BATTERY PACK, APPARATUS HAVING THE SAME AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING BATTERY

• US 20150061572A1
• Filed: 03/18/2014
• Published: 03/05/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Ju, Ria, Song, Eui-Hwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,923,397 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/107
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/547 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0046 relating to electric energy storage systems, e.g. batteries or capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/13 Maintaining the SoC within a determined range
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/16 responding to battery ageing, e.g. to the number of charging cycles or the state of health [SoH]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0063 with circuits adapted for supplying loads from the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

A battery pack includes a battery coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal and a battery manager configured to sense a state of charge of the battery; a load circuit coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal and configured to receive discharge power from the battery; a power generator coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal and configured to supply charge power to the battery; and a controller configured to control the battery pack and the power generator and to force discharging of the battery to make the state of charge of the battery equal to a reference value when a signal to initiate self-discharging is received from a user.

Claims

1. A battery pack-equipped apparatus comprising:

a battery pack comprising a battery coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal and a battery manager configured to sense a state of charge of the battery;

a load circuit coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal and configured to receive discharge power from the battery;

a power generator coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal and configured to supply charge power to the battery; and

a controller configured to control the battery pack and the power generator and to force discharging of the battery to make the state of charge of the battery equal to a reference value when a signal to initiate self-discharging is received from a user.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the battery pack-equipped apparatus is a vehicle, and

the signal to initiate self-discharging is a long-term parking signal of the vehicle.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to control the battery pack to make the battery output discharge power to the load circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the battery further comprises a discharge circuit coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal, and

the controller is configured to control the battery pack to make the battery output discharge power to the discharge circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to charge the battery by controlling the power generator to make the state of charge of the battery equal to the reference value upon the receipt of the signal to initiate self-discharging.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference value is in a range between a first state of charge and a second state of charge, and

the controller is configured to change the first state of charge or the second state of charge according to a state of health (SOH) of the battery.

7. A method of controlling a battery, the method comprising:

receiving a signal to initiate self-discharging from an external device;

sensing a state of charge of the battery;

comparing the sensed state of charge with a reference value; and

performing forced discharging of the battery when the sensed state of charge is greater than the reference value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the performing of the forced discharging of the battery comprises outputting discharge power of the battery to a load circuit coupled to the battery.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising charging the battery when the state of charge is less than the reference value.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the charging of the battery comprises supplying charge power to the battery from a power generator coupled to the battery.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the reference value is in a range between a first state of charge and a second state of charge, and

the first state of charge or the second state of charge varies according to a state of health (SOH) of the battery.

12. A battery pack comprising:

a battery coupled between a first terminal and a second terminal and configured to receive charge power and to output discharge power; and

a battery manager configured to receive a signal to initiate self-discharging from an external device and to control forced discharging of the battery to make a state of charge (SOC) of the battery equal to a reference value.

13. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the battery manager is configured to transmit a signal to initiate charging to the external device when the state of charge of the battery is less than the reference value.

14. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the battery manager is configured to transmit a signal to initiate discharging to the external device when the state of charge of the battery is greater than the reference value.

15. The battery pack of claim 12, further comprising a discharge circuit coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal,

wherein the battery manager is configured to control the discharge circuit to discharge the battery.

16. The battery pack of claim 12, wherein the reference value is in a range between a first state of charge and a second state of charge, and

the battery manager is configured to change the first state of charge or the second state of charge according to a state of health (SOH) of the battery.