SEMICONDUCTOR CIRCUIT, SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE, METHOD OF DIAGNOSING ABNORMALITY OF WIRE, AND COMPUTER READABLE STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20120098547A1
• Filed: 10/25/2011
• Published: 04/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LAPIS Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (ROHM Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: INOUE, Kazutoshi
• Granted Patent: US 8,836,341 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/537
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/396 Acquisition or processing of data for testing or for monitoring individual cells or groups of cells within a battery
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/50 Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections testing of sparking plugs H01T13/58
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults

Abstract

There is provided a semiconductor circuit including: a selection circuit, to which are connected batteries in series, and which selects any one of the batteries; a difference detecting circuit, to which voltage of a high potential side of the selected battery inputted, and to which voltage of a low potential side of the selected battery is inputted, and which outputs a difference between the voltage at the high-potential side and the voltage at the low-potential side; and a voltage applying unit that applies diagnostic voltage to a wire that is for inputting the high potential voltage to the difference detecting circuit when diagnosing an abnormality of a wire associated with the selected battery if the selected battery is a battery of a highest position in the series or a battery of a lowest position in the series.

Claims

1. A semiconductor circuit comprising:

a selection circuit, to which are connected a plurality of batteries that are connected to each other in series, and which selects any one of the plurality of batteries;

a difference detecting circuit, to which high potential voltage of a high potential side of the battery selected by the selection circuit is inputted, and to which low potential voltage of a low potential side, whose voltage value is lower than the high potential voltage, of the selected battery is inputted, and which outputs a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage; and

a voltage applying unit that applies diagnostic voltage to a wire that is for inputting the high potential voltage to the difference detecting circuit when diagnosing an abnormality of a wire associated with the selected battery if the selected battery is a battery of a highest position in the series or a battery of a lowest position in the series.

2. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage that the voltage applying unit applies is greater than the low potential voltage of the battery of the highest position.

3. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein the voltage applying unit comprises:

a high position voltage applying unit that applies voltage that is greater than the low potential voltage of the battery of the highest position when diagnosing an abnormality of the battery of the highest position; and

a low position voltage applying unit that applies voltage that is greater than the low potential voltage of the battery of the lowest position when diagnosing an abnormality of the battery of the lowest position,.

4. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, comprising a low-position battery disconnection diagnosis voltage applying unit that applies, to a wire through which the low potential voltage is inputted to the difference detecting circuit, diagnostic voltage for diagnosing a disconnection abnormality of a wire associated with the battery of the lowest position.

5. The semiconductor circuit of claim 4, wherein voltage, that the low-position battery disconnection diagnosis voltage applying unit applies, is less than or equal to the low potential voltage of the battery of the lowest position.

6. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, comprising an abnormality diagnosing circuit that diagnoses the abnormality on the basis of a predetermined diagnostic voltage value and the difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage that is outputted from the difference detecting circuit.

7. The semiconductor circuit of claim 1, wherein the difference detecting circuit is a level shifter to whose non-inverting terminal the high potential voltage is inputted, and to whose inverting terminal the low potential voltage is inputted, and which outputs the difference between the high potential voltage the low potential voltage.

8. A semiconductor device comprising:

a plurality of batteries connected in series; and

the semiconductor circuit of claim 1 having a selection circuit that selects any one of the plurality of batteries.

9. A method of diagnosing an abnormality of a wire in a semiconductor circuit having:

a selection circuit, to which are connected a plurality of batteries that are connected to each other in series, and which selects any one of the plurality of batteries;

a difference detecting circuit, to which high potential voltage of a high potential side of the battery selected by the selection circuit is inputted, and to which low potential voltage of a low potential side, whose voltage value is lower than the high potential voltage, of the selected battery is inputted, and which outputs a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage; and

a voltage applying unit that applies diagnostic voltage to a wire that is for inputting the high potential voltage to the difference detecting circuit when diagnosing an abnormality of a wire associated with the selected battery if the selected battery is a battery of a highest position in the series or a battery of a lowest position in the series, the method comprising;

selecting, by the selection circuit and from among the plurality of batteries, any one battery that is neither the battery of the highest position nor the battery of the lowest position;

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery selected by the selection circuit;

selecting, by the selection circuit, the battery of the highest position;

applying the diagnostic voltage by the voltage applying unit;

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery of the highest position;

selecting, by the selection circuit, the battery of the lowest position;

applying the diagnostic voltage by the voltage applying unit; and

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery of the lowest position.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium that stores an abnormality diagnosing program for causing a computer to execute a process for diagnosing an abnormality of a wire of a semiconductor circuit that has:

a selection circuit, to which are connected a plurality of batteries that are connected to each other in series, and which selects any one of the plurality of batteries;

a difference detecting circuit, to which high potential voltage of a high potential side of the battery selected by the selection circuit is inputted, and to which low potential voltage of a low potential side, whose voltage value is lower than the high potential voltage, of the selected is inputted, and which outputs a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage; and

a voltage applying unit that applies voltage for abnormality diagnosis to a wire that is for inputting the high potential voltage to the difference detecting circuit when diagnosing an abnormality of a wire associated with the selected battery if the selected battery is a battery of a highest position in the series or a battery of a lowest position in the series, the process comprising;

selecting, by the selection circuit and from among the plurality of batteries, any one battery that is neither the battery of the highest position nor the battery of the lowest position;

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery selected by the selection circuit;

selecting, by the selection circuit, the battery of the highest position;

applying the diagnostic voltage by the voltage applying unit;

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery of the highest position;

selecting, by the selection circuit, the battery of the lowest position;

applying the diagnostic voltage by the voltage applying unit; and

outputting, from the difference detecting circuit, a difference between the high potential voltage and the low potential voltage of the battery of the lowest position.