Reconstituted battery pack, reconstituted battery pack producing method, reconstituted battery pack using method, and reconstituted battery pack control system

• US 20090013521A1
• Filed: 07/02/2008
• Published: 01/15/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic EV Energy Company, Limited (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Okumura, Motoyoshi, Maegawa, Katsunori
• Granted Patent: US 7,971,345 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 29/730
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
• CPC Class Codes: Y02W 30/84 Recycling of batteries or fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/53135 Storage cell or battery

Abstract

A reconstituted battery pack producing method comprises an obtaining process for obtaining, by use of one of a first charged-state control device having ever controlled a charged state of a used battery pack when it was used before and a second charged-state control device arranged to control the charged state of the used battery pack as with the first charged-state control device, a reference-time charge amount charged in each used secondary battery constituting the used battery pack; a selecting process for selecting more than one of the used secondary batteries close to each other in the reference-time charge amount from a group of the used secondary batteries whose reference-time charge amounts have been obtained; and an assembling process for combining and assembling the selected used secondary batteries into a new reconstituted battery pack.

Claims

1. A method of producing a reconstituted battery pack, comprising:

an obtaining process for obtaining a reference-time charge amount charged in each of used secondary batteries constituting a used battery pack when a representative SOC of the used battery pack is controlled to a predetermined reference value with use of a charged-state control device arranged to calculate the representative SOC estimated to be representative of SOCs of secondary batteries constituting the battery pack, and arranged to control a charged state of the battery pack so that the representative SOC becomes the predetermined reference value,

the charged-state control device being one of a first charged-state control device having ever controlled the charged state of a used battery pack when this battery pack was used before and a second charged-state control device arranged to control the charged state of the used battery pack as with the first charged-state control device,

a selecting process for selecting more than one of the used secondary batteries close to each other in the reference-time charge amount from a group of the used secondary batteries used in one or more of the used battery packs, the reference-time charge amount of each used secondary battery having been obtained; and

an assembling process for combining and assembling the selected used secondary batteries into a new reconstituted battery pack.

2. The reconstituted battery pack producing method according to claim 1, wherein

the reconstituted battery pack assembled in the assembling process is a reconstituted battery pack that will be used under control by any one of the first charged-state control device, the second charged-state control device, and a third charged-state control device arranged to control a charged state of the reconstituted battery pack as with the first and second charged-state control devices.

3. The reconstituted battery pack producing method according to claim 1, wherein

the selecting process includes selecting the used secondary batteries so that a difference in the reference-time charge amount between a largest one and a smallest one of the reference-time charge amounts of the selected used secondary batteries falls within 30% of the smallest reference-time charge amount.

4. A reconstituted battery pack including a plurality of used secondary batteries having ever been used and being recombined, wherein

when the reconstituted battery pack is controlled by use of a charged-state control device arranged to calculate a representative SOC estimated to be representative of SOCs of secondary batteries constituting the battery pack, and arranged to control a charged state of the battery pack so that the representative SOC becomes a predetermined reference value,

as to reference-time charge amounts charged in the used secondary batteries constituting the reconstituted battery pack when the representative SOC becomes the reference value,

a difference in reference-time charge amount between a used secondary battery with a largest reference-time charge amount and a used secondary battery with a smallest reference-time charge amount among the used secondary batteries falls within 30% of the smallest reference-time charge amount.

5. A using method of the reconstituted battery pack according to claim 4, the method including the step of:

using the reconstituted battery pack while controlling a charged state of the reconstituted battery pack by the charged-state control device.

6. A reconstituted battery pack control system comprising:

a reconstituted battery pack including a plurality of used secondary batteries having ever been used and being recombined; and

a charged-state control device arranged to calculate a representative SOC estimated to be representative of SOCs of secondary batteries constituting the battery pack, and arranged to control a charged state of the reconstituted battery pack so that the representative SOC becomes a predetermined reference value,

wherein when the reconstituted battery pack is controlled by use of the charged-state control device so that the representative SOC becomes the reference value,

as to reference-time charge amounts charged in the used secondary batteries constituting the reconstituted battery pack,

a difference in reference-time charge amount between a used secondary battery with a largest reference-time charge amount and a used secondary battery with a smallest reference-time charge amount among the used secondary batteries falls within 30% of the smallest reference-time charge amount.