BATTERY PACK AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE BATTERY PACK

• US 20110234171A1
• Filed: 12/23/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: An, Jin-Hong, Seo, Kyung-Won
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,060 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/135
• CPC Class Codes: B62M 6/90 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/4264 with capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery pack and a method of controlling the battery pack. The battery pack includes a battery cell and a capacitor connected in parallel to the battery pack. Accordingly, the battery power and the distance travelled by an electric transport device that requires an instantaneous high power output, such as an E-bike, may be increased.

Claims

1. A battery pack, comprising:

a battery cell;

a first discharging device connected between the battery cell and a first node;

a capacitor connected to the first node in parallel with the battery cell;

a second discharging device connected between the first node and a load; and

a microcomputer controlling the first discharging device and the second discharging device.

2. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the capacitor is a motor-driving capacitor of an electric transport device.

3. The battery pack of claim 1, wherein the load is a motor of an electric transport device.

4. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein, when initially driving the motor, an electric energy charged in the capacitor is discharged to the load according to the controlling of the microcomputer.

5. The battery pack of claim 3, wherein the electric transport device is an E-bike.

6. The battery pack of claim 1, further comprising a capacitor charging and discharging control unit connected between the first node and the capacitor,

wherein the microcomputer controls the capacitor charging and discharging control unit

7. The battery pack of claim 6, wherein the capacitor charging and discharging control unit comprises:

a current restricting unit connected to the capacitor and restricting an electric current flowing to the capacitor;

a capacitor charging device connected between the first node and the current restricting unit; and

a capacitor discharging device connected between the capacitor and the first node.

8. The battery pack of claim 7, wherein the microcomputer controls the capacitor charging device and the capacitor discharging device.

9. The battery pack of claim 7, wherein at least one of the first discharging device, the second discharging device, the capacitor charging device, and the capacitor discharging device comprising a field effect transistor (FET).

10. A method of controlling a battery pack,

the battery pack comprising a battery cell, a capacitor connected in parallel with the battery cell, a first discharging device;

a second discharging device, and a microcomputer,

the method comprising;

charging the capacitor according to a voltage across the battery cell by turning on the first discharging device; and

discharging an electric energy charged in the capacitor to a load by turning on the second discharging device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the discharging is performed when the load is a motor of an electric transport device.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the load is a motor of an electric transport device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, in the discharging, the electric energy charged in the capacitor is discharged to the load according to the controlling of the microcomputer.

14. A method of controlling a battery pack,

the battery pack comprising a battery cell, a capacitor connected in parallel with the battery cell, a capacitor charging device, a current restricting unit, and a capacitor discharging device connected between the battery cell and the capacitor, a first discharging device, a second discharging device, and a microcomputer,

the method comprising:

turning on the first discharging device and the capacitor charging device;

restrictively charging the capacitor according to a voltage across the battery cell by using the current restricting unit; and

discharging an electric energy charged in the capacitor by turning on the capacitor discharging device and the second discharging device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the load is a motor of an electric transport device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein, when initially driving the motor, the electric energy charged in the capacitor is discharged to the load by turning on the capacitor discharging device and the second discharging device according to the controlling of the microcomputer.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein at least one of the first discharging device, the second discharging device, the capacitor charging device, and the capacitor discharging device comprises a field effect transistor (FET).