APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR MANAGING BATTERY SYSTEM

• US 20130249317A1
• Filed: 05/24/2013
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Energy Solution Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: KANG, Jung-Soo, JUNG, Jong-Mo
• Granted Patent: US 9,222,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/116
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/00 Methods of charging batteries, specially adapted for electric vehicles; Charging stations or on-board charging equipment therefor; Exchange of energy storage elements in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/18 of two or more battery modules
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/382 Arrangements for monitoring battery or accumulator variables, e.g. SoC
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/392 Determining battery ageing or deterioration, e.g. state of health
• 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: H01M 10/4207 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4271 Battery management systems including electronic circuits, e.g. control of current or voltage to keep battery in healthy state, cell balancing
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0014 Circuits for equalisation of charge between batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0024 Parallel/serial switching of connection of batteries to charge or load circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0029 with safety or protection devices or circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/005 Detection of state of health [SOH]
• 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 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, provided is an apparatus for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the apparatus comprising a performance measurement section for measuring a performance of each of the battery cells; a cell switching section for turning on or off a connection of each battery cell to other battery cells; and a controlling section for comparing the performance of each battery cell measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance and, in the presence of the battery cell(s) having measured performance lower than the reference performance, controlling the cell switching section to interrupt the connection of the relevant battery cell(s) to other battery cells.

Claims

1. An apparatus for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the apparatus comprising:

a performance measurement section for measuring a performance of each of the battery cells;

a cell switching section for turning on or off a connection of each battery cell to other battery cells; and

a controlling section for comparing the performance of each battery cell measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance and, in the presence of the battery cell(s) having measured performance lower than the reference performance, controlling the cell switching section to interrupt the connection of the relevant battery cell(s) to other battery cells.

2. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein the performance of the battery cells is at least one of the voltage, current, resistance and capacity thereof.

3. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein the cell switching section is in the form of a 3-contacts switch.

4. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, further comprising a system switching section for turning on or off a current flow path for the whole plurality of battery cells,

wherein the controlling section turns off the system switching section before turning on or off the cell switching section.

5. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein although the battery cell(s) having measured performance lower than a reference performance is present, in the case that the number of the battery cell(s) being pre-interrupted to connect to other battery cells exceeds a certain number, the controlling section does not interrupt the connection of the relevant battery cell(s) to other relevant battery cells.

6. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein in the case that the number of the battery cell(s) being interrupted to connect to other battery cells exceeds a certain number, the controlling section provides a warning information to a user.

7. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, wherein in the presence of the battery cell(s) interrupted to connect to other battery cells, the controlling section provides a user with at least one of the location, performance and number information of the battery cell(s) interrupted.

8. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 7, further comprising a memory section for storing at least one of the location, performance and number information of the battery cell(s) interrupted.

9. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 1, in the presence of the battery cell(s) interrupted to connect to other battery cells, further comprising an auxiliary battery instead of the battery cells interrupted, to additionally connect to other battery cells in series.

10. A method for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery cells connected in series, the method comprising:

measuring a performance of each of the battery cells;

comparing measured performance of each battery cell with a reference performance; and

interrupting the connection of the relevant battery cells to other battery cells in the presence of the battery cell(s) having measured performance lower than the reference performance.

11. An apparatus for managing a battery system having a plurality of battery modules connected in series, the apparatus comprising:

a performance measurement section for measuring a performance of each of the battery modules;

a module switching section for turning on or off the connection of each battery module to other battery modules; and

a controlling section for comparing the performance of each battery module measured by the performance measurement section with a reference performance and, in the presence of the battery module(s) having measured performance lower than a reference performance, controlling the module switching section to interrupt the connection of the relevant battery module(s) to other battery modules.

12. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, wherein the performance of the battery modules is at least one of the voltage, current, resistance and capacity thereof.

13. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, wherein the module switching section is in the form of a 3-contacts switch.

14. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, further comprising a system switching section for turning on or off a current flow path for the whole plurality of battery modules,

wherein the controlling section turns off the system switching section before turning on or off the module switching section.

15. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, wherein although the battery module(s) having measured performance lower than a reference performance is present, in the case that the number of the battery module(s) being pre-interrupted to connect to other battery modules exceeds a certain number, the controlling section does not interrupt the connection of the relevant battery module(s) to other battery modules.

16. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, wherein in the case that the number of the battery module(s) being interrupted to connect to other battery modules exceeds a certain number, the controlling section provides a warning information to a user.

17. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, wherein in the presence of the battery cell(s) interrupted to connect to other battery cells, the controlling section provides a user with at least one of the location, performance and number information of the battery module(s) interrupted.

18. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 17, further comprising a memory section for storing at least one of the location, performance and number information of the battery module(s) interrupted.

19. The apparatus for managing a battery system according to claim 11, in the presence of the battery module(s) interrupted to connect to other battery modules, further comprising an auxiliary battery, instead of the battery module(s) interrupted, to additionally connect to other battery modules in series.