BATTERY PROTECTION CHIP AND DEVICE FOR CONTROLLING BALANCE OF BATTERY PROTECTION CHIPS

• US 20140292280A1
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Published: 10/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BYD Semiconductor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BYD Company Limited, Shenzhen BYD Auto R&D Company Limited
• Inventors: WANG, Xiaoping, TU, Zailin, BAI, Qinggang
• Granted Patent: US 9,419,449 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/134
• 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 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 7/0016 using shunting, discharge or bypass circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery protection chip may comprise: a first end, configured to output a strong pull up signal when a voltage of at least one battery in a battery pack protected does not reach a balance threshold, and to output a weak pull down signal when voltages of all batteries in the battery pack protected reach the balance threshold; and a second end, configured to output a strong pull down signal when a voltage of at least one battery in a battery pack protected does not reach a balance threshold, and to output a weak pull up signal when voltages of all batteries in the battery pack protected reach the balance threshold.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling a balance of batteries, the apparatus comprising:

a first battery protection circuit and a second battery protection circuit, wherein;

the first battery protection circuit is configured to monitor voltages of a first battery pack;

the second battery protection circuit is configured to monitor voltages of a second battery pack;

each battery protection circuit comprises a first end and a second end;

the first end of the first battery protection circuit is connected to the second end of the second battery protection circuit at a first node;

when a voltage of at least one battery in the first and/or the second battery pack does not reach a balance threshold, a first pull up state is output from the first end of the first and/or the second battery protection circuits, and a second pull down state is output from the second end of the first and/or second battery protection circuits;

when voltages of the plurality of batteries in the first and/or second battery pack reach the balance threshold, a first pull down state is output from the first end of the first and/or the second battery protection circuits, and a second pull up state is output from the second end of the first and/or second battery protection circuits respectively;

when the second pull down state is output from the second end of the second battery protection circuit and the first pull down state is output from the first end of the first battery protection circuit, the first node is configured to be in a third pull up state;

when the first pull up state is output from the first end of the first battery protection circuit and the second pull up state is output from the second end of the second battery protection circuit, the first node is configured to be in a third pull down state; and

when the second pull up state is output from the second end of the second battery protection circuit and the first pull down state is output from the first end of the first battery protection circuit, the first node is configured to be in a fourth pull down state.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and the second battery protection circuits are further configured to determine whether to start an in-pack balance based on voltages of batteries in the first and the second battery packs respectively, and to determine whether to start an inter-pack balance based on the state of the first node.

3. The apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the first battery protection circuit is further configured to receive a balance signal which indicates whether voltages of the plurality of batteries in the first battery pack reach the balance threshold.

4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first battery protection circuit further comprises a first circuit and a second circuit, wherein the first circuit is configured to send a first control signal to the second circuit, and wherein the second circuit is configured to send a second control signal to the first circuit;

wherein the first circuit is coupled with the first end, wherein the first circuit is further configured to control the first end based on the second control signal and the balance signal, and to output the first control signal based on the second control signal and the balance signal; and

wherein the second circuit is coupled with the second end, wherein the second circuit is further configured to control the second end based on the first control signal and the balance signal, and to output the second control signal based on the first control signal and the balance signal, wherein the first control signal is in a different state than the second control signal.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first circuit comprises:

a first determining circuit, configured to generate a first determining signal based on the second control signal and the balance signal;

a pull-up control circuit, configured to generate the state for the first end and to generate a third control signal based on the first determining signal;

a second determining circuit, configured to generate a second determining signal based on the third control signal and the first determining signal; and

a first control circuit, configured to generate the first control signal based on the second determining signal.

6. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the second circuit comprises:

a third determining circuit, configured to generate a third determining signal based on the first control signal and the balance signal;

a pull-down control circuit, configured to generate the state for the second end and to generate a fourth control signal and a fifth control signal based on the third determining signal;

a fourth determining circuit, configured to generate a fourth determining signal based on the fourth control signal, the fifth control signal and the third determining signal; and

a second control circuit, configured to generate the second control signal based on the fourth determining signal.

7. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first battery protection circuit further comprises a balance determining circuit, wherein the balance determining circuit is configured to determine whether to start the in-pack balance based on the voltages of the batteries in the first battery pack, and to determine whether to start the inter-pack balance further based on the first control signal and the second control signal.

