BATTERY CONTROL APPARATUS, BATTERY CONTROL METHOD, AND VEHICLE

• US 20120013180A1
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Research Institute Limited (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Japan Research Institute Limited (Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Incorporated)
• Inventors: MUTO, Kazuhiro, MERA, Masanobu
• Granted Patent: US 8,928,174 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/19 Switching between serial connection and parallel connection of battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery control apparatus comprising a battery circuit in which a plurality of batteries are connected to each other; a plurality of first switches that switch whether the batteries are connected in series or connected in parallel; a voltage detecting section that detects a maximum voltage output by the battery circuit; and a switch control section that, when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit occurring when the batteries are connected in parallel is less than or equal to a first threshold value, controls the first switches to connect at least a portion of the batteries in series.

Claims

1. A battery control apparatus comprising:

a battery circuit in which a plurality of batteries are connected to each other;

a plurality of first switches that switch whether the batteries are connected in series or connected in parallel;

a voltage detecting section that detects a maximum voltage output by the battery circuit; and

a switch control section that, when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit occurring when the batteries are connected in parallel is less than or equal to a first threshold value, controls the first switches to connect at least a portion of the batteries in series.

2. The battery control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit drops below the first threshold value, the switch control section controls the first switches to connect a portion of the batteries in series and to connect each resulting battery set, which is formed by a plurality of batteries connected in series, in parallel.

3. The battery control apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a deterioration detecting section that detects deterioration of each battery, wherein

the switch control section controls the first switches to connect batteries having similar deterioration in series and to connect each resulting battery set, which is formed by a plurality of batteries connected in series, in parallel.

4. The battery control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit drops below a second threshold value that is less than the first threshold value, the switch control section controls the first switches to connect the batteries in series.

5. The battery control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of bypass circuits that each exclude a corresponding battery from the battery circuit;

a plurality of second switches that are each connected to a corresponding bypass circuit and switch whether the corresponding battery is excluded from the battery circuit; and

a deterioration detecting section that detects deterioration of each battery, wherein

the switch control section controls the second switches to exclude from the battery circuit batteries having greater degrees of deterioration.

6. The battery control apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a deterioration detecting section that detects deterioration of each battery, wherein

at least a portion of the first switches function to exclude batteries from the battery circuit, and

the switch control section controls the first switches to exclude from the battery circuit batteries having greater degrees of deterioration.

7. A vehicle comprising a battery control apparatus that includes:

a battery circuit in which a plurality of batteries are connected to each other;

a plurality of first switches that switch whether the batteries are connected in series or connected in parallel;

a voltage detecting section that detects a maximum voltage output by the battery circuit; and

a switch control section that, when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit occurring when the batteries are connected in parallel is less than or equal to a first threshold value, controls the first switches to connect at least a portion of the batteries in series.

8. A battery control method comprising:

detecting a maximum voltage of a battery circuit in which a plurality of batteries are connected to each other; and

when the maximum voltage of the battery circuit occurring when the batteries are connected in parallel is less than or equal to a threshold value, controlling a plurality of switches, which switch whether the batteries are connected in series or connected in parallel, to connect at least a portion of the batteries in series.