STORAGE BATTERY

• US 20120326654A1
• Filed: 06/26/2012
• Published: 12/27/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: DENSO Corporation, CAPTEX Co., Ltd. (Nagase & Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: DENSO Corporation, CAPTEX Co., Ltd. (Nagase & Company Limited)
• Inventors: ITO, Akira, Fujita, Mitsuru, Tanaka, Kenichi, Sakaguchi, Yukitsugu
• Granted Patent: US 9,045,047 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/103
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/14 Boost converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• 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 10/441 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A storage battery has at least battery banks, switching units, a charging terminal, a discharging terminal and a battery management unit. The battery banks form a bank structure. Each switching unit electrically connects a group of the battery banks with either the charging terminal or the discharging terminal, and disconnects the group of the battery banks from the charging terminal or the discharging terminal. The battery management unit instructs the switching units to electrically and simultaneously connect one or more battery banks to the charging terminal during charging, and to electrically and simultaneously connect one or more battery banks to the discharging terminal during discharging.

Claims

1. A storage battery comprising:

a discharging terminal through which electric power of the storage battery is discharged;

a charging terminal through which electric power is charged into the storage battery;

a plurality of battery banks which are selectively and electrically connected to either the discharging terminal or the charging terminal in order to charge the battery bank with electric power supplied through the charging terminal and to discharge of the battery bank through the discharging terminal;

switching units capable of connecting each of the battery banks with one of the discharge terminal and the charging terminal, and of disconnecting each of the battery banks from the discharging terminal and the charging terminal; and

a control unit capable of controlling discharging and charging of each of the battery banks, and the control unit instructing the switching units during discharging so that at least one of the battery banks is discharging and instructing the switching units during charging so that at least one of the battery banks is charging.

2. The storage battery according to claim 1, further comprising a monitor unit which monitors at least a state of charge of each of the battery banks.

3. The storage battery according to claim 2, wherein the monitor unit detects whether or not a state of charge of the battery bank which is currently discharging becomes not more than a predetermined state of charge of the battery bank in the maximum state of charge of the battery bank,

when the detection result of the monitor unit indicates the state of charge of the battery bank which is currently discharging becomes not more than the predetermined state of charge, the control unit instructs the switching units so that one or more the battery banks are electrically connected in parallel to the discharging terminal in addition to the battery bank which is currently discharging through the discharging terminal, and these battery banks in addition to the battery bank which is currently discharging are discharging simultaneously.

4. The storage battery according to claim 1, wherein at least the two battery banks are electrically connectable in parallel with the discharging terminal, and at least the two battery banks are electrically connectable in series, wherein

the storage battery further comprises a series connection switching unit which makes a series connection between the battery banks, which are connectable in series, and of releasing the series connection between the battery banks, and the control unit controls the series connection switching unit on the basis of a battery voltage required to charge and discharge each of the battery banks.

5. The storage battery according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined state of charge is 20% or less of the maximum state of charge of the battery bank which is currently discharging.

6. The storage battery according to claim 2, wherein the monitor unit detects whether or not the battery bank which is currently discharging becomes not less a predetermined depth of discharge,

when the detection result of the monitor unit indicates the depth of discharge of the battery bank which is currently discharging becomes not less than the predetermined depth of discharge, the control unit instructs the switching units so that one or more the battery banks are electrically connected in parallel to the discharging terminal in addition to the battery bank which is currently discharging through the discharging terminal, and these battery banks in addition to the battery bank which is currently discharging are discharging simultaneously.