8. An apparatus for controlling a balance of batteries within a plurality of battery packs, the apparatus comprising a first battery protection circuit and a second battery protection circuit, wherein:

the first battery protection circuit is configured to monitor voltages of a first battery pack;

the second battery protection circuit is configured to monitor voltages of a second battery pack;

the first battery protection circuit comprises a first and a second current sources coupled with a first end of the first battery protection circuit, wherein the first current source is configurable to generate a state for the first end based on the voltages of the first battery pack;

the second battery protection circuit comprises a third and a fourth current sources coupled with a second end of the second battery protection circuit, wherein the third current source is configurable to generate a state for the second end based on the voltages of the second battery pack; and

the first end of the first battery protection circuit is connected to the second end of the second battery protection circuit at a first node, wherein the second current source of the first battery protection circuit is capable of changing the state of the second end of the second battery protection circuit, and wherein the fourth current source of the second battery protection circuit is capable of changing the state of the first end of the first battery protection circuit.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein:

when a voltage of at least one battery in the first battery pack does not reach a balance threshold, the first end of the first battery protection circuit is configured to be in a first pull-up state;

when a voltage of at least one battery in the second battery pack does not reach the balance threshold, the second end of the second battery protection circuit is configured to be in a second pull-down state; and

when voltages of all the batteries in the first and second battery packs reach the balance threshold, the first end of the first battery protection circuit is configured to be in a first pull-down state, and the second end of the second battery protection circuit is configured to be in a second pull-up state.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein:

when the first end of the first battery protection circuit is in the first pull-up state and when the second end of the second battery protection circuit is in the second pull-up state, the first node is configured to be in a third pull-down state;

when the first end of the first battery protection circuit is in the first pull-down state and when the second end of the second battery protection circuit is in the second pull-down state, the first node is configured to be in a third pull-up state; and

when the first end of the first battery protection circuit is in the first pull-down state and when the second end of the second battery protection circuit is in the second pull-up state, the first node is configured to be in a fourth pull-down state.

11. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first battery protection circuit is further configured to receive a balance signal which indicates whether a voltage of at least one battery in the first battery pack does not reach the balance threshold.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the first battery protection circuit comprises a first circuit and a second circuit;

wherein the first circuit is configured to generate a first control signal based on the balance signal, and to send the first control signal to the second circuit;

wherein the second circuit is configured to generate a second control signal based on the balance signal, and to send the second control signal to the first circuit;

wherein the first circuit is coupled with the first end and is further configured to control the first end based on the second control signal and the balance signal; and

wherein the second circuit is coupled with the second end and is further configured to control the second end based on the first control signal and the balance signal.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the first and the second battery protection circuits are configured to determine whether to start an in-pack balance based on voltages of batteries in the first and the second battery packs, and to determine whether to start an inter-pack balance based on the state of the first node.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the first battery protection circuit further comprises a balance determining circuit, wherein the balance determining circuit is configured to determine whether to start the in-pack balance based on the voltages of the batteries in the battery, and to determine whether to start the inter-pack balance further based on the first control signal and the second control signal.

15. A battery protection circuit for controlling a balance of batteries within a battery pack, comprising:

a first configurable current source coupled with a first end of the battery protection circuit;

a second configurable current source coupled with a second end of the battery protection circuit;

wherein the battery protection circuit is configured to monitor voltages of the battery back;

wherein the first current source is configured to generate a state for the first end based on the voltages of the battery pack;

and wherein the second current source is configured to generate a state for the second end based on the voltages of the battery pack.

16. The circuit according to claim 15, wherein:

when a voltage of at least one battery in the battery pack does not reach a balance threshold, the first end is configured to be in a first pull-up state and the second end is configured to be in a second pull-down state; and

when voltages of all the batteries in the battery pack reach the balance threshold, the first end is configured to be in a first pull-down state, and the second end is configured to be in a second pull-up state.

17. The circuit according to claim 16, configured to receive a balance signal which indicates whether a voltage of at least one battery in the battery pack does not reach the balance threshold.

18. The circuit according to claim 17, further comprising a first circuit and a second circuit;

wherein the first circuit is configured to generate a first control signal based on the balance signal, and to send the first control signal to the second circuit;

wherein the second circuit is configured to generate a second control signal based on the balance signal, and to send the second control signal to the first circuit;

wherein the first circuit is coupled with the first end and is further configured to control the first end based on the second control signal and the balance signal; and

wherein the second circuit is coupled with the second end and is further configured to control the second end based on the first control signal and the balance signal.

19. The circuit according to claim 18, wherein the first circuit comprises:

a first determining circuit, configured to generate a first determining signal based on the second control signal and the balance signal;

a pull-up control circuit coupled with the first current source, wherein the pull-up control circuit is configured to enable or disable the first current source to generate the state for the first end, and wherein the pull-up control circuit is further configured to generate a third control signal based on the first determining signal;

a second determining circuit, configured to generate a second determining signal based on the third control signal and the first determining signal; and

a first control circuit, configured to generate the first control signal based on the second determining signal.

20. The circuit according to claim 18, wherein the second circuit comprises:

a third determining circuit, configured to generate a third determining signal based on the first control signal and the balance signal;

a pull-down control circuit coupled with the second current source, wherein the pull-down control circuit is configured to enable or disable the second current source to generate the state for the second end, and wherein the pull-down control circuit is further configured to generate a fourth control signal and a fifth control signal based on the third determining signal;

a fourth determining circuit, configured to generate a fourth determining signal based on the fourth control signal, the fifth control signal and the third determining signal; and

a second control circuit, configured to generate the second control signal based on the fourth determining signal.