METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR MANAGING BATTERY PACK

• US 20110210859A1
• Filed: 04/18/2011
• Published: 09/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Kim, Ju-Young
• Granted Patent: US 8,633,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/657
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/061 Battery state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/063 Battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: F02N 2200/064 Battery temperature
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/374 with means for correcting the measurement for temperature or ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/3842 combining voltage and current measurements
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• 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 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/443 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/48 Accumulators combined with arrangements for measuring, testing or indicating the condition of cells, e.g. the level or density of the electrolyte constructional details of current conducting connections for detecting conditions inside cells or batteries, e.g. details of voltage sensing terminals, H01M50/569
• 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 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries
• 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 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for managing a battery pack for a vehicle includes a temperature measurement module for measuring temperature of the battery pack; a current measurement module for measuring a charge/discharge current of the battery pack when the measured temperature is not within a predetermined temperature range; a time measurement module for measuring the time while the measured charge/discharge current is over a predetermined current value; a storage module for accumulating and storing the measured time; and a control module for determining a state of the battery pack according to the accumulated and stored time and providing the state information to a user.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a battery pack for a vehicle comprising:

a temperature measurement module for measuring temperature of the battery pack;

a current measurement module for measuring a charge/discharge current of the battery pack when the measured temperature is not within a predetermined temperature range;

a time measurement module for measuring the time while the measured charge/discharge current is over a predetermined current value;

a storage module for accumulating and storing the measured time; and

a control module for determining a state of the battery pack according to the accumulated and stored time and providing the state information to a user.

2. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the temperature measurement module measures both interior and exterior temperatures of the battery pack.

3. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 2, wherein the current measurement module measures a charge/discharge current of the battery pack when the measured interior temperature of the battery pack is over a predetermined criterion temperature and the measured exterior temperature is higher than the measured interior temperature.

4. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the control module endows a warning point per a predetermined accumulated time and provides state information of the battery pack in stages in accordance with the endowed warning point.

5. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 4, wherein the control module interrupts a charging/discharging path of the battery pack when the endowed warning point reaches a predetermined level.

6. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 5, wherein the control module accumulates the number of interruptions when interrupting the charging/discharging path, and stores the number of interruptions in the storage module.

7. The apparatus for managing a battery pack according to claim 1, wherein the control module provides state information of the battery pack to a user by means of a warning lamp, an alarm generator, or a display.

8. A battery pack comprising the apparatus for managing a battery pack according to the claim 1.

9. A vehicle comprising the apparatus for managing a battery pack according to the claim 1.

10. A method for managing a battery pack for a vehicle, comprising:

(S1) measuring temperature of the battery pack;

(S2) measuring a charge/discharge current of the battery pack when the measured temperature is not within a predetermined temperature range;

(S3) measuring the time while the measured charge/discharge current is over a predetermined current value;

(S4) accumulating and storing the measured time; and

(S5) determining a state of the battery pack according to the accumulated and stored time and providing the state information to a user.

11. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 10, wherein, in the step (S1), the temperature of both interior and exterior temperatures of the battery pack are measured.

12. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 11, wherein, in the step (S2), the charge/discharge current of the battery pack is measured when the measured interior temperature of the battery pack is over a predetermined criterion temperature and the measured exterior temperature is higher than the measured interior temperature.

13. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 10, wherein, in the step (S5), a warning point is endowed per a predetermined accumulated time, and the state information of the battery pack is provided in stages in accordance with the endowed warning point.

14. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 13, wherein a charging/discharging path of the battery pack is interrupted when the warning point endowed in the step (S5) reaches a predetermined level.

15. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 14, further comprising accumulating the number of interruptions when interrupting the charging/discharging path, and storing the number of interruptions.

16. The method for managing a battery pack according to claim 10, wherein, in the step (S5), the state information of the battery pack is provided to a user by means of a warning lamp, an alarm generator, or a display.