CELL CONTROLLER, BATTERY MODULE AND POWER SUPPLY SYSTEM

• US 20080050645A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Astemo Ltd. (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Vehicle Energy, Ltd.
• Inventors: AOSHIMA, Yoshinori, KAI, Tsuyoshi, AIBA, Tunemi, KUDO, Akihiko, EMORI, Akihiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,058,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/549 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/64 Constructional details of batteries specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/22 Balancing the charge of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• 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 4/505 of mixed oxides or hydroxides containing manganese for inserting or intercalating light metals, e.g. LiMn2O4 or LiMn2OxFy
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/587 for inserting or intercalating light metals
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/213 adapted for cells having curved cross-section, e.g. round or elliptic H01M50/209, H01M50/216 take precedence
• 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 cell controller having excellent productivity is provided. A cell-con 80 has 12 ICs IC-1 to IC-2 mounted on a substrate, and these ICs detect voltages of respective cells constituting a cell pack, perform capacity adjustment on the respective cells, and are mounted two by two on rectangular longer sides of a rectangular continuous straight line L-L′ defined on a substrate from the IC-1 on a highest potential side to the IC-12 on a lowest potential side continuously in order of potential differences of the corresponding cell packs. Distances between the rectangular shorter sides of the rectangular continuous straight line L-L′ are the same. On the cell-con 80, between the IC-1 to IC-12 having different ground voltages, each of the ICs has signal output terminals connected to signal input terminals of a lower order IC respectively in an electrically non-insulated state.

Claims

1. A cell controller for a battery unit in which a plurality of cells are connected in series,

wherein ICs for detecting voltages of respective cells constituting said battery unit are mounted on a substrate corresponding to the number of cell groups, and said ICs are mounted plurality by plurality on rectangular longer sides of a rectangular continuous straight line defined on said substrate from an IC on a highest potential side to an IC on a lowest potential side or from an IC on a lowest potential side to an IC on a highest potential side continuously in order of potential differences of said corresponding cell groups.

2. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein the number of ICs mounted on the rectangular longer sides of the rectangular continuous straight line is the same in each of the rectangular longer sides.

3. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein distances between the rectangular shorter sides of the rectangular continuous straight line are the same.

4. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein between each of said ICs and a lower order IC thereof, terminals related to input and output of a signal are connected in an electrically non-insulated state.

5. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein capacity adjusting circuits each constituted of a resistor element and a switch element for adjusting capacities of said respective cells constituting said battery unit are mounted on said substrate, and the resistor elements are mounted collectively in a region separated in distance from the rectangular continuous straight line.

6. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein photo couplers are further mounted on said substrate for performing signal communication in an electrically insulated state between input terminals of said IC on the highest potential side and output terminals of said IC on the lowest potential side and a higher order battery controller controlling the cell controller.

7. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein on at least one of said cell groups, a temperature sensor is arranged for detecting a temperature of one of said cells constituting said cell groups, and said substrate relays led-out lines lead out from the temperature sensor to the higher order battery controller controlling the cell controller.

8. The cell controller according to claim 1, wherein said ICs are supplied with operational power from said corresponding cell groups.

9. A battery module, comprising:

a battery unit in which a plurality of cells are connected in series; and

a cell controller according to claim 1.

10. The battery module according to claim 9, wherein the cells are lithium secondary cells having amorphous carbon materials as negative electrode active materials.

11. The battery module according to claim 10, wherein the cells have lithium manganese complex oxides as positive electrode active materials.

12. A power supply system, comprising:

a high voltage battery having at least one battery module according to claim 9; and

a battery controller which communicates with said cell controller in an electrically insulated state, and calculates from received voltages of all cells, which constitute said high voltage battery, cell states of all the cells.

13. The power supply system according to claim 12, wherein said high voltage batteries have a plurality of said battery modules, and said battery modules are connected in series via a switch for maintenance and inspection.

14. The power supply system according to claim 12, wherein said battery controller is supplied with operational power from an external power supply.

15. The power supply system according to claim 14, wherein the external power supply is a lead battery mounted in a vehicle.

16. The power supply system according to claim 14, further comprising a voltage converter converting a voltage of the external power supply.

17. The power supply system according to claim 16, wherein capacitors are interposed between positive and negative electrodes of said high voltage battery and a case ground respectively, and the case ground has a same potential as a minus side of the power supply whose voltage is converted by said voltage converter.

18. The power supply system according to claim 16, wherein said battery controller and said voltage converter are connected by a signal line for sending a supply stop instruction for the converted voltage from the battery controller side to the voltage converter side.

19. The power supply system according to claim 14, further comprising:

a fan operated by the external power supply for cooling all the cells constituting said high voltage battery; and

a relay,

wherein said battery controller controls operation of said fan by on/off controlling said relay.

20. The power supply system according to claim 12, wherein positive and negative electrodes of said high voltage battery are lead out to the outside via relays respectively.

21. The power supply system according to claim 20, wherein the relays are each on/off controlled from an external apparatus to which said high voltage battery supplies power.

22. The power supply system according to claim 21, wherein to a relay inserted in the positive electrode of said high voltage battery, a relay having a current resistance value smaller than that of the relay is connected in parallel via a resistor, and the relay connected in parallel is on/off controlled from the external apparatus at an initial time when said battery module supplies power to the external apparatus.

23. The power supply system according to claim 12, wherein said battery controller has a total voltage detecting circuit for taking in a total voltage of said high voltage battery in an electrically insulated state.