BATTERY PACK AND ELECTRIC DEVICE

• US 20160049636A1
• Filed: 02/28/2014
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/22/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi KOKI Company Limited (Koki Holdings Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: TAKANO, Nobuhiro
• Granted Patent: US 9,893,343 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/42 Methods or arrangements for servicing or maintenance of secondary cells or secondary half-cells H01M10/60 takes precedence
• 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 10/48 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 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/486 for measuring temperature
• 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 2200/00 Safety devices for primary or secondary batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/574 Devices or arrangements for the interruption of current
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/581 in response to temperature
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0031 using battery or load disconnect circuits H02J9/002 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

The present invention reduces or shuts off output electric power of a battery pack, which is connected to an electric device, depending on an abnormality. According to the present invention, a battery pack is detachably connected to an electric-device main body having a switch, and includes a first electric-power control circuit that outputs a first signal to the electric-device main body when the switch is operated, the first signal for allowing supply of electric power to the electric-device main body, a second switching element provided on an electric-power supply path that supplies electric power to the electric-device main body, and a second electric-power control circuit that outputs a second signal to the second switching element if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack, the second signal for reducing or shutting off the electric power supplied to the electric-device main body.

Claims

1-14. -14. (canceled)

15. A battery pack detachably connected to an electric-device main body, the battery pack comprising:

at least one battery cell;

a first electric-power control circuit that outputs a first signal to the electric-device main body if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack; and

a second switching element provided on an electric-power supply path to which electric power is supplied from the battery cell,

wherein if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack in a state that the battery pack is connected to a first electric-device main body having a first switching element on the electric- power supply path, at least one of the first switching element and the second switching element is shut off, and

if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack in a state that the battery pack is connected to a second electric-device main body not having the first switching element on the electric-power supply path, the second switching element is shut off.

16. The battery pack according to claim 15,

wherein the first electric-power control circuit outputs a shut-off signal for shutting off the second switching element.

17. The battery pack according to claim 16, further comprising a second electric-power control circuit,

wherein if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack, the second electric-power control circuit outputs a second signal for reducing or shutting off electric power, which is supplied to the electric-device main body based on the shut-off signal, to the second switching element.

18. The battery pack according to claim 15,

wherein the second electric-device main body has a switch, and when the switch is operated, the second electric-device main body allows supply of electric power regardless of output of the first signal.

19. The battery pack according to claim 15,

wherein the first electric-device main body has a third electric-power control circuit, and if an abnormality occurs in the battery pack or the electric-device main body, the third electric-power control circuit outputs a third signal for reducing or shutting off electric power supplied through the electric-power supply path to the first switching element provided on the electric-power supply path.

20. The battery pack according to claim 15,

wherein an abnormal state of the battery pack is a case where voltage of the battery pack becomes overdischarge, or current flowing in the electric-power supply path is larger than a threshold value.

21. An electric device comprising the electric-device main body including the first electric-device main body or the second electric-device main body;

and a battery pack according to claim 15 connectable to the electric-device main body.

22. An electric device in which a battery pack is connected to an electric-device main body,

wherein the electric-device main body is either:

a first electric-device main body including a third electric-power control circuit that outputs a third signal for reducing or shutting off electric power supplied through an electric-power supply path to a first switching element provided on the electric-power supply path if an abnormality occurs at least in one of the battery pack and the electric-device main body, or

a second electric-device main body in which it is impossible to reduce or shut off electric power supplied to the first switching element if an abnormality occurs at least in one of the battery pack and the electric-device main body,

wherein the battery pack is selectively connectable to both of the first electric-device main body and the second electric-device main body, and has a second electric-power control circuit that outputs a second signal for reducing or shutting off electric power supplied through the electric-power supply path to a second switching element provided on the electric-power supply path if an abnormality occurs in the electric-device main bodies connected to each other, or the battery pack, and

the battery pack outputs at least one of a first signal to the first switching element and the second signal to the second switching element for reducing or shutting off electric power supplied through the electric-power supply path if an abnormality occurs in the first electric-device main body or the battery pack in a state that the battery pack is connected to the first electric-device main body.

23. The electric device according to claim 22,

wherein a criterion of switching whether or not to output the third signal in the first electric-device main body differs from a criterion of switching whether or not to output the second signal in the battery pack.