Battery pack

• US 20090243545A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 10/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Electric Works Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwamura, Norihiro, Ikeda, Masaki, Muto, Motoharu, Miwa, Tatsuya, Shimizu, Naoki, Kubota, Atsumasa, Okada, Masaaki
• Granted Patent: US 8,643,339 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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: H01M 50/574 Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes a status detection unit for detecting a status of a battery; a switch unit for interrupting a discharging path of the battery; a notification unit for notifying a user of the status of the battery; an operation unit operable by the user; and control unit for opening and closing the switch unit. The control unit is configured to have the switch unit interrupt the discharging path of the battery when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is abnormal. Further, the control unit is configured to have the notification unit notify the user of the availability to restart a discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to an operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is recovered from the abnormal status.

Claims

1. A battery pack comprising:

a status detection unit for detecting a status of a battery;

a switch unit for interrupting a discharging path of the battery;

a notification unit for notifying a user of the status of the battery;

an operation unit operable by the user; and

a control unit for opening and closing the switch unit, the control unit being configured to have the switch unit interrupt the discharging path of the battery when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is abnormal, the control unit being configured to have the notification unit notify the user of the availability to restart a discharging operation and close the switch unit in response to an operation signal inputted from the operation unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the status of the battery detected by the status detection unit is recovered from the abnormal status.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the status detection unit includes a voltage detection unit for detecting the sum total voltage of the battery or the cell-by-cell voltage of the battery, and wherein the control unit interrupts the discharging path when the voltage of the battery continues to be equal to or smaller than a first predetermined value for a first specified time period and determines the discharging operation to be restartable when the voltage of the battery is increased to a second predetermined voltage within a second specified time period.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the status detection unit includes a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery, wherein the control unit interrupts the discharging path and has the notification unit notify the user of a temperature rise when the temperature of the battery detected is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature, and wherein the control unit determines the discharging operation to be restartable when the temperature of the battery detected is decreased to a second predetermined temperature or less.

4. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the status detection unit includes a temperature detection unit for detecting the temperature of the battery, wherein the control unit interrupts the discharging path and has the notification unit notify the user of a temperature rise when the temperature of the battery detected is equal to or higher than a first predetermined temperature, and wherein the control unit determines the discharging operation to be restartable when the temperature of the battery detected is decreased to a second predetermined temperature or less.

5. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the control unit includes an input unit for monitoring the connection of the battery pack to a recharger, and wherein the control unit receives a signal indicative of the connection of the battery pack to the recharger from the input unit and closes the switch unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the discharging operation is determined to be restartable.

6. The battery pack of claim 2, wherein the control unit includes an input unit for monitoring the connection of the battery pack to a recharger, and wherein the control unit receives a signal indicative of the connection of the battery pack to the recharger from the input unit and closes the switch unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the discharging operation is determined to be restartable.

7. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the control unit includes an input unit for monitoring the connection of the battery pack to a recharger, and wherein the control unit receives a signal indicative of the connection of the battery pack to the recharger from the input unit and closes the switch unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the discharging operation is determined to be restartable.

8. The battery pack of claim 4, wherein the control unit includes an input unit for monitoring the connection of the battery pack to a recharger, and wherein the control unit receives a signal indicative of the connection of the battery pack to the recharger from the input unit and closes the switch unit to make the battery pack dischargeable when the discharging operation is determined to be restartable.