BATTERY CONTROL DEVICE AND BATTERY CONTROL METHOD

• US 20120056591A1
• Filed: 11/14/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Original Assignee: NGK Insulators Limited
• Inventors: ABE, Hiroyuki, HATTA, Tetsuya
• Granted Patent: US 8,810,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/132
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/3909 Sodium-sulfur cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/44 Methods for charging or discharging circuits for charging H02J7/00
• 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: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0018 using separate charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A power storage device has a NaS battery for storing electric power, a Hall current detector for measuring charge/discharge current value I of the NaS battery, a bidirectional converter for converting electric power between a direct current and an alternating current bidirectionally, and a controller for controlling the power storage device. The controller integrates the charge/discharge current value I of the NaS battery and calculates the calculated value of the discharge capacity in the NaS battery. The controller calculates estimated error Er(t2) of the calculated value of the discharge capacity, specifies NaS battery 1004 that requires the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity, charges/discharges the NaS battery to a depth of discharge at which the calculated value of the discharge capacity is corrected, and corrects the calculated value of the discharge capacity in the charged/discharged NaS battery.

Claims

1. A battery control device for controlling a secondary battery, comprising:

a current measuring part for measuring charge/discharge current value of the secondary battery;

a discharge capacity calculator for integrating the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part so as to calculate calculated value of a discharge capacity in the secondary battery, and correcting the calculated value of the discharge capacity in the secondary battery charged/discharged to a depth of discharge at which the calculated value of the discharge capacity is corrected;

an estimated error calculator for calculating an estimated error of the calculated value of the discharge capacity calculated by said discharge capacity calculator;

a first comparator for setting the secondary battery where the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator exceeds a first threshold as a candidate for correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity,

a first threshold holding part for holding the first threshold;

a bidirectional converter for controlling charge/discharge of the secondary battery; and

a charge/discharge command part for causing said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge all or some of the secondary battery as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity to the depth of discharge at which the correction is made.

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

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor expressed by integration from a time of a previous correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity to a current time.

3. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as a correcting amount in a prvious correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity is larger.

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

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as a change over time in the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part is larger.

5. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part is larger.

6. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said discharge capacity calculator stops an integration of the charge/discharge current value while the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part is smaller than a reference value, and

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as the charge/discharge current value is larger when the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part is smaller than the reference value.

7. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as an offset included in the charge/discharge current value measured by said current measuring part with respect to true charge/discharge current value is larger.

8. The battery control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a housing for housing said current measuring part; and

a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature in said housing, wherein

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that becomes larger as the temperature measured by said temperature sensor is deviated from a reference temperature.

9. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said estimated error calculator calculates the estimated error including a factor that reflects an operating state of said bidirectional converter.

10. The battery control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first selector for selecting the secondary battery to the allowed number in descending order of the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator as the target for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity from the secondary battery that is set as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity by said first comparator, wherein

said charge/discharge command part causes said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge the secondary battery selected by said first selector to the depth of discharge at which the correction is made.

11. The battery control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second comparator for comparing the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator with a second threshold that does not exceed the first threshold and setting the secondary battery where the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator exceeds the second threshold as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity; and

a second threshold holding part for holding the second threshold, wherein

said charge/discharge command part causes said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge all or some of the secondary battery set as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity by said second comparator to the depth of discharge at which the correction is made.

12. The battery control device according to claim 11, further comprising:

a second selector for, when the number of the secondary battery set as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity by said second comparator is two or more, selecting the secondary battery to the allowed number in descending order of the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator as the target for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity from the secondary battery set as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity by said second comparator, and when the number of the secondary battery set as the candidate for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity by said second comparator is 1 or less, unselecting the target for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity, wherein

said charge/discharge command part causes said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge the secondary battery selected by said second selector to the depth of discharge at which the correction is made.

13. The battery control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a chargeable/dischargeable number determinator for determining the number of the secondary battery capable of being charged/discharged simultaneously for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity in a time zone to which a current time belongs; and

a chargeable/dischargeable number holding part for holding the number of the secondary battery capable of being charged/discharged simultaneously for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity in each time zone, wherein

said charge/discharge command part causes said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge secondary battery whose number does not exceed the number of the secondary battery determined by said chargeable/dischargeable number determinator to a depth of discharge at which the correction is made.

14. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein said current measuring part includes a Hall current detector.

15. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said charge/discharge command part sets a target value of charge/discharge electric power,

said bidirectional converter controls the charge/discharge of the secondary battery so that the charge/discharge electric power becomes the target value, and

said current measuring part includes:

a voltage measuring part for measuring voltage of the secondary battery,

a charge/discharge current value calculator for calculating the charge/discharge current value based on the target value of the charge/discharge electric power set by said charge/discharge command part, the voltage measured by said voltage measuring part and efficiency of said bidirectional converter; and

an efficiency holding part for holding the efficiency of said bidirectional converter.

16. The battery control device according to claim 1, wherein

said current measuring part includes:

a voltage measuring part for measuring voltage of the secondary battery,

an electric power measuring part for measuring input/output electric power on an alternating current side of said bidirectional converter,

a charge/discharge current value calculator for calculating the charge/discharge current value based on the voltage measured by said voltage measuring part, the input/output electric power measured by said electric power measuring part and efficiency of said bidirectional converter, and

an efficiency holding part for holding the efficiency of said bidirectional converter.

17. The battery control device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display part for displaying the estimated error calculated by said estimated error calculator and a compared result of said first comparator; and

a manipulation part for accepting an input of a command for charging/discharging the secondary battery to the depth of discharge at which the calculated value of the discharge capacity is corrected, wherein

said charge/discharge command part causes said bidirectional converter to charge/discharge the secondary battery being the target for the correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity which said manipulation part accepts the input of a command for charging/discharging to the depth of the discharge where the correction is made.

18. A method for controlling a secondary battery, comprising steps of:

a) measuring charge/discharge current value of the secondary battery;

b) integrating the charge/discharge current value measured by said step a) and calculating calculated value of a discharge capacity in the secondary battery;

c) calculating an estimated error of the calculated value of the discharge capacity calculated by said step b);

d) setting the secondary battery where the estimated error calculated by said step c) exceeds a threshold as a candidate for correction of the calculated value of the discharge capacity;

e) charging/discharging all or some of the secondary battery as the candidate for the correction of the discharge capacity to a depth of discharge at which the correction is made; and

f) correcting the calculated values of the discharge capacity in the secondary battery charged/discharged to the depth of discharge at which the calculated value of the discharge capacity is corrected.