APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR WARNING CHARGE AMOUNT OF BATTERY

• US 20140253043A1
• Filed: 03/05/2014
• Published: 09/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2013
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Chae, Jong-Hyun, Ha, Hyun-Chul, Cho, Sang-Eun
• Application Number:
  US14/197,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20140253043A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/182 Level alarms, e.g. alarms responsive to variables exceeding a threshold
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/185 Electrical failure alarms
• 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: H01M 10/488 Cells or batteries combined with indicating means for external visualization of the condition, e.g. by change of colour or of light density
• 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: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus and method for warning a charge amount. The apparatus for warning a charge amount includes a storage unit to store an indication unit used to indicate a remaining charge amount of a battery and a warning value based on the indication unit, a measurement unit to measure an electrical characteristic value of the battery, a charge amount calculation unit to calculate a remaining charge amount from the measured electrical characteristic value of the battery, an indication unit conversion unit to convert the calculated remaining charge amount to an indication unit based on a power amount consumed in a load electrically connected to the battery by the indication unit, and a determination unit to output a warning signal when the converted remaining charge amount is less than or equal to the warning value. According to the present disclosure, a warning is provided to charge a battery before the battery is fully discharged. In this instance, the warning may be set to be provided by a unit of a desired form at a desired point in time by a user, so when the user uses a device including the battery, predictability in operation or management may be further improved.

Claims

1. An apparatus for warning a charge amount, comprising:

a storage unit to store an indication unit used to indicate a remaining charge amount of a battery and a warning value based on the indication unit;

a measurement unit to measure an electrical characteristic value of the battery;

a charge amount calculation unit to calculate a remaining charge amount from the measured electrical characteristic value of the battery;

an indication unit conversion unit to convert the calculated remaining charge amount to an indication unit based on a power amount consumed in a load electrically connected to the battery by the indication unit; and

a determination unit to output a warning signal when the converted remaining charge amount is less than or equal to the warning value.

2. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the indication unit is a value input from a user by a selection.

3. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the indication unit is a length or a time.

4. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 3, wherein the indication unit conversion unit converts the remaining charge amount of the battery to an operable time or an operable length based on a power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by a unit length or a unit time.

5. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 4, wherein the indication unit conversion unit converts the remaining charge amount of the battery to the operable time or the operable length based on the following equation:

6. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores a preset power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by the indication unit.

7. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the memory unit stores the calculated power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by the indication unit based on the electrical characteristic value of the battery measured through the measurement unit.

8. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, wherein the warning value is input from a user.

9. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, further comprising:

a global positioning system (GPS) module to output geographical location data of the battery using a signal received from a GPS satellite; and

a warning value setting unit to select battery charging stations reachable with the remaining charge amount among battery charging stations located on a movement path of the battery predicted using at least two geographical location data, and to set a location of a last reachable battery charging station based on the indication unit among the selected battery charging stations as a warning value based on the indication unit.

10. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 9, further comprising:

a charging station location information memory unit to store the location of the battery charging station.

11. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, further comprising:

a GPS module to output geographical location data of the battery using a signal received from a GPS satellite; and

a warning value setting unit to select battery charging stations reachable with the remaining charge amount among battery charging stations located on a pre-input movement path of the battery, and to set a location of a last reachable battery charging station based on the indication unit among the selected battery charging stations as a warning value based on the indication unit.

12. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 11, further comprising:

a charging station location information memory unit to store the location of the battery charging station.

13. The apparatus for warning a charge amount according to claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit to visually or auditorily display that the battery needs to be charged, in response to the warning signal being received from the determination unit.

14. A battery pack comprising:

an apparatus for warning a charge amount defined in claims 1;

a secondary battery assembly including at least two secondary batteries; and

a battery management system (BMS) to control the charge and discharge of the secondary battery assembly.

15. A battery operating system comprising:

a battery pack defined in claims 14; and

a load that is supplied with power from the battery pack.

16. The battery operating system according to claim 15, wherein the load is an electric driving means or a power inverter circuit.

17. A method for warning a charge amount, comprising:

(a) storing an indication unit used to indicate a state of charge (SOC) of a battery and a warning value based on the indication unit;

(b) calculating and storing a remaining charge amount from an electrical characteristic value of the battery;

(c) converting the calculated remaining charge amount of the battery to an indication unit based on a power amount consumed in a load connected to the battery by the indication unit; and

(d) outputting a warning signal when the converted remaining charge amount is less than or equal to the warning value.

18. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, further comprising:

before the step (a), receiving an input of an indication unit selected by a user.

19. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, wherein the indication unit is a length or a time.

20. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 19, wherein the step (c) comprises converting the remaining charge amount of the battery to an operable time or an operable length based on a power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by a unit length or a unit time.

21. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 20, wherein the step (c) comprises converting the remaining charge amount of the battery to the operable time or the operable length based on the following equation:

22. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, wherein the step (a) comprises additionally storing a preset power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by the indication unit.

23. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, further comprising:

storing the calculated power amount consumed in the load connected to the battery by the indication unit based on the electrical characteristic value of the battery measured in the step (b).

24. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, further comprising:

before the step (a), receiving an input of a warning value selected by a user.

25. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, further comprising:

before the step (a),

outputting geographical location data of the battery using a signal received from a global positioning system (GPS) satellite; and

selecting battery charging stations reachable with the remaining charge amount among battery charging stations located on a movement path of the battery predicted using at least two geographical location data, and setting a location of a last reachable battery charging station based on the indication unit among the selected battery charging stations as a warning value based on the indication unit.

26. The method for warning a charge amount according to claim 17, further comprising:

before the step (a),

outputting geographical location data of the battery using a signal received from a GPS satellite; and

selecting battery charging stations reachable with the remaining charge amount among battery charging stations located on a pre-input movement path of the battery, and setting a location of a last reachable battery charging station based on the indication unit among the selected battery charging stations as a warning value based on the indication unit.