group connected to both terminals of the capacitor Cn and to both terminals of the voltage output terminal. A source and a back gate of the Nch-MOSFET element N3 of the second switch group are connected to each other.

Claims

1. A voltage measuring apparatus which measures voltage between a first node and a second node of a circuit having a plurality of voltage sources, comprising:

a first switch group having a first type first MOSFET with a first type conductivity and a first type second MOSFET with the first type conductivity,

a first main electrode of the first type first MOSFET being connected to the first node, voltage corresponding to voltage of the first main electrode being applied to its control electrode, the first type first MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with the voltage of the control electrode,

a first main electrode of the first type second MOSFET being connected to the second node, voltage corresponding to voltage of the first main electrode being applied to its control electrode, and the first type second MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with voltage of the control electrode;

a capacitor being connected between a second main electrode of the first type first MOSFET and a second main electrode of the first type second MOSFET;

a second switch group having a second type first MOSFET with a second type conductivity that is opposite from the first type conductivity and a second type second MOSFET with the second type conductivity,

the second main electrode of the second type first MOSFET being connected to the second main electrode of the first type first MOSFET, the second type first MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to its control electrode,

the second main electrode of the second type second MOSFET being connected to the second main electrode of the first type second MOSFET, the second type second MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to its control electrode;

a third switch group having a second type third MOSFET with the second type conductivity and a second type fourth MOSFET with the second type conductivity,

a second main electrode of the second type third MOSFET being connected to a control electrode of the first type first MOSFET, the second type third MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to a control electrode,

a second main electrode of the second type fourth MOSFET being connected to a control electrode of the first type second MOSFET, the second type fourth MOSFET being turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to a control electrode; and

a controller turning ON the first switch group in accordance with ON operation of the third switch group and turning OFF the first switch group in accordance with OFF operation of the third switch group, wherein

the first main electrode of the second type first MOSFET of the second switch group and the back gate electrode thereof are connected to each other.

2. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a driving signal generator turning ON and OFF the second type first MOSFET of the second switch group, wherein

the driving signal generator includes a first driving switch being connected between a driving electric power source terminal and the control electrode of the second type first MOSFET of the second switch group, and a second driving switch being connected between the control electrode and the first main electrode of the second type first MOSFET.

3. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the driving signal generator has a delay circuit which delays each control signal to be applied to the first driving switch and the second driving switch in such a way that timings at which the first driving switch and the second driving switch are turned ON do not coincide with each other.

4. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

a first inverter inverting a signal to be inputted to the control electrode of the second type second MOSFET, wherein an output from the first inverter is connected to an input terminal of the driving signal generator.

5. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the first driving switch comprises a first type third MOSFET with the first type conductivity, a first main electrode thereof connected to a driving source terminal, a second main electrode thereof is connected to a control electrode of the second type first MOSFET, and the first driving switch is turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to the control electrode;

and

the second driving switch comprises a second type fifth MOSFET with the second type conductivity, a first main electrode thereof is connected to a first main electrode of the second type first MOSFET, a second main electrode thereof is connected to a control electrode of the second type first MOSFET, and the second driving switch is turned ON and OFF in accordance with a signal inputted to the control electrode.

6. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the delay unit comprises

a first type fourth MOSFET with the first type conductivity, a control electrode thereof being connected to an output terminal of the first inverter, and a first main electrode thereof is connected to a driving power source terminal,

a second type sixth MOSFET with the second conductivity type, a control electrode thereof being connected to an output terminal of the first inverter, a first main electrode thereof being connected to a ground terminal, and a second main electrode thereof being connected to a second main electrode of the first type fourth MOSFET,

a first resistor element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the second main electrode of the first type fourth MOSFET, and other terminal thereof being connected to a second main electrode of the second type sixth MOSFET,

a first capacity element, one of terminals thereof being connected to a second main electrode of the second type sixth MOSFET and to the other terminal of the first resistor element, and the other terminal of the first capacity element being connected to the ground terminal,

a second inverter, an input terminal thereof being connected to one of terminals of the first capacity element, and an output terminal thereof being connected to a control terminal of the first type third MOSFET,

a first type fifth MOSFET with the first conductivity type, a control electrode thereof being connected to the output terminal of the first inverter, and a first main electrode thereof being connected to the driving power source terminal,

a second type seventh MOSFET with the second type conductivity, a control electrode thereof being connected to the output terminal of the first inverter, a first main electrode thereof being connected to the ground terminal, and a second main electrode thereof being connected to the second main electrode of the first type fifth MOSFET,

a second resistor element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the second main electrode of the first type fifth MOSFET, and the other terminal thereof being connected to the second main electrode of the second type seventh MOSFET,

a second capacity element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the second main electrode of the first type fifth MOSFET and to one of terminals of the resistor element, and the other terminal thereof being connected to the driving power source terminal, and

a third inverter, an input terminal thereof being connected to one of terminals of the second capacity element, and an output terminal thereof being connected to a control terminal of the second type fifth MOSFET.

7. The voltage measuring apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the delay unit comprises

a fourth inverter, an input terminal thereof being connected to the output terminal of the first inverter,

a first resistor element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the output terminal of the fourth inverter,

a first node, a cathode thereof being connected to the output terminal of the fourth inverter,

a first capacity element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the other first resistor element and to an anode of the first diode, and the other terminal thereof being connected to the ground terminal,

a second inverter, an input terminal thereof being connected to one of terminals of the first capacity element, and an output terminal thereof being connected to the control terminal of the first type third MOSFET,

a second resistor element, an input terminal thereof being connected to a fifth inverter being connected to the output terminal of the first inverter, and one of terminals thereof being connected to the output terminal of the fifth inverter,

a second diode, an anode thereof being connected to the output terminal of the fifth inverter,

a second capacity element, one of terminals thereof being connected to the other terminal of the first resistor element and to a cathode of the second diode, and the other terminal thereof being connected to the ground terminal, and

a third inverter, an input terminal thereof being connected to one of terminals of the second capacity element, and an output terminal thereof being connected to a control terminal of the second type fifth MOSFET